Individual, Teams, Organisations Development: Continuous Learning

This report explores the development of individuals and teams within organizations, focusing on enhancing employee skills and knowledge to achieve desired goals. It emphasizes the crucial role of HR professionals in developing policies, promoting equality, and planning training strategies. A personal skill audit for an employee, Jane Cambridge, is conducted to identify areas for improvement, leading to the creation of a professional development plan (PDP) targeting specific skills like Microsoft Office proficiency, HR software usage, and communication. The report also differentiates between organizational and individual learning, highlighting the structured approach of organizational training and the importance of continuous learning and professional development for maintaining a competitive edge in a dynamic market, using Tesco UK as a case study. The ultimate aim is to foster an environment where employees can innovate, solve problems effectively, and contribute to sustainable business practices.

Developing Individual, Teams and
Organisations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Section 1..........................................................................................................................................1
a) Knowledge, skills and behavior required by HR professionals...............................................1
b) Personal skill audit for employee............................................................................................2
c) Professional development plan................................................................................................3
d) Difference between organisational and individual learning....................................................4
e) Need for continuous learning and professional development.................................................5
Section 2..........................................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Development of team and other form of individuals within the workplace plays most crucial role
as through this it becomes quite easy to focus on the accomplishment of desired goals and
objectives. Further, it is a well known fact that when employee possess right skills and
knowledge then in such case their overall efficiency to carry out the assigned operations
enhances and in turn it contributes a lot in the business success (Katzenbach and Smith, 2015).
For overall development of one particular employee different corrective actions are taken by the
management such as development of personal and professional development plan and through
this it becomes easy to focus on the key area where employee is not operating efficiently and in
turn improvement is needed in every possible manner.
The concept of skill audit is also considered to be most effective as through this it helps in
knowing what form of skills are required in an individual (Buchanan and McCalman, 2018). The
present study carried out focuses on conducting skill audit for employee, development of
personal and professional development plan, discussion of how high performance working leads
to employee engagement etc. The large sized organisation selected is Tesco UK. Along with this
different approaches of performance management have been discussed for the overall growth of
the organisation.
SECTION 1
a) Knowledge, skills and behaviour required by HR professionals
The HR professionals working in Tesco UK require different skills and knowledge for the
smooth running of the business operations. Further, it is a well known fact that HR related
operations are most crucial in every organisation and in case if they are conducted efficiently
then it leads to rise in business productivity level and brings favourable results also. The main
responsibilities of the HR officer take into consideration developing policies and guidelines
regarding use of employees within the company (Mitchell, et al. 2015). Further, it is required to
ensure well in advance that right form of staff members are employed within the workplace in
terms of their experience and skills so that productivity of Tesco can be well maintained with the
help of this.
The nature of work of HR officer within Tesco involves promoting equality along with the
diversity within the workplace so that every individual can work with full motivation. Preparing
staff handbooks, providing advice on the area of remuneration and other form of issues such as
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benefits and the promotion. Development of the HR planning strategy is another key duty that
mainly undertakes determining the long term staffing need of the organisation. Planning for
training so as to enhance the skill and the knowledge level of the staff is also major role played
by the HR officer within Tesco. Along with this on regular basis salary reviews are conducted so
as to ensure well in advance that all the employees are getting right salary as per their actual need
and the competencies (Cascio, 2018). In short, each and every action of the HR professional
within Tesco is crucial and it contributes a lot in enhancing the performance of the business. The
key skills that are needed to act as efficient HR professional includes decisive thinker as this
represents understanding data and information in proper manner, skilled influencer that
represents influencing people at all the level, collaborative that indicates working efficiently with
clients, stakeholders etc. Further, knowledge in the field of human resource is required, personal
development of employees etc and behaviour must be positive so as to work for the welfare of
employees.
b) Personal skill audit for employee
Conducting personal skill for an employee is most crucial and significant as through this it is
possible to enhance the overall performance of the individual within the workplace and it leads
to favorable outcomes also. In case of Jane Cambridge the skill of the individual linked with
using Microsoft is good and it is showing that scope of improvement is present. Therefore, in this
case Jane requires training on Microsoft so that individual can use Microsoft office word in
proper manner for preparing different reports on employees, conducting salary reviews etc
(Rodriguez and Walters, 2017).
Jane is not able to work with Microsoft excel where different numerical calculations can be done.
Therefore in this area also training is needed for performance improvement. With database and
specialist HR software Jane has no such experience. Therefore, this area is most crucial and if
HR software is learned in proper manner then as HR officer Jane can operate efficiently.
Considering the area of communication skills the skill of drafting employment contract is not
present in Jane where individual is not aware like how to prepare contract. Therefore, training is
needed so as to understand procedures and practices for drafting contract. Jane is not capable to
advice on HR issues, resolving complaints and delivering training session. All these areas are
important from HR officer point of view and therefore proper training is needed on all these
areas.
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At present Jane is unable to handle complex data along with making good use of verbal
reasoning skills. So, this area also requires improvement where HR manager must have ability to
handle complex data in proper manner. Therefore, with the help of skill audit it has been
identified that many areas in terms of skills that are not up to the mark and as HR officer Jane is
required to work on the development of these areas through proper training within Tesco so as to
operate efficiently within the company and in turn the human resource related operations can be
carried out efficiently and in most appropriate manner.
c) Professional development plan
Goals Purpose Time Frame Review Date
To enhance the
knowledge level of
Microsoft Office
The main purpose behind
this goal is to enhance
the command over the
different Microsoft office
programs such as excel,
word etc.
3 to 4 months 4th September 2018
To gain more
understanding about
the HR softwares
Main reason is that
through effective use of
HR software it is possible
to conduct assigned
operations efficiently
2 months 10th July 2018
To enhance training
and development
skills
Through this skill it will
be possible for the HR
officer to deliver
effective training to the
employees
3 months 20th September 2018
To enhance the
knowledge linked
with handling
complex situations
The main purpose is to
enhance the knowledge
level so that HR officer
can easily handle
2 months 7th July
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complex situation in the
best possible manner
Above shown is the personal and professional development for Jane Cambridge as one of the HR
officer. By focusing on all the above mentioned areas it will be possible to work on the key areas
where the HR officer is not operating efficiently and In turn improvement is required in every
possible manner. Presently it has been identified that knowledge and the skill level in the area of
Microsoft office is required to be enhanced and this is the main reason due to which within PDP
main priority has been given to this skill so that HR officer can operate with proper skill and the
knowledge. The main benefit associated with PDP plan is that it contributes a lot in tracking the
overall progress like whether the particular skill has been developed within the team or not.
Therefore, with the help of this it is quite clear that adoption of PDP will surely assist in the
actual development of Jane Cambridge as HR officer in the best possible manner.
d) Difference between organisational and individual learning
In every type of organisation different programs are being carried out where the main advantage
associated with the development programs is that they assist a lot in enhancing the knowledge
and the skill level of the individual. Individual learning is considered to be less effective as
compared with the training and development that is carried out within Tesco. Within the
organisation the training and development sessions are conducted in proper manner with the
proper assistance of HR professionals and officer that mainly identifies what sort of
improvement is needed like in the knowledge and the skill level of the employees (Hammond
and Churchill, 2018). Therefore, in comparison with individual training the organisational one is
regarded to be more formal and in turn continuous guidelines are framed for enhancing the
knowledge level of the staff members in the best possible manner. In case of individual learning
different methods are present through which the individual learn within the workplace such as
from past experience, with proper assistance of the colleagues and other employees etc.
On the other hand organisation training and development is mainly designed for all the staff
members so that employees can contribute maximum in the business affairs and the key
challenges that are linked with limited knowledge and skill can be tackled easily (Ford, 2014).
The main difference is that organisational training is designed with the help of different experts
such as HR professionals who have high experience and knowledge in the field of human
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resource. In case of individual learning it is not possible like in case if the employee is not aware
about the different learning tactics then in such case it will be difficult to focus on the personal
development and in turn the main difficulty will be lack of knowledge and the skill. Sometimes,
in many situation the individual learning takes place rapidly especially in the case when
individual is highly motivated and this brings best possible results for the organisation also.
e) Need for continuous learning and professional development
Company like Tesco conducts its operations on wider basis and to accomplish the goal
associated with sustainable business practice it is necessary that within the company learning and
professional development practices are carried out (Sung and Choi, 2014). In case if all the
employees are provided with the proper learning environment to work then in such case it will be
possible for the company to sustain in the market for longer period of time and overall quality of
the work done will also be very high. In case when continuous learning environment is
developed within the workplace then in such case employees can learn new things and in turn the
main benefit is that it leads to rise in the knowledge and the skill level. This directly creates
favorable results for the business in the best possible and allows company to gain competitive
edge over its rivalry.
Apart from this, the concept of professional development is also important as through this the
staff members of Tesco can work professionals and they can understand the nature of work in
professional manner along with this finding best possible solution of the problems that are faced
within the workplace (Noe, et al. 2014). The need for continuous learning and professional
development is rising at faster pace as the market where Tesco is operating is highly competitive
and in adverse situation when different challenges are faced it becomes difficult for the
employees to tackle different situations and the main reason is lack of knowledge. With the help
of learning and professional development employees can easily generate new and innovative
ideas and they can be applied in the business practice so that business performance can be
sustainable and in turn the performance of the company can be well maintained with the help of
this. Professional development mainly focuses on the key areas where employees are not
operating efficiently and overall improvement is required in their performance for the betterment
of the business (Dubey, Chavan and Patil, 2016). For instance employees within Tesco are not
aware about use of new technology and delivering customer service. Therefore in this case when
learning environment will be developed in Tesco along with professional development that can
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assist in better customer service. It is recommended to management to take proper advice from
employee like what type of learning platform they prefer etc.
SECTION 2
The concept of high performance working is linked with taking corrective actions for enhancing
the overall performance of the employees within the workplace. High performance work system
is linked with determining what job is required to be done within the company, identifying the
type of employee needed, designing job and evaluation of the employee performance in proper
manner. With the assistance of high performance working it becomes quite easy to enhance the
involvement level of the employees in the major operations that are being carried out (Padachi
and Lukea Bhiwajee, 2016). HPW leads to employee engagement where corrective actions are
designed so that staff members can be engaged in the different operations and through the overall
productivity of the organisation along with the individual performance enhances in the best
possible manner.
HPW focuses on the development of culture within the workplace when staff members are quite
happy, open lines of communication are present, employees are motivated to work and along
with this no such limitations are present that may restrict or act as hurdle in front of the employee
so that they are unable to conduct operations (Larsen, 2017). The practice of HPW undertakes
the three main areas that involve employee engagement, reward practice and human resource
practice that are most crucial in the organisation. The area of employee engagement is most
important in HPW where all the staff members are encouraged to take part in the business affairs
and along with this the company focuses on their personal development also so as to produce
favourable results with the help of this.
For instance if any organisation is facing issue of decline customer satisfaction of employees and
the reason behind the same is de-motivated employees. Therefore, in this case development of
high performance working where talent of every employee can be appraised along with high
level of motivation can allow them to serve customers in the best possible manner and through
this the present situation can be handled in the best possible manner. In short, presence of HPW
allows the staff members to take active part in the affairs of the company and the assigned duties
are carried out by them efficiently. So, this allows in gaining competitive advantage.
In some organisations where HPW is not present then the situation of lack of employee
motivation, decline in the performance of employee, ineffective culture takes place. Further,
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employees are not considered to be crucial in the business affairs also. This is the main reason
due to which HPW is important so that real importance of the staff members within the
workplace can be easily highlighted through this and in turn it has positive impact on the
organisational performance also.
Performance management is most important within the workplace as through this it is ensured
whether the overall performance of the employee is up to the mark or improvement is needed.
Different approaches are present in the modern era that is used by the company in order to
manage the overall performance of the employee and in turn it leads to favourable result for the
business in every possible manner (Jha, 2016). Close monitoring of the employee performance is
one of the approach where the senior officials within the workplace can monitor the performance
of employee within the workplace and through this it will be possible to know whether the
performance level is up to the mark or need improvement.
Accountability is another approach that can be undertaken where some responsibilities and duties
can be assigned to the employees on continuous basis and by ensuring that such responsibilities
are met on continuous basis it is possible to manage the performance of the employee in the best
possible manner and it leads to favorable results also. For instance if any employee has been
given responsibility to design different marketing strategies for the effective promotion and
advertisement of the products. Along with this the individual has to deliver training to the
different employees. So, in this case if particular employee is unable to focus on the development
of effective marketing strategies then in such case it will represent that performance of the
employee requires improvement (Shekher and Reddy, 2018). For instance on long term basis if
the performance of the employee is monitored then it will lead to development of high
performance culture as the employees will be guided on different areas for their improvement
and their commitment towards the work will be very high. So, this will be the real contribution
of the performance management and it will assist positive impact on the organisational
performance also.
Setting goals in the starting of the year and quarterly review is another approach that can be
undertaken for performance management. In case if the goals are set and in turn the employee is
able to accomplish such goal then in such case it will represent that performance level of the staff
member is up to the mark and in near future some other corrective actions can be taken for
improvement purpose also. On the other hand if the employee is not able to work on the
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accomplishment of the assigned goal then it create unfavorable results and in turn in this case
performance management is necessary (Khan, Haleem and Kanwal, 2017). Through effective
performance management practices high performance culture can be developed where each and
every employee will prefer to contribute in business affairs and their motivation level will be
quite high. So, the above mentioned approaches are really significant and beneficial too in
managing employee performance within the workplace.
CONCLUSION
The entire study carried out has supported in knowing the range of skills, knowledge and
behaviour required by the HR professionals so as to operate efficiently within the company.
Further, they must possess skill such as conducting training, undertaking salary review, dealing
with HR planning strategies etc. Apart from this the concept of continuous learning and
professional development is significant as through this employees can learn new ideas and with
the high knowledge level they will be able to conduct the assigned operations in proper manner.
Moreover, high performance working is significant as through this employees can be allowed to
work with high motivation level and their overall contribution in the organisational affairs will
be high. Performance management approach such as monitoring employee performance is also
significant as through this it becomes easy to manage the performance of staff within workplace.
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