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Pacific Mines: Brian Boydell's Letter

This case demonstrates the requirement for complete alignment of values and philosophy with respect to the work system, rewards, human resource flow, and employee influence in order for strategic human resources management to work and be effective. Furthermore, SHRM is a system that evolves, rather than being implemented, from underlying fundamental values that appeals to and fulfills the self-concepts of all employees and requires transformational leaders to tie individuals' self concepts to organizational mission. Pacific Mines Limited and in particular Brian Boydell failed to properly align organizational mission with implementation strategies, and this was exacerbated by the lack of leadership and performance measures. To best understand what went wrong at Pacific Mines, we must examine the organization, its system, its leaders, and situational factors more closely.

Situational Factors
The business strategy of the organization is not very well disclosed, but the competitive advantage of the firm is generated by efficiency and economies of scale in the highly automated process of ammonia and urea production. The fact that this process is completely automated brings to question how challenging and satisfying the job might be, and whether so many operators (8 to eventually 32) are required when the computer is functional. Management philosophy at the Carseland plant is stated as "team concept", which is emphasized by the Employee Relations Document.   The document states that the mission of the plant is to provide an integrated approach to human management I order to achieve a safe, highly efficient work environment. However, whether this is actually the management philosophy is questionable. We learn that Pat Irving, the project manager strongly values the soft HRM strategy, while the new VP in Vancouver, Ron Holmes, is hard-nosed and engaged in adversarial relations with the union. This suggests a clash of corporate philosophies, where headquarters and upper...