Different Strategies to Manage and Retain Talent at Workplace - A Case Study on Morrisons

This report focuses on talent management practices at Morrisons, a well-known supermarket company in the UK. It discusses the strategies used to manage and retain talent, the challenges faced by HR managers, and the benefits of effective talent management. The report also includes a project management plan, work breakdown structure, and Gantt chart for time frame and completion stages.

UNIT -6

Table of Contents
TOPIC: “To examine different strategies in order to manage and retain talent at work place” A
case study on Morrisons..................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
P1) Project aims and Objectives..................................................................................................3
P2) Project management plan......................................................................................................5
P3) Devise work break down structure and Gantt chart for providing time frame and
completion stages.........................................................................................................................6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................9
P4) Small scale research with application of primary and secondary research methods.............9
P5) Finding of data and information with appropriate tools & techniques................................10
P6) Recommendations...............................................................................................................18
TASK 2..........................................................................................................................................19
P7) Reflect the values of respective project...............................................................................19
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................20
REFLECTION...............................................................................................................................21

TOPIC: “To examine different strategies in order to manage and retain talent at work
place” A case study on Morrisons.
INTRODUCTION
Small companies holds a great role in ensuring growth and success of economy. Small
scale companies perform different activities which is important for well being, upliftement and
development of whole society. The present report is based on talent management practice under
which a lot of activities are performed for managing employees at work place in an appropriate
way. It is concern with hiring, selecting, motivating as well as retaining work force in order to
run business smoothly (Eriksson, Larsson and Pesämaa, 2017). In the present report Morrisons is
taken into consideration which is a well known supermarket company based on UK. It offers
wide range of products for catering the needs of buyers. In this, suitable strategies of talent
management are discussed in respect of company along with challenges pertaining to effective
talent management. Project aims, objectives, research questions are significant part of report. It
also includes detailed project management plan along with WBS, Gantt chart and research
methodology. At the end, necessary recommendations are also included in the report for further
improvement and enhancement along with the reflection of research project over own skills &
development.
TASK 1
P1) Project aims and Objectives
Research Aim: “To examine different strategies in order to manage and retain talent at
work place” A case study on Morrisons”
Research objectives:
 To acknowledge the role of talent management in organization.
 To ascertain the obstacles faced by Morrsion during effective talent management
 To identify strategies to manage and retain work force within Morrison.
Research Questions

 What is the role of talent management in organization?
 What are the obstacles faced by Morrsion during effective talent management?
 What are the strategies to manage and retain work force within Morrison?
Rational of study:
The present study is based on talent management which is an emerging concept and need
to adopt by HR managers in an efficient manner for getting positive results in future period of
time. The study provided significant amount of information pertaining to talent management.
Vast information on the subject will help in order to prepare appropriate strategies and perform
future roles and responsibilities in an efficient manner. Talent management is a crucial concept
which assists company in retaining work force for significant period of time.
Literature Review:
As per the view point of King, K., (2018), talent management is function under which
employees are managed in such a manner that they are able to drive positive outcomes for
benefit of company. In talent management, organization arranges necessary training &
development programs for improving productivity & efficiency of work force. Talent
management practices play a vital role in hiring best suitable & talent employees which further
provide an edge to organization over rival firms.
As per the view point of Banjević and Nastasić, (2019), there are several challenges
faced by company during efficient talent management. It is difficult to hire and retain talented
people till longer run as now, employees are likely to switch over one company to another in
short period of time in search of growth opportunities. Further, motivating work force is not an
easy task for this, there is requirement to analyze needs and requirements of employees. Hence,
HR managers of Morrison face a lot of obstacles while managing and retaining talent at work
place.
As per the view point of Tazieva, (2020), there are several strategies used for retention of
work force. Training and development is a crucial strategy under which HR managers arrange
appropriate training programs such as on job and off job functions for improving productivity of
employees. In addition, they also motivate work force by adopting appropriate methods like

monetary and non monetary. All these strategies are helpful in managing and retain employees in
significant manner.
P2) Project management plan
Project management plan is basically a blueprint of all the activities that researcher required
in order to complete the project. It involves several aspects such as risk, cost, scope, quality and
many more. This plan is really important and assist to attain predefined research objectives in an
effective manner. It is important for researcher to develop a project management plan as it help
in achieving research objectives effectively and properly. The variables of project management
plan is given below:
Cost: It is basically the amount that is required in order to complete the project. In addition
to this, it is important to analyze the cost of project so that there is proper control over cost
(Beulen and Ribbers, 2020). By the assistance of this, the manager will be able to ensure proper
execution of activities. For the present study, the overall cost estimation is dollars 800.
Scope: It is determined that the present study has broad scope in order to provide better
grasp on talent management which will help researcher to implement future projects in an
effective and efficient manner. In addition to this, it also help in gaining insight about issues
related to talent management due to which an organization is able to develop appropriate
strategies to manage and retain competent workforce.
Time: It is another important aspect of a project where investigator need to determine the
overall time required in order to complete the project (Onyusheva, Thammashote and Thongaim,
2020). It is important to finish the project within given timeframe so that there is proper
utilization of all the available resources. In context to the present study, the time period of 3
months has been determined by investigator.
Quality: Herein, It is important to maintain higher quality of project by the duration of
project. For this, investigator is needed to collect information and data from authentic as well as

relevant sources. It will further assist in developing valid and reliable conclusion in an effective
manner.
Communication: It is important that an effective communication take place among the
participants and other stakeholders of study. It assist in declining misunderstandings and
confusion among the parties which help to get desired results. For this, research and make use of
different communication channels such as email, oral communication and many more in order to
communicate to the stakeholders about the activities of resources.
Risk: It is determined that every study is associated with some kind of risk such as lack of
resources, lack of finance, ineffective communication and many more (Wagner, Meilby and
Cross, 2019). It is important for research to have backup plan in order to deal with the risk and to
achieve objectives timely.
Resources: There are different resources needed in order to complete the study in a
successful manner. It involves manpower, techniques, machines and many more. All these
resources are important in order to reach an appropriate conclusion and achieve research
objectives within given timeframe.
P3) Devise work break down structure and Gantt chart for providing time frame and completion
stages
Work breakdown structure is technique which is applied in order to break down the
projects into small and manageable components so that the whole project can be completed
within pre defined time. With this structure, it is easy for each and every individual associated
with project to identify own roles & responsibilities for completion of project in timely manner.
Work breakdown structure is defined as a technique in which the whole project is divided into
smaller tasks (Ali, Warren and Mathiassen, 2017). In addition to this, it help researcher to decline
the level of complexities and fulfill the assigned activities in minimum possible cost. In this,
researcher breakdown the overall project into manageable and smaller tasks which is easy to
execute or implement. The main aim of work breakdown structure is to finish project within less
time frame by bifurcating the whole task into manageable and easy manner. By the assistance of
this, the researcher is able to complete the investigation within stipulated time.It not only makes

the work more easier but also provides clarity to members. In addition, the work is done by
competent employees in a structured way which enhances the probabilities of success of project.
Gantt Chart
Gantt chart is defined as an effective time management tool that help in completing every
activity associated to investigation within predefined time. It is basically a graphical tool which
is used in order to schedule the task in a better and effective manner. This chart involve the
starting and ending time of every activity. It is another crucial tool of project management that is
used for minimizing level of complexity associated with project. Gantt chart provides detailed
information about starting and ending time of project along with the responsibilities of team
member in completion of whole project successfully (Ardolino and et. al., 2018). However, it
helps in completing project in timely manner but there is requirement to devote significant time
for completion of this chart. The project activities is showed on horizontal axis and the time to
complete such activities is shown on vertical axis. Apart from this, it also represents deadlines,
scheduling, dependencies and so on. The Gantt chart of present study is given below:

TASK 2
P4) Small scale research with application of primary and secondary research methods
Primary data: It is the information which is collected by researcher first time for meeting with
specific requirements. Primary data is first handed and completely raw thus has higher
authenticity & relevancy (Waddock, Bodwell and Leigh, 2017). For present study, primary data
has been collected through questionnaire by existing employees of respective company
. Secondary data: Secondary information is collected from already available data. There
is nothing new in secondary information so investigator needs to test the reliability &
authenticity of resources before extracting necessary information. In present scenario, data has
been taken out from journals, articles, websites and other such sources.
Qualitative method: This method is significant for receiving detailed and in-depth
information from respondents (Iacobucci and Rosa, 2019). Here, both the parties interact with
each other and information is taken through group discussion, interviews, focus group and more.
In depth and detailed information gathered during research further help in meeting research
objectives in an efficient manner.
Quantitative method: Here, data is gathered as well as analyze in numerical forms. In
this, information is taken by respondents and then further analyzed through statistical and
mathematical tools for avoiding any errors (Weber, Staub-Bisang and Alfen, 2016). Due to use of
statistical & mathematical tools, there are lower probability of any errors thus researcher can
completely rely on information and analysis.

For the purpose of current research, sample of 40 employees of Morrisons has been
selected so that investigator can receive appropriate information for making meaningful
conclusion for further improvement.
P5) Finding of data and information with appropriate tools & techniques
Questionnaire
1. Are you familiar with the concept of talent management?
 Yes
 No
2. According to you, what are strategies used for effective talent management?
 Competitive Salary
 Perks and allowances
 Continuous improvement of employees
 Top management commitment
3. Does effective talent management is helpful for Morrisons in order to gain an edge over
competitors?
 Yes
 No
4.What are the major benefits get by Morrisons through effective talent management?
 Strengthen of competitive position
 Improvement customer focus and satisfaction
 Improve market image
 Reduction in cost and expenses
5. What kind of relationship between talent management & employees satisfaction & retention ?
 Positive
 Negative
 Neutral
6.What are the challenges faced by HR managers of Morrisons during talent management at
work place?
 Higher employer turnover
 Negative attitude of employees

 Ineffective leadership
7. Does effective talent management strategies help in retention of employees within company?
 Yes
 No
Data Analysis and Interpretation:
Theme: concept of talent management
Q1) Are you familiar with the concept of talent management? Frequency
a) Yes 30
b) No 10
30
10
a) Yes
b) No
Interpretation: The above chart shows that 30 respondents out of 40 are well aware with the
talent management concept whereas rest 10 people do not have significant information about the
respective concept.

Theme: Strategies used for effective talent management
Q2) According to you, what are strategies used for effective talent
management?
Frequency
A)Competitive salary 7
b) perks and allowances 6
c)Continuous improvement of employees 7
d)Top management commitment 20
18%
15%
18%
50%
Chart Title
A)Competitive salary b) perks and allowances
c)Continuous improvement of employees d)Top management commitment
Interpretation: It is analyzed that 7 respondents state competitive salary as the strategy of talent
management. There are another 6 respondents who consider perks and allowance are better for
effective talent management. Here, continuous employee improvement is also regarded as crucial
strategy of talent management by 7 respondents. On other side, 20 employees are in favor of top
management commitment as an effective talent management strategy.

Theme: Role of talent management is helpful for Morrisons in order to gain an edge over
competitors
Q3) Does effective talent management is helpful for Morrisons in order to
gain an edge over competitors?
Frequency
a) Yes 36
b) No 4
36
4
a) Yes
b) No
Interpretation: It is analyzed with above chart that 36 employees are in favor that talent
management strategies provide competitive edge to company in market place. The another 4
employees do not show consent on the same concept.

Theme: Benefits get by Morrisons through effective talent management
Q4) What are the major benefits get by Morrisons through effective talent
management?
Frequency
a) Strengthen competitive position. 17
b) Improvement of customer focus and satisfaction. 6
c) Improve market image 6
d) Reduction in cost and expenses 11
43%
15%
15%
28%
Chart Title
a) Strengthen competitive position.
b) Improvement of customer focus and satisfaction.
c) Improve market image
d) Reduction in cost and expenses
Interpretation: The above graph shows that 17 respondents has a view point that talent
management approaches benefit Morrison by strengthening competitive position while 6
employees consider improvement in customer satisfaction the most important benefit for
company. It is analyzed that 6 respondents consider that it will help organization in terms of

improving market image while another 11 respondents think that it will reduce overall cots &
expenses.
Theme: Relationship between talent management & employees satisfaction & retention
Q5 ) What kind of relationship between talent management & employees
satisfaction & retention?
Frequency
a) Positive 25
b) Negative 10
c) Neutral 5
25
10
5
a) Positive relationship
b) Negative relationship
c) Neutral
Interpretation: With above chart, it is assess that 25 respondents out of 40 are agreed that
there is positive relationship between talent management and employee satisfaction whereas
other 10 respondents consider that there is negative relations between both factors. Rest, 5
employees have neutral opinion over the relation between talent management and employee
satisfaction.

Theme: Challenges faced by HR managers of Morrisons during talent management at
work place
Q6) What are the challenges faced by HR managers of Morrisons during
talent management at work place?
Frequency
a)Higher employer turnover 12
b) Negative attitude of employees 10
c) Ineffective leadership 18
30%
25%
45%
Chart Title
a)Higher employer turnover b) Negative attitude of employees
c) Ineffective leadership
Interpretation: It is analyzed with above graph that higher employer turnover is considered as
the major challenge of talent management by 12 respondents out of 40 while negative attitude of
employees is also a major challenge for Morrison as said by 10 respondents. In effective
leadership within company is the biggest talent management issue at work place according to the
18 respondents.

Theme: Role of talent management strategies in retention of employees within company
Q7) Does effective talent management strategies help in retention of
employees within company?
Freq
Yes 35
No 5
88%
13%
Chart Title
Yes No
Interpretation: The above graph shows that 35 respondents are agreed that effective talent
management is helpful in retaining employees for longer duration with company while 5
respondents consider that there is no interrelationship between talent management and retention
of work force.

P6) Recommendations
After analyzing primary and secondary information in respect of current project certain
recommendations for effective talent management are mentioned as under:
 It is analyzed that HR managers of respective company need to arrange appropriate
training and development programs for enhancing knowledge of employees as it will
make the more productive and efficient which will help organization in order to attain set
goals in well defined manner.
 It is suggested that there is requirement of open communication so that employees also
get to know about strategies, policies, norms of company which will help in enhancing
their knowledge and performing different roles & responsibilities in an appropriate way.
This practice will help in motivating employees and make them a crucial part of business
entity.
 It is monitored that employees of respective company are less motivated thus they are
lacking in performing assigned task effectively. For dealing with this issue, there is
requirement to motivate employees by adopting effective strategies. Here, HR managers
of respective organization can adopt significant strategies such as incentives, perks,
allowance, rewards, promotion and more so that talented employees stay with them for
longer period of time.
The above stated recommendations are effective and need to adopt by company with an aim
to bring improvement in current practices & approaches significantly. It will help in order to
meet with predefined objectives by making necessary improvements which will also enhance
overall performance of employees significantly.

TASK 2
P7) Reflect the values of respective project
I feel glad that I got this opportunity to conduct this project. The main objective of the
project is to identify the effective talent management strategies used by organization in order to
manage and retain competent staff members within an organization. By the assistance of this
project, I developed communication skills as in the project I got opportunity to interact with
various persons who have different personality and mindset. Along with this, the project is also
provided me in-depth knowledge regarding talent management concept and its importance within
the organization. It also help me to gain insight about talent management strategies used by
organization along with the issues companies face while implementing them at workplace. With
the help of this, I will be able to manage team in a better and effective manner. During the
project, I learned about time management skills through scheduling every activity properly. This
skill will assist me to make use of available time in an effective manner. With this, I will also be
able to deliver the project within stipulated time period which is important in order to gain better
and positive results. While conducting the project, I faced issues at the time of collecting
information from the participants as some respondents are not taking interest to fill the
questionnaire and some did not give me the time. But with the help of my effective
communication and in direction skills, I am able to convince them and gather knowledge
effectively. Moreover, I also learned about analytical skill which is important in order to evaluate
and analyze information appropriately. I also developed leadership skills as I got the opportunity
to read and guide the team for implementing project. Furthermore, this study assist me to
improve skills such as data analysis, data interpretation, data collection, problem solving and
many more. All this will help me to rich as well as grow in personal and professional life. It will
also assist me to gain better opportunities for career growth and development in an effective
manner. In the last, it will also help me to conduct studies in more effective and systematic
manner.

CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, It has been concluded that talent management is important
within an organization in order to acquire, manage and retain competent workforce for longer
time period. In addition to this, it is determined that there are various talent management
strategies used by organisations such as rewards and recognition, training and development,
offering impressive salaries and so on in order to manage and retain employees for longer time.
It can be concluded that there are many challenges as well as constraints which are being faced
by organisations to manage workforce properly. Along with this, with the help of techniques
such as Gantt chart and WBS researcher is able to finish the project within a stipulated time
period. It is important for researcher to select an effective research methods in order to collect
data as it help in developing valid and reliable conclusion. Apart from this, Questionnaire is
undertaken as one of the effective primary technique which is used by researcher in order to gain
in-depth knowledge about research topic. Moreover, the managers of respective organization is
needed to adopt several steps in order to retain talent at workplace for longer time period. It is
analyzed that talent management help an organization to increase productivity, develop brand
image, gain profitability and many more which leads to retention at marketplace for longer time.

REFLECTION
Books and journals
Ali, A., Warren, D. and Mathiassen, L., 2017. Cloud-based business services innovation: A risk
management model. International Journal of Information Management, 37(6), pp.639-
649.
Ardolino and et. al., 2018. The role of digital technologies for the service transformation of
industrial companies. International Journal of Production Research, 56(6), pp.2116-
2132.
Banjević, K. and Nastasić, A., 2019. Talent management–yesterday, today, tomorrow. Zbornik
Radova/20. međunarodni simpozij o kvaliteti. Kvaliteta jučer, danas, sutra. Pula,
Croatia, 20-22 March, pp.541-558.
Beulen, E. and Ribbers, P.M. eds., 2020. The Routledge Companion to Managing Digital
Outsourcing. Routledge.
Iacobucci, D. and Rosa, P., 2019. Managing Portfolio Entrepreneurship: A Case Study. In The
Family Business Group Phenomenon (pp. 89-110). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
King, K., 2018. Macro Talent Management in Canada: A Review of the National Context,
Competitive Strengths and Future Opportunities to Attract, Develop and Retain
Talent. Macro Talent Management, pp.40-69.
Onyusheva, I., Thammashote, L. and Thongaim, J., 2020. Multicultural Urban Business
Environment: Managing Cross-Cultural Problems Within Globalization. In Migration
and Urbanization: Local Solutions for Global Economic Challenges (pp. 219-240). IGI
Global.
Tazieva, N.R., 2020. TALENT MANAGEMENT CURRENT CHALLENGES FOR BUSINESS
GROWTH. In Russian economy: goals, challenges and achievments (pp. 307-312).
Waddock, S., Bodwell, C. and Leigh, J., 2017. Total responsibility management: The manual.
Routledge.
Wagner, K., Meilby, H. and Cross, P., 2019. Sticky business-Why do beekeepers keep bees and
what makes them successful in Tanzania?. Journal of Rural Studies, 66, pp.52-66.
Weber, B., Staub-Bisang, M. and Alfen, H.W., 2016. Infrastructure as an asset class: investment
strategy, sustainability, project finance and PPP. John wiley & sons.

APPENDICES
Project Logbook for the chosen organisation:
Name of the learner: Name of the Supervisor:
Project Title: Date:
Update of weekly research/ tasks achieved (Account
for a minimum of six weeks with dates)
 What have you completed?
 Did you fulfil Task requirements?
 Are you on track and within deadlines set?
 Did you need to make any changes to your
project management plan?
Comments
I have completed my research on the topic of “To
examine different strategies in order to manage
and retain talent at work place” A case study on
Morrisons.
Yes
Yes, I completed within the time limit which was
02-02-21 and 23-06-2021.
No
Any risks and / or issues identified?
 Did you identify risks/issues with a lack of
skills required for undertaking research I face the issues related to communication because

tasks?
 Did you identify any additional risks/issues
that have an impact on the project
management plan?
I am having difficulty in no proper verbal
communication.
No
Problems encountered
 What barriers did you face?
 How did you overcome them?
There are some of the barriers that arise in the
course of research because of no proper
communication channels between all the team
members that lead to difficulty and confusion.
For the purpose of dealing with the difficulties and
team management I focused on using formal as
well as informal communication channels. Apart
from this I also used various collaborative
working practices to enhance the work efficiency.
New Ideas and change of project direction After making analysis I felt that there is
requirement of some new ideas that is more time
period to deal with the specific requirements of
this project.

What Have I learnt about myself this week?
 How did I feel when I had to deal with
tasks/problems?
 Did I find it useful to complete the tasks?
 How well have I performed? What did I
contribute?
 What can I improve on next week?
 How might this learning apply in the future?
I felt lower satisfaction because of low cooperative
behaviour of some of the team members.
Yes
I felt that I have used all the resources and
optimum manner that help me in completing the
research in a more effective way.
I participated in various team building activities
that help me in dealing with communication and
collaborative working issues
In the overall administration of the project I was
able to develop various interpersonal abilities and
enhanced my present performance level.
Tasks planned for next week
 Which tasks are priority?
 Have you set aside sufficient time for
completion?
I had adequate reliable data help me in enhancing
the effectiveness of present research report.
Yes
Project plan status to date (on, ahead, behind)

Supervisor comments to address
Signature of the Supervisor and date: