Robert Clark, president and key shareholder of Maple Leaf Shoes, knew that he had a tough situation on his hands. In less than a month, Maple Leaf Shoes will have to negotiate a contract with a newly formed union in its plant, covering approximately 23 percent of the nonmanagerial workforce. A second and more militant union is due for contract negotiations a few months later. Recently, the firms human resource manager, John McAllister, left the firm for a better position in Toronto. Despite its best recruitment efforts, Maple Leaf Shoes has not been able to fill the vacancy. The firm ran ads in The Globe and Mail, National Post, Vancouver Sun, and Halifax Herald. The ads yielded only 34 potential candidates, out of which a preliminary screening had reduced the number to nine (including a current employee of Maple Leaf Shoes). All nine were interviewed by Clark and five were eliminated from further consideration after this preliminary interview. The remaining four were interviewed a second time by Clark and three senior officers. Summaries of the rsums submitted by the four candidates are given in Exhibits 1 through 4.

Based on their rsums and on his impressions of the interviews with the four candidates, Robert Clark made the following mental evaluations of the applicants: Michael Anderson, Arthur Dougherty, Jane Reynolds, and Steven Robinson. Clark felt that each applicant had several strong points, but also possessed weaknesses.

Michael Anderson: Anderson was the oldest of the lot (observed Clark). A widower with two grown-up children, he had the most diverse background. Anderson impressed Clark as a very interesting, if somewhat reserved, person. He had seven years experience in the Canadian Armed Forces (with an outstanding record there) and knew several trades (Jack of all trades?). During the interview, Anderson came across as a results-oriented individual. As a previous employer noted, Corner Brook Arts and Crafts, where Anderson worked in the past, was about to be declared bankrupt when Anderson entered the company (for peanuts money) and turned it around to become a successful firm by refining its planning and control systems. In Clarks mind, Anderson was someone who could take charge, but one of the references had warned about Andersons need for autonomy in his workplace. Clark felt that personally he would get along better with someone else (for example, Dougherty) than with Anderson. But then, his personal feelings shouldnt play that important a role in the hiring decision. Or should they?

Arthur Dougherty: Dougherty impressed Clark as the most gregarious of the four he interviewed. He was totally at ease with the interviewers and displayed the best interpersonal skills among the four. Not only was he comfortable in the presence of others, but he seemed to have the knack of making others feel comfortable as well. It was true that Doughertys past experience was mostly in saleshe had moved to human resources after more than 15 years of

Maple Leaf Shoes Ltd. Case Study from Schwind, Canadian Human Resource Management, 11ce Copyright 2019 McGraw-Hill Education Ltd.

a sales career (I wanted bigger and more challenging things to do. You can only do so much selling shoes and steel). He also had a good knowledge of the shoe industry. His references described Dougherty as a very pleasant person to work with and always offering help to anyone who needs him. But Clark wondered whether Dougherty would be able to play the leader and catalyst role in HR at Maple Leaf. In favour of Dougherty was another fact: his children had all grown up, so he should be able to devote extra time to the new position. This job, with all these union contract negotiations ahead, was going to require a lot of 18-hour workdays!

EXHIBIT 1

Michael Anderson

Personal:

Education:

Experience:

Age 53 years; widower, two children, Jason (25 years) and Jennifer (23 years)

Grade 12, Belvedere High School, Vancouver Two years in B.Com., University of B.C.

Over 10 Extension courses in Human Resource Management in B.C. and Ontario. Subjects include Negotiation Skills, Human Resource Information Systems, Safety and Health, Employee Involvement, and Organizational Change

7yearsinCanadianArmedForces;honorarydischarge;outstandingrecord

4 years, Production Scheduler, Corner Brook Arts & Crafts Ltd., Newfoundland

6 years, Production Supervisor, Hamilton Steel Limited, Ontario

12 years, Administrative Manager, De-Brook Safety Glasses Ltd., Mississauga, Ontario

5 years, Assistant Human Resource Manager, U-Save Groceries Limited, Ontario

Member, Council for Free Trade, Corner Brook (3 years)

Initiated Young Entrepreneurs Program in association with a local bank, Mississauga

Other Activities:

Maple Leaf Shoes Ltd. Case Study from Schwind, Canadian Human Resource Management, 11ce Copyright 2019 McGraw-Hill Education Ltd.

Coach for the town soccer team (during the three years he coached, the team won all local games)

EXHIBIT 2

Arthur Dougherty

Personal:

Education:

Grade 12 from St. Johns High School, Mississauga, Ontario 2 years in Bachelor of Arts Program, University of Toronto Dale Carnegie course

Public Speaking workshop

2 years, Clerical (accounting), Great West Insurance Company, Toronto 4 years, Sales Assistant, Classic Leather Shoes Ltd., Vancouver

6 years, Sales Supervisor, Metro Auto Lines, Vancouver

6 years, Senior Sales Supervisor, Fashion Foot Wear Ltd., Ontario

4 years, Human Resource Supervisor, Ontario EngineeringWorks,

Hamilton, Ontario

4 years, Assistant Human Resource Manager, Madman McIsaacs Carpets

and Home Furnishings Ltd., Hamilton, Ontario

Founding member of local animal shelter, Wanderbury, Ontario

4 Human Resource Management courses (non-credit) at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Topics include Employee Relations, Diversity Management, Safety and Information systems

Experience:

Other

Activities:

EXHIBIT 3

Age 48 years; married for the last 23 years, three children, Jack (22), Liam (20), and Ava (17)

Member, Parish Council Executive (5 years)

Member, Executive Committee for Trade, Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (3 years)

Maple Leaf Shoes Ltd. Case Study from Schwind, Canadian Human Resource Management, 11ce Copyright 2019 McGraw-Hill Education Ltd.

Jane Reynolds

Personal: Education:

Age 36 years; single, one child, Chase (8 years)

B.A. Sociology, University of New Brunswick (Deans Honour List)

6 credit courses in Human Resource Management, Saint Marys University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. The courses were Human Resource Management, Industrial Relations, Wage and Salary Administration, Staffing and Training, Interpersonal Communication, and Organizational Theory and Design

3 courses (Stress Management, Negotiation Skills and Interpersonal Communication) offered by Ontario Human Resources Association

1 year, Employment Recruiter, Atlantic Fishery Products, Saint John

2 years, Recruiter, Nova Brewery, Halifax

1 year, Human Resource Assistant, Nova Scotia Power Corporation, Halifax 3 years, Senior Human Resource Assistant, Ontario Steel Limited, Hamilton 4 years, Human Resource Supervisor, Maple Leaf Shoes Ltd., Leaf Town Volunteer, United Way, Saint John (2 years)

Leader, Girl Guides, Halifax (4 years)

Member, Lions Club, Hamilton (3 years) and Leaf Town (2 years)

Experience:

Other Activities:

EXHIBIT 4

Steven Robinson

Personal: Age 35 years; divorced, one child under Robinsons custody, Isabella (7 years)

Education: B.A. (Honours) (Political Science), University of Alberta Certified Human Resources Professional, Alberta

Maple Leaf Shoes Ltd. Case Study from Schwind, Canadian Human Resource Management, 11ce Copyright 2019 McGraw-Hill Education Ltd.

Experience:

Other Activities:

Two extension courses on Human Resources Information Systems and the Internet

2 years, Correspondent for The Bugle, Calgary

2 Years, Human Resources Assistant, The Bugle, Calgary

4 years, Assistant Human Resource Manager, St. Xavier High School, Calgary

4 years, Assistant Human Resource Manager, Bedford Town, Nova Scotia

Member, Basketball Team, University of Alberta

Organized literacy program for African-Canadians in Edmonton (2 years) Founding member and treasurer, African-Canadian Association, Calgary

Member, Organizational Transitions Committee, Human Resources Association, Nova Scotia

Jane Reynolds: The fact that struck Clark about Reynolds every time he saw her was the way she dressed. She was so meticulously dressed and had impeccable manners (she reminded him of his German aunt who was very formal and methodical). Reynolds was popular among her colleagues, except for the finance manager, Tim McDonald, who didnt like her at all (I cant stand that female! She is always asking me to do new things and she wants it yesterday!). Considered a real mover, Reynolds had been active at Maple Leaf Shoes, always working on some project or other. John McAllister, the previous human resource manager and Reynolds boss, had, however, mixed evaluations of Reynolds job performance (She is very competent, I will say that; but her management style can alienate at least some folks here). Reynolds was also probably quite junior for the positionafter all, she had not held any senior administrative positions until this point. Will she be able to meet the challenges posed by Maple Leafs growth and change? Clark did not know. Clark also had doubts about the wisdom of hiring a woman for the position. Can Reynolds really face up to Steven Mathews, the new leader of the Leather Workers Association, who was known for his aggressive bargaining? Mathews had the reputation of being a tough, militant leader who was out to get results for his union. And while Clark didnt consider himself prudish, he still found it hard to accept having a child out of wedlock. Do other managers hold any prejudices against her? Will she fit into the team? The references from Reynolds previous employers had given her consistently very high to outstanding ratings. There is a rumour that Reynolds has been offered a better position in another local firm and may move out soon. Reynolds impressed Clark as very career-minded.

Steven Robinson: The first thing that struck Clark about Robinson was what hiring him would do to the publics and employees image of the company. Hiring an African-Canadian is just the

Maple Leaf Shoes Ltd. Case Study from Schwind, Canadian Human Resource Management, 11ce Copyright 2019 McGraw-Hill Education Ltd.

thing to do right nowno one could criticize you any more about being insensitive to the multicultural mosaic of Canada. Just by hiring Robinson, he could create the impression of being a progressive employer. Maple Leaf Shoes Limited has been facing a barrage of criticisms about human rights law violations; now, just by a single act of hiring Robinson, the firm could eliminate all those negative impressions. During the interview, Clark had received good vibes from Robinson. Robinson, who is divorced, has a small child. Robinsons mother lives with him to take care of the child. Robinsons referees gave him satisfactory recommendations, although not outstanding. Robinson was the youngest of all the four applicants and seemed full of energy and enthusiasm. Robinson was also the only one with a CHRP certification and extension courses in new information technology and the Internet. If the firm is to embrace new technology soon, Robinson will be the person to hire, Clark concluded.

Clark knew that he had a difficult decision to make. To complicate matters, there was not much agreement among the three managers who interviewed the four job applicants. The rankings given by the finance, marketing, and production managers to the four candidates are shown below (1 = first, 4 = last).

Interviewer Applicant

Anderson Dougherty Reynolds Robinson

Finance manager 2143 Marketing manager 3412 Production manager 1324

Clark realized that he didnt approve of any one of the four applicants completely. Each also had specific strengths that others did not have. He also knew that he urgently needed an energetic, results-oriented person. The person selected should be able to deal with unions, redesign jobs to cut down costs, handle the growing number of employee complaints, and manage the challenges posed by the firms growth. In the next three years, the firm was planning to expand its operations to other Canadian provinces and two other countries. The firms management cadre was expected to grow by roughly 3 percent each year for the next four to five years, and the need for management training existed now more than ever. This meant that the new person should be a mover and shaker, but at the same time be able to work with people without offending them.

A tough problem to resolve, murmured Clark to himself as he sipped the seventh cup of coffee of the day. His doctor had warned him against having too much caffeine in his system due to his heart condition, but this was going to be one of those long, dreary days. In less than an hour, Clark had a meeting with Sam Polanyi, shop steward of the Vinyl and Leather Workers Union, who wanted to talk about a serious problem that exists in Plant 1. How much he wished he had a manager who could do all these thankless jobs!

Maple Leaf Shoes Ltd. Case Study from Schwind, Canadian Human Resource Management, 11ce Copyright 2019 McGraw-Hill Education Ltd.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Based on the information given in the case, what education, experience, job skills, and other competencies would seem to be required for the future human resource manager of Maple Leaf Shoes?

2. How do the various candidates rate on these factors you identified?Prepare an evaluation chart showing the rating of each candidate against the job specifications.

3. What is your evaluation of the selection process employed by the firm (especially Robert Clark) in this instance? If you were in charge, would you have done anything differently? How?

4. Among the candidates, who (if any) would seem to be suitable for the position? What are the issues you should consider and tradeoffs you should make when selecting one of these candidates for position?

5. 5. Please share any other observations you have about this case stud