Section A:
Please read the case provided and answer questions 1 and 2.
Question 1
Applying Castellano’s Model of Employee Engagement (Figure 3.1 in the HRM331 study guide), analyse the advantages of Centric Cleveland’s current cultural practices aimed at employee well-being and personal flourishing.
Question 2
Applying Castellano’s Model of Employee Engagement (Figure 3.1 in the HRM331 study guide), critique Centric Cleveland’s lack of a programmatic approach in ensuring employee well-being. In other words, critique Centric Cleveland’s more organic and individualised approach.
Section B:
Question 3
Conduct desk-top research on Millennials and Generation Z. Applying Castellano’s Model of Employee Engagement (Figure 3.1 in the HRM331 study guide), analyse which drivers of employee engagement would matter to them the most.
Question 4
Create a talent management system that would enable the engagement and performance of Millennials and Generation Z.
The director of Centric Cleveland, Kevin Bracy, was preparing for a career fair panel to be held on April 18, 2015. He would be telling prospective hires about the consulting company’s approach to well-being in the workplace. Centric Consulting (Centric), Centric Cleveland’s parent firm, was known in its industry for its positive work culture.
Bracy took pride in this and was looking forward to telling his story to the prospective hires who were beginning their careers. A key question that Bracy wanted to address in the panel was, “How do your employees flourish in the workplace?” He glanced around the room he was sitting in: Persian carpet, velvet-upholstered chairs, colourful flowers on the table, a marble fountain in the centre of the room.
His temporary office was the lounge at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, where he would be meeting a client shortly. Centric Cleveland didn’t have a permanent office space—part of its strategy of giving employees the freedom and flexibility to work from any location. Bracy thought of this as a way of flourishing.
Bracy reflected on another question he frequently had from new employees who were from the millennial (born between 1977 and 1994) and generation Z (born between 1995 and 2012) generations: “How does your organization sustain its positive culture?” With the company growing quickly, this question, in particular, had been on the top of his mind in recent weeks. Bracy leaned back into the velvet chair and thought about the elements of Centric that were appealing to new employees.
He knew the company’s exceptional culture of caring and balanced lifestyle set it apart from other consulting companies. How could Centric Cleveland maintain these core values as it grew? At the organization level, the company could maintain the practices that built its culture, but the pressures of growth were making it more difficult for leadership to maintain a conscious awareness of each employee’s work-life balance and individual career growth.
What practices could the company continue that would help ensure each individual’s well-being? Were there new practices to adopt as the company expanded?
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Centric Consulting was a business consulting and technology solutions firm providing full-service management consulting services. It was started in 2000 and headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, but no executives kept offices there.
Operated locally and individually, Centric had 12 locations across the United States: Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, Miami, Seattle, St. Louis, and Tampa. Each Centric location had its own leadership team. To encourage efficient communication and cooperation across the company, Centric organized national events each year to connect employees from the 12 units.
In 2009, Joe Smucny, vice-president of Centric Consulting, started Centric Cleveland. As a relatively new member of Centric’s 12 units, Centric Cleveland focused on providing professional advisory services to companies in Northeast Ohio.
With the mutual efforts of the leadership team and its talented employees, Centric Cleveland was witnessing rapid growth and its future looked bright. From long projects like multi-year technology implementations to shorter projects like business process improvement consulting, Centric Cleveland created customized solutions to meet client needs.
The Northeast-Ohio-based consultants employed by Centric Cleveland brought years of experience in financial services, manufacturing, health care, and other industries that were core to the region.
Centric Cleveland was well-recognized by the consulting market and clients connected to Northeast Ohio. The group was known for providing innovative consulting services of high quality. Specifically, Centric Cleveland was successful in providing services to financial service, retail, and health care clients.
