Assignment on Human Resource Management (PDF)

Human Resource Management
12/15/2018
John Lewis

HRM 1
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
The effectiveness of work and organisation at John Lewis.............................................................3
Rational and social organisation..................................................................................................3
Leadership....................................................................................................................................3
Organizational Culture.................................................................................................................4
Impact of globalisation................................................................................................................4
Motivation and job design...........................................................................................................5
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7

HRM 2
Introduction
The aim of the task is to research for the effectiveness of the work and organisation that is
present at John Lewis company with the use of the different concepts that are studied. The
company John Lewis and partners is a well-known chain with the high-end departmental stores
that are operating their business operations across the UK. The company came into existence in
the year 1929 and was founded by Spedan Lewis (John Lewis, 2018). The company has their
stores in the UK market where they offer a wide range of products including home and garden,
furniture and lights, fashion for men, women and child with the baby products and with this the
company also offers sports & leisure with a wide range of gifts.

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The effectiveness of work and organisation at John Lewis
John Lewis organisation and their work are done with the motive to meet the goals of the
company (Marchington, et al 2016). Though, it is must to evaluate that the organisation and their
work has been done effectively.
Rational and social organisation
In the present era, the organisations are defined as the social units of the people that are
structured and managed to fulfil the collective goals (Johnson, 2018). John Lewis major the
effectiveness of the organisation on the basis of the rational organisation theory which states that
it is the idea that business is a tool for accomplishing the set goals. John Lewis makes use of the
formal structure in which they define the role of every member in an organisation which helps
them to work for the common goal of the company (John Lewis, 2018). This has been found that
the John Lewis Partnership is an idealistic and effective way that helps in exploiting business.
The organisation is social in term of work as the company has limited work specialised job that
is assigned to the employees.
Leadership
In the current era, an effective leader is one who leads the organisation in a manner so that they
can achieve success. The leaders of the John Lewis Company who take the responsibility of
effective work and management comprise the chairman and company board who take the
reasonability of the global tactical ways of the business. Further, other partnership management
body of the company include executive team, while both Waitrose and John Lewis have their
separate divisional management boards (John Lewis Partnership, 2018). Moreover, this has been

HRM 4
found that professional knowledge includes client insight, personnel, finance, risk, authorized,
possessions services and registry. This shows that leaders of the company are in a partner and
they are aware of the roles due to which they can run them effectively. The leadership skills of
both the companies work together which make them capable enough to resolve the issues which
are majorly faced by other companies which lead to the effectiveness of organisation (Armstrong
and Taylor, 2014). Thus, this shows that the company make use of democratic leadership in
which members of group participate while making the decisions related to the company. Though,
a combination of skills might lead to some conflicts in the organisation which affect the
effectiveness of the company. Further, it proves that the employees might get affected due to
conflict as it will exploit the atmosphere of John Lewis and Partner Company.
Organizational Culture
The organisation culture of the company reflects the attitude, belief and purpose of the company
in the competitive market (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). The culture of the company meets the
needs of the employees which makes it an effective workplace. John Lewis has emphasized that
their employees are owner of their entire undertaking that makes them take the alienation from
the staffs. This makes the employees feel positive and they work effectively. Many of the
employees register that the culture of the company is good as they also consider the employee's
goals. In addition, the organisation has a good environment to work and an effective sense of
belonging (Glassdoor, 2018).
Impact of globalisation
Globalisation has provided an opportunity for the company for the free trade which leads to the
rise in the expansion of the companies. The companies are expanding which leads to the rise in
the competition among the market where other companies are performing their work. John Lewis

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Company is also facing the threats related to the globalisation because of the entrance of
numerous companies in the market (Bratton and Gold, 2017). The major competitors of the
company that are present in the market include Marks and Spencer group, ASDA group limited
and Tesco PLC. These companies are giving tough competition to the company but John Lewis
is able to manage the effective use of strategic planning. Further, the employees of the company
work in the group and teams which becomes their competitive advantage and on that basis, they
can easily take steps. Though, the rise in the globalisation offers an opportunity for the company
to expand their business operations in other markets.
The globalisation welcomes companies that come with the new and upgraded technology which
might lead an issue for the company because then they need to upgrade the technology that they
are making use for running the business operations effectively.
Motivation and job design
The motivation and job design are two crucial elements due to which the employees like to stay
in the organisation. The motivation to the employees help in improving the performance and job
design is the sort of work that is must to be performed by the employees. The motivation can
take place through monetary and non-monetary terms (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). The
employees of the company are getting the staff benefits and perks in the form of different
elements which include coupons, incentives, and promotion. In addition to this, the job design of
employees is flexible they can work in the normal shift; they are valued for their work,
employees work according to their specification and many other determinants which provide
comfort to the company. This shows that organisation is effective as its cares for their
employees.

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Conclusion
In the end, it can be concluded that the John Lewis Company is leading in the market because of
its effectiveness towards the organisation and work. The company is able to manage the
effectiveness which is clear from the leadership style, social organisation, and organisation
culture which is important to be maintained. In addition, the impact of globalisation, motivation
and job design are important factors that are considered while evaluating the effectiveness of the
company.

HRM 8
References
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S. (2014) Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. London: Kogan Page Publishers.
Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (2017) Human resource management: theory and practice. UK:
Palgrave.
Glassdoor (2018) John Lewis & Partners [Online]. Available from:
https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Reviews/Employee-Review-John-Lewis-and-Partners-
RVW15995234.htm [Accessed on 15th December 2018]
John Lewis (2018) John Lewis For Business [Online]. Available from:
https://www.johnlewis.com/business [Accessed on 15th December 2018]
John Lewis Partnership (2018) Management bodies [Online]. Available from:
http://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/about/the-partnership/management-bodies/group-
management-team.html [Accessed on 15th December 2018]
Johnson, S. (2018) The Seven Characteristics of Rational Social Organization [Online].
Available from: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/seven-characteristics-rational-social-
organization-68829.html [Accessed on 15th December 2018]
Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., Donnelly, R., and Kynighou, A. (2016). Human resource
management at work. London: Kogan Page Publishers.