Tanglewood Case Study 1

Megan Purdy
HRM 594
Keller Graduate School of Management
Dr. Carden
May 16, 2014

Case Description/Introduction
The case of Tanglewood Stores includes a number of different concerns that they have in
the area of strategic staffing. Since the organization prides themselves on their values and being
a company that people want to be a part of, they are looking to better position themselves in their
Human Resources department and strategic staffing. By looking to their competition and the
strategies and plans that they incorporate, as well as Tanglewoods history and mission, we hope
to develop a staffing plan to help the company attain optimal staff and performance.
Strategy and Goals
The goals that Tanglewood Stores has set for themselves is to be able to remain
competitive in the market with other bargain stores like Kohls and Target, to expand within the
market, to retain their values and to better their Human Resources Department and its
procedures and practices. They will need to netter position themselves starting with their staffing
practices all while keeping as close to the original mission of the company as possible. To help
them accomplish this, they are looking to outside help to better streamline the Human Resources
practices and strategies. Tanglewood Stores allows employees at any level to have an opinion
and make suggestions. The workforce that is currently employed is that of a core workforce ad
is seen as something that is necessary to maintain the organizations culture, mission and values.
It has been determined that the entire management staff needs to be on the same page with the
practices being utilized by the Human Resources department and the goal here is to get everyone
back on track and following one uniform set of practices. Rather than the Human Resources

department just being a guide for each regional manager, we now are looking to use the same
staffing strategy and practice throughout the entire organization. By doing this it will decrease
the possibility of any differences or questions in the hiring and staffing process and will help the
organization to become more efficient as well.
Discussion of the 13 Staffing Strategies: Staffing Levels and Staffing Quality
Acquire or Develop Talent- In developing the staffing strategy for Tanglewood, it would be in
our best interest I believe to acquire new talent through a recruiting and hiring process. By
acquiring new talent, we will have a better chance of bringing new employees into the
organization that already have prior knowledge in this market and in the long run we may even
be able to save the organization time and money by not needing to use such and extensive
training and development process.
Hire Yourself or Outsource- We have taken the first step has been taken to upgrade the Human
Resources practices of the company by hiring an outside firm to consult and work with to
develop a staffing strategy. Outsourcing would seem to be the logical choice in the method used
to continue with hiring activities, since the Human Resources and Operations department is so
small. This will be a good way to have an outside perspective in the selecting and hiring of the
best possible candidates for the organization. By doing this, there wont be any bias from the
immediate management team and the Human Resources group, but instead, they will offer their
input on what they are looking for and the requirements that they are looking for in potential
candidates by developing very clear job descriptions.
External or Internal Hiring- In looking back to the values of Tanglewood Stores and how
dearly the employees are thought of, it may be a good idea to use both an external and internal

hiring practice. We would use the internal hiring to continue to build on the commitment of
current employees and staff and continue to work to keep their trust and confidence. By using
external hiring practices, we could work to help the organization keep up with the demands and
growth of the company and the growing competition around us by hiring those coming from the
surrounding market and use their knowledge to our advantage.
Core or Flexible Workforce- Keeping a core workforce is key to the organization and building
upon its trust and family style values as well as continuing to build commitment from employees
as well as in retaining the quality employees that we acquire. It is strongly felt that maintaining a
core workforce will strengthen the company in its mission, values, and goals.
Hire or Retain- It is thought that using both the strategies, hiring and retaining employees,
would hold some benefit to the organization. In hiring we are able to fill vacancies through
outside recruitment, but we are also looking to retain the employees that we have as well as the
new employees that join the team.
National or Global- We plan on outsourcing our hiring and staffing practices to help keep an
unbiased opinion and hire the best candidates for the job. Ideally we should look at keeping
things on the national level though rather than global. We will be able to still use the outside
perspective while keeping it local, also saving our in house Human Resources the time and
allowing them to focus on other areas.
Attract or Relocate- It would be more cost effective for us as a company to work to attract and
recruit potential candidates to come to us rather than trying to relocate the entire organization.
This is especially important since we are becoming more of a nationwide company and trying to

build our expansion to more and more locations. We should be able to attract candidates based
on our history and the positive working environment that we as an organization portray.
Overstaff or Understaff- In most situations, we would like to be fully staffed to capitalize on
production. However, to keep up with the high traffic times and the slower periods during the
year, it would be better to stay somewhat overstaffed. By doing this we will be better prepared
for the fluctuating consumer spending and the holiday seasons. In keeping on more employees,
we will be able to save ourselves the time and money or hiring temporary workers to keep up
with the consumer spending and seasonal trends.
Short or Long Term Focus- To best deal with the present and current issues, the focus initially
should be on the short term goals of the organization and how the organization can attend to
immediate needs and concerns. The long term focus should not be forgotten however, if there is
a failure to adequately plan for the future, it could have a significant negative impact on the
companys production in the future.
Person/Job or Person/Organization Match- Using the practice of a person to job match would
be the ideal route for Tanglewood Stores. In hiring new team members, we want to make sure
that each individual is the right fit for that specific position and that they meet the job
requirements that are presented for that position.
Specific or General KSAOs- Using the practice of focusing on general KSAOs would be best
for this organization. Those candidates that are hired on will be filling certain roles and job
requirements. However, there may come the time and possibility that they may need to take on
new roles within the organization, which means that we would look for flexibility and
adaptability in our employees. If we choose KSAOs that are too specific, we are limiting our

workforce to only be able to be knowledgeable in certain areas and not able to move easily into
areas as needed.
Exceptional or Acceptable Workforce Quality- I believe that any company or organization
would want to aim to have an exceptional workforce and Tanglewood Stores wants the same
thing. Our aim and our goal are to acquire the best possible team of associates as possible with
great talent and knowledge to help elevate our company to achieve maximum success.
Active or Passive Diversity- Taking on an active approach in regards to company diversity is
the route that we are aiming to take. By having a diverse workforce, we are positioning
Tanglewood to be more in tune with our customers and their needs. This will also open up a
larger candidate pool for potential hires as well.
Summary
By adjusting the approach that we are taking to the practices of the Human Resources
department and the decisions made in the staffing strategy, Tanglewood is aiming to hire the best
employees to represent the company, its mission and values. By streamlining and centralizing
the staffing strategy and allowing the hiring to be outsourced, the branches of the organization
will now be able to focus on the training of their employees and the day to day tasks that are vital
in providing exceptional service to the customers as well as becoming more productive and
efficient instead of stretching themselves to thin.

References

Heneman III, H. G. & Judge, T.A. (2009). Staffing organizations (7th Ed.). Middleton, WI:
McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Kammeyer-Mueller, John, (2012), Tanglewood Casebook for use with Staffing Organizations (7th
Ed.). Mendota House, Inc.