Unit Guide
Interview with Ms Ima Friend, Director of Human Resources, Bank
of Morwell, a small community bank based in rural Victoria.
1. How much of your job involves Very Much Moderate Little Very
much amount little
(i) Defining organisational goals and deciding how
best to achieve them?
5 4 3 2 1
(ii) Arranging work to accomplish the
organisational goals? 5 4 3 2 1
(iii) Motivating members of the organisation to
work in the best interests of the organisation? 5 4 3 2 1
(iv) Monitoring and correcting ongoing activities to
facilitate achieving organisational goals?
5 4 3 2 1
Can you provide an example of what you do for each of these functions?
(i) Defining organisational goals and e.g. I am a member of the bank’s executive team and am
deciding how best to achieve them involved in all decisions on our strategic direction.
(ii) Arranging work to accomplish the e.g. As HR Director I ensure all the bank’s HRM policies
organisational goals relating to accomplishing the bank’s goals, including
policies on preparing position descriptions, training,
performance management and wage and salaries, are at
industry world best practice.
(iii) Motivating members of the e.g. As HR Director I ensure members are motivated by
organisation to work in the best best pay practices, a friendly work environment, diversity
interests of the organisation management practices and family friendly work policies.
(iv) Monitoring and correcting ongoing e.g. Apart from ensuring we pay everyone correctly and
activities to facilitate achieving we report on our workplace accidents each year, my
organisational goals main monitoring is to ensure the HRM policies meet our
Departmental annual gaols and budget.
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Unit Guide
2. How much of your job involves you using Very Much Moderate Little Very
much amount little
(i) Technical skills or skills that include knowledge
and proficiency in a specific field?
5 4 3 2 1
(ii) Interpersonal skills or the ability to work with
individuals and groups? 5 4 3 2 1
(iii) Conceptual skills or the ability to think and
conceptualise about abstract and complex
situations?
5 4 3 2 1
Can you provide an example of what you do for each of these skills?
(i) Technical skills or skills that include e.g. I have a Masters degree in HRM and attend
knowledge and proficiency in a regular industry, government and professional
specific field courses.
(ii) Interpersonal skills or the ability to e.g. This is very important to my work with the
work with individuals and groups board, my HRM staff and all managers and staff in
the organisation.
(iii) Conceptual skills or the ability to think e.g. This is difficult but very important when we are
and conceptualise about abstract planning future strategies in the bank. Future
and complex situations staffing and finding new ways to retain skilled staff
is very important these days.
3. In your job how much do you Very Much Moderate Little Very
much amount little
(i) Perform routine activities of a legal or social
nature?
5 4 3 2 1
(ii) Take responsibility for motivating members of
the organisation to work in the best interests
of the organisation?
5 4 3 2 1
(iii) Maintain a self-developed network of outside
contacts and informers who provide
information and ‘favours’?
5 4 3 2 1
(iv) Seek and receive a wide variety of special
information to develop a thorough
understanding of the organisation and its 5 4 3 2 1
environment?
(v) Transmit information you receive to members
of the organisation?
5 4 3 2 1
(vi) Transmit information about the organisation
to people outside the organisation?
5 4 3 2 1
(vii) Search the organisation and its environment
for new opportunities and initiate action?
5 4 3 2 1
(viii) Take responsibility for corrective action when
the organisation faces important or
unexpected disturbances?
5 4 3 2 1
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Unit Guide
(ix) Take responsibility for allocating
organisational resources?
5 4 3 2 1
(x) Take responsibility for representing the
organisation in negotiations?
5 4 3 2 1
Can you provide an example of what you do for each of these roles?
(i) Perform routine activities of a legal e.g. My staff and I ensure we meet all legal requirements
or social nature relating to laws of employment.
(ii) Take responsibility for motivating
e.g. As HR Director I ensure members are motivated by
members of the organisation to
best pay practices, a friendly work environment, diversity
work in the best interests of the
management practices and family friendly work policies.
organisation
(iii) Maintain a self-developed network
e.g. I meet regularly with other HR Managers in the local
of outside contacts and informers
area as well as in the industry. I am also a member and
who provide information and
past-president of my local Rotary club.
‘favours’
(iv) Seek and receive a wide variety of e.g. I am always at work and professional meetings. That
special information to develop a is what I have to do in this job. I find out what’s
thorough understanding of the happening everywhere so that we don’t lag behind our
organisation and its environment competitors.
(v) Transmit information you receive to e.g. I am a member of the Executive and I keep my staff
members of the organisation informed via weekly meetings.
(vi) Transmit information about the e.g. I often have to talk at schools and other community
organisation to people outside the organisations about what we do at the bank. I meet with
organisation other HRM managers to compare HRM policies.
(vii) Search the organisation and its
environment for new opportunities e.g. I don’t do this too much.
and initiate action
(viii) Take responsibility for corrective
e.g. Occasionally we have to get involved if there is an
action when the organisation faces
unfair dismissal case or some kind of dispute between
important or unexpected
managers and bank officers or just between workers.
disturbances
(ix) Take responsibility for allocating e.g. I don’t do this too much. We tend to develop policies
organisational resources and give advice to line managers who do the allocating of
staff.
(x) Take responsibility for representing e.g. I get involved in negotiations with the unions and
the organisation in negotiations with executive pay negotiations.
4. What is your level of management?
(i) Top Job title: Director of Human Resources
(ii) Middle Job title: _____________________
(iii) First-line Job title: _____________________
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Unit Guide
Contextual information
This data is being collected so we can make some meaningful comments about responses to
the above questions.
5. Are you: (Tick one box only)
Male
Female
6. Is the workplace where you are currently a manager part of: (Tick one box only)
an Australian-based local organisation?
an Australian-based multinational organisation?
an Australian branch of an overseas multinational?
a local organisation in a country other than Australia?
a multinational organisation based in a country other than Australia?
a branch of a non-local multinational in a country other than Australia?
7. Is the organisation in which you are currently a manager in the: (Tick one box only)
public sector
private sector
8. Is the organisation in which you are currently a manager in the: (Tick one box only)
service sector
manufacturing sector
9. Is the organisation in which you are currently a manager: (Tick one box only
micro (0–4 people)
small (5–19 people)
medium-sized (20–99 people)
large (100+ people)
THANK YOU
31
Unit Guide
Interview with Mary Mababe; Team Leader, Maternity Ward,
Johannesburg Private Hospital.
1. How much of your job involves Very Much Moderate Little Very
much amount little
(i) Defining organisational goals and deciding how
best to achieve them?
5 4 3 2 1
(ii) Arranging work to accomplish the
organisational goals?
5 4 3 2 1
(iii) Motivating members of the organisation to
work in the best interests of the organisation? 5 4 3 2 1
(iv) Monitoring and correcting ongoing activities to
facilitate achieving organisational goals?
5 4 3 2 1
Can you provide an example of what you do for each of these functions?
(i) Defining organisational goals and e.g. I have to make sure we are achieving the
deciding how best to achieve them goals set for us by the hospital’s senior
management.
(ii) Arranging work to accomplish the e.g. I meet with my team each month and we plan
organisational goals our own goals for the ward. I also supervise the
team on a daily basis.
(iii) Motivating members of the
e.g. I don’t need to do this as all the maternity
organisation to work in the best
nurses do this job because they love it.
interests of the organisation
(iv) Monitoring and correcting ongoing e.g. I have to keep a record of all births and have
activities to facilitate achieving to write a report on any incidents that result in
organisational goals harm to any mother, child or staff member. Mother
and child incidents are reported to, and reviewed
by, the hospital’s medical officers. Staff harm is
reported to, and reviewed by, the hospital’s Health
and Safety Officer.
2. How much of your job involves you using Very Much Moderate Little Very
much amount little
(i) Technical skills or skills that include knowledge
and proficiency in a specific field? 5 4 3 2 1
(ii) Interpersonal skills or the ability to work with
individuals and groups? 5 4 3 2 1
(iii) Conceptual skills or the ability to think and
conceptualise about abstract and complex
situations?
5 4 3 2 1
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Unit Guide
Can you provide an example of what you do for each of these skills?
(i) Technical skills or skills that include e.g. I have to keep up with the latest knowledge in
knowledge and proficiency in a birthing practices, including using new birth related
specific field technology.
(ii) Interpersonal skills or the ability to e.g. I have to work closely with my team members,
work with individuals and groups often under stressful conditions.
(iii) Conceptual skills or the ability to think e.g. Sometimes I have to take over when there is a
and conceptualise about abstract crisis in the wards and find solutions to problems
and complex situations we haven’t faced before, like recent power cuts..
3. In your job how much do you Very Much Moderate Little Very
much amount little
(i) Perform routine activities of a legal or social
nature? 5 4 3 2 1
(ii) Take responsibility for motivating members of
the organisation to work in the best
interests of the organisation?
5 4 3 2 1
(iii) Maintain a self-developed network of outside
contacts and informers who provide
information and ‘favours’?
5 4 3 2 1
(iv) Seek and receive a wide variety of special
information to develop a thorough
understanding of the organisation and its
5 4 3 2 1
environment?
(v) Transmit information you receive to members
of the organisation?
5 4 3 2 1
(vi) Transmit information about the organisation
to people outside the organisation?
5 4 3 2 1
(vii) Search the organisation and its environment
for new opportunities and initiate action?
5 4 3 2 1
(viii) Take responsibility for corrective action
when the organisation faces important or
unexpected disturbances?
5 4 3 2 1
(ix) Take responsibility for allocating
organisational resources? 5 4 3 2 1
(x) Take responsibility for representing the
organisation in negotiations?
5 4 3 2 1
Can you provide an example of what you do for each of these roles?
(i) Perform routine activities of a legal
e.g. We deliver babies every day.
or social nature
(ii) Take responsibility for motivating e.g. We love our job even though it can be difficult
members of the organisation to and stressful.
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Unit Guide
work in the best interests of the
organisation
(iii) Maintain a self-developed network
e.g. Occasionally, when things aren’t going so well, I
of outside contacts and informers
have to call on one or two specialist obstetricians to
who provide information and
come in on short notice.
‘favours’
(iv) Seek and receive a wide variety of
special information to develop a
e.g. No I don’t do this.
thorough understanding of the
organisation and its environment
(v) Transmit information you receive to e.g. I talk about hospital policy to my team members,
members of the organisation usually at our monthly meetings. I also have to give
reports to my own managers.
(vi) Transmit information about the
e.g. Occasionally I talk at schools about my job and
organisation to people outside the
encourage students to take up this worthy job.
organisation
(vii) Search the organisation and its
environment for new opportunities e.g. No I don’t do this.
and initiate action
(viii) Take responsibility for corrective
action when the organisation faces e.g. Sometimes I have to do a lot of complaining
important or unexpected when we are running low on medical supplies.
disturbances
(ix) Take responsibility for allocating
e.g. I do the shift roster for my team.
organisational resources
(x) Take responsibility for representing e.g. I suppose I do a bit of negotiating with the staff
the organisation in negotiations over the shift rosters.
4. What is your level of management?
(i) Top Job title: _____________________
(ii) Middle Job title: _____________________
(iii) First-line Job title: Team Leader at the Maternity Ward
34
Unit Guide
Contextual information
This data is being collected so we can make some meaningful comments about responses to
the above questions.
5. Are you: (Tick one box only)
Male
Female
6. Is the workplace where you are currently a manager part of: (Tick one box only)
an Australian-based local organisation?
an Australian-based multinational organisation?
an Australian branch of an overseas multinational?
a local organisation in a country other than Australia?
a multinational organisation based in a country other than Australia?
a branch of a non-local multinational in a country other than Australia?
7. Is the organisation in which you are currently a manager in the: (Tick one box only)
public sector
private sector
8. Is the organisation in which you are currently a manager in the: (Tick one box only)
service sector
manufacturing sector
9. Is the organisation in which you are currently a manager: (Tick one box only
micro (0–4 people)
small (5–19 people)
medium-sized (20–99 people)
large (100+ people)
THANK YOU
35