Developing Leadership and Reward Strategy: A Proposal for Elite Travel Solutions

Increasing employee engagement and involvement in decision-making processes can help leaders at ETS overcome resistance to change. Additionally, a total reward framework can be used to address fragmented reward strategies across different locations. By integrating reward strategy with performance metrics, HR managers can develop talent and motivate employees to give their best. To measure the success of proposals, Kirkpatrick's model can be applied, focusing on reaction, knowledge and skills, behavior, and final results. Overall, human resource planning plays a crucial role in building leadership skills, developing and executing reward strategies, and overcoming resistance to change.

Human resource planning

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Propose leadership development for members of management team...................................1
1.2 Role of reward strategy for managers to retain and develop talent at the all levels..............4
1.3 Measure the success of proposals..........................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Kolb’s experiential learning cycle...................................................................................3
Figure 2: Increasing engagement of employees..............................................................................4
Figure 3: Link between reward strategy and learning & development strategy..............................4
Figure 4: Employee retention drivers..............................................................................................6
Figure 5: Kirkpatrick’s model.........................................................................................................6
Figure 6: People performance model...............................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
In the modern arena, human resource planning is essential for companies in identifying
current and future human resource needs in a significant manner. As per the present case
concerns, Elite Travel Solution (ETS) was taken which operates in north and south east area of
the UK. The main aim of organization is to enhance customer experience and education in the
modern world. The proposal describes about leadership development and its role in talent
retention and development at all level within enterprise. Furthermore, study provides details
about use of reward strategy for managers in order to retain employees for long time period with
the firm. At the end, report explores the ways through which success of the entire proposal can
be measured.
TASK 1
1.1 Propose leadership development for members of management team
Enterprises are using traditional leadership strategies including trait leadership, behaviour
and situation leadership and their main purpose was creating stress on supervisory control over
employees. However, limited motivational plan, contradicts employee empowerment and
restricted communication are the major limitations attached with the use of traditional leadership
styles (Buller and McEvoy, 2012). On the other hand, companies used contemporary leadership
styles including transactional, and transformational for the purpose of executing different
activities such as team-building, motivation and collaboration with employees in the proficient
manner.
From the given case scenario, it is clear that senior manager of ETS emphasizes on staff
development activity. However, lack of leadership training, rapidly changing marketplace and
current economic environment are creating challenges for organization to retain their talented
employees with the firm (Decenzo and Robbins, 2015). In addition, it is found that there is a
wide variation between rewards strategies followed in larger and smaller stores within enterprise.
After reviewing the case, it can be said that transactional leadership style would be beneficial for
Elite Travel Solution in order to solve lack of leadership issues effectively. This type of
leadership is concerned with maintaining the normal flow of organization operations. In this
approach, managers are focused on providing incentives to their employees to motivate them to
perform at their best (Adams and Rau, 2011). By exchanging rewards for performance and
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maintaining the normal flow of operation, management of ETS would be to overcome leadership
related issues in a significant manner.
For the members of management team, it is required that leaders should focus on
understanding view of their employees and shape their work according to the
current organizational culture. By doing this, they will be able to promote success and enhance
motivation level of an individual talented employees at workplace. However, there are several
constraints including destructive competition, high dependency upon one or a few leaders and
always motivated by rewards and punishments associated with the implementation of this
leadership style (Afzal and et.al, 2013). But after establishing communication with team-
members, leaders and managers of Elite Travel Solution will be able to retain talent employees
and move its leaders towards greater leadership competence in the dynamic changing arena.
Besides that, in order to support learning and development needs of staff-members, coaching and
mentoring approaches can be beneficial for enterprise.
Despite of that, Kolb’s experiential learning cycle can be helpful for ETS in order to
boost morale of their employees and successful learning take at workplace. Concrete experience
can be developed through reading of the online materials, conducting workshop & seminars and
from employees own experiences (Napier and Stratton, 2013).
Figure 1: Kolb’s experiential learning cycle
(Source: Jackson, 2013)
Through applying peer observation and own self-reflections tactics, learning and professional
development can be promoted. Besides that, by implementing performance management
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approach more rigorously, managers of company would be able to enhance learning and
technology abilities of team-members effectively (Ulrich, 2013). In addition, by taking a
practical or experiential approach and increasing involvement of team-members in decision
making process, leaders of ETS would be able to overcome resistance of staff-members toward
change (Flamholtz, 2012). Apart from this, leadership can be developed through increasing
engagement of employees in core activities of firm that can be understood with help of below
figure.
Figure 2: Increasing engagement of employees
1.2 Role of reward strategy for managers to retain and develop talent at the all levels
Reward strategy plays an important role in terms of achieving strategic goals and
increasing leadership skills of individuals. There is a direct link between reward strategy,
learning & development strategy and business values of company that can be understood with
help of the below figure (Bhattacharyya, 2009).
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PersonalqualitiesandcorevaluesEnahncingintegrityEngagingindividualsBeingaccessibleEncouraginginteractionthroughquestioningMovingforwardstogethernetworkingBuildingsharedvisionResolvingcomplexissuesFacilitatingchangesensitivelyEngagingtheorganisationInspiringothersEmphasizingonteameffortSupportingadevelopmentalculture

Figure 3: Link between reward strategy and learning & development strategy
(Source: Afzal and et.al, 2013)
On the basis of the above figure, it can be said that by emphasizing on reward strategy
and increasing transparency in pay levels, benefit plans and incentives, managers of Elite Travel
Solution can be able to retain talent at different levels within the organization. By establishing
proper relationship between these strategies, managers of travel firm would be able to retain their
talented employees with them for long term perspective (Buller and McEvoy, 2012). By
concentrating on increasing transparency in reward strategies, manager can be able to develop
learning skills of their staff-members and it will also contribute in developing leadership skills
also. From the present case, it is clear that reward strategy applied by management of Elite
Travel Solution is very fragmented due to variation come in size and location of stores at
different places. In addition, lack of transparency in providing bonuses and rewards are the other
major challenges associated with the strategy employed by organization to provide reward to
their employees at workplace (Decenzo and Robbins, 2015). In such kind of circumstances, it is
essential for mangers to consider total reward framework.
According to Kwon, Hein and Hewitt (2013), by applying total reward framework, travel
firm would be able to overcome issues faced by company regarding to reward strategy at
different locations in an effective way. Managers of firm would be able to meet expectations of
their employees by considering different drivers including top attraction, retention and
engagement and their basic needs effectively such as pay, learning & development and working
environment etc. In order to overcome reward fragmentation issues, it is necessary for managers
of travel enterprise to consider different reward program elements following in different stores
together in today's competitive business environment (Kwon, Hein and Hewitt, 2013).
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Figure 4: Employee retention drivers
(Source: Kwon, Hein and Hewitt, 2013)
By integrating reward strategy with performance of employees, HR manager of ETS can
be able to develop talent at all levels and motivates them to give their best by considering
themselves as an important asset of enterprise.
1.3 Measure the success of proposals
Managers and auditors can evaluate the success of reward strategy and leadership style
recommended in proposal in term of outcome produces. In the context of analyzing the
effectiveness and impact of training on employees, Kirkpatrick’s model could be useful for
organization.
Figure 5: Kirkpatrick’s model
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(Source: Mathis and Jackson, 2011)
Reaction stage of this model focuses on measuring reaction of trainees about the topic,
instructor and presentation. It will help manger to improve the training needs of individual team-
members at workplace (Bhattacharyya, 2009). By assessing the knowledge and skills of staff-
members which they have learned in their training, manager of Elite Travel Solution can be able
to develop their team-members skills. In addition, by evaluating trainee’s behaviours and their
knowledge, leaders can measure proposal success. Despite of that, through analyzing the final
results of the training, manager can measure the success of strategies implemented by leader and
manager at workplace (Flamholtz, 2012). By doing this, management of firm would be able to
identify return on investment and real worth of training in term of enhancing employees learning
skills and knowledge at workplace. In addition, with help of applying people performance
model, manager of ETS would be able to measure success of reward strategy and organization
performance in a proficient manner.
Figure 6: People performance model
(Source: Purcell, 2004)
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Through deploying this model at workplace, HR mangers and leaders at ETS will be able
to measure performance of an individual employee in a significant manner (Total Rewards
Model, 2011). After analyzing the reward structure followed by management of company, it is
found that organization reward would be beneficial for company as compared to individual
reward. It motivates talented employees to work in a team and enhance their contribution by
learning new skills and supporting their leaders in decision making process. Mathis and Jackson
(2011) argued that in order to manage change, firm should be used different types of
performance measuring tactics including 360 degree feedback, coaching and mentoring. It will
enhance transparency in day to day human resource operations and reduce resistance of
employees toward change. On the other hand, job assignment and action learning approach can
be helpful for travel firm in order to build team and solves reward related problems effectively
(Mathis and Jackson, 2011).
CONCLUSION
On the basis of the present report, it can be said that human resource planning plays a
crucial role in terms of building leadership skills and adequate development and execution of
reward strategy at workplace. By improving reward strategy and providing learning opportunity
to an individual, manager would be able to retain talented employees with the company for long
time period. Total reward framework and transactional leadership style would be helpful for ETS
in order to develop skills of staff-members and overcome their resistance toward change in a
significant manner.
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REFERENCES
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Decenzo, D. A. and Robbins, S. P., 2015. Fundamentals of human resource management. John
Wiley & Sons.
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Napier, N. K. and Stratton, K., 2013. Communication during a merger: The experience of two
banks. Human Resource Planning: Solutions to Key Business Issues Selected Articles.
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Ulrich, D., 2013. Human resource champions: The next agenda for adding value and delivering
results. Harvard Business Press.
Online
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[Pdf].Available through :< file-employee-benefits-total-rewards-framework.pdf >.
[Accessed on:16th December 2015].
Purcell, J., 2004. The HRM-Performance Link: Why, How and When does People Management
Impact on Organizational Performance?. [pdf]. Available through :
<http://www.bath.ac.uk/werc/pdf/LovettLecturer2004.pdf> . [Accessed on 16th December
2015].
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Total Rewards Model. 2011. [pdf]. Available through :<http://www.csae.com/Portals/0/CSAE
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