Tanglewood Case Analysis
Transition probability matrix.
| Current year | ||||||
| – | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | Exit |
| Previous year | ||||||
| (1) Store associate | 0. 43 | 0. 06 | 0. 00 | 0. 00 | 0. 00 | 0. 51 |
| (2) Shift leader | 0. 00 | 0. 54 | 0. 16 | 0. 00 | 0. 00 | 0. 30 |
| (3) Department manager | 0. 00 | 0. 00 | 0. 64 | 0. 06 | 0. 00 | 0. 30 |
| (4) Assistant store manager | 0. 00 | 0. 00 | 0. 06 | 0. 52 | 0. 08 | 0. 34 |
| (5) Store manager | 0. 00 | 0. 00 | 0. 00 | 0. 00 | 0. 66 | 0. 34 |
| Forecast of availabilities | |||||||
| Next year (projected) | – | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | Exit |
| Current Workforce | |||||||
| Previous year | |||||||
| (1) Store associate | 8,500 | 3655 | 510 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4335 |
| (2) Shift leader | 1,200 | 0 | 648 | 192 | – | – | 360 |
| (3) Department manager | 850 | 0 | – | 544 | 51 | – | 255 |
| (4) Assistant store manager | 150 | 0 | – | 9 | 78 | 12 | 51 |
| (5) Store manager | 50 | 0 | – | – | – | 33 | 17 |
| Gap analysis | |||||
| Next year (projected) | |||||
| – | (1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) |
| Year-end total(column sum) | 3655 | 1158 | 745 | 129 | 45 |
| External hires needed (current workforce-total) | 4845 | 552 | 306 | 72 | 17 |
Specific Assignment Details
For the store manager group, you will analyze the information and prepare a report showing the results of the Markov analysis and the EEO investigation. The Director asked you to address these questions in your written report:
1. Currently, the organization expects that its forecast for labor requirements is essentially constant from the previous year. Based on this assumption complete the five stages of the planning process:
a. Currently, the organization expects that its forecast for labor requirements is essentially constant from the previous year. This means the forecast for next year will be taken as given.
b. Fill in the empty cells in the forecast of labor availabilities in Table 1. 1.
c. Conduct an environmental scan. Based on the environmental data, what factors in the environment suggest Tanglewood might have difficulty filling their vacancies in the future? Upon performing an environmental scan, we have determined that Tanglewood might have problems filling their vacancies in the future for a variety of reasons.
According to the scan, there are available candidates who are ready to fill managerial positions. However, our hiring policies at Tanglewood require employees to start out as store associates and work their way up in the organization if they choose to do so and if the store needs these positions filled.
d. Compute year-end totals for each job in Table 1. 1 and do a gap analysis to determine where shortages will occur in the next year.
e. Develop a preliminary statement of the action plan for hiring for Washington next year. This should be an overview of the number of individuals needed to meet projected staffing levels for various positions that can be given to store managers. Make sure that your recommendations take the strategic staffing levels issues from the introductory case into account.
2. Examine the percentages of employee representation across demographic categories for Tanglewood and the available labor market for Table 1. 3. Are there any particular classes or jobs where the representation within Tanglewood appears to be out of line with the available workforce? What does the pattern suggest to you?
3. Based on your analysis and the affirmative action plan, do you think the company should engage in a specific strategy to change its recruiting and promotion practices? Do you think it is realistic for the company to try to meet their affirmative action goals in this process in a single year? What are the pros and cons of using internal promotions vs. external hiring to rectify the problems with gender and ethnicity representation in supervisory positions?
4. In addition to the specific targets for employee representation for the Spokane flagship location, Tanglewood wants to use this opportunity to establish estimates for the entire chain’s staffing policy regarding demographic representation of the workforce. How do you think individual stores can respond to overarching organizational objectives? Prepare a memo to be disseminated to the individual stores that give a sense of your targets for the organization as a whole, and also gives the stores advice on how they can assist in narrowing any representation gaps you find through their recruiting, hiring, and promotion practices.
