High-Performance Work Practices and Employee Engagement at Aviva PLC

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments for students. This report analyzes Aviva's HR strategies for business growth.

VICTORIA- UNIT 35: DEVELOPING INDIVIDUALS,
TEAMS AND ORGANISATION {MERIT} (ICN)

Executive Summary
HR skills and behaviours are important to manage human resource, performance and organisational
growth. This study aims to analyse different aspects of organisational development and growth
through collaborative approach of team management, performance management, employee
engagement, skill development and high performance work environment for successful business
expansion. Aviva is a financial service providing company of UK that indulges in management skill
development to enhance its opportunity in international business expansion. Skill development as GR
professional has involves SWOT analysis of personal skills and reflected on a personal development
plan for adjusting skills. Further, analysis of factors was conducted to evaluate their impact on
learning and development in business performance. Kolb’s learning cycle and social exchange theory
of behaviour have been referred to explain performance management. High performance work
management system has been evaluated to understand its effects in employee engagement and gaining
competitive advantage in global business market. Moreover collaborative working, effective
communication and performance management have been discussed for ensuring business growth. On
conclusion, it is inferred that a collaborative approach for skill development and performance
management is essential for business development.
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Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................................4
LO1: Analysis of skills, behavior required by HR professionals............................................................4
P1 Skills, behavior and professional knowledge required by HR professionals.................................4
P2 Audit on personal skills and behavior............................................................................................5
M1 Professional skill audit that demonstrate evaluation and personal reflection...............................7
LO2: Analysing the factors that are implementing and evaluating inclusive development and learning
to drive successful business performance..............................................................................................8
P3 Differences between organizational and individual learning, training and development..............8
P4 Need for professional development and learning to drive a successful organisation...................10
M2 Learning cycle theories to analyse importance of continuous professional development..........11
D1 Detailed professional development plan that sets out with training relation and learning goal to
achieve successful business organisation..........................................................................................11
LO3 Application of knowledge on high performance working that contributes to employee
engagement and competitive advantage................................................................................................13
P5 Demonstration of how HPW helps employee engagement and advantage of competitive within
organisation........................................................................................................................................13
M3 Benefits of HPW with justification on organisational situation..................................................15
LO4 Evaluation of ways collaborative working, effective communication and performance
management supports HPW...................................................................................................................16
P6 Evaluation of different approaches for performance management and demonstration with
examples of how it can support high-performance culture..............................................................16
M4 Critical evaluation of different approaches and high-performance culture can be effective......18
D2 Valid synthesis of information and knowledge that results in how mechanism and HPW use to
support employee and improve engagement, competitive advantage, and commitment..................18
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................19
References..............................................................................................................................................20
Appendices.............................................................................................................................................22
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Introduction
Aviva is an insurance company in London that basically focuses on commercial insurance sector,
retirement plans etc. This study focuses on various skills and behaviors required by HR professionals
to run the business smoothly. A personal skill audit is also shown to identify skills and appropriate
knowledge development plan. Various factors are shown to drive sustainable business performance.
The report also focuses on differences between organizational and individual development learning
and training in the business. Learning cycle theories are also been shown to analyze importance of
professional development. This study also focuses on how high performance work (HPW) contributes
employee engagement and helps in better sustainable business performance. The various benefits of
HPW and justification on how it is helping Aviva to grow a better organization in market is also been
shown in the report. The different ways in which collaborative working effective communication and
performances management is supporting Aviva and their employees to give a better workplace and
improve their business organizations.
LO1: Analysis of skills, behavior required by HR professionals
P1 Skills, behavior and professional knowledge required by HR
professionals
HR in an organization sees entire spectrum of managing, creating and helping employee to complete
their work efficiently. As a HR professional in Aviva various knowledge’s, skills and behavior is
required to run the organization smoothly in market that are Curiosity, good decision-making,
collaborative, courage to challenge
● Curiosity
HR professional in their job role must be curious about their work by looking for a better way or
using new techniques complete their work. As said by Mackay (2017:1056), they must have a desire
to invest time and energy in respective work and by using innovative ideas complete the task.
Curiosity is mainly important to HR professionals as it let the mind to stay active. Curiosity in HR
helps them to imagine about possible future outcomes and necessary steps to be taken for increasing
profit revenue in organization.
● Good decision-making
HR professional should have a good decision-making skill to help organization in getting a increase in
revenue. It requires strategy and experience. As opined by Mayo (2016:52), when facing various
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problems and situations HR professional should take a better decision and hence helps the
organization to run smoothly. They have the availability to make correct decision that leads to achieve
goals of the organization.
● Collaborative
HR professionals are collaborative as they work efficiently with employees, teams, individuals, clients
and stakeholders. As said by Lloret (2016:418), this makes it easier to deliver better collaborative
project. They also help employees by providing knowledge about task and different projects and
hence this helps in a better workplace in organization.
● Courage to challenge
Most important skill in HR professional is having courage to face all challenges. This is the time
when various work related issues occur in the organization and HR professional have courage to solve
the problem and increase the strength of organization. As said by Bailey (2015:220), this helps
organization to increase their work efficiency and create a better atmosphere among employees and
encourages them to increase their courage and solve problem in future.
P2 Audit on personal skills and behavior
Job role as a HR Manager
Responsibilities Skill Knowledge Behavior
● Participate in
planning and
development
Firstly, the ability to
communicate with
others and having a
good presentation skill
is required for
planning. Secondly, a
good listening will
help in gaining a better
knowledge for
planning and
development
● Knowledge
about better
presentation
and implanting
them to all
employees for
planning
process
● Knowledge in
giving idea
about planning
to employees.
● Through
planning and
development it
will motivate
employees in
taking various
innovative
ideas to come
with up with
new plans for
the
organization.
● Recruitment of
good
employees
Firstly, Through
having patience while
recruiting deals in
getting good
● Domain
knowledge
about asking
questions on
● Recruiting
good
employees in
organization
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employees for
organization.
Secondly, by looking
body language skills it
helps to read out the
nature of employees
and their behavior of
working with
organization.
related job
profile.
● Knowledge for
conducting
practical test at
the time of
recruitment
process
will increase
the working
efficiency and
hence will also
increase
revenue in
market.
● Good
employees
will use new
technology
that helps
organization to
increase their
productivity
level in market
● Providing
good advice to
employees
Firstly, by having a
better mutual
understanding with
employees can help in
giving advice to
employees.
Secondly, by
analyzing data on how
employees are working
and thus it will help in
knowing what advices
are to be given for
better performance of
employees.
● Knowledge of
sharing ideas
with
employees and
provide better
outcome to
solve the
problem.
● Effective
discussing on
problems and
giving
knowledge to
find solution
and clarify
them.
● Giving good
advice to
employees
will encourage
them to work
hard for the
organization
and focus on
their
respective
tasks.
● Thus this will
also motivate
them to gain
knowledge and
information
and focus on
their work.
● Better Firstly, being a quick ● Giving them ● Better training
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Training learner can help in
providing a better
training among
employees that will
help them in
increasing a better
training ability.
knowledge
about various
new computer
technologies
● Giving them
knowledge
about various
trainings.
will give a
good task
performance
and quick
problem
solving.
● Maintaining
work culture
Firstly, through a
better mutual
understanding among
employees helps in
creating a good work
culture in organization.
Secondly, a safe,
healthy and better
working place is
required to maintain a
good working culture
in the organization.
● Knowledge in
giving them
flexible
working
condition
● It will create a
leadership that
helps in
making better
working
culture.
● A good
identity and
emotions is
also there in
the HR
behavior.
Table 1: Audit on personal skills and behavior
(Source created: By learner)
M1 Professional skill audit that demonstrate evaluation and personal
reflection
The ability to communicate with others and also face to face communication helps in creating a better
understanding among employees of Aviva. This helps in creating a better understanding of problem
and solves them. For example, a problem was faced by employee as there was a communication gap
in between them and this was solved by face to face communication. As mentioned by Wojtczuk-
Turek and Turek (2015:397), thus this steps helps them to complete the work smoothly. Good
listening also gives a better understanding among employees of organization and thus maintains good
working conditions.
A good patience is important for recruiting employees as they can be more elaborate with others. Thus
good body language skill also helps them in getting to know better employees. For example in
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recruiting employee by seeing the body languages of employee one can specify the attitude and
behavior of them. As opined by Millar et al. (2017:44), better mutual understanding between
employees helps them for good workplace and also encourages them to work harder. Giving better
advice to employee helps them in getting new ideas and knowledge, thus this helps in having good
outcome.
It increases the efficiency and revenue of Aviva. As opined by Sanders and Lin (2016:32), thus this
also helps Aviva in creating a better workplace environment. Better training to employees and
providing them all knowledge and information help the employee to know the work and do it without
having any further issues or problem. Thus at the training period in Aviva they are given better
knowledge so that in future there is no problem in working. Maintaining work good work culture by
having a better understanding helps Aviva to work better in the market and thus increase their
profitability ratio. Healthy working condition maintains a good relation among employees of Aviva
and hence gives them a good working culture in the environment.
LO2: Analysing the factors that are implementing and evaluating inclusive
development and learning to drive successful business performance
P3 Differences between organizational and individual learning, training
and development
Learning Training Development
Organisational ● It helps in
modifying
established
ways of
improving
different
problems,
analyzing
them and how
to act on the
problem.
● In learning
culture various
● As said by7
Benn et al.
(2018:02),
better training
helps Aviva to
complete their
task within the
allocated time
and
completing it.
● Training helps
in increasing
knowledge to
● A better
development
will help
organization to
increase their
profit revenue
in market and
increase the
demand.
● It will also
help in
increasing
their
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steps are
practiced and
hence issues of
every
employee are
solved.
employees and
leads to in a
good working
condition.
productivity
and thus will
also help in
getting a
customer
satisfaction.
Individual ● It helps
individuals to
increase
adaptive
knowledge
about various
working
conditions
● Individual also
gets help in
fulfilling the
communicatio
n gap that they
are lacking in.
● Individually
training helps
in getting
various ideas
and
knowledge
how to solve
them.
● On the other
hand, it also
helps them
analyzing a
better working
condition and
increases their
performance
in
organization.
● Individually it
will help them
in increasing
their efficiency
towards
organization
● It will also
help in
developing
their
knowledge and
let them focus
on their task
and complete
it within the
given time
period.
Table 2: Differences between organizational and individual learning, training and development
(Source created: By learner)
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P4 Need for professional development and learning to drive a successful
organisation
Aviva being a financial care service company indulges in improvement of human resource to make
services suitable and accessible for customers. Hence, the employees are needed to be acquainted with
services through skill development, knowledge acquisition and comprehension about organisational
objectives. As commented by Rae and Wang (2015:25), entrepreneurial learning and continuous
development are essential in building team cooperation and ensuring sustainable development. Aviva
has structured Development Goals for launching World Benchmarking Alliance, along with United
Nations Foundation and Index Initiative (aviva.com, 2019). In addition, sustainable development
acquisition has been focused on the application of training programs on operating global digital portal,
developing online learning programs, and apprenticeship along with on-job training. Business growth
was also supported by analysing customer needs and working for obtaining greater customer
satisfaction.
Figure 1: Importance of continuous learning
(Source: Influenced by Herrera, 2016:1725)
Continuous learning is essential in building skills and knowledge as per trending requirements.
Multicultural dimensions for lifelong learning supports the enhancement of performance and
acquisition of goals and promoting business growth. As proposed by Jones et al. (2016:38),
sustainable development can only be supported by enhanced knowledge and skills to break through
traditional environment and obtain high efficiency to contribute to organisational development.
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M2 Learning cycle theories to analyse importance of continuous
professional development
Learning cycle helps in understanding the process of learning and its implication in development of
skills and performance. As proposed by Smith (2016:142), continuous learning can be facilitated with
experiential learning as it focuses on learning through practical experiences that impact upon the brain
critically and reflect upon fruitful outcomes. The learning cycle is also called Kolb's learning cycle
that emphasises on four different stages for skill development and knowledge acquisition.
Figure 2: Stages of Kolb’s learning cycle
(Source: Influenced by Smith, 2016:145)
The theory also focuses on learning styles to develop skills. With reference to this, the management of
Aviva can implement strategies for skill development for enhancing customer relationship through
interaction and developing products based on customer demand. However, it is important to evaluate
the background knowledge of each relevant employee about insurance policies to arrange for
developmental programs.
D1 Detailed professional development plan that sets out with training
relation and learning goal to achieve successful business organisation
The professional development plan is helpful in strategising for actions to achieve the organisational
goals within a fixed schedule to facilitate business growth.
Objectives Learning goals Training plan Resources Time
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Indulge in
innovations
with
composite
model
Digital learning  Workshops in
technological
software
 Compliance training
for enhancing skills
in technology-
mediated problem
solving
Software such as
Sage 300cloud,
Workday
Financial
Management, and
Expert
4
weeks
Compositing
customer feedback
with information
technology
 Workshops and
seminars about
customer feedback
analysis
 Training in feedback
collecting software
operations
Expert guidance
and software such
as Qualsys,
InMomement
4
weeks
Increasing the
consistency in
operating
earnings
Analysing resources
to gain competitive
advantage
 Analysing market
suppliers through on-
job training
Expert and
records
2
weeks
Communication and
motivational skill
development among
the managerial
designation
 Lectures and
shadowing to
incorporate skills of
communication and
interpersonal skills
Expert and online
courses
3
weeks
Table 3: Professional development plan
(Source: aviva.com, 2019)
The plan will help in achieving skills to enhance the business opportunity for Aviva. In addition, the
resources and time management is to be considered carefully for management of the training
programs for the benefit of the organisation.
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