5. In what ways maythe transfer of some HR functions to work group supervisors improve the efficiency of the HR division? In what ways may work group supervisors be advantaged or disadvantaged by the transfer of HR functions? Jack Newman had recently been appointed regional direc-tor of Boomerang Water Corporation, a major service utility in Australia. Jacks previous appointment was with alarge manufacturing company in the United States, where he had made a reputation for himself as a visionary specializing in customer service and performance management. Jack was the youngest person and only non-Australian ever to be appointed as a director at Boomerang Water Corporation.

This particular region of the utility employed approxi-mately 2000 workers engaged in the customer service and maintenance provision side of the business. These employ-ees operated in groups of about 30 workers. Onesupervisor managed each work group. These groups were located in five departments across the region, with each department specializing in a particular customer service or maintenance function. The region serviced about 500 000 customers.