Question 1: Support for Competitive Advantage (1 page, 2 references) Throughout the course, you have examined strategies that HRM professionals can use to help their organizations sustain a competitive advantage

Question 1: Support for Competitive Advantage (1 page, 2 references)

Throughout the course, you have examined strategies that HRM professionals can use to help their organizations sustain a competitive advantage. In this unit, you have explored the role of HRM in global organizations. For this discussion, address the following question:

• How could HRM professionals affect the driving and restraining forces in human capital management, to support a global competitive advantage for your industry or organization?

Question 2: Trends for the Future (1 page, 2 references)

In your studies for this unit, you have read about many trends anticipated for the future in the field of human capital management. For this discussion, reflect on your experience in this course and consider the trends that are anticipated in the field. Address the following:

• List the trends featured in your readings and order them in rank by importance.
• Provide a rationale for your position.
• Explain the implications of the ranked trends on human capital management.
• What were the most important concepts, skills, or insights you gained from this course?
• How has your perspective changed through this course, regarding your academic or professional goals?

Question 3 (1 page, 2 references): This week, we discussed three key areas of training: onboarding, diversity, and harassment.  Has any of these areas been a priority for training in your organization?  If so, which one(s)?  Why do you think your organization considers this training a priority? 

Question 4 (1 page, 2 references): Read the article Two Cultures Collide: Bridging the Generation Gap in a Non-traditional Mentorship at http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol18/iss6/2/  What can organizations learn about diversity and cross-cultural mentoring from Dr. Lisa and Miss Berta’s story?

Question 5 (1 page, 2 references): The T&D tool this week is the Implicit Association Test (IAT).  

Today's work force is increasingly diverse.  There are more women, older people, and more minorities working today, and their companies are often competing in a global marketplace.  Blanchard and Thacker (2013) discuss types of organizational training that involve dealing with differences.  Some companies require diversity or cultural awareness training, while others mandate sexual harassment training.  Employees who have been given an international assignment may be required to participate in cross-cultural training.  A mentor may have a protégé who is of a different gender or race or who has a very different cultural background.  An important part of dealing with differences in the work place is being aware of our own attitudes toward people who are not like us.  Project Implicit is a non-profit organization dedicated to researching how unconscious social attitudes influence our thoughts and behaviors.  You can read more about Project Implicit at this link: http://www.projectimplicit.net/index.html 

Project Implicit has created a tool called the Implicit Association Test (IAT).  Here is some information about the IAT: 

Psychologists understand that people may not say what's on their minds either because they are unwilling or because they are unable to do so. For example, if asked "How much do you smoke?" a smoker who smokes 4 packs a day may purposely report smoking only 2 packs a day because they are embarrassed to admit the correct number. Or, the smoker may simply not answer the question, regarding it as a private matter. (These are examples of being unwilling to report a known answer.) But it is also possible that a smoker who smokes 4 packs a day may report smoking only 2 packs because they honestly believe they only smoke about 2 packs a day. (Unknowingly giving an incorrect answer is sometimes called self-deception; this illustrates being unable to give the desired answer).  The unwilling-unable distinction is like the difference between purposely hiding something from others and unconsciously hiding something from yourself. The Implicit Association Test makes it possible to penetrate both of these types of hiding. The IAT measures implicit attitudes and beliefs that people are either unwilling or unable to report.

 Retrieved from https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/demo/background/index.jsp

There are IATs dealing with attitudes about weight, age, race, religion, disability, gender, weapons, and presidents, among other topics. Explore your unconscious attitudes by taking the IAT for a topic that looks interesting to you.  Remember that this is a self-assessment and not a judgment; you may disagree with the results.  If you would like more information about the IAT, feel free to explore the web site or click on this link to go to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/faqs.html 

To begin, read the preliminary information at this link: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html, then click on the I wish to proceed statement at the bottom of the page.  You will be taken to a list of IATs.  Select and take at least one IAT and post a reflection about the experience. You are not required to reveal which IAT you took or your score.  However, please post a reflection giving your opinion about the usefulness of the IAT for diversity or cultural awareness training.  If you feel comfortable discussing what you learned about yourself, you can include that in your reflection.  

Reference
Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2013). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.