2Strategic Human Resource Management – Week #4 Assignment 1 – Rules, Tools, and Techniques

Introduction

Performance improvement is a critical aspect that an organization can leverage to
measure its output, efficiency, and effectiveness. Performance improvement is integral for
achieving and measuring organizational change; it starts with the management implementing a
change initiative and then measuring the current performance level compared to the pre-
implementation period. This allows an organization to design ideas that can substantially modify
organizational leadership structure, infrastructure, behavior, or processes. The end result should
be a higher efficiency, effectiveness, and output.
However, according to Moseley & Dessinger (2010), performance-based evaluation is a
rudimentary process of performance improvement; it helps managers and organizations and
managers understand the progress the new change initiatives or programs are making. It is a
comprehensive process with an elaborate set of rules, tools, and techniques established to guide
the process of measuring the magnitude of the problems and the impacts of interventions. Using
specific rules, tools, and techniques guarantees that the process is evidence-based. Using the
Department of the Army Security Guard, this paper analyzes the six rules and their application in
evaluating the Department’s needs and interventions. It also identifies two tools and two
techniques that would benefit the Department and proposes a plan for introducing and utilizing
the tools and techniques within the organization.

The Six Rules for Evaluating Needs and Solutions

According to Moseley & Dessinger (2010), rules are the “prescribed guides for what to
do, when, and why.” They begin with what measures and metrics to apply to evaluate processes,

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infrastructure, and other key organizational areas. They end with how to present findings to
stakeholders (including regulators and shareholders) to facilitate understanding and decision-
making. Moseley & Dessinger (2010) have stipulated six rules for evaluating organizational
needs and interventions/programs based on facts: get sufficient clarity, set a baseline, leverage
data/information already being gathered, track leading indicators, analyze the data, and tell the
story.
The Department of the Army Security Guard can leverage these six rules in multiple
ways to executive its duties effectively and efficiently, including providing physical security and
access control at multiple US Army locations. For example, to effectively judge the needs of its
clients and design appropriate and effective solutions, the Department must “get sufficient
clarity” about the issues at hand. This means having clients describe what they deem as a goal or
need in detail. The metrics, factors, or measures the Department uses to determine the presence
of a need should be the same elements it must use to design an improvement process/program
and its success.
Clarity about the details is usually the first program planning phase that can assist the
Department’s leadership in understanding and agreeing on the need and the evidence to support
it. For example, the Department of the Army Security Guard must collect “sufficient clarity” if it
gets information that a specific military base has been attacked by cybercriminals. This will
includes collecting data about the type of cyberattack (phishing, malware attack, DoS attacks,
spoofing, or insider threats), when it occurred, who is involved, who has been affected, and the
extend of the damage. Getting clarity on these issues can help the Department develop an
appropriate response and measure the effectiveness and efficiency of their solutions.

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The Department of the Army Security Guard can also deploy the second rule, setting a
baseline, to document the “status quo” or the current state of affairs satisfactorily. Setting a
baseline is necessary because it is the foundation through which improvements can be measured
upon. For example, using the example a cyber-attack, the Department can set the baseline for the
scenario by documenting what systems and networks have been compromised or what files have
been stolen or are being accessed and controlled by external hackers. After setting a baseline and
implementing the desired solutions and interventions, the Department can “leverage data already
being collected” by the affected military base to gauge whether or not the interventions are
yielding any desired improvements. According to Moseley & Dessinger (2010), this lowers the
cost of evaluation, saves time, and enhances the chances that evidence will be accepted. Using
the example of a potential cyber-attack, the Department can look into security and data breach
reports the military is collecting.
The fourth rule is “tracking leading indicators” or the presence of interim outcomes or
behaviors that predict desirable results if they persist. For a military base being attacked by
cybercriminals, this can include tracking organizational behaviors and activities that can directly
secure the organization’s systems from further phishing or malware attacks, such as using strong
passwords, updating software, installing firewalls, and educating employees on standard and safe
networking practices, among others. Tracking leading indicators can assist the organization take
corrective actions promptly to make a difference. The fifth rule is “analyzing the data collected”
for significances, frequencies, patterns, and progresses achieved. The final part involves telling
the story and communicating the logic behind the decision and the evidence used to assess the
effectiveness of the interventions.

Tools and Techniques that Would Benefit the Organization

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A Plan for Introducing and Utilizing the Tools and Techniques into the Workplace

Conclusion

Using your current workplace, Department of the Army Security Guard, analyze the six (6)
rules for evaluating needs and solutions based on fact and evidence and how they can be
applied to the workplace. Choose at least two (2) tools and two (2) techniques that you feel
would benefit the organization. Develop a plan that could be used to introduce and utilize the
tools and techniques into the workplace.

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References

Moseley, J. L., & Dessinger, J.C. (2010). Handbook of Improving Performance in the Workplace
(3 rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.