Hightown Housing Association: HR Management Skills and Practices

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DEVELOPING INDIVIDUALS, TEAMS
AND ORGANIZATIONS

INTRODUCTION
The tasks carried out in companies and business is backed by the efforts put by the individuals,
teams and managers who make the business goals met. The creation of the teams and the
motivation to the individual employees is done by the managers and the HR leaders who assess the
working conditions and situations for the organization. In the research, the knowledge, skills and
behaviours necessary for the HR professionals to bind the company together and to lead them on
the right track are discussed. The factors that need to be considered while implementing and
evaluating inclusive learning development are discussed in the research. Further, the topic of
sustainable business performance is studied in the research to make the HR plans long-lasting
(Bowen, 2013).

LO 1
P1 DETERMINE APPROPRIATE AND PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS
AND BEHAVIOURS THAT ARE REQUIRED BY HR PROFESSIONALS
The HR personnel is the most important person in the organization as it is tasked to him about the
managing of the company’s operations and carry them out by using the skills and competencies. The
essential skills, competencies and behaviour requirements of the HR professional are as follows-
Communication Skills- Communication skills are of vital importance for the HR Manager as
the HR has to communicate with the employees and the teams to direct and inform them
about the tasks they have to carry out. Communication skills play an active role in
determining the role of HR in leading the company successfully. The communication skills
play a vital part in the development of the HR Manager as the communication style tells a lot
about the manager and his expectations from the employees.
Organization Skills- Organization skills are of vital importance as the HR Manager who has
great organizing skills will organize the work and inventory and assign the roles that are
most suitable to the employees. The organization skills also include the working ethics of the
manager at work. The organization skills are especially useful when there is a lot of work to
be completed and it requires proper segregation and labour allotment. The proper
organization and segregation of work by the managers can help them save a lot of time,
energy and resources (Greenberg and Zhang, 2013).
Decision-making skills- The decision-making skills are especially important for the HR leader
as the HR Manager has to take decisions on every matter and thus the manager should have
far-sightedness to make apt decisions which are in the best interest of the company. The
decision-making capacity is entrusted to the HR Manager as he has to take important
decisions for the best interest of the company. The manager who takes wise decisions for
the company and takes responsibility for his decisions is a successful one and goes a long
way in making the firm successful.
Training and development skills- The training and development of the employees at work
and of new employees is under the HR Management as they have to guide the new
employees and also train and update the skills of the existing employees in relation to the
present skill set in demand and also to help them carry out their work efficiently. Skill
improvement is done by assessing the skills of the employees and see where they are

lacking. The training and development are important aspects of the company which is
handled by the HR department (Morgeson et al., 2010).
Budgeting skills- As an HR Manager, it is important to have budgeting skills as the resources
and assets of the company are limited and should be used wisely. The HR /Manager should
make the plans accordingly and should not spend valuable resources on unnecessary and
unrequired tasks. The budgeting skill is helpful for the managers willing to get the maximum
work done in a limited budget.
Empathetic skills- The employees are needed to have empathetic skills so that they are
approachable by the employees. They should connect with their employees on a personal
level and give them space to maintain a work-life balance. The empathetic skills are most
sought after skills in a manager as no one wants to work under a rude and harsh manager.
These are the essential skills and requirements that an HR professional must possess in order to run
the company successfully and manage its entire inventory and labour in the best manner (Cohen,
2017).

P2 & M1 PERSONAL SKILLS AUDIT AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PLAN FOR THE ROLE OF HR ADVISOR
Skills Audit
A skills audit is a useful tool to understand one's own skills and capabilities and to see if they are
suitable with the job role entrusted upon. I have presented my own skills audit after considering my
skills and capability as an HR Manager for Hightown Housing. It has been one year since I am working
for Hightown Housing Association and it is asked for me to present my first-year performance
appraisal and future development plans (Sessa and London, 2015).
Commercial awareness Organization skills Interpersonal skills Teamwork skills
I have developed the
skill of commercial
awareness as it is a
very important skill for
a manager to have. As
an HR manager, I
should be aware of the
commercial
development
surrounding the
housing sector
The organization skills
are also apt in me
which I have learnt in
this one-year duration.
The organization skills
have really helped me
to manage and sort my
tasks while at work
(Anitha, 2014).
As an HR manager, it is
important for me to
learn and show my
interpersonal skills
with all others with
whom I work. I still
have to develop my
interpersonal skills and
demonstrate them in
the best possible way.
I have developed my
teamwork skills as an
HR Manager with the
firm I am working
under. Teams are an
important component
of any organization
where the large
projects can only be
carried out through
teams.
Communication skills Attention to detail Numerical skills IT Skills
As an HR Manager, I
have developed my
communication skills
and yet have to
develop and polish
them so that I succeed
in my domain.
I have to develop my
skills in this domain as
attention to detail is
some of the fine skills
in an HR Manager. I
need to look deep into
the matters in order to
perfect the task at
hand.
I have developed my
numerical skills in the
duration of one year
working with the
company. Numerical
skills have helped me
to take quick decisions
and simplify my work.
My IT skills are limited
to using MS Office. I
have to improve and
update my skills in the
IT field as it is a
constantly changing
sphere.

This is the representation of my skills audit. This helps me to analyse the presentation skills that I
have and opens channels for further improvement.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths Weaknesses
My strengths as an HR Manager are my
understanding needs of the work and allocating
the right person to the right task.
Other strengths include good negotiation skills
and persuasion skills
My weakness as an HR Manager is that I am not
a quick decision maker. I take time to evaluate
the possibilities so as to minimise the risks which
are a very time-consuming process.
Opportunities Threats
The opportunities that I have to improve my
skills as an HR Manager are that I can learn new
skills and become competent in my field like
numerical skills, IT skills and learn to be more
empathetic (Smith, 2016)
The threats that I have during my tenure as the
HR Manager is the changing technology and the
challenge of keeping pace with it. Also, changing
client attitudes are also a big challenge for
managers.
Personal Development Plan
The Personal Development Plan is also an important tool that takes notice of the skills needed in me
as an HR Manager at Hightown housing Society. The personal development plan helps me
understand and take note of the skills I want to achieve in the near future and which can help me be
a better manager and an asset for Hightown Housing. The Personal Development plan below
includes the personal skills that I want to improve or imbibe (Namada, 2018).
Name of the
Training
Dates Duration Key Learning
Points
Key benefits
Communication
skills
1/5/19 1/5/19- 10/5/19 To better my
communication
and presentation
skills
I can improve my
communication
and presentation
skills which can
help me make
better deals and
presentations
with the clients

Empathetic skills 15/5/19 15/5/19- 18/5/19 To become more
empathetic to the
needs of my
clients as well as
my peers (Carter
et al., 2013)
I can improve my
empathetic needs
so that I can
understand the
needs better of
those with whom
I work.

LO 2
P3 ANALYSE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ORGANISATIONAL AND
INDIVIDUAL LEARNING, TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
Difference between Individual learning and Organizational learning
Both kinds of learning are essential in any organization. However, both of them have some character
traits that make them different from one another. The differences between the two forms of
learning are demonstrated below-
Individual Learning Organizational Learning
Individual learning is when the individual in the
company makes an effort to learn new skills. The
individual learns the skill as it is needed for him
to learn which can help the employee to better
his work and performance (Huczynski et al.,
2013)
Organizational learning is when the organization
learns something backed by the employee and
individual learning of the employees.
The individual learning occurs by reading,
observing, listening and many other means
The organizational or the collective learning is
for all the employees which can happen through
seminars, workshops and training programs
Only one person learns in the individual learning
process
The whole organization learns in the
organizational learning process
These are the basic differences between individual learning and organizational learning. Both of
these happen parallel in a successful organization.
Difference between training and development
Training Development
Training is a short term learning process which is
directed to the employees and staff so that they
can work at a better efficiency rate
Development is a long term process that focuses
on the long-term goals of the company regarding
the targets and goals they want to achieve
The training aims to benefit the employee's
current job position and makes him more
competent with the job given to him/ her.
The development of the employee is directed for
the long-term career growth of the employee.
The skills learnt in development are long-term

and influence the career.
Training comes with specific objectives and
training is incomplete until the specific
objectives are achieved.
The development has open objectives and can
even change during the process of development.
Training is given to the individual person. Development is for the whole group and is equal
for everyone
These are the major differences between training and development. Both of them are vital and
happen from time to time in any organization (Gamelearn, 2017).

P4 & M2 CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Continuing Professional Development
Continuous professional development is the process of tracking the skills of the employees as they
progress in the firm. The formal and informal growth of the employees is monitored to see how they
are progressing with work. It is also used for giving training and development for the employees by
taking inputs from their track record in the CPD plan. The employees can reflect on their growth and
determines the training that the employee will undergo with time (Noe et al., 2017).
Need for continuous learning
Continuous learning is important for both the individual and the organization as it helps them to
learn new skills. Continuous learning also makes one a forever learner as the individual is always
seeking to learn new skills and knowledge which can benefit him in his work. For the organization,
continuous learning can be beneficial as the organization can grow and develop with time. There are
many theories used in the continuous learning process. The most important and widely used cycle is
Kolb's Learning Cycle (Salas et al., 2012).
Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Fig. 1- Kolb’s Learning Cycle
Source- (Kolb, 2014)
The Kolb’s learning cycle includes four stages of learning which happen sequentially. The four stages
express the level of learning and understanding developed in the individual in each stage. The Kolb’s

learning cycle can be implemented when the individual is learning or experiencing a new incident
which makes him learn new skills.
Stage 1: Concrete Experience
The concrete experience is learnt when the learner faces a new incident or situation and feels
something. The experience can be any incident relating to people or situations that makes the
learner aware of the surroundings and broadens the horizon of observation and exploration.
Stage 2: Reflective Observation
This stage of the learning process involves making a judgement about the incident and leads to
reflective observation. The reflective observation is necessary for observing the things from various
perspectives and making sense of the observation (Noe et al., 2017).
Stage 3: Abstract Conceptualization
In this stage of learning, the learner makes a logical analysis of the incident or event so occurred. The
learner tries to comprehend the experience and uses intellect to find a justification for the incident.
By this stage, the experience has been fully grasped by the learner and he understands what he has
learnt from the experience.
Stage 4: Active Experimentation
In this stage of learning, the learner actively experiments the skill that he has learnt from the
experience. The learner is willing to use the skill in an event and it also includes taking the risk.
Professional Development Plan
The Professional Development Plan is necessary for the learner to include the skills that he has to
learn on a professional basis.
Name of the
Training
Dates Duration Key Learning Points Key Benefits
Teamwork skills 20/4/19 20/4/19- 25/4/19 The key learning is to
learn the teamwork
skills and manage the
teams well
The teams can be
managed well and
the potential of all
team members can
be used to succeed in
the goals

IT Skills 30/4/19 30/4/19- 10/5/19 The IT skills cloud
computing, AI,
analytical reasoning
skills and UX design can
be learnt for skill
enhancement
The key benefits of
learning new skills in
IT is that they are
used extensively and
are highly in demand
in the present times
These are the professional skills that I have to learn which can help me be a better HR Manager at
Hightown Housing Association.