Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviors Required by HR Professionals

This document discusses the knowledge, skills, and behaviors required by HR professionals in organizations. It explores the importance of effective communication, leadership, and critical thinking skills. The document also includes a personal skills audit and development plan for a marketing executive role at Marks and Spencer.

Developing
Individuals, Teams
and Organizations

Table of Contents
LO 1............................................................................................................................................................3
P1 Knowledge, skills and behaviors that are required by HR professionals.................................3
P2 Personal Skills Audit and Personal Development Plan.............................................................5
LO 2............................................................................................................................................................8
P3 Differences between organizational and individual learning, training and development.......8
P4 need for continuous learning and professional development to drive sustainable business
performance..........................................................................................................................................9
LO 3..........................................................................................................................................................11
P5 How HPW contributes to employee engagement and competitive advantage within an
organization.........................................................................................................................................11
LO 4..........................................................................................................................................................13
P6 different approaches to performance management and how they can support high-
performance culture and commitment with examples....................................................................13
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................14
REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION
In order to be successful and build a sustainable business, organizations should
develop their employees in such a way that they perform in the most efficient way. The
main purpose behind a company to develop its individuals and teams is to enable them
to work effectively as a part of different teams and produce desired output (Bass, 2016).
The productivity of the employees is also enhanced and they are more committed to
their jobs. In order to develop teams and individuals, it is first necessary to ensure that
all of them have a thorough understanding of their job roles. If they don’t have a clear
understanding of their jobs, the management of the company should use different
training and development tools so as to help them enhance their skill set. Organization
chosen for this report is Marks and Spencer, which was found by Michael Marks and
Thomas Spencer and the job role selected is that of a marketing executive. The
company is a leading brand in providing customers with high quality home, clothing and
food products. The report describes the appropriate skills, knowledge and behaviors
that are required by HR professionals. A performance management plan is also
included with an analysis of differences between individual and organizational training,
learning and development.
LO 1
P1 Knowledge, skills and behaviors that are required by HR professionals
An individual should possess knowledge and different skills like effective
communication skills, leadership skills, complete knowledge of the various policies and
procedures of the company etc. Communication skills are important as the job of HR
professionals typically involves interacting and communicating information across
employers and employees of the company (Baxter and et. al., 2016). If the individual
applying for the job will not be able to communicate clearly, it will impact their chances
of selection for that particular job at the company. Having a complete knowledge of the
the desired job position and the specific department in the company will also ease out
their chances of being recruited and selected by the employer. This is because the
employer will be able to analyze the behavior and skills of the candidate in a more
precise manner.

Critical thinking skills are also among the important skills that an applicant
applying for a job at Marks and Spencer is required to possess. This is because they
will need to maintain a balance between different complex situations that can come up
anytime in the company. In order to resolve, the critical thinking plays an important role
(Bisbe and Sivabalan, 2017). Also, being a global company Marks and Spencer has a
diverse workforce working for it. Thus, in such a case, the individual should showcase
his/her skills of being able to work in a healthy environment wherein all employees can
work collectively as a team and thus help the company in reaching its goals and
objectives.
Another important thing that is required by individuals applying for a job at Marks
and Spencer is that they should have an expertise and complete knowledge about the
job position for which they have applied. They must be able to deal with challenges that
come up on a daily basis. These can be simple challenges like resolving issues relating
to the salary or a much more complex challenge. Therefore, weather complex or simple,
the applicants who desire to get a job at Marks and Spencer should be able to resolve
any kind of issue in an effective as well as fair manner. Time management skills are
also necessary requirements that an individual should have so as to get the different
tasks done on time without any problems or errors. This is important because
sometimes the number of tasks to be done is less, on the other hand, there can be
times when a lot of tasks have to be completed within a very little time. Therefore, time
management skills form an important place in this situation.
They should not, in any case lie in their resume while applying for the job. While
hiring an executive, the HR professionals test the knowledge of individuals pertaining to
the job role effectively so that they can make decision regarding hiring the individual
(Coetzer, Bussin and Geldenhuys, 2017). Thus, if they themselves will possess these
skills, they will be able to observe and analyze the same in the candidate also. Once the
hiring is done, training and development skills come into picture. One of the many jobs
of the newly hired individuals at Marks and Spencer is to receive training and
development from the company. This is important because employees need to remain

updated about the latest technology as well as the different tasks and activities that take
place within the company on a daily basis.
The last skill that the individuals applying for a job at Marks and Spencer are
required to have is being multi-tasking. This is because there are lot of tasks as well as
issues that they would have to deal with on a daily basis. If an individual will not have
this skills, he/she will not be able to handle different tasks at the same time which will
further lead to creating an impact on the overall performance of the company (Doyle
and et. al., 2016). Therefore, all the skills and knowledge that are described above are
important requirements for individuals applying for a job at Marks and Spencer
whenever they undergo the process of recruitment and selection. This will help the
company in making use of the different opportunities, retain its employees as well as
maintain its position of being one of the most recognized and valued brands across the
world.
P2 Personal Skills Audit and Personal Development Plan
SWOT Analysis
It is a strategic tool that can be used by both organizations as well as individuals.
It helps in identifying strengths and weaknesses. Various growth and expansion
opportunities and threats can also be analyzed. SWOT analysis is one of the most
widely used tools across different industries. Being the marketing manager of Marks
and Spencer, a personal SWOT analysis is described below.
 Strengths – Being a marketing executive at Marks and Spencer, my major
strengths are that I can lead the members of my team effectively. This is because
I possess good leadership as well as communication skills that have helped me
in my career till date. Also, I have experience of working with different firms and
thereby possess good knowledge of the market.
 Weaknesses – Although I utilize my strengths in the most efficient way, there are
still some weaknesses. Like, I sometimes find it difficult to communicate
important information to subordinates as I do not have enough knowledge of the
latest technology. Another weakness is that whenever a lot of work comes up, I
initially find it difficult to deal with it.

 Opportunities – There are a variety of opportunities that I can make use of in
order to be successful in the market. Implementing latest technology in my
business and understanding the way in which it operates will help me carrying
out all the tasks effectively.
 Threats – There is a treat of new executives being getting by the company. That
will not only impact on my performance, but also my productivity levels will go
down.
Professional Development Plan
A Professional Development Plan can be defined as a list of steps that can help
in achieving goals and objectives (Ellis, 2018). It can help in getting insight about how
can an individual reach his/her personal targets of development. A professional
development plan for the role of a marketing manager is described below –
Area for
Development
Date I will
have this
completed
by:
I will
achieve this
by:
What’s
happening
now?
How will I
know I’ve
been
successful?
Progress
Communication
skills
31st May,
2020
19th June,
2020
Currently, I am
reading books,
taking online
classes and
interacting with
others who are
better
communicators
(Garavan and et.
al., 2016). Also, I
try using simple
and
straightforward
language instead
of using a
complex one.
I my manager
and superiors
tell me that
there is an
improvement in
my way of
communication
, I will know
that I’ve been
successful.
So far, I’ve
worked on my
overall written
communicatio
n skills.
Knowledge of
Latest
2nd June,
2020
5th August,
2020
In order to
enhance
knowledge about
My peers and
managers will
review my
I have been
trying to
understand

Technology the latest
technology, I’m
currently reading
technical books
and grasping as
much information
as I can (Hornig,
Aust and Güllich,
2016). Good
technical books
will help me in
improving the
overall
understanding of
how a particular
tool is used
practically.
overall
performance.
the language
written in the
technical
books.
Problem
solving skills
10th June,
2020
20th June,
2020
In order to
develop problem
solving skills, I
am solving
puzzles,
attending online
courses etc.
Constant efforts
will help in
improving these
skills and also
the overall
confidence of
that person will
improve.
The
performance
will be
reviewed by
my manager as
well as peers.
This will help
me in knowing
if I’m
successful.
By now, I
have learnt
how to solving
puzzles and
also
participated in
various online
quizzes.
Therefore, while applying for the position of a senior marketing executive in
Marks and Spencer, it is important that I outline my personal goals and work towards
them. I must identify my weaknesses and the way they can impact my overall
professional performance. In order to overcome these weaknesses, I can make use of a
professional development plan as it will help me in attaining short term as well as long

term goals. The plan will be helpful in tracking overall progress which will further help in
improving my overall confidence. Thus, in order to avail various opportunities of growth
and development, the professional development pan will be the most relevant option.
This is because it is a written document and can also be easily referred to in the future.
LO 2
P3 Differences between organizational and individual learning, training and
development
Organizational learning can be defined as a process that involves creation,
retention and transfer of knowledge in an organization. It is important for all
organizations as it helps in strengthening the company’s position in the market (Jelphs
and Dickinson, 2016). On the other hand, individual learning can be defined as a
method in which the speed and learning content are based on an individuals’ interests
and abilities. Individual training and development involve providing training to individual
people by taking their differences into consideration. These differences can either be
the pace of learning and understanding, interests etc. Individual learning helps in
improving a person’s overall confidence and also enhances his/her knowledge about a
particular subject.
There are many differences between organizational as well as individual
learning like, individual learning is a self-paced and directed process unlike organization
learning. It is known that an organization learns from its employees and the knowledge
of the employees can impact the growth as well as performance of the same. Therefore,
for the business to be successful, both employees as well as the organization should be
committed to learning new things. Marks and Spencer provides its employees
opportunities of both individual as well as organizational learning. Organizational
learning promotes employee involvement as staff members from different departments
get a chance to come together and interact with one another. This will further lead to an
increased confidence among the employees of the company.
In individual learning, the tutor or the supervisor can pay attention to all learners
individually whereas in organizational learning the number of individuals is more and
thus no individual attention can be given to a single person (Khan and Keung, 2016).

Effective feedbacks are also provided from time to time so that the employees get to
know about their strengths and weaknesses. In order to avail and utilize the different
learning opportunities, the employees in Marks and Spencer can take some time off
their daily responsibilities. Individual learning helps in improving awareness as well as
enhance knowledge. Individuals learn new skills like time management skills,
communication skills, confidence etc. Respective company has built such a culture that
whenever there is a situation of error or failure, employees readily accept the same and
seek ways to overcome the situation.
People involved in individual learning get a chance to master a particular subject
or topic that will not only benefit during their course in the company but also for their
personal development (McClory, Read and Labib, 2017). Also, the learning is individual
centered and not tutor-oriented because the learning course is basically designed for
the people and not otherwise. The individuals get to learn new things that the tutor
might miss on during organizational training and development. Individual or
personalized training is increasingly gaining popularity because each employee within a
company has a different pace of understanding and learning. Thus, through individual
training and development sessions, they get a chance to learn new things and enhance
their knowledge unlike in organizational training and development wherein a lot of
people are provided training at the same time.
Therefore, by analyzing the differences between individual and organization
learning, training and development, it can be said that Marks and Spencer should
provide its employees more opportunities of learning which will help in developing not
only their confidence but knowledge as well. This way the company will be able to retain
its employees for a long time and also, gain their loyalty. They will be more engaged
and committed to their jobs and will put in efforts to help the company achieve its goals
and objectives effectively (McCracken, Currie and Harrison, 2016). Also, the company
will be able to gain a competitive advantage over other players in the market.

P4 need for continuous learning and professional development to drive sustainable
business performance
Continuous Learning can be defined as the process of enhancing knowledge and
learning new skills on a continuous basis. Continuous learning is not only beneficial for
employees but also helps organizations to grow and expand. Continuous learning helps
businesses to remain competitive as well as innovative in the market. Professional
development, on the other hand can be defined as the means by which managers,
leaders, administrators can enhance their skills and knowledge to facilitate better
learning among their subordinates and other individuals (Pardey, 2016). Professional
knowledge helps in enhancing the overall knowledge of the managers and leaders in
order to improve the quality of their skills.
Both professional development as well as continuous learning are essential for a
business to be sustainable and perform well. Marks and Spencer has both the concepts
in its system so that employees can learn new skills and gain knowledge. If an
organization does not support the concept of continuous learning, there will be no
innovation in the processes and it will not be able to grow (Woodcock, 2017). Also, the
process of professional development as well as continuous learning is much more cost-
effective than conducting recruitment every now and then. By incorporating this system,
the company will be able to support the learning of individuals which will further create a
sense of being valued among the employees and thus they will perform more efficiently.
Experiential Learning Cycle
The Experiential Learning Cycle was developed by David Kolb and comprises of
four stages which are explained below –
Concrete Experience – In this stage the individuals experience or encounter a
new situation or there is reinterpretation of an existing situation.
Reflective Observation – This stage involves observing a particular situation
before making any kind of judgement about the same. For example- if an employee at
Marks and Spencer fails to attain a particular goal or objective, the leader of the team
analyzes the approaches that were used previously and thus develop strategy that can

help that employee in succeeding next time (The 4 Components of the Experiential
Learning Cycle, 2020).
Abstract Conceptualization – This stage involves an analysis of the different
ideas based on the understanding of the situation by a particular person.
Active experimentation – This is the last stage of the learning cycle, where the
learner finally applies his/her ideas to the outside world in order to see the results of the
same. This can be observed when training is provided to the sales people in Marks and
Spencer who are then supposed to apply their learning in actual practical situations.
Implementing continuous learning and professional development has become
important for all organizations in today’s world. This is because things like technology,
workforce etc. keep on changing constantly (Ribeiro and et. al., 2017). Thus, in order to
remain sync as well as competitive in the market, the employees need to constantly
upgrade their skills and knowledge. Continuous learning creates a working environment
that is responsive to any kind of change that may take in the environment. It also helps
in keeping the employees engaged and committed to their jobs.
On the other hand, Professional Development improves the overall values of an
employee and ensures the employee is successful in his/her career. The company is
able to retain best employees for aa longer period of time by boosting their overall
confidence and morale (Why professional development matters to the success of a
company, 2020). The skills are enhanced which lead to an increase in the productivity
and overall performance of not only the company but individual employees as well.
LO 3
P5 How HPW contributes to employee engagement and competitive advantage within
an organization
High-Performance Working or HPW can be defined as an approach whose
primary aim is to encourage an effective commitment as well as engagement of
employees to their jobs in order to enhance performance. Organizations that implement
the concept of high performance working in their systems are better performers than
their competitors in the market (Sharma and Sharma, 2016). This helps in making the

company in attracting more customers as well as potential employees in the market. If
the employees of the company will be engaged and committed to their job, they will
automatically perform better which will improve the financial position. The profitability as
well as overall performance of the company will also increase. Also, when the
employees are engaged in their jobs, they will address the needs of the customers more
effectively and the company will be able to gain more loyal customers.
Marks and Spencer has a high performance working environment which is
among one of the reasons why company has been able to gain a competitive edge
against other players in the market. Also, not only the company but its employees also
benefit from the high-performance working environment in a lot of ways (Strode, 2016).
It is easier for employees to resolve complex issues and thus achieve goals and
objectives. Also, the management will have to put in less efforts into monitoring the
employees of the company. In a high-performance working environment, there are no
conflicts among the employees and they work together with each other in order to
generate desired output.
The other benefit of high-performance working is that the employees have a
better and positive attitude towards their job and as a result they take more
responsibility in order to improve the products and services of the company. This leads
to an increase in the degree of innovation and thus improved products and services are
brought in the market. More innovative products attract large number of customers
which further leads to an improvement in the financial position of the company. Thus,
High Performance Working influences the performance of the employees directly. This
is because it helps in building interpersonal abilities as well as skills.
Having a high-performance working environment has benefited Marks and
Spencer as the employees in different departments can work together with each other
easily. The customers are well satisfied with the products and services of the company
and are also kept well informed about any new updates of the company. Also,
managers do not invest much of their time in deciding which employee’s idea is the best
as the members of their teams can do this much more efficiently (What Are the Benefits
to the Employees, Customers and Management for Using High Performance Teams?,

2020). There is a low staff turnover as the employees are happy with their jobs and do
not look out for better opportunities.
The employees feel secure about their jobs and also, such an environment helps
in creating partnerships that are built on high trust. Therefore, High Performance
Working is basically about creating a culture in the organization that is transparent and
promotes open communication across its different departments. In order to introduce
this concept in the system, the management of an organization should communicate
with its employees regularly, recognize and reward hard-working employees, adopt
flexible policies and practices (Swanwick and McKimm, 2017). This will help the
organization in achieving its goals and objectives within the desired time frame as well
as effectively. Also, the productivity of the employees as well as the company will
enhance.
LO 4
P6 different approaches to performance management and how they can support high-
performance culture and commitment with examples
Performance is one of the most critical aspects for an organization as the overall
success and productivity of the company is dependent on it. Performance Management
can be defined as a process that ensures various activities and the output generated
match the goals and objectives of the firm. It primarily focuses on the overall
performance of the company, its employees and different departments. It is important as
it helps in increasing the morale and confidence of the employees and thus retain them
for a longer period of time. By doing this, the company can improve the results
generated and thus boost its overall return on investment.
There are different approaches to performance management like collaborative
working which includes a number of different ways in which two or more companies can
work together. For example- Marks and Spencer practices the approach of collaborative
working which helps in increasing the creativity as well as encourages the employees to
think out-of-the-box (Thorpe, 2016). There is an increase in the number of learning
opportunities that are provided to them by which they can enhance their productivity as
well as make more informed decisions. Collaborative Working also encourages

increased flexibility in the workplace. The skills and knowledge of different employees is
utilized effectively which further helps in improving the overall levels of productivity.
Collaborative working can support the company in building a high-performance culture.
Another approach to performance management is that the managers of the
company must be trained efficiently so that they further help their subordinates and
team members to succeed and reach organizational goals and objectives. They must be
provided extensive training regarding how to help employees during various situations.
For example- the managers and team leaders at Marks and Spencer are provided
training from time to time which has helped in creating an environment of high-
performance in the company. Such approaches, if implemented, can help in enhancing
commitment among the employees of a company (Vangrieken, Dochy and Raes, 2016).
For example- Marks and Spencer carries out an annual performance of its employees
so that they get a chance to identify their strengths as well as weaknesses. This also
helps in boosting their morale and overall confidence which can further lead to the
creation of healthy competition among the different departments of the company.
Different approaches to performance management like collaborative working,
training of the managers can support high-performance culture and commitment as the
employees get a chance to work collectively towards achieving the goals and objectives
of the company. Also, when they work as a part of team, they get a sense of
belongingness and being getting valued. Also, the members put in their efforts in getting
the different tasks compete within the time frame and thus achieving the desired result.
Also, as per the views of Corey Moseley, employees who are a part of collaborative
working, get a chance to learn from each other and enhance their knowledge (7
reasons why collaboration is important, 2020). Providing constant training to the
managers also helps in building a high-performance culture as the managers can lead
their team members in a much more efficient way. Thus, all organizations should
implement various approaches to performance management in their systems.
CONCLUSION
From the report, it can be concluded that developing individuals as well as teams
is important for organizations as it helps in enhancing their overall productivity as well

as performance in the market. For an organization to be successful, its HR
professionals should possess various skills and a deep knowledge about the various
activities that take place in it. This eases out the overall process of recruitment and
selection. Also, before applying for a particular job at a company, a candidate must
know his areas of strengths and weaknesses. Once this is done, they can make use of
a Professional Development Plan which can guide him/her in overcoming those
weaknesses and also in measuring the overall progress. Also, implementing the idea of
High-Performance Working can help in creating an environment so that employees can
work together easily and do not find it difficult to interact with each other across different
departments.

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