Brian P.

Iggins
RLP 14 Human Capital Management
Case Study 1
Recruitment is a vital component to any highly successful school and as Rebore notes,
you hire not just to fill a position, but rather to acquire the number and type of people necessary
for the present and future success of the school (59). It was in this spirit that I approached this
case study and tried to think about the effects of recruiting and retaining talent based on it. Yet,
the talent component is but one piece in the multi-leveled, highly scrutinized process, and a
component that can sometimes be overemphasized. The challenge that St. Xavier presents in this
case study, is that you have a teacher that fits with your schools mission, Ms. Einstein, and a
teacher in Dr. Shubert, who explains immense talent, but is not in line with the schools vision as
well. As Rebore notes, all organizations are driven by a vision and that is certainly true of all
schools, especially Catholic schools, and in light of this fact, the benefits and drawbacks of
retaining a faculty member who does not fall in line with the vision of the school must be
weighed.
When reading the Dr. Shubert scenario, I immediately thought to a personal example at
my former school, where a retired teacher was replaced with a new hire whose credentials were
impeccable. He was a graduate of Harvard and his math background was impressive, including a
Masters Degree in Mathematics. Despite all these credentials, within 2 weeks of the start of
school, he approached the principal to tender his resignation. The failure of our schools
recruiting process was that we had looked for the most qualified candidate, instead of looking
for the right fit at our school. As a school, we failed to have this teacher actually TEACH in
front of a mock class and thus failed to see if they could actually do the job. As Ende says, Any
applicant can answer a series of standard questions, yet not all applicants shine when put on
stage, and this idea was crystallized for me in this example at our school. Thankfully, at my
current school, I was a part of the hiring team for our 2 new Social Studies teachers and a major

Brian P. Iggins
RLP 14 Human Capital Management
Case Study 1
part of that process was designing and implementing a sample lesson in front of our own
students, among a number of interviews with the principal, staff, and administration.
In light of this reflection and the case thus presented, St. Xavier needs to evaluate two
key areas: 1. Do the faculty we have fit the vision or mission of our school? and 2. Does are
hiring process accurately reflect our desires and needs as a school community? It appears that
the hiring process lacks consistency as the school has hired a hugely successful teacher in Ms.
Einstein and a somewhat successful teacher in Dr. Shubert. As Rebore notes, any hiring leads to
one of four outcomes, 2 of which are correct decisions (hiring correctly or hiring the best
applicant available) and 2 of which are errors (hiring incorrectly, or refusing the best applicant
available) (75). From Mr. Bells point of view, he appears to have 1 of each and should come to
his board with ideas on how to broaden the hiring process in his school to make it more practical.
From his standpoint, this is an issue not only trying to find the right talent, but also staying
competitive in a market that is just that. Mr. Bell needs to present a revamped hiring process in
this way to convince the board that a comprehensive interview process will yield more successful
candidates who identify with the schools mission. This involves utilizing the entire faculty in
the hiring process, similar to the process that my current school utilizes, which involves money,
yet as Rebore notes, released time from work is the most effective way to involve staff members
(82). This involves financial resources which most likely necessitates board approval.
Similarly, Ms. Einsteins situation necessitates board intervention and no doubt involves
an overall choice by the board on the value of retaining teachers who are cultural fits at a
particular cost. For Mr. Bell, I would assume that strong argument would follow to the board on
exactly why Ms. Einstein should be brought back at an increased cost. From the Boards point of
view, a decision in her favor might set a precedent that could actually hurt the school in the long

Brian P. Iggins
RLP 14 Human Capital Management
Case Study 1
run. This would be a decision to be considered carefully by the Board. In addition to these
considerations, there is the additional consideration of recruitment and how to attract top talent to
the school in the competitive area it which it finds itself. Ultimately, this is where the talent is
gained and retention is only considered after properly finding the right fit for the school, both
intellectually and culturally as I referenced earlier. In our school, we have not reached out in a
strong enough way to recruit top level talent. We have posted positions on our website but have
not created a long term database or way to store talent that we turn down, which I believe to be a
crucial mistake in the process. The use of various tools is crucial in broadening a schools pool
of applicants and increasing the likelihood of finding the right candidate for the job.
Transparency about the school and the posting are crucial as Rebore notes, a district with
substandard salaries and fringe benefits probably will not provide such information which, in
turn, will discourage seasoned job seekers from considering school districts that neglect to
include such information (69). Transparency and variety of modes for recruitment should be
utilized by Mr. Bell and his Board. These attract talent and can help to replace a teacher if the
Board is unable or unwilling to retain top level talent like Ms. Einstein or is forced to replace a
teacher like Dr. Shubert.
Wrapping this all up, I would strongly consider looking at and diversifying the hiring
process at St. Xavier by including the faculty in the hiring process to determine a strong cultural
fit. In addition to that, I would also consider looking at the capabilities of keeping strong talent
and trying to determine a system and process for doing so. In the chance that you are unable to
keep talent or need to replace it, then having a recruitment system that is diverse and wide
reaching can only help. Mr. Bell and the board would need to figure out the logistics and costs
of these measures, but the value of them cannot be overstated.

Brian P. Iggins
RLP 14 Human Capital Management
Case Study 1
Sources
Ende, F. (2014). Road Tested/Three Steps for Hiring Future All-Stars. Education Update, 56(4).
Rebore, R. W. (2012). The Essentials of Human Resources Administration in Education. Boston,
MA: Pearson.