Personal Development Plan and Performance Management

This HRM assignment focuses on the importance of personal skill audits, creating a personal development plan to address weak skills, and implementing HPW practices to achieve good image in industry. It highlights the relevance of continuous learning and professional development for both individuals and organizations.

DEVELOPING
INDIVIDUALS,
TEAMS AND
ORGANISATIONS

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1. Knowledge, skills and behaviour that are required by HR professionals.............................1
P2 Personal skills audit and professional development plan......................................................2
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................6
P3. Differences between organizational and individual learning and training and development
.....................................................................................................................................................6
P4. Analysis of the need for continuous learning and professional development to drive
sustainable business performance...............................................................................................8
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................10
P5 State how HPW contribute to employee engagement and competitive advantage..............10
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................11
P6. Different approaches to performance management that support high performance culture
and commitment........................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14

INTRODUCTION
Development is very essential for organisations to help them sustain in a competitive and
dynamic environment Development of overall skills and performances of individuals and teams
within an organisation encourages employee engagement and improves their job performances.
In almost every company, individuals within the firm enhance their skills and knowledge through
learning from their workplace environment and the training provided (Aarons, Hurlburt and
Horwitz, 2011). The following report is based on Marks & Spencer which is a multinational firm
and a market leader in clothing and retail. This report indicates knowledge, skills and behaviours
required by HR professionals and determination of differences between organisational and
individual learning. It also discusses how training and development are different. A thorough
analysis of importance of continuous learning and professional development is discussed, along
with role of high performance work practices that could help the firm build better employee
relations and improve their competitive position in the market.
TASK 1
P1. Knowledge, skills and behaviour that are required by HR professionals
Human resource manager is responsible for managing and controlling the people working
within an organisation. There are number of functions that are performed by the HR professional
with company it includes hiring, training & development, compensation and many more. But in
order to perform operations efficiently a HR officer of Mark & Spencer must have certain kind
of skills, knowledge and behaviour which they require to exert while performing any operations.
These qualities are explained below:
Knowledge: Law & government:- A HR professional must have a thorough knowledge of law and
regulations that are formulated by the government of particular country in which M&S
operates its business (Bolman and Deal, 2017). HR manager must known the standards
that are provided by the government in term of working condition, health & safety law,
employment law and many more in order to formulate business policies in an ethical and
legal manner.
 Personnel management:- HR manager must have a knowledge regarding the methods to
maintain and develop the employees working within organisation. They must know how
1

to prepare staff handbook, administrating payroll of employees, handling remuneration
issues related to promotion and benefits, arranging training & development programs etc.
This activities toward the management of employees support M&S in keeping its
customers satisfied with their job which in turn will contribute more in enhancing the
productivity of company.
Skills: Negotiation skills:- HR manager must have a negotiation skill as it support them in
solving the issues related to pay of employees (Choi and Ruona, 2011). This skill help
them in administrating the payroll of employees and it also support them in avoiding the
legal issues that may arise when trade union also get involved in conflicts of employees.
 Communication skill:- It is one of the most crucial skill that a HR manager of M&S must
have, as it support them in maintaining an effective relation with other department. So
that the policies and procedures formulate by HR department must be implement
effectively by other functional unit. Further it also help HR manager to make employees
understand about the duties they are required to perform.
Behaviour Coordination: HR professionals are consider as a most crucial part of a company who are
responsible for the management of employees. Therefore, HR manager must have a
cooperative behaviour so that it can maintain a coordination between the employees
working within the organisation. This also support in developing or implement policies
effectively and managing staff performance.
 Critical thinking: It is a crucial skill that a HR manager of M&S must have as it help in
formulating effective strategies and policies which contribute toward the accomplishment
of organisational goals (Hartnell, Ou and Kinicki, 2011). Recruiting eligible staff and
developing a informed & attractive job specification that support in attracting candidates
toward vacant position.
P2 Personal skills audit and professional development plan
Personal skill audit is a technique through which individual can analyse current skills and
areas which are lacking. At work place there is requirement of different knowledge, skill,
behaviour through to give best. But every one is not perfect, so with the help of skill audit, it
provides chance to enhance knowledge and en-light carer growth (Herrmann and Herrmann-
2

Nehdi, 2015). Marks and Spencer is the organisation which works with new and innovative idea
to provide satisfaction to employees, so this can be possible when employees has current
knowledge and in case of lacking, measures are taken to improve it. Jane Cambridge is working
at the post of HR personnel, hence there is requirement of skill, so he can perform roles and
responsibilities effectively.
Personal skills audit of Jane Cambridge is described below:
Skill Very Good Good Adequate Little or no
experience
Information
Technology
Use Microsoft
office word
✔
Use Excel
Spreadsheet
✔
Use specialist HR
software
✔
Use a database ✔
Use the internet ✔
Use Email ✔
Use PowerPoint ✔
Skill Very Good Good Adequate Little or no
experience
Communicati
on skills
Drafting
contracts of
employment
✔
Taking notes
of disciplinary
hearing
✔
Write reports ✔
Produce
materials to
support
presentations
✔
Delivering a
training
session
✔
Resolving
disputes
✔
3

Interviewing ✔
Advising on
HR issues
✔
Skill Very Good Good Adequate Little or no
Experience
Problem
solving skills
Make good
use of verbal
reasoning
skills, able to
handle
complex data
and make
selective use
of information
✔
Explore more
than one
solution in
order to solve
a problem
✔
Consider the
ideas of others
to help solve
problems
✔
From the above discussed skill audit plan, some positive and negative points are
analysed. These are discussed as under-
Strength Weakness
 Jane Cambridge has good knowledge
about internet. This helps in accessing
information from online sources.
 At work place, there is requirement of
training, so being HR Jane Cambridge
is good at planning training
programme. This helps to maintain
long term relations with workforce and
reduce possibilities of labour turnover.
 Communication is not crucial factor
which HR must possess. Jane
Cambridge is lacking in this skill.
 Problem solving skill is also weak in
Jane Cambridge. Sometimes, there are
conflict among employees, so he can
not deal with them in effective way.
 Jane Cambridge was weak in
presentation and IT skills as well which
4

affects performance at work place.
Personal development plan (PDP) for HR officer role
Personal development plan is an legal and structured form through which individual can
take measure to bridge gap between skill possess by individual and skill required for specific job
role. Personal development planning is the action plan under which different measures are taken
in order to improve concurrent skill (Hislop, 2013). There is use of different sources such as
online sources, seminars, books, etc. through which knowledge can be updated.
Sr
.
N
o
Learning
Objective
Current
Proficiency
Target Proficiency Development
Opportunities
Judging
criteria
Time
Scale
1 Commun
ication
skill
Jane Cambridge
is weak in
communication
skill, so he can
not
communicate
with employees
in impressive
manner.
He wants to improve
this skill, so policies
can be
communicated in
effective manner and
interact with them in
case of any issue.
This skill can
be developed
with the help
of online
sources,
seminars
related to
communicatio
n, etc.
Peer members
and
subordinates
2 months
2 Problem
solving
skill
As Marks and
Spencer is big
organisation
which has
He wants to
improves this so
harmony can be
maintained within
By dealing
with practical
situation and
guidance of
Top level
personnel.
3 months
5

different
employees
having
difference in
perception.
Hence there are
different
problems with
affects
performance of
workforce. Jane
Cambridge is
weak in solving
their issues.
organisation. top level
managers.
3 IT skills Jane Cambridge
has weak IT
skills so he was
not able to
record data
related to
employees and
share
information with
work force.
He wants to improve
this skill for the
purpose of recording
data related
employees.
Certification
course
Top level
managers
6 months
4 Presentat
ion skill
I am not able to
present
presentation in
front of new
employees
related to
Jane Cambridge
wants to improve so
being HR plans and
policies associated
with organisation
can be conveyed to
With the help
of online
sources,
seminars this
skill can be
improved.
Peer members
and managers
4 months
6

overview of
organisation.
new candidates.
TASK 2
P3. Differences between organizational and individual learning and training and development
Learning refers to gaining effective knowledge through various methods that contribute
in a better understanding of concepts. It is essential that individuals, teams and organizations
keep this process ongoing in order to succeed and grow in the marketplace (Katzenbach and
Smith, 2015). However, this learning is not same for individuals and organizations and the
difference between the two is discussed below:
Individual Learning: This learning is termed as the capability of a single person or
individual to gather knowledge through sources of external environment. These individuals gain
these knowledge through personal reflection. However, one prominent way for individuals to
enhance the knowledge is through interactions with other individuals present in the workplace or
outside it. In Marks & Spencer, HR professionals learn certain skills after which they have
complete knowledge about it. Even so, that they could generalize these skills in different
scenarios.
Organizational Learning: This refers to an ongoing process by which learning is
facilitated within a workplace. Concepts are generated, retained and conveyed within the
organization (Landy and Conte, 2016). These concepts increases the experience of Marks &
Spencer which enhances their performance. HR professionals, through organizational learning
retain their employees and build better relationships with them. Moreover they enhance
performance of these employees too.
The difference between these two types of learning is as follows:
BASIS INDIVIDUAL LEARNING ORGANISATIONAL
LEARNING
SCOPE It has narrow scope as this is
aimed to enhance the
knowledge of an individual.
It has wider scope as it
enhances the knowledge of a
whole organization to
7

effectively retain their skilled
employees.
RIGIDITY Individual learning is flexible.
It is not limited to specific
training and individuals can
enhance their knowledge
through any source, within or
outside the organisation.
Organisational learning is a
rigid concept. The materials
through which organisations
could gain knowledge are
provide by the upper
management.
TIME It is an ongoing process
throughout a professional
career of an individual,
therefore, it is free from all
time constraints.
There is a specified period
which is decided to train
employees of an organization
decided by the CEO and the
managers.
Training: This refers to the process undertaken by individuals to enhance their skills.
The aim of training is to improve the performance of individuals of the organization (Nahavandi,
2016). HR Professionals in Marks & Spencer are required to undergo certain training and
development programs so that they could perform better while managing and retaining the
human resources of the firm.
Development: An ongoing process of an individual, team and organization which aims at
overall development in the workplace and in the market respectively. It could be development in
the career of individuals or overall business development of Marks & Spencer. HR professionals
in the firm through development, enhances the overall career up of their employees by deploying
various methods within the workplace.
Below are the differences between training and development:
BASIS TRAINING DEVELOPMENT
ORIENTATION Training could be determined
as a job-oriented process
Development is determined as
a career-oriented process.
SKILL Technical skills of employees The overall concepts, ideas
8

which are required to enhance
their performances in a certain
activity is enhanced by
training.
and performances of
employees are enhanced
through development.
AIM Since its a job-oriented
process, it is limited to
enhancement of performances
of employees for a certain job.
This process aims at the
overall development of
individuals at Marks &
Spencer.
SCOPE It has a narrow scope as it
emphasizes on immediate
needs of the company.
It has a wider scope as it is not
limited to a certain job role and
applies a futuristic approach.
P4. Analysis of the need for continuous learning and professional development to drive
sustainable business performance
Continuous learning and professional development in an organization is essential for an
organization if it wishes to improve its competitiveness and enhance its profitability in the
market (Penuel and et. al. 2011). Through these two processes, the productivity of employees
increases and it enhances the overall business performance of Marks & Spencer.
Continuous Learning: The ongoing process though which the knowledge of individuals
and organizations increases through adapting changes in the business environment and coping up
with the latest industrial developments is referred to continuous learning. In Marks & Spencer,
continuous learning makes organization more competent, which results in reduction in training
costs and better commitment from employees towards the organization.
Professional Development: This is the process through which employees enhances their
capabilities by accessing various training opportunities within the company as well as outside it.
Professional Development in Marks & Spencer improves efficiency and enhances their
productivity which encourages them to achieve effective results in the workplace. It also
enhances the sustainability of the company.
Marks & Spencer could really enhance their performance in the market by establishing a
culture for continuous learning and by giving them opportunities for professional development
9

(Robbins and Judge, 2012). These concepts are of vital importance to the organization. The
importance of these concepts is discussed below:
 Improves performance and enhances personal growth: Continuous learning in Marks
& Spencer helps the employees to improve their performance. Continuous training is
provided to these employees periodically which enhances their knowledge and they get
familiar with the procedures required to perform a certain activity. It also increases
confidence in the employees and they are automatically motivated to work harder for the
firm. Increase in performance enhances personal growth and satisfaction of these
employees.
 Enhances sustainability: In a firm like Marks & Spencer, it is very difficult for
employees to sustain their performance levels at the workplace. Continuous learning
helps the employees to ensure this sustainability. They could enhance their productivity
and workplace performance by developing clarity in the concepts. Continuous learning
also enables them to stay competent even in times of pressure.
 Prepare employee for advancements: These employees, through continuous learning
improve their performance at the current job. The result of this improvement makes them
subjected to advancements in their career. Through continuous learning, they would
develop a better understanding of concepts they are unaware of, which would ease the
process of advancements for them.
 Enrich employees' work experience: Through continuous learning and professional
development, employees at Marks & Spencer get motivation from their impressive
performance figures and it enables them to gain appreciations from employers as well as
colleagues (Shin and et. al. 2012). Such activities enrich their work experience and
ensures better commitment and engagement of these employees towards the company.
TASK 3
P5 State how HPW contribute to employee engagement and competitive advantage
HIGH PERFORMANCE WORKING
High performance working means an environment within organisation which creates
transparency, trust and proper communication among employees. This is the way which reduce
level of hierarchy is organisation and motivates flatter structure (Von Krogh, Nonaka and
10

Rechsteiner, 2012). While creating environment of high performance working, workforce is
happy and comfortable with working environment. This helps to motivate employees to give
best. There is use of different techniques through which they can motivate employees through
providing chance in decision making. This give raise to employees engagement within
organisation.
ELEMENTS OF HIGH PERFORMANCE WORKING
There are five elements of high performance working. These helps to provide good
working condition to employees, so efficiency and satisfaction level of workers increases.
Elements are as under-
Organisational structure- HPW insist at providing flatter organisational structure. This
helps in communicating people in case of need and hence task are completed with specified time.
Task design- Task are designed according to skill competencies of worker. This helps to
get best outcome from employees.
People- People means employees which are working to attain goals and objectives. They
are satisfied because they are getting good and appropriate environment within organisation.
Reward system- Reward is one of the best technique to motivate employees for giving
best. Under HPW, there is rewards and incentives which improves performance. When
organisation is performing well, then Marks and Spencer are able to achieve good image in
industry.
Information system- Information system includes channel of communication. Under
HPW, there is formal as well as informal way through which they can communicate with each
other.
OUTCOME OF HIGH PERFORMANCE WORKING
Selection of specialized personnel- Under HPW, there is use of different employees
according to skills and knowledge. When employees have relevant knowledge related to their
field, so quality of product and services are good and fair (Wates, 2014). This helps to get
competitive advantage in industry.
Better cooperation inside and out organization- HPW means there is less hierarchy,
transparency in organization. So employees are satisfied with working condition and
environment (Aarons, Hurlburt and Horwitz, 2011). This makes long term relations with workers
11

through employee engagement strategies. When employees are satisfied, then Marks and
Spencer is able to achieve competitive advantage in industry.
Decentralized decision making- HPW emphasis on flatter organizational structure. So
employees have power to take decisions in relation to their assigned job roles. They are
responsible for outcomes hence they give their best and use decision making power optimally.
Hence there is employment engagement so there are aware about working style of overall
organization.
TASK 4
P6. Different approaches to performance management that support high performance culture and
commitment
Performance management system refers to the process which continuously measures,
identifies and develop the performance of workforce within the company (Performance
Management, 2018). The main purpose of organising performance management system is the
improve the individual's performance and connecting their work with the organisational
objective. For accomplishing this, M&S perform several activities under performance
management system which are given below: Reward & remuneration:- It is one of the most widely used strategy for enhancing the
performance as well as productivity of employees. Under this approach HR manager of
M&S setup certain reward over the particular level of performance. This act as a
motivational factors for employees and they started working harder to achieve desired
level of performance. Performance appraisal:- It refers to the process where the employees performance are
regularly evaluated by their superior (Bolman and Deal, 2017). Then the actual
performance is compared with benchmark to determine the gaps between performance so
that effective measures can be taken to improve those areas.
 Performance objectives and standards:- Under this, HR manager divide the work into
tasks and assign them by setting up over specific objective or standards. This help in
guiding a path to follow for achieving the desired level of performance.
These all are the activities used by M&S under performance management system in
order to improve the quality of performance for achieving desired level of productivity. So in
12

order to determine the effectiveness of these methods following are measures that can be used by
M&S. These methods will support in measuring the performance: Comparative approach:- It refers to the method under which employees are ranked as
per their level of performance with respect to others in group. Under this approach
employees are ranked as a top and lowest performers where higher performer is rewarded
and by providing proper training promoted to high position. On the other hand poor
performers are given with a chance of further improvisation.
 Behavioural approach:- This method consists of several vertical scales for different
dimensions which are decided by workers. Employees are then ranked over these
parameters as per their level of performance.
These are the performance measurement approach, but from the above two behavioural
method is consider as appropriate for M&S (Choi and Ruona, 2011). Because comparative
approach is undertaken when the workforce is relatively smaller, but as M&S is a multinational
company it has large number of employees who perform different function. So in order to
evaluate the performance it is very essential for HR manager to examine the performance of
employees on the bases of different criteria.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion it is clear that there is requirement of some skills, knowledge
and behavior at specified job place. As HR there is requirement of coordination, communication
skills, these helps to give best at workplace. Personal skill audit is an approach which provides
knowledge about skill required at work place and different between current and required
knowledge can be analyzed. Personal development plan is relevant and significant for taking
actions through which weak skills can be polished. To attain good image in industry continuous
learning and professional development practices must be done. Individual learning will
ultimately lead to organizational learning. This situation beneficial for organization as well as
employees. HPW helps to improve relations with employees through employment engagement
and achieve good brand and compete in firm. Behavioral approach of performance management
is best to judge performance of employees.
13

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Aarons, G. A., Hurlburt, M. and Horwitz, S. M., 2011. Advancing a conceptual model of
evidence-based practice implementation in public service sectors. Administration and
Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research. 38(1). pp.4-23.
Bolman, L. G. and Deal, T. E., 2017. Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership.
John Wiley & Sons.
Choi, M. and Ruona, W. E., 2011. Individual readiness for organizational change and its
implications for human resource and organization development. Human Resource
Development Review. 10(1). pp.46-73.
Hartnell, C. A., Ou, A. Y. and Kinicki, A., 2011. Organizational culture and organizational
effectiveness: a meta-analytic investigation of the competing values framework's
theoretical suppositions.
Herrmann, N. and Herrmann-Nehdi, A., 2015. The Whole Brain Business Book: Unlocking the
Power of Whole Brain Thinking in Organizations, Teams, and Individuals. McGraw
Hill Professional.
Hislop, D., 2013. Knowledge management in organizations: A critical introduction. Oxford
University Press.
Katzenbach, J. R. and Smith, D. K., 2015. The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance
organization. Harvard Business Review Press.
Landy, F. J. and Conte, J. M., 2016. Work in the 21st Century, Binder Ready Version: An
Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. John Wiley & Sons.
Nahavandi, A., 2016. The Art and Science of Leadership -Global Edition. Pearson.
Penuel, W. R., and et. al. 2011. Organizing research and development at the intersection of
learning, implementation, and design. Educational researcher. 40(7). pp.331-337.
Robbins, S. P. and Judge, T., 2012. Essentials of organizational behavior.
Shin, S. J. and et. al. 2012. Cognitive team diversity and individual team member creativity: A
cross-level interaction. Academy of Management Journal. 55(1). pp.197-212.
Von Krogh, G., Nonaka, I. and Rechsteiner, L., 2012. Leadership in organizational knowledge
creation: A review and framework. Journal of Management Studies. 49(1). pp.240-277.
Wates, N., 2014. The Community Planning Handbook: How people can shape their cities, towns
& villages in any part of the world. Routledge.
Online
Performance Management. 2018. [Online] Available
through<https://www.peoplestreme.com/what-is-performance-management>./
14