Developing Teams, Individuals, and Organizations: A Comprehensive Analysis of HR Practices and High-Performance Working

This report delves into the critical aspects of developing teams, individuals, and organizations, focusing on the role of HR professionals in fostering a high-performance work environment. It analyzes the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required by HR professionals, examines the differences between organizational and individual learning, and explores the importance of continuous learning and professional development for sustainable business performance. The report also investigates the impact of high-performance working (HPW) on employee engagement and competitive advantage, evaluating different approaches to performance management and their contribution to a high-performance culture and commitment. The case study of Tesco, a leading supermarket chain in the UK, provides a practical context for understanding these concepts.

Unit 5
Developing teams, individuals and organizations
1

Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................3
Section 1..........................................................................................................................................4
LO1: Analyze employee knowledge, skills and behaviors required by HR professionals......4
P1: (a) Determine appropriate knowledge, skills and behaviors (KSB) that are required
by HR professionals across the department............................................................................4
P2 (b) Analyses of a completed personal skills audit for an employee: Jane Cambridge
and identification of training and development needs considering the knowledge, skills
and behaviors..............................................................................................................................7
P2 (C) A professional development plan for Jane Cambridge in her HR Officer role.....10
P3 (d) Analyze the difference between organizational and individual learning, training
and development......................................................................................................................12
P4 (e) Analyze the need for continuous learning and professional development to drive
sustainable business performance..........................................................................................14
LO3 Apply knowledge and understanding to the ways in which high-performance working
(HPW) contributes to employee engagement and competitive advantage.............................15
P5) How HPW contributes to employee engagement and competitive advantage within a
specific organizational situation.............................................................................................15
P6) Evaluate different approaches to performance management and using specific
examples showing how they support high-performance culture and commitment...........17
Conclusion....................................................................................................................................20
References.....................................................................................................................................21
2

Introduction
The main aim of this report is to support individuals in providing opportunity in order to
understand that developing skills and knowledge for achieving great performance is considered
as the act of cross-association. The chosen organization in his report is ‘Tesco’, a supermarket
chain in the UK. The analysis will be made regarding own professional development and is
considered as the major source for enhancing the performance of the organization as well as a
team. Awareness will also be examined in relation to learning that takes place and the needs of
developments are in link with interventions of learning which aims to support the strategy of an
association. At the end of this report, the analysis will be made regarding the contribution of high
performance working in competitive advantage and employee engagement in addition with an
assessment of ways in which effective communication, performance management, and
collaborative working assist in high-performance commitment and culture.
3

Section 1
LO1: Analyze employee knowledge, skills and behaviors required by HR professionals
P1: (a) Determine appropriate knowledge, skills and behaviors (KSB) that are required by
HR professionals across the department.
Human resource professionals have to wear different hats at different times. Their roles and
responsibilities vary from the organization to organization. Considering the role in a certain
department, the following knowledge, skills, behavioral attributes are required by the Human
resource professionals:
(Figure 1: HR)
(Source: wordpress.com, 2014)
 Communication: The proper flow of information is necessary for smoothly running of
Tesco. Proper communication and effective message sending and interpretation of the
message conveyed by the management are necessary for effective working.
 Teamwork: the main skill required by the HR professionals in Tesco is to have a
common initiative and promote teamwork. The feeling of teamwork helps in gaining
optimal utilization of resources and attainment of Tesco goals.
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 Decision making: The main or the most prominent skill required by a HR professional is
prompt decision making .right decision at right time helps in overcoming the
uncertainties and insuring attainment of goals and objectives.
 Adaptability: The HR professional must possess the skill of great adaptability and the
high degree of elasticity. Adaptability to the changing environment helps in maintaining
the flexibility in Tesco which helps in overcoming the stagnant situations.
 Reliability: The degree of dependents on a person can be said as the reliability. The more
the person is reliable the more are the trust and the accountability.
 Motivation: The HR person must showcase the competency of motivation employees.
To get the work done by the others, it is necessary to keep them motivated and energized
as the routine works can be boredom for the employees.
 Problem solving: Uncertainties and risk are the part of every business organization. It
can be minimized by opting for optimal solution for it. Analytical problem solving is
required to overcome the situations of problems.
 Stress tolerance: Due to the increase in number of conflicts in an organization stress can
be a big problem. The HR person have to be trained enough to tolerate that stress in the
working place. He must found solutions to overcome this problem.
 Work standards: Working standards have to be maintained by the HR personnel. It is
their duty and responsibility to maintain and check the working standards in Tesco.
 Integrity: There must be integrity and cooperation among the employees of Tesco and it
must be checked by the HR professional.
 Initiative: The leader must lead from the front. The HR must take the initiative to
encourage the employees to innovate and think out of the box to enhance creativity.
 Grievances solving
5

o
(Figure2: Grievances solving)
(Source: By author)
6
Individuals Teams Organisation

P2 (b) Analyses of a completed personal skills audit for an employee: Jane Cambridge and
identification of training and development needs considering the knowledge, skills and
behaviors.
According to the personal skill audit of Jane Cambridge, it can be said that the HR officer
requires training and development programs on different fronts. It can be said that the Jane
Cambridge needs training in the following:
 Computer handling
 Initiative
 Team management
 Grievances handling
 Communication
 Work standards
 Decision making
 Adaptability
 Computer handling
From the personal skill audit, one can easily find that the HR office needs to improve her
computer handing skills as Tesco being a multi-level organization deals massively on computers
and the employees have to be par the extraordinary efforts (Duke human resources, 2017).
 Initiative
The human resource officer must develop more skills in this area. Human resource officer must
take initiative in involving herself in more team work practices which can help her in developing
the competencies required by the Tesco.
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 Grievances handling
From the above audit it is clear that human resource officer is having ordinary skills in handling
and solving the person’s issues. For overcoming this problem, an in-depth stimulation techniques
and trainings can be used.
 Communication
Human resource officer is showing ordinary communication skills and it must be increased to
extraordinary levels. More presentation works can be given to her so that it will outperform the
issue (Duke human resources, 2017).
 Work standards
To improve this skill, human resource officer must or have to go through the CRTs and other HR
trainings available for ensuring work standards.
 Decision making
Training on problem analysis must be provided so that it can improve her decision making skills.
 Adaptability
To improve the degree of adaptability, there must be induction trainings provided to Jane.
Kolb’s learning cycle
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(Figure 3: Kolb’s learning cycle)
(Source: simply psychology, 2017)
It was a learning cycle theory developed by David Kolb in 1984. In this theory, he tried to
emphasize on the need of continuous development and learning. It provided a pathway to
professional development plan. He observed five stages of skill growth namely concrete
experience, reflective observation which one gains through observation, active experimentation
and abstract conceptualization.
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P2 (C) a professional development plan for Jane Cambridge in her HR Officer role.
Time
alloted
Activities Action Measurement
3 Months The development must be done
in increasing communication
skills.
Classes must be taken to
improve upon the
communication.
By taking training
communication can be
increased and measured.
6 Months Learning third language as
French
Professional classes must be
taken to learn French.
By taking classes and
teaching to students.
 The above mentioned professional development is constructed for Jane Cambridge. There
is a prescribed time limit of 1-2 years in which Jane will be taught the crucial skills which
are required for her as well as for the company.
 Second timeline that is of 2-3 years, in this period human resource officer will be adding
on the new skills which are required for her personal career development. During this
period human resource officer will grab the additional skills that will help her in her
career as well as per professional life (Duke human resources, 2017).
 In third timeline that is of 3-5 years, human resource officer will successfully all the
skills, which human resource officer got in first three years of personal development
program. After this, human resource officer doesn’t require any sort of special training as
pert the requirements of Tesco.
 Professional development plans helps a candidate in developing a blueprint for his/her
career objectives and goals. It has a specified time limit and a set of goals and objectives
which one wishes to achieve.
10

 Continuous learning and development is the essence of a professional career. It is
necessary to continue the process and practices of learning as it helps in gaining new
knowledge and skill all the time.
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P3 (d) Analyze the difference between organizational and individual learning, training and
development.
Difference between organizational learning and individual learning:
Organizational learning Individual learning
 In organizational learning, the learning
programs are done by the organization
itself.
 It is developed by the organization.
 It covers a group of people.
 It is more time consuming in nature.
 It involves high cost.
 It is done for a specified period of time.
 In individual learning, the learning
programs are done by the individuals.
 It is developed by the individual.
 It covers a single individual.
 It is less time consuming in nature.
 It involves low cost.
 It is an ongoing process and can last for
a long time.
The above mentioned table shows a clear distinction between individual learning and
organizational learning. Here, it is quite clear that organizational as well as the individual
learning plays great role in development of an individual. At organizational level of learning, the
individual learns team spirit, cooperation, stress tolerance etc. (Gamelearn, 2017).
On the other hand, individual learning is done on the individual part. It is the self-learning where
one learns to know his/her strengths, weakness and other factors that might not be known to him.
It provides time to heal and know oneself.
Difference between training and development:
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Training Development
o It is a short period of time process.
o It is a reactive process.
o It is a managerial process.
o It cannot be done at individual front.
o It is a result of management initiatives.
o It is an internal source of motivation.
o It is long period of time process.
o It is a proactive process.
o It can be managerial as well as non-
managerial process.
o It can be done on individual basis also.
o It is a result of personal initiatives.
o It is an external source of motivation.
The above mentioned table shows the differences between training and development. From this
table, it is quite clear that training and development is the opposite sides of a coin. Training is
meant to be provided for a specific period of time whereas development covers a long period of
time (Top differences, 2017).
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(Figure 5: Training VS development)
(Source: Top differences, 2017)
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P4 (e) Analyze the need for continuous learning and professional development to drive
sustainable business performance
Continuous learning and development keeps a person going. In the absence of learning and
development, it would be like a marble statue buried under the soil. The importance of
continuous learning and professional development is as follows;
o Continuous development and learning helps an individual to gain knowledge and
new skills.
o It helps in adding value to one’s career and professional life.
o It helps in maintaining flexibility in the career.
o It avoids point of saturation in career and the organization.
o It helps in adopting the changing scenario.
o It avoids stagnation.
o It is important as ignites the desire of attaining and gaining more and more.
o From the organizational point of view, it helps in sustainable development and
attracting the vast talent pool.
o It can help an individual getting an edge over the others.
o It is like a fire or symbol of going on in every aspect of life.
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LO3 Apply knowledge and understanding to the ways in which high-performance working
(HPW) contributes to employee engagement and competitive advantage
P5) How HPW contributes to employee engagement and competitive advantage within a
specific organizational situation.
HPW is being defined as the basic approach used for administrating associations that aims at
stimulating effective and efficient commitment and involvement of employee so as to attain a
high-performance level. It is basically a series of policies, processes, and practices which are
placed in a place and when used together can support improved employee's performance. It is all
about the development of a customs where there is open communication line, trust, and
transparency. It is all about wearing down of traditional structure in relation with a hierarchy in
which most of the organization still work and creation of flatter system where workers are
motivated, engaged, and happy plus understand and share a vision of an association (Mahdi, et.
al., 2014).
Tesco is considered as an association with a framework of high performance. Its framework is
valid and conceptual structures which are utilized by managers in making a decision regarding
where the focus should be on improving the performance of an organization. HPWO is
beneficial for both employees as well as an employer. It supports in job engagement which is
termed as the active involvement of an individual in an organization by making use of personal
energy which makes a close relationship between employee and employer. This sort of behavior
is termed as employee engagement and is considered to be in relation to attitude, satisfaction,
and performance. It also supports in developing employee creativity, which is being termed as
the essential aspect in relation with solving employees problem and issues as it aids in making an
evaluation of a situation by generating various solutions instead of single one. The creativity of
employee can also be helpful in the management of change.
There are some of the barriers also that may exist in HPW. These are a business strategy, it is
considered as the determination regarding long-run objectives and goals of an association as well
as resource allocation and adoption of action course. If the strategy which is being made in an
organization is not consistent with the performance of employees then it will be considered as
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the barrier. Another barrier is the size of a business; high-performance working does not work
efficiently in the small firms (Wood, et. al., 2012).
High-performance practices of HRM are also considered as the primary means through which
there is an influence on firms plus they also shape behavior, skills, and knowledge of employees
so as to attain goals and objectives of an organization.
HPW can be implemented in an organization with the support of managers in addition to
members of staff. Managers in association make various strategies and goals and those objectives
are then accomplished by workers or staff. They both work in collaboration so as to gain
competitive advantage (Boxall and Macky, 2014).
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P6) Evaluate different approaches to performance management and using specific
examples showing how they support high-performance culture and commitment.
Performance is being defined as the process with the support of which employees and managers
operate in coordination to review, monitor and plan work goals of employees and their overall
involvement in the success of an association. Not just about the review of annual performance,
performance management is explained as the continuous procedure used to set goals, provide
coaching, assess progress and give feedback to make sure that goals and objectives are met up by
employees in effective and efficient manner.
It has been analyzed that performance management can be attained with the strong culture of an
organization. In addition, culture can sometimes act as a barrier whenever there is an
implementation of new strategies. Strong as well as positive culture support employees to
operate in an effective manner and also supports in achieving success (Marr and Gray, 2012). On
the other hand, negative and weak culture may minimize performance and can also de-motivate
good employees. This is the reason why managers of Tesco must understand the organizational
culture effect so as to achieve the highest yield from practices like performance management.
There are various approaches to performance management that aids in determining how an
evaluation of performance must be there:
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Figure 6: Approaches to performance management
(Source: By author)
Comparative Approach: In this approach, there is an involvement of ranking as well as a
comparison of the performance of an individual with respect to other employees in a group. A
ranking is being given in relation to highest and lowest performance. In this distinct techniques
are being used which are like a paired comparison, forced distribution etc. which helps in
measuring the performance of employees and accordingly appreciation is given to them
(Azzopardi and Nash, 2013).
Attribute Approach: This approach of performance management make an evaluation of
performance in against of set predefined characteristics or traits like creativity, judgment,
teamwork, problem-solving etc. Most effective technique in regards to this approach is ‘Rating
Scale' method where evaluation of performance is done on the basis of a rating scale.
Behavioral Approach: In this approach, there is an involvement of various techniques which
shapes and defines the employee's appropriate behavior in regards to efficient and effective
performance. For this Behaviorally Anchored method is being used which specifies behavior
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Approaches
Comparitive
attribute
BehavioralResults
Quality

being served as a guide for a rater in association with diverse performance level regarding given
trait performance.
Result Approach: This sort of approach focuses on diminishing subjectivity from the process of
measurement by making an evaluation of objectives on the basis of outcomes of employee’s
performance. For this Evaluation system, productivity measurement and the balanced scorecard
is utilized.
Quality Approach: The key aim of this approach is to make improvement in the satisfaction of
customers by making a reduction in defects of production by attaining continuous improvement
in service. The philosophy of this approach explains that employees are not accountable for the
outcomes which are not under their control (Bai and Sarkis, 2013).
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Conclusion
From the above report, a conclusion can be made that development of organization, team, and an
individual is very significant to the overall success and growth of an individual or association.
The given report which is based on the case study of ‘Tesco’ will support students in knowing
that there is a continuous requirement of skills as well as knowledge for achieving high
performance in co-operation with a culture of an association. Development of individual's
performance supports in improving the performance of organization and team in which they
operate. It has been analyzed that there is an essential need for employee’s behavior, skills, and
knowledge by the professionals of HR for development. Several factors must also be taken into
consideration while making evaluation and implementation of development and learning for
driving sustainable performance of a business. High-performance working is another significant
factor which is required for competitive advantage in addition to an engagement of employees.
Administration of performance is also important for effective communication and collaborative
working in an organization.
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References
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analysis. Tourism Management, 35, pp.222-233.
 Bai, C. and Sarkis, J., 2013. Flexibility in reverse logistics: a framework and evaluation
approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 47, pp.306-318.
 Boxall, P. and Macky, K., 2014. High-involvement work processes, work intensification
and employee well-being. Work, employment, and society, 28(6), pp.963-984.
 Duke human resources, 2017. Professional development plan. [Online] Duke human
resources. Available at:
https://hr.duke.edu/managers/performance-management/professional-d [Accessed on: 2
April 2018]
 Gamelearn, 2017. The 4 main differences between training and development. [Online]
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training-and-development/ [Accessed on: 2 April 2018]
 Mahdi, S.M., Liao, J., Muhammad, S. and Nader, H.M., 2014. The impact of high
performance work system (HPWS) on employee productivity as related to organizational
identity and job engagement. European Journal of Business and Management, 6(39),
pp.1-24.
 Marr, B., and Gray, D., 2012. Strategic performance management. Routledge.
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 Wood, S., Van Veldhoven, M., Croon, M. and de Menezes, L.M., 2012. Enriched job
design, high involvement management and organizational performance: The mediating
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[Accessed on: 2 April 2018]
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