HR Report: Developing Individuals, Teams and Organisations at M&S

This report delves into the critical role of Human Resources in fostering the development of individuals, teams, and the overall organization, using Marks and Spencer as a case study. It begins by outlining the essential professional skills, knowledge, and behaviors required of HR professionals, including communication, decision-making, and organizational abilities. A personal audit is conducted to identify skill gaps and inform a professional development plan. The report then differentiates between organizational and individual learning, training, and development, emphasizing the need for continuous professional development to drive sustainable business performance. It explores the contribution of High-Performance Workplaces (HPW) to employee engagement, examining the benefits of applying HPW principles within the context of Marks and Spencer. Furthermore, the report analyzes various performance management approaches that support a high-performance culture and commitment, critically evaluating their effectiveness. The report concludes by synthesizing the key findings and providing insights into the practical application of HR strategies for organizational success.

Developing Individuals,
Teams and Organisations

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................1
P1 Appropriate professional skills, knowledge and behaviours required by HR professionals. 1
P2 and D1 Personal Audit to identify Knowledge, skills and behaviours and professional
development plan........................................................................................................................2
M1...............................................................................................................................................6
P3 Difference between organisational and individual learning, training and development.......6
P4 Need for continuous learning and professional development in order to drive sustainable
business performance..................................................................................................................7
M2.Apply learning cycle theories to analyse the importance of implementing continuous
professional development...........................................................................................................8
P5 Contribution of HPW to employee engagement ...................................................................9
M3. Benefits of applying HPW - HIGH PERFORMANCE WORKPLACE...........................10
(MARKS & SPENCER) ..........................................................................................................10
P6 Different approaches of performance management that can support high performance
culture and commitment ...........................................................................................................11
M4 Critically evaluate the different approaches and make judgements on how effective they
can be to support high performance culture and commitment..................................................12
D2 Providing valid synthesis of knowledge and information...................................................13
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION
Developing individuals and teams in an organisation means increasing the performance
capacity of organisations (Bolden, 2016). It includes improving the skills and knowledge of
team and individuals which in turn can result in the development of entire organisation. In this
report, Marks and Spencer is taken as an organisation, which is a British multinational retailer
company which is specialised in selling of home products, clothing and luxury food products.
Present report discusses about employee skills, knowledge and behaviours required by the HR
professionals and factors which are to be considered while implementing and evaluating learning
and development in order to drive sustainable business performance (Cohen, E., 2017). This
report also includes the contribution of HPW towards employee engagement and gaining
competitive advantage in a specific organisational situation. It also discusses the way in which
performance management, effective communication and collaborative working can supports in
high performance culture and commitment.
LO 1
P1 Appropriate professional skills, knowledge and behaviours required by HR professionals
There are various professional skills, knowledge and behaviours required by the HR.
professionals of Marks and Spencer like they should have the knowledge of principles and
procedures for personnel recruitment and selection. They should posses the knowledge of how
and when training and development programs are to be implemented within the organisation. HR
professionals should also posses the knowledge of business and management principles which
are involved in the resource allocation, leadership techniques, strategic planning, human resource
modelling and coordination of peoples (Schuchmann and Seufert, 2015). They should have the
knowledge related to customer and personal service. For example, HR professionals of M&S
should have the knowledge about the principles and processes for providing the quality service to
customers which also includes meeting the quality standards for services, customer need
assessment and evaluation of customer satisfaction HR. professionals should have the knowledge
about Law and Government like should posses the knowledge of legal codes, government
regulations, democratic political processes and knowledge about the employment laws (Carey
and et. al.). There are also various skills required for HR professionals of M&S which are as
follows:
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 Communication skills: This is perhaps one of the important skills required by HR
professionals as this field requires lot of talking with the teams, individuals and various
department of M&S for example marketing, finance, operations department, etc. . So,
they require effective communication skills in order to communicate within the
organisation in an effective way.
 Decision making skills: HR professionals of M&S have to take lot of decisions which
are vital for an organisation. For example, HR professional during recruitment process,
they have to decide whether an applicant is right for the organisation or not and it
requires an experience, strategy and intuitions and this is something which HR
professionals need have to have decision making skills. There are other decisions which
are to be taken by HR. professionals like when there will be need for training and
development in an organisation, decisions related to salaries, incentives etc.
 Training and development skills: HR professionals are responsible for providing
training and developmental programs to the employees therefore they should possess the
skills of training and development in order to provide such programs.
 Organisational skills: HR professional should have organisational skills as their
responsibilities are not limited to recruitment, training and development, individual
development plans, etc., but they have to perform other roles too which requires pure
organisational skills. For example, HR professional are also involved in lot of paper
work, process and administrative tasks, etc within the various departments of M&S for
which it requires organisational skills.
There are also various behaviours which are required by HR professionals in order to
improve their efficiency, they have to be transparent and trustworthy which is essential to build
employee relationship and have to be versatile and adaptable to face the various types of
situation and challenges in the organisation. Their behaviour of HR. professionals should be
solution oriented as they should try provide the solutions to the problems which are faced by HR
professionals.
P2 and D1 Personal Audit to identify Knowledge, skills and behaviours and professional
development plan
Personal Skill audit: Personal skill audit can be defined as the process which is used to
identify the skills gaps and the purpose of skill audit is to identify the area which requires
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training. Personal skill audit will provide the information which can be used for various purposes
like acquiring of the skills which an individual lacks by developing a performance development
plan. Personal skill audit for HR. professional of M&S is as follows:
Knowledge:
Skills 1 2 3 4 5
Personal and human resource ✔
Administration and management
Knowledge
✔
Law and government ✔
Skills:
Skills 1 2 3 4 5
Communication ✔
Decision making skills ✔
Time management Skills ✔
Behaviour:
Skills 1 2 3 4 5
Trustworthiness ✔
Versatility and adaptability ✔
Solution oriented ✔
1= Absent, 2 = bad, 3 = Average, 4 = good and 5 = perfect.
Swot analysis: Swot analysis is the examination of individual's situation in an
organisation by looking at various strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
(Collaborative, 2018). It is a simple format and is easy to apply. personal Swot analysis is
conducted as shown below:
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Strengths: These are the areas where I hold a strong position in terms of skills, I have the
knowledge about personal and human resource which means that I possess the knowledge about
the recruitment, selection, training and development and compensation which is a strength as an
HR. professional. Also, I have perfect communication skills which helps me in communicating
within the organisation. Another strength that I possess is trustworthiness which can help to
create transparency and building trust within the organisation.
Weaknesses: There are certain skills which are lacked by me and which proves to be my
weaknesses I lack the knowledge about the law and government i.e. lacks of knowledge about
the government regulations and various laws which can prove to be weaknesses for me. Also, I
lack the time management skills which is an important skill for being a HR. professional and
also I have solution oriented skills which is also another weaknesses for me.
Opportunities: There are various opportunities for me in order to become efficient HR.
professional of M&S like opportunity to increase the knowledge related to M&S's administration
and management which can further improve my efficiency. Another opportunity for me is to
focus on my decision making skills and increase my versatility and adaptability within the
organisation.
Threats: There are various threats which are faced by me like high competition from other HR.
professionals, inability to improve its skills can cost my job.
In order to improve the skills which an individual lacks can be done by developing a
performance development plan which is a follows:
Areas of development Actions to be taken Measurement Target Date
Law and government
Knowledge
I should try to increase
the knowledge related
to legal codes,
government
regulation,
employment laws etc,
for this purpose I have
to become familiar
with various
government laws and
I can measure this
knowledge by
applying various
government and legal
laws within the
organisation.
3 months.
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regulations and should
keep myself updated
continuously.
Time management
skills
This skill can be
improved by setting
priorities for the tasks
which are assigned to
me and should try to
complete the task
within a given period
of time.
It can be measured
when I am able to
complete the assigned
tasks on time and how
well I will be able to
complete the tasks.
6 Months
Solution oriented
skills
I should try to provide
solutions to the
problems and should
try to adapt solution
making approach in
order to manage the
problems.
This skill can be
measured by
identifying the
outcomes of the
solutions provided by
me.
4 months.
Decision Making
Skills
I should try take small
decisions on my own
and for major
decisions I will take
guidance from my
seniors or mentors
which will help me to
improve my decision
making skills.
It can be measured
when I am able to take
major decisions for the
company which are
beneficial and
profitable for the
company.
6 Months
Management Skills To improve my
management skills I
need to take leadership
It can be measured
when I am able to
properly manage
3 months.
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course, get organised
and read management
books.
myself and people
under me which can
improve organisational
performance.
M1
There are various skills of HR professional which is possessed by me which are essential
for becoming an effective HR professional the skills like communication skills, personal and
human resource, etc but there are also certain skills which I lack and which needs an
improvement. So, I have developed a professional development plan which will help me in
improving my skills that could help me to face the challenges in the future and become an
efficient HR professional.
LO 2
P3 Difference between organisational and individual learning, training and development
Organisational Learning Individual Learning
Organisational learning can be defined as a
process of creating of knowledge, retaining and
transferring of knowledge in M&S.
Individual learning can be defined as a
capacity to build knowledge through
individual reflection and through personal re-
elaboration of individual.
Learning of an organisation is a broad concept
which may cover any topic which is better for
an organisation .
Learning of an individual is not a broad
concept it may be related to a particular area
for which an individual requires training.
In organisational learning leaders there is no
need of mentorship.
In individual learning of M&S requiires
mentorship in order to increase the skills and
knowledge of the employees.
Training Development
Training can be defined as a learning process
in which the employee gets an opportunity to
Development can be defined as an educational
process that is concerned with the overall
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develop their skills knowledge and competency
as per requirement of a job in M&S.
growth of an employee
It is for the short term. It is for the long term.
Aim of training is to ensure that employees of
an organisation are equipped with the skills
and knowledge with a reason that they could
be able to perform a particular task in an
organisation (The 4 main differences between
training and development, 2017).
Aim of development is to ensure that
employees in an M&S acquires a skills and
knowledge so that they would be able to
develop a conceptual framework and to get the
general understanding of operations in an
organisation.
Individual has to undergo training so that they
can be able to perform a specific job within the
organisation.
Development is a career oriented and it helps
an employee to become master in a particular
field.
P4 Need for continuous learning and professional development in order to drive sustainable
business performance
Continuous learning is the expansion of skills or skill sets and increasing
knowledgeHigh performance work are basically those practices which intends to increase firm
potential to attract as well as hire talented and skilled workers. High performing team consist of
those people those who make their significant contribution in achievement of business goals. In
addition to this, high performance employees by setting example motivates other people to
improve their performance at workplace. In context of marks and Spencer has established a
reward system for encouraging people to give their best performance at workplace. High
performance workers also supervise their juniors as well as peers which has supported an
organization in developing the high performance working environment. It has also supported
management in ensuring the engagement of all employees Regular feedback as well as
supervision has enabled management to ensure the high level of commitment from the side of
workers. It is the high performance employees those who by applying the skills encourage other
people to facilitate innovation because of which an organization able to gain the competitive
advantage in the market.
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continuously in an organisation and professional development is a learning to maintain or gain
professional credentials. There is a need of continuous learning and professional development in
order to drive a sustainable business performance because it helps in shaping the teams in order
to adapt the changes within business environment This will help in driving sustainable business
performance because business environment is very dynamic such situations demands that
employees have to remain up to date and should be flexible and help in adapting the changes
which may arise at any time due to changing business environment. Continuous learning and
professional development results in the constant expansion of skills and knowledge which is
important for driving sustainable business performance and also prepare employees to face the
challenges effectively in future. One of the obvious reason of continuous learning and
professional development is that it can help the organisation to remain competitive which is
essential for current business environment. It is also need of the employees to work in the
organisation which has a culture of continuous learning and professional development and this
can also help in driving sustainable business performance. This ensures enhancement in
knowledge and skills of employees that need to deliver professional service to customers and
community. Constant learning and development also helps an individual in making meaningful
contribution to team and provides an opportunity to become more effective at workplace. All this
will help Marks & Spencer in driving sustainable business performance.
M2.Apply learning cycle theories to analyse the importance of implementing continuous
professional development
It is a concept how people learn from the experience and applied it in the professional
development. There are four stages of learning cycle includes:
1 Concrete Experience
It is being involved in new experience, or anything that encourages for the independent
discovery is the most desirable. It is very important to implement it in the continuous
professional development as it makes the employee more confident and this concrete experience
is very helpful for the Mark and Spencer as it make the employee as an active participants in the
organisation.
2 Reflective Observations
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These are the observations which makes the concise and logical approach. The
employees of Marks and Spencer are more interested in innovative ideas and having the logical
sound theories. This will be helpful in the development of professional.
3 Abstract Conceptualization
This are the theory in which people learn from the experience and develop their theory.
They will use this learning to find out the solution to questions and problems. It is very helpful
in the development of professional as they are more attracting towards the technical issues and
problems rather than other. And in the organisation like Marks and Spencer, this will be the boon
as they like to do the experiment and always allows the innovative ideas which is very essential
to this kind of industry.
4 Active Experimentation
As learner perceive and process the information in a continuous basis. This theory is used
to solve the problems and make the decision accordingly. This kind of learners applies their idea
to the world and see the circumstances happened. Employees of Marks and Spencer use the
analysis and believes in a experimental approach and due to this they always come with the new
and innovative product. This kind of learning style is prevalent in the general public and helps
them to implementing in a continuous professional development.
P5 Contribution of HPW to employee engagement
High performance working (HPW) is the practice that show ability of company to hire
talented people and retaining these skilled people in the business for longer duration. Marks &
Spencer is the leading retail firm that encourage HPW (Namada, J. M., 2018). The major aim of
business unit is to raise performance of employees so that enterprise can meet with its
organisational goal. M&S is the leading retail firm that continuously observe performance of its
employees (Noe and et.al., 2017). It engages its workers and make them aware with their
responsibilities. This engagement encourages high performance working and people contribute
well in accomplishing goal of business unit to great extent. People have to work under close
supervision so that they do not face issue in performing their job effectively. By this way, people
interact with each other effectively and this develops strong bonding among them. This is the
best way through which skilled employees work in the organisation significantly. If there is high
turnover issue in the organisation, then M&S discuss the issues with workers and provide them
reward and recognition in order to motivate workers (Chelladurai and Kerwin, 2018). This
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enhances loyalty and trust of employees and they encourage to perform well in company. This
supports Marks & Spencer in offering best services to consumers and retaining them in the
organisation for longer duration. By this way firm become able to gain competitive advantage.
HR manager of Marks and Spencer always encourage its works and treat them in such
manner so that they become more committed towards the job. HPW affect behaviour of
employees and they become positive towards the firm. Employee engagement improves working
culture of organisation that aids the business in raising its sales and gaining competitive
advantage as well (Brewster and et.al., 2016).
M3. Benefits of applying HPW - HIGH PERFORMANCE WORKPLACE
(MARKS & SPENCER)
Marks & Spencer is one of the leading retailer which have its headquarters in
Westminster, London. It operates in selling furniture, clothing, home products & food products.
HPW - HPW is an environment framed to indulge an organisation's employees for the
effective achievement of its goal & creating value to its operations.
Benefits of applying HPW:
1. Effective achievements of organisation's goals:
Marks & Spencer creates a physical or virtual workplace to make employees effective in
fulfilling business goals and providing valuable support.
2. Retainment of workforce:
HPW balances people and processes to enhance their ability to function & self-growth.
Self-growth of employees motivates & retain employees of Marks & Spencer.
3. Unite employees as a team:
Marks & Spencer's employees ability to learn, explore, discover, innovate & lead
measurably enhance the togetherness and corporation of a team.
4. Higher Revunes:
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