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The University of Winnipeg

Human Resources Case Competition 2024

Breaking Barriers: Supporting Neurodiversity at Work

Welcome to the University of Winnipeg’s third annual Human Resource Case Competition! We have partnered with CPHR Manitoba and Red River College to bring you an exciting event that gives you and your peers the chance to put your HR knowledge to the test.  

The theme of this year’s competition is embedding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) into work design through actioned change for neurominority workers. Neurodiversity is “naturally occurring variation in neurological wiring within the human population” LeFevre-Levy et al., 2023, p. 1). It presents new challenges for organizational leaders as they strive to support neurominority workers, such as those living with autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and dyslexia (Doyle, 2020). Traditional workplaces present many barriers for these workers, such as misconceptions about work capabilities, stigma, and negative perceptions about cost of accommodations (Khayatzadeh-Mahani et al., 2020). To breakdown these barriers and form workplaces built on EDI principles, organizational leaders must be open to work-related change and consider how those changes can be best integrated and applied. Teams will be challenged with helping an organization navigate these challenges using their knowledge of best practices in the field of human resource management.  

Date: Friday, November 1, 2024
Time: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (followed by a Networking Reception and presentation of awards)

  • Who? Teams can register with two or four participants. If registering two participants, you will be paired up with other registrants to form a full team of four. Students must be registered at The University of Winnipeg or Red River College Polytech to participate (unless approved prior).
  • When? The deadline to register your team is October 21, 2024. There will be a mandatory workshop offered on Friday, October 25 by CPHR Manitoba at 12:30 p.m. (Leatherdale Commons, UWinnipeg).
  • Where? The Case Competition will be held at Red River College’s Exchange District Campus building Manitou a bi Bii daziigae.
  • Prizes? First place $2,000, second place $1,000, third place $500.

Please register your team early to secure a spot. If you have any questions email Chris Sale at c.sale@uwinnipeg.ca. 

Rules and Regulations

Overview

All registered teams will be asked to review the case provided and prepare a 15-minute presentation that outlines:

  1. Analysis of the case
  2. Strategic recommendation(s) 
  3. Implementation strategy

Each team will present to a panel of judges, who are a combination of industry professionals and academics in the field of Human Resource Management. After each presentation, judges will be given 5 minutes to ask questions and complete the scorecard for each team.

Registration

All competing teams and team members need to register at least 30 minutes prior to their start time. Team members will need to present a piece of photo-identification and acknowledge/confirm that they understand all rules and regulations as well as the possible consequences of violating rules and regulations. Any teams or team members not registered before their team is escorted to their workspace will not be allowed to compete.

Competition

Each team will work for the full 3 hours in their designated team workspace. 

All required materials will be provided, including two copies of all case material, scrap paper, pens and pencils. Each team will be allowed to bring 1 laptop (with USB connectivity and turn off internet access) to create their presentation. Pre-approved presentation slide templates (with no content) can be used. Please show the registration desk the slide template prior to the competition starting for approval.

Competition organizers will circulate through rooms throughout the competition to answer clarification questions regarding the case.

Only clear water bottles are permitted as beverages. Alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited at the Case Competition event.

Participants are prohibited from:

  1. Bringing in or using any resource or media source containing prohibited information. This includes but is not limited to USB drives, textbooks, manuals, cheat sheets, unauthorized laptops, and digital devices.
  2. Bringing in or using any media (e.g. cellphones, pagers, smartphones, laptops, etc.) that could allow contact with sources (e.g. other students, captains, judges, etc.) outside of the students’ own resolution room.
  3. Enabling or assisting any other participants, judge, volunteer, or captain to commit any of the above actions.
  4. Leaving their workspace without permission from competition organizers.

Any teams found to be engaging in any of the acts of dishonesty or wrongdoing listed above will be disqualified from the competition. Should you witness any acts of dishonesty or wrongdoing, you are asked to report the incident to one of the competition organizers. They will decide how to best proceed.

Note: These guidelines were adapted from the JDC West Handbook (2019).

Judging Criteria

Teams will be evaluated on the following categories:

  • Situational Analysis
  • Strategic Recommendation
  • Implementation
  • Q&A Management
  • Presentation Structure & Delivery

Judging Scorecard [PDF]

Registration for the 2024 Human Resources Case Competition is now closed.