Developing Individuals, Teams and Organisations
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Developing Individuals, Teams and Organisations
LO1 Analyse Employee Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviours Required by HR Professionals.
Introduction to HRM
Human resource management is an umbrella phrase for the formal systems in an organization that is applied in the administration of workers and stakeholders. Professionals in the field are tasked with the responsibility for recruitment, compensation, and designation of duties to the staff (Stewart and Rogers, 2012). The major function of human resource managers is to increase an organization’s profitability that can be achieved through the management of the employee. Although there are numerous transformations in the corporate world, there are no significant changes experienced in the HRM department. Human resource professionals are always engaged and work in a busy schedule. The responsibilities of personnel in the field are directly related to the function of management. Therefore, organizations expect them to possess essential skills, behaviour, and knowledge to enable them to perform their duties effectively. For instance, they focus on directing, planning, and management of activities conducted by employees to ensure that they are completed within the required time frame.
When working in an organization such as Tesco, HRM professionals should incorporate their basic knowledge about employee management in their daily activities. However, theoretical understanding is not enough because they should put it into practice. At Tesco, human resource managers are expected to handle conflicts, manage talents, and develop a positive working environment. The tasks also include the selection and recruitment of candidates in various job positions. Owing to that Tesco is one of the leading retailers in the United Kingdom, the professionals are expected to work with strict adherence to organizational vision and mission. Some of the essentials skills for HR professionals include but are not limited to:
Organization
A human resource manager should have an orderly approach when conducting his or her activities. For instance, they are required to organize files, manage time, and present professional efficiency in their line of duty. The skills are required because human resource managers deal with workers’ lives and careers (Bruce, 2006). Therefore, they should be able to manage time because everyone in the organization watches them as a role model. At Tesco, the managers must have the skills since they lead workers in all aspects.
Multitasking
In most instances, human resource managers are tasked with different activities and their typical day involves dealing with employees. Therefore, they should prioritize organizational activities because the corporate world changes day by day (Bruce, 2006). The manager should have the ability to handle all issues that come up at once.
Behaviour
HR professions should possess knowledge in their discipline. For instance, communication skills are critical because they determine how they will lead their subordinates. Consequently, it is imperative to build a healthy organizational culture when employees will work in collaboration to achieve the desired results. Besides, the managers should ensure that workers have performed their tasks together for the benefit of the organization (Bruce, 2006). It is also imperative for the HR professionals to continuously assess employees’ remuneration and come up with a better payment strategy that reflects what an individual deserves. Besides, they should have the ability to maintain a company as a group of individuals with diverse skills. Honesty and trustworthiness are also critical skills for HR practitioners.
Decision Making Skills
HR professionals at Tesco are faced with an array of situations that require them to portray their ability to make decisions. Besides, they should have the ability to confront situations that require them to portray professional behaviour. For instance, when issues arise, they must maintain their rationality when handling them and making critical decisions. Additionally, they should listen to people’s grievances and negotiate with them to come up with workable solutions.
Problem-solving
In a large organization like Tesco, employees don’t always get along. However, there is a need to collaborate and work together to achieve high productivity. Problem-solving requires HR practitioners to have analytical skills when approaching a problem. Workplaces like Tesco are driven by results and conflicts should be managed effectively for productivity to thrive.
Personal SWOT Analysis
Evaluation of personal skills is important for an HR practitioner that desires to work at Tesco. A personal audit is imperative because it enables one to analyse the critical skills to help achieve the desired results. SWOT analysis is an effective tool that is useful in developing a strategic plan in the human resource department. The framework stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (HSRM, 2018). An analysis of the four dimensions is imperative because it enables managers to identify the role that they play in an organization.
Strengths
One of the most critical strengths that I possess as a human resource practitioner is the ability to develop and coach my subordinates. The quality distinguishes an individual from the rest because one acts as a mentor and coach who offers positive feedback helpfully. Additionally, I can build positive relationships and embrace diversity and inclusion. being a role model is also an important quality that I possess. This requires honoring promises and commitments and ensuring that followers do the right things by following organizational rules and procedures. Besides, it is important to have experience and experience in the field such as awareness of employment laws, compensation, and workers’ benefits. Lastly, I am an excellent time manager, confident and self-driven with strong interpersonal and communication skills, and good in computer soft wares.
Weaknesses
It is quite challenging to work as a human resource manager when is a fresh graduate in the sector. Besides, I am a workaholic, hesitant in asking questions, and I do not like attending long meetings.
Opportunities
Being a graduate in a business course, there are many opportunities that I can explore in the field. For instance, I can offer training to employees in business development and also push their productivity to propel the organization to higher heights.
Threats
One of the major issues that can threaten my career as work in Tesla is the fact that there are many graduates in my field. Therefore, if I do not perform as expected, I can be replaced by another professional.
Personal Development Plan
After a thorough assessment of my skills, values, personality, and interest, some notable areas require improvement. My goal as an HRM practitioner is to come up with an organizational culture that supports teamwork, effective problem-solving approaches, and enhancing communication skills. Besides, it is imperative to work on my weakness and threats to my career.
Being a workaholic requires me to delegate responsibilities to avoid overworking. Therefore, I purpose to identify employees that possess the skills to get work done. Additionally, I plan to ask questions whenever I feel that I do not understand some concepts or how to perform particular tasks. I will also develop my skills to ensure that I maintain my position. I can achieve this by enrolling in short courses that will supplement my knowledge as a human resource practitioner. Consequently, I can offer better services and maintain a better position in the industry.
Reflection
Human resource professionals are tasked with many responsibilities that require them to possess skills in diverse areas. The practitioners should know to performs their roles according to the organizational culture. However, they face challenges in handling different tasks such as recruitment and solving workers’ grievances. Therefore, they should possess excellent communication skills so that they can improve employees’ productivity. When working at Tesco, the professionals require analytical skills so that they can solve diverse problems that may arise when dealing with a large number of employees. Besides, they can select the best team that will portray high productivity. Time management is also a critical factor that leads to quality performance. Besides, they have to ensure that they lead the organization in the right direction that is in line with the organization’s vision and mission.
The problems faced by HR professionals can be minimized by setting goals for personal development. Therefore, an individual can enroll for training to gain knowledge so that he or she can be better placed and avoid competition from other practitioners in the field. Besides, joining courses enhances the capacity to make better decisions and acquire professional knowledge.
LO 2: Apply knowledge and understanding to how high-performance working (HPW) contributes to employee engagement and competitive advantage
Introduction to Tesco
Tesco is the United Kingdom a retail giant whose headquarters are in the United Kingdom. The company is engaged in various businesses including retail stores, insurance, and banking. Besides, it has several outlets in the UK, Ireland, and Central European counters including Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland (Reference for Business, n.d). Tesco Bank offers monetary and insurance services and has branches throughout the UK. The financial organization provides a wide range of services including individual current accounts, personal loans, and credit card receivables. Tesco was founded in 1919 as a Britain general merchandising and retail chain (Reference for Business, n.d). The company is committed to offering its customers quality goods and services through an innovative and customer-focused strategy that is implemented by the management (Reference for Business, n.d). Tesco’s operating principles are value for money, customer service, loyalty, and high-quality products.
Continuous Personal Development
Continuous personal development is a critical tool for widening and updating individuals’ skills for working in a certain profession (Mugisha, 2009). As the business world evolves, it is imperative to emphasize the importance of CPD since it is the only way that professionals can enhance their skills to avoid pitfalls or shortcomings that they may experience in the course of their careers (Mugisha, 2009). Besides, it enhances a person’s competitiveness in the job market since many applicants are vying for a similar role. CPD enables human resource managers to take responsibility for their career development and improves one’s confidence which translates to ability and efficacy to improve their performance. A company that offers such benefits is likely to realize employees’ motivation and loyalty to their employer.
CPD is imperative for organizational development because it improves the services offered by the business and improves workers’ management (Friedman, 2012). At Tesco, the process applies to the whole workforce including the subordinates. Employee performance can be enhanced by self-improvement and allowing them to specialize in tasks that they are best suited to work on. As a human resource executive at Tesco, there is a need for providing workers with opportunities for active learning so that they can strengthen their skills and knowledge. Furthermore, they can get a chance to fulfill their potential which is beneficial for organizational and personal development. Therefore, managers should ensure that people have CPD that covers the whole learning spectrum including formal programs, job development, and qualifications (Friedman, 2012). The strategy is beneficial to clients, workers, and employers.
Tesco shows commitment to continuous learning by organizing opportunities where all workers receive basic training (Tesco, n.d). Besides, employees are taught how to achieve the company’s goal since it operates in a competitive environment. Individual learning on the other hand involves taking critical steps to understand new things to attain personal development. The difference between individual and organizational learning is that the latter takes a systematic approach to offer training to the workers. Besides, it involves making a training plan that is beneficial for all employees to achieve high productivity (Stewart and Rogers, 2012). Individual training is the process where an individual takes steps for personal improvement and can take an unsystematic approach. The human resource manager at Tesco can differentiate the two scenarios by modifying organizational policies so that they can gain a clear of how they can respond to the competitive retail industry.
Learning Cycle Theories
Learning is a continuous process that requires patience and determination so that an individual can develop competency in the desired area. This including taking short courses to enhance skills or attending work-related seminars and conferences. Learning is important because one gets personal satisfaction and achieves professional requirements. The process of learning can be described using David Kolb’s theory which is widely recognized in higher education (Healey and Jenkins, 2000). Kold argues that learning is the process where knowledge is created through a transformational experience. His four-stage model describes the learning cycle through which experience is translated using concepts that later guide active experimentation of the knowledge acquired (Healey and Jenkins, 2000). The phases include concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. He further translates the stags as wanting, doing, feedback, and digesting. Kolb’s theory shows the importance of experimental activities including laboratory sessions and field surveys (Healey and Jenkins, 2000). The model is a critique of theory-based learning where students do not have an opportunity to reflect on their experiences. Kolb’s model can be applied in an organizational set-up since workers get an opportunity to gain firsthand experience. Besides, they can utilize available opportunities to research the company’s products and reflect on how they can use their knowledge to benefit the organization.
Lo 3 Evaluation of HPW
A high-performance work system involves a set of separate but interconnected actions in human resource management such as recruitment and selection, continuous training and development, performance appraisal programs, and competitive compensation program (Mahdi et al., 2014). The human resource managers at Tesco practice such steps to increase workers’ abilities, motivate them, and develop learning opportunities. The practices are imperative to the organization because it leads to employees commitment, job satisfaction, and high performance.
For instance, Tesco helps develops its workers by building on their existing skills and creating opportunities for people to gain knowledge in areas that require training (Tesco, n.d). Besides, the company has learning platforms for employees to attend virtual workshops, access articles, e-learning modules, and videos for the learning partners (Tesco, n.d). Such opportunities are meant to ensure that workers take ownership of their careers and build their confidence in the roles that they are undertaking. Besides, the company offers training on digital skills for the workers regardless of their roles. Additionally, there is a team of digital champions that help employees to develop practical skills and digital time management and ensuring the safety of personal data.
A balance of HPW elements is critical for an organization because it motivates employees. Learning enhances the adoption of organizational culture, mission, vision, and values (Mee-Yan, C-J. and Holbeche, 2015). Additionally, employees learn what is expected of them and the desired behaviour. They also gain the critical skills that are important for job performance and thereby there is high productivity. According to Richardson (2017), engaging employees makes them gain intrinsic motivation and they love their work and are enthusiastic about applying their talents.
High-Performance Work Systems
High-performance systems are important human resource practices that impact productivity. Work motivation is multi-dynamic in that it requires cognitive, physical, and emotional energy for employees to perform in their line of duty. According to social exchange theory, workers are highly likely to portray a positive attitude towards work if they feel like the organization favours them. Therefore, the application of HPW practices motivates employees to portray positive attitudes towards work and show value for the company (Mahdi et al., 2014). For instance, in the case of Tesco, the retail giant offers training to employees for both organizational and personal development. Therefore, they are psychologically motivated since they gain knowledge that will benefit their careers and perform the tasks required of them. They also feel competent to do their work ad are satisfied since they have opportunities to exercise their competency. Besides, meaningful training enhances employee attachment to their work since that can practice their skills, abilities, and knowledge.
Tesco employees take the responsibility of improving the goods and services offered by the company because they are always engrained through learning and continuous development. They take the initiative to practice innovativeness and have a positive attitude towards work. Collaboration among employees is also enhanced because there is open sharing of ideas and they see themselves as part of the supply chain. With the above actions, the company realizes financial benefits due to increased productivity and low staff turnover. Currently, the company has grown to be among the top businesses in the retail sector has stabilized its operations.
HPW and Competitive Advantage
According to the UK commission, HPW is the general approach that is used to manage organizations to stimulate the active involvement of workers and commitment achieves high-performance levels. The strategies are meant to enhance employees’ efforts so that they can utilize the skills that possess fully in their line of duty (Arefin et al., 2019). The workforce is among the key factors in enhancing the competitive advantage of an organization. Workers are valuable, industry-specific, and complex factors of production that enable organizations to build sustainable competitive advantage. Among the broad concepts in HRM, HPW is critical in shaping the behaviour, skill, and attitudes of staff thereby realizing organizational goals. Tesco practices high-performance systems by offering training to the workers thereby achieving a competitive advantage. There is a casual relationship between organizational and workers’ performance (Mahdi et al., 2014). Successful implementation of HPW in Tesco is has led to an improved improvement in the company structures since the staff gain knowledge that they use to create job autonomy. Besides, the company has used staff knowledge to realize organizational goals and corporate performance.
LO4 Evaluate ways in which performance management, collaborative working, and effective communication can support high-performance culture and commitment
Organizational culture involves a set of actions that determine how a business runs its affairs. When there is a high-performing culture, all aspects of a company are impacted since there is increased engagement, employee retention, and engagement (Arefin et al., 2019). For instance, workers turnover is low compared to organizations that have poor cultures. Therefore, a high-performing culture is a set of behaviors that lead a company to achieve high results (Mee-Yan, C-J. and Holbeche, 2015). When actions and norms align with customer requirements, workers’ priorities, and organizational goals, the business achieves monetary and other benefits that determine its success.
High-performance culture can be created through systematic approaches to manage individuals and team performance. Therefore, it is imperative to utilize the tools and techniques that enable the leaders to come up with a plan for actions that encourage change in workers’ actions so that high-performance culture can be realized. Besides, it is also important to measure the management direction towards achieving a shared vision, innovation, leadership, motivation, establishing a positive work environment, and encouraging accountability.
Collaborative working is also essential for achieving a high-performance culture because it leads to the maximization of knowledge and capabilities. Additionally, it enhances communication across different departments thereby enhancing productivity. Therefore, it is important to let all employees know the desired attributes and how the organization seeks to enhance a collaborative culture. Besides, management must create opportunities for team works because when people come together to work towards a shared goal, they are likely to achieve high productivity.
High-performance teams can also be achieved through open and clear communication since it leads to increased innovativeness and coming up with new ideas. Therefore, workers understand the importance of identifying opportunities and making improvements. Tesco can adopt effective communication by ensuring that employees are always updated with information about the changes in the industry and how they can get involved to ensure organizational success. Communication plays an essential role in fostering the performance and survival of an organization because people can share innovative ideas that can improve business operations.
Different Approaches of Performance Management and Making Judgment
Tesco can adopt several approaches to achieve a high-performance culture including attributes, behavioral, and comparative. After using the recommended strategies the company can achieve a culture of commitment. For instance, when a company uses a comparative approach, it means that workers are supported according to their contribution to the organization thereby yielding productivity. Besides, such employees show commitment to their work since there is a sense of belonging. When using behavioral approaches, it means that there is evaluation of individual attitudes, perceptions, beliefs, and values and how they use them to achieve high performance (Stewart and Rogers, 2012). For instance, Tesco is committed to having excellent customer service and offer quality products to its customers. The goal can only be achieved if the managers evaluate workers’ commitment to the company values and ensure that they are heading in the right direction.
Furthermore, there are diverse attributes that the company can impose on its employees to achieve great performance. For example, the management can adopt a holistic approach since it is valuable to achieve productivity and earn the company a competitive advantage. besides, organizational culture can be maintained by the whole team rather than a few individuals. Therefore, departmental leaders should create a path that people should follow including monitoring behavior. Another approach that Tesco can use to gain a high-performing culture is creating a shared vision and values. It is important to engage employees in realizing organizational goals by using a unifying creed that is we instead of I. For instance, the managers can stress this by creating phrases like “we value our customers, we subscribe to the core values, or we know where are going”. Additionally, it is important to have a free flow of communication by information is passed across all hierarchies without fear. An example is allowing communication between workers and the key stakeholders.
Sound judgment can only be made if there is the right definition of role and responsibilities. In such a case, there is a structural strategy that allows organizational execution of organizational culture. Besides, it is critical to treat employees as valuable assets. Therefore, they should be regularly trained and supported to achieve the best results. Additionally, sound judgment is supported by hiring and recruiting the right team. Lastly, having a strong leadership panel is essential for achieving high performance because spearheads are the foundation for the organization. The professionals are pacesetters who communicate goals to the staff. Besides, they set a bar through their actions and behavior thereby promoting enthusiasm to overcome hurdles that may arise.
Conclusion
HRM involves the management of employees and business stakeholders. The professional performs various tasks including recruitment, compensation, and assigning roles and responsibilities to the workers. Tesco a retail marker company based in the UK is one of the organizations that have a strong of managers that promote employee development through training and encouraging open communication. Additionally, the business has built a high-performance system that incorporates different actions including continuous education to achieve staff commitment and job satisfaction. The approach encourages workers’ commitments, shapes behavior, and builds skills and knowledge. Additionally, collaborative working has proven to yield positive results and high performance since there is the maximization of staff capabilities and sharing ideas. Some of the approaches that the company can use in performance management include monitoring workers’ behavior, attribute, and comparative methods. Furthermore, there is a need to make sound judgment when defining and assigning roles and responsibilities. The move can be achieved by having a strong leadership since spearheads communicate organizational goals to the staff.
References
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