The Aberdeen experiment commenced in the year 1983. Bob Lancaster initiated the plant to produce missile launch canisters for the Navy in the United States of America. The Aberdeen Plant was erected as part of the FMC Corporation and later acquired by BAE Technologies, part of the European defense system. Sarah Mann was the general manager of the BAE Technology Firm in Aberdeen. This paper is a reflection of the Aberdeen experiment case study. The report looks at the strategic objectives that existed when the Aberdeen plat was built, highlights the main elements of Aberdeen's human resource management system, and states why the Aberdeen HRM system was unique. Further, the paper looks at how the human resource management system helps achieve its strategic objectives and how easy it is to duplicate Aberdeen's experiment into other plants.
The Aberdeen experiment began after the FMC’s Naval System acquired a tender with the Navy of the United States of America to supply surface ship missile launching canisters. The plant was expected to be producing 2' by 2' by 20' canisters at a rate of two canisters per day ( Clawson, 2015 ). The predicted product of the entire process was a complex entity. A ballistic missile was designed to be fired by rocket engines. After the ignition of these propeller engines, the ignition could not be terminated. If the launching of the missile would by any means fail, it meant the endangering of the entire ship. Also, people in the vessel would be jeopardized due to the missile's enormous heat and explosive force ( Clawson, 2015 ). To prevent such occurrences, each of the canisters was fixed with an internal fire extinguishing mechanism that would fill it up from the inside. To set the missile ablaze and the missile launch canisters were effectively fitted with launching techniques and the necessary technologies protected from any interruption ( Clawson, 2015 ). The missile launching canisters were designed to work in an eight-cell launch module. These cells were water-tight and well-armored with the necessary weaponry. Also, each of the cells had synchronized sections of decking. These sections acted as security for the armory of each of the canisters.
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The employee selection procedure in the Aberdeen plant commenced with an activity initiated by the Human Resource Management (HRM). Consultants were hired to train the selected team through a seminar to lay out the expectations and the kind of employees that could sail through the system ( Clawson, 2015 ). The HRM was more interested in teaching the recruits the technical practices and skills and very little to do with their personal and interpersonal skills and moods. The HRM assumed that the group was well-versed in personal and interpersonal skills such as working as a group, communication skills, and problem-solving skills. Further, the HRM took that all the members in the group could conduct themselves as leaders ( Clawson, 2015 ). Through systems enacted by the HRM, the assessment center was used to display how the recruits would behave individually and as a group. The recruitment and assessment team could take the team through a series of four exercises to test their coordination to work as a team, the survival instincts that they could incorporate, their hiring decisions, and the ability to solve problems ( Clawson, 2015 ). The hiring criteria contained by the HRM system had led to a total of a hundred employees in the Aberdeen plant project by 1990.
The Aberdeen experiment is special and unique due to its team organization and management strategies. The working team is the most fundamental group of the Aberdeen experiment. The team is organized, ranging from 3 to 16 members whose work manages every aspect of the plant ( Clawson, 2015 ). The work teams are responsible for scheduling the working hours, purchasing materials, planning duty rosters, ensuring smooth coordination with other groups, and evaluating different team members. Also, the operational teams were responsible for recommending salary increases and the generation of reports. Each employee in the plant is assigned a group with a group leader appointed by the team among a group of volunteers. The teams would decide the period that the team leader would lead them. The team leader would remain in that position based on their perceived competency and functionality ( Clawson, 2015 ). The working team would then assign three special team members that would keep the team leader at bay by watching the quality of their work, their supply chain, and the safety caution of the team leader towards his or her team. Often, the teams would meet to discuss the various issues that affected them, affecting their workability.
The Aberdeen HRM system plays a very significant role in helping the company achieve the strategic objectives. The technical competence in the Aberdeen experiment is shown through a sequence of qualification standards led by the HRM department. The qualification standards set had their origin from the Nuclear Navy and are enacted based on resolved skill expertise in specific plant areas. For instance, the employees would be tasked with displaying their skill in motion devices and operators like the forklift ( Clawson, 2015 ). In doing so, many tricks, skills, and competence would be unveiled before the entire team made it both fun and legit. At the plant, there was a total of seventy qualification standards that would be demonstrated. Completing every qualification standard showed that an employee had attained the necessary skills that in that particular area. Some of the critical areas in which the employees were required to demonstrate their skills were in the safety department, handling hazards, and machine operation( Clawson, 2015 ). For each of the elective qualification standards, point values are given. Assigning the point values is done based on the skills needed, the period it takes to complete the task, and how complex a particular gift is. The team responsible for determining the point values is the Shop Technician and Office Support Group. The groups meet annually for this purpose and may choose to add more qualification standards.
In my opinion, I believe that other plants can duplicate the Aberdeen experiment for better functionality. However, I agree that it is not an easy thing to do. Different plants have a tremendous task of getting aquatinted with the systems and procedures enacted and adopted by the Aberdeen experiment ( Kayl, 2017) . Also, I have observed that the Aberdeen experiment requires a team of employees to give their energy to their work. The investigation needs a group that loves their work and is ready to take on challenges that may come their way.
Further, the Aberdeen experiment proves impossible to incorporate in other plants without teamwork ( Kayl, 2017) . The fact that the teams would work hand in hand with each other and towards the same agenda ensured the continued success of the experiment ( Kayl, 2017) . Finally, for other plants to incorporate the Aberdeen experiment, they require a very competent Human Resource Management System. The success of the Aberdeen experiment was largely dependent on the organization and expertise of the HRM department.
References
Clawson, J. G. (2015). The Aberdeen Experiment.
Kayl, I. I., Zudina, E. V., Epinina, V. S., Bakhracheva, Y. S., & Velikanov, V. V. (2017). Effective hr management is an essential condition of successful business administration. In Integration and Clustering for Sustainable Economic Growth (pp. 23-30). Springer, Cham.
