Making a tough personnel decision

at Nova Waterfront Hotel

Group 06
Nayan Gupta PGP10215
Priya Kumari PGP10223
Rohit PGP10226
Sheena Rathore PGP10231
Siddharth Gautam PGP10233
Tanvi Karguppikar PGP10242
Case Overview

● Nova Waterfront was a hotel in downtown Baltimore

● Owned and operated by Nova International, a leading hospitality company
● Recognized worldwide for their enduring values and their spirit to serve
● Their corporate commitment is to create better places to live and work
● Hotel is hiring for the position of Senior Event Manager
● The selection team is having difficulty in hiring from the two candidates
● After discussing the case for two hours the team decides to take it up first thing
in the morning
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Selection Process
● Structured and behavioral approach to interviewing

Receive offer
Apply Phone Select Interview
or feedback

● Hiring Manager responsible for coordination with external recruiting and

selection firm
● External Recruiting firms because staffing was a challenge
● Policy to promote
● At least 12 months at current position
● Has secured approval from his/her boss

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 ● Hiring Manager - Laura Green
● Boss of Hiring Manager - General
Manager
● Peers of Position from another

Selection Team Department - Alex Hernatt

● Peer of Position from within
Department
● Peer of Hiring Manager - John Wilson
● Subordinate of position - Michelle
Sederas and another event manager
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The Candidates
Shannon Smith
•Event Manager at Nova for three years
•Receives good performance evaluations
•Completed 1 year at James Madison
University
•Customers always pleased with her
work
•Has an easy going and informal style
•People unwilling to go to her for advice
Matt Mayes
•Event manager at a smaller sister hotel for 2
years
•Had an associate degree in business
administration from Pierce College
•Worked with group of 600 people
•Lacks experience of handling large group of
people(1200)
•Received good performance evaluations
•Had a dominant and formal style
• Has his supervisor’s support for this move
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Selection Criteria for Senior Event Manager
● Leadership
● Ability to bring new ideas, innovator, creator
● Holding Accountability
● Excellent customer management/relationship skills
● Team player
● Strong communication skills
● Motivator
● Passion for Hospitality industry
● Honest/Trustworthy
● Ability and desire to take ownership/initiative

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Problems
1. Whom amongst the two candidates should they hire? Should they hire both or
neither?
2. Should the selection team change the selection criterion for the position?
3. Should they hire people and let them grow into the job or demand that they
have all the skills needed to do the job from the outset ?
4. Whatever decision they take is it worth losing a high performer employee like
Shannon?
5. Should selection team change the candidate pool?
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 Analysis
Option Advantage Disadvantage
Select Shannon • Had more experience • Easy going and informal style
Smith • Good Performance evaluation • Lack of Leadership skills
• Good with Customers • Lack of strong financial skills
• Easy to work with • Not reliable for advice

Select Matt Mayes • Already work under the same • Less Experience
position • Less experience for larger
• More Formal events

Select Both • They both are good • But not suitable as Senior
candidates Managers
• Get the work done • Neither fills all criteria

Select None • Get more suitable candidates • Complex process

• Repetition
• Shannon may leave
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Can leadership be learned?
● For any leadership role 3 things are of essence

Technical : Human :
Conceptual :
proficiency in ability to work
concept and idea
the work with people

● Acquired skills and knowledge are significant actors of effective leadership

● Characteristics that make a person effective as a leader
● A person can be trained for being a better leader.

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Recommendations

Time Constraint No Time Contraint

Hire Shannon Smith as
● Has technical and human skills
● More reliable
● Experiences with handling large
number of people
● Knows the organization inside-out
● Overtime she would gain leadership
skills
● Don’t hire anyone. Coordinate with
external recruitment and selection
team to make a new job proposal
clearly stating all the requirements.
Less cost favouring option
● Hire both by reducing post to Event
manager, than promote the one more
capable. More cost favoring option

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Thank You

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