Case Synopsis: It was September 2013 and Kimberly Wong, an external consultant working with GlaxoSmithKine, a large multinational healthcare company, had just boarded a Singapore bound flight from Manila with her colleague. They had visited GSK offices throughout the region, conducting interviews and collecting detailed information to examine how well senior management was addressing gaps in GSK's talent pool while tackling inter-generational workforce issues. When they return to Singapore they would be meeting with VP of Human Resources, Asia Pacific at GSK, to share their observations and analysis of their findings. Although ostensibly a young company that was formed by a merger, the two companies were considerably older with histories that dated back almost 400 years. GSK operations performed strongly despite global business volatility in the 2010's. The sales were impressive in the vaccine and pharmaceutical divisions. However, inter-generational tension increased as the gap between the ages of employees in the workplace widened. Wong observed that the GSK workforce spanned three generations, which could add to the complexity of many human resource issues. Many conflicts typically originated through different expectations about reward and recognition. Being a hierarchical society, Wong knew that she had to be savvy about making choices that are difficult in such organizations. There are many advantages to the world run multi-generational workplace such as; talent attraction, improving creativity and innovation, reduce turnover and greater competitive advantage. However, there were definitely differences among generations and people are living longer. In addition, Baby Boomers have decades of accumulated knowledge that needs to transfer to GSK before they retire. However, Wong saw the folly in overgeneralizing entire generations especially in the incredibly diverse region as Asia Pacific. Wong also understood the importance of creating a coherent corporate HR strategy but needed to know what management styles; HR policies and tools were best suited to GSK's needs. To remain competitive GSK had also incorporated many strategies to attract and retain younger talent. Yet, impressive economic expansions far outstripped stagnate population growth in Asia Pacific countries, which had resulted in chronic talent shortages that were particularly acute for general management and other senior positions. Those with the professional talent found themselves in quite a favorable position given the abundance of jobs available to them. How could Wong advise GSK to meet talent demands while also engaging their inter-generational workforce? Case prompt: You are a consultant working with Kimberly Wong. You have spoken to Wong after sharing ideas and have come up with a solution to the problem at GSK. You will advise the Vice President of Human Resources, Asia Pacific at GSK on how to best motivate, attract and retain each generation while maintaining impartiality. Your Task: Write a memo (no more than one page) to the Vice President of Human Resources, Asia Pacific at GSK, in which you; 1) clearly and concisely state the business problem (background, specific problem, urgency of the problem; 2) present/address the basic facts and critical issues of the case; 3) After presenting the basic facts, discuss their implications; 4) analyze the advantages and disadvantages of two (2) possible solutions to the problem based on logic and evidence from your analysis; 5) next, describe your recommended solution and defend your decision. Finally, include the next steps (implementation) GSK HR should take and how best to communicate the message Case Synopsis: It was September 2013 and Kimberly Wong, an external consultant working with GlaxoSmithKine, a large multinational healthcare company, had just boarded a Singapore bound flight from Manila with her colleague. They had visited GSK offices throughout the region, conducting interviews and collecting detailed information to examine how well senior management was addressing gaps in GSK's talent pool while tackling inter-generational workforce issues. When they return to Singapore they would be meeting with VP of Human Resources, Asia Pacific at GSK, to share their observations and analysis of their findings. Although ostensibly a young company that was formed by a merger, the two companies were considerably older with histories that dated back almost 400 years. GSK operations performed strongly despite global business volatility in the 2010's. The sales were impressive in the vaccine and pharmaceutical divisions. However, inter-generational tension increased as the gap between the ages of employees in the workplace widened. Wong observed that the GSK workforce spanned three generations, which could add to the complexity of many human resource issues. Many conflicts typically originated through different expectations about reward and recognition. Being a hierarchical society, Wong knew that she had to be savvy about making choices that are difficult in such organizations. There are many advantages to the world run multi-generational workplace such as; talent attraction, improving creativity and innovation, reduce turnover and greater competitive advantage. However, there were definitely differences among generations and people are living longer. In addition, Baby Boomers have decades of accumulated knowledge that needs to transfer to GSK before they retire. However, Wong saw the folly in overgeneralizing entire generations especially in the incredibly diverse region as Asia Pacific. Wong also understood the importance of creating a coherent corporate HR strategy but needed to know what management styles; HR policies and tools were best suited to GSK's needs. To remain competitive GSK had also incorporated many strategies to attract and retain younger talent. Yet, impressive economic expansions far outstripped stagnate population growth in Asia Pacific countries, which had resulted in chronic talent shortages that were particularly acute for general management and other senior positions. Those with the professional talent found themselves in quite a favorable position given the abundance of jobs available to them. How could Wong advise GSK to meet talent demands while also engaging their inter-generational workforce? Case prompt: You are a consultant working with Kimberly Wong. You have spoken to Wong after sharing ideas and have come up with a solution to the problem at GSK. You will advise the Vice President of Human Resources, Asia Pacific at GSK on how to best motivate, attract and retain each generation while maintaining impartiality. Your Task: Write a memo (no more than one page) to the Vice President of Human Resources, Asia Pacific at GSK, in which you; 1) clearly and concisely state the business problem (background, specific problem, urgency of the problem; 2) present/address the basic facts and critical issues of the case; 3) After presenting the basic facts, discuss their implications; 4) analyze the advantages and disadvantages of two (2) possible solutions to the problem based on logic and evidence from your analysis; 5) next, describe your recommended solution and defend your decision. Finally, include the next steps (implementation) GSK HR should take and how best to communicate the message