| Course | HRM-8030 Seminar in Human Resource Leadership |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Module 2 written assignment: workforce development |
| Length | About 555 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Doctor of Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HRM 8030 Module 2
From Offset to Digital: Developing a Workforce for a Changing Packaging Plant
Student Name
Doctor of Business Administration, Thomas Edison State University
HRM-8030: Seminar in Human Resource Leadership
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
From Offset to Digital: Developing a Workforce for a Changing Packaging Plant
Introduction
Module 1 found that Monmouth's culture ties promotion to seniority and that many experienced managers will retire within five years. At the same time, the company's customers are asking for shorter runs, variable data printing and faster turnaround, which require digital presses and data-driven quality control. The workforce development challenge is to build new technical skills across the plants while growing supervisors who can lead in a more technical environment. Schein and Schein (2019) caution that development programs succeed only when they fit the assumptions of the culture around them.
The Skills the Company Will Need
A skills assessment of the 310 press operators and 42 supervisors found that about 60 percent of operators had no experience with digital equipment and that most supervisors had never used production data to make scheduling decisions.
| Skill area | Today | In five years |
|---|---|---|
| Press operation | Offset presses, mechanical adjustment | Digital presses, color management software |
| Quality control | Visual inspection and sampling | Inline camera inspection and data analysis |
| Maintenance | Mechanical repair | Mechanical plus electronics and software diagnostics |
| Supervision | Experience-based scheduling | Data-based scheduling and continuous improvement |
Designing the Development System
Development works best when it combines formal training with experience on the job and learning from others. Monmouth's design leans on the 70-20-10 idea that stretch assignments teach most, mentoring less and classrooms least, treating the numbers as a guide rather than a research finding, but the emphasis on experience is well supported. Day (2000) distinguishes leader development, building individual skills, from leadership development, building the relationships and networks through which people lead together, and argues that organizations need both.
Monmouth's system has three parts. First, technical training: a digital press certification program run with the press manufacturer and a local community college, with classroom modules and supervised practice on the new equipment. Second, experience: rotations that place operators on digital presses for set periods and supervisors in quality and planning roles, so they learn the data side of production. Third, relationships: a mentoring program pairing experienced supervisors, who know the customers and the plant, with younger employees who have digital skills, so knowledge flows in both directions. The certification program follows research on training effectiveness, which finds that practice resembling the job, feedback and support after training determine whether skills are used (Salas et al., 2012).
Building Breadth and Depth
A talent pool needs depth, enough people ready for each critical role, and breadth, people with experience across functions. Rotations build breadth; certification and mentoring build depth. For every critical role, HR will count who is ready today, in a year or two and later, laying the foundation for the talent management and succession systems in Modules 3 and 4.
Measuring Progress
Monmouth will track the share of operators certified on digital presses, the number of supervisors who complete a quality or planning rotation, production measures such as waste and changeover time on digital lines, and retention of employees under 35, whose departures were a warning sign in Module 1.
Conclusion
Monmouth's shift to digital printing changes the skills its workforce needs at every level. A development system that combines certification, rotations and two-way mentoring builds those skills while respecting the culture's value of experience, and it creates the deeper, broader talent pool the company's coming retirements require.
References
Day, D. V. (2000). Leadership development: A review in context. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(4), 581-613. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1048-9843(00)00061-8
Salas, E., Tannenbaum, S. I., Kraiger, K., & Smith-Jentsch, K. A. (2012). The science of training and development in organizations: What matters in practice. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 13(2), 74-101. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612436661
Schein, E. H., & Schein, P. A. (2019). The corporate culture survival guide (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
HRM 8030 Module 2 instructions, in plain terms
The second HRM-8030 written assignment covers workforce development, building the skills and talent pool an organization needs. Expect to analyze the capabilities the organization will require, measure the gap in its current workforce and design a development system that combines formal training, job experience and learning from others. Apply the course text and research on development to the organization you are studying across the course, and connect the plan to the talent management and succession topics that follow. Doctoral-level work should use research to justify design choices and recognize the limits of popular rules of thumb. Many versions ask you to identify the skills an organization will need in five years.
Inside the HRM 8030 Module 2 example
The paper links the workforce challenge to the culture analysis from Module 1 and to a change in technology. A table maps current and future skills by area, and the text quantifies the gap. A design section weighs the 70-20-10 guideline carefully and draws on research distinguishing leader and leadership development. The system has three parts, training, experience and relationships, with two-way mentoring that uses the culture's strengths. A section on breadth and depth sets up later modules, and measures complete the plan. The breadth and depth section prepares the talent management and succession work of the next modules. Measures at the end tie development to production and retention. A skills table opens the analysis.
HRM 8030 Module 2 rubric: what earns full marks
Marks go to sound use of development research, a sharp skills gap analysis, a system mixing several methods and links forward to talent and succession. Answers that treat popular guidelines critically, noting where evidence is thin, show doctoral-level judgment. Designs that fit the organization's culture and measurable progress indicators demonstrate practical thinking. A clean structure and sources past the textbook finish the development paper. Mentors also value development systems that fit the culture, such as two-way mentoring that uses respect for experience, and measures linked to business results. A skills gap stated in numbers makes the plan's scale clear. Doctoral-level sourcing strengthens the design.
Common HRM 8030 Module 2 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students lose points by treating workforce development as a list of training courses, by citing the 70-20-10 rule as research or by ignoring how the plan fits the organization's culture. Others skip measurement. Map future skills against current ones. Combine training, experience and mentoring. Explain how the system builds depth and breadth for critical roles. Tie each measure to a production or business outcome. A free first sample on your own HRM-8030 Module 2 organization is available on request. Quantify the gap before designing the system, and explain how each method, training, experience and mentoring, addresses a different part of it. Name partners, such as equipment makers or colleges, who can help deliver training.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More HRM 8030 and Doctor of Business Administration sample papers
- HRM 8030 Module 1: Written Assignment: HR Leadership and Organizational Culture
- HRM 8030 Module 3: Written Assignment: A Talent Management System for Critical Roles
- HRM 8030 Module 4: Final Project: A Succession Management System for a Family Manufacturer
- DBA 8060 Module 6: Written Assignment: Optimizing Safety Stock and Simulating Expedite Costs
- HRM 8010 Module 4: Final Project: An HR Plan for Inclusion in a Global Manufacturer
- DBA 8090 Module 1: Written Assignment: Choosing a Consulting Role With a Family Marine Contractor
- DBA 8010 Module 4: Written Assignment: Standardize or Adapt the Marketing of Natural Colors
HRM 8030 Module 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HRM 8030 Module 2 sample paper?
Monmouth's skills map and three-part development system are set out above.
What is the 70-20-10 principle?
A guideline that most development comes from experience, some from relationships and the least from formal training; it is a rule of thumb rather than a precise finding.
What is the difference between leader development and leadership development?
One grows a person's skills; the other grows the ties through which people lead jointly.
What is two-way mentoring?
Pairing experienced and newer employees so each teaches the other, such as customer knowledge in one direction and digital skills in the other.
What makes a talent pool deep and broad?
Depth means enough people ready for each critical role; breadth means people with experience across several functions.