Developing Individuals, Teams, & Organisation: Smyths Toy Retailer

This report analyzes the development of individuals, teams, and organizations within Smyths, a UK-based toy retailer. It identifies necessary skills, knowledge, and behaviors for HR professionals, including communication, time management, and conflict resolution. A personal skill audit and development plan are created, focusing on improving technological understanding and administrative skills. The report differentiates between organizational and individual learning, emphasizing continuous professional development for sustainable business performance. It examines the role of high-performance work practices (HPWP) in employee engagement and competitive advantage and evaluates various performance management approaches. The analysis underscores the importance of a supportive work environment and effective HR practices in driving organizational success and employee satisfaction at Smyths.

Developing individuals,
teams and organisation

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
PART 1........................................................................................................................................3
P1 Determining suitable professionals knowledge, skills and behaviours which is required
by HR professionals. .............................................................................................................3
P2 Analysing personal skill audit for knowing skill, knowledge and behaviour and
professional development plan is created...............................................................................5
PART 2........................................................................................................................................8
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................8
P3 analysing difference between organisation and individual learning, training and
development. .........................................................................................................................9
P4 Examine the want for continuous learning and professional improvement for drive
sustainable business performance.........................................................................................11
P5 Demonstrating understanding of how HPW contributes in employee engagement and
competitive advantage..........................................................................................................12
P6 Evaluating different approaches to performance management............................................13
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................14
References:.....................................................................................................................................16
INTRODUCTION

The operations of a business organization are dependant upon the performance of the workers
and other professionals that are associated with it. There are certain business ethics and rules and
regulations that are obligatory on the part of the employer as well as the employees. Employees
are valued differently in every business enterprise because they are the assets of the organization.
They work hard for the success of the business company. The HR professionals are those
individuals who hires various employees on the basis of their qualifications, skills and
knowledge they posses. They are being placed in the company according to their position which
is best suitable for them(Dawson, 2018). The working environment plays a crucial role in
enhancing the growth and performance of a company. Further, this development helps in
increasing the profitability of a company and helps it to sustain in the market. This report talks
about a toy retailer brand of United Kingdom that is Smyths. It was founded by Tony, Padraig,
Liam and Thomas Smith in the year 1986. It is operating from Ireland. It will discuss the skills,
knowledge, code conduct and professionalism that is needed in an HR professionals. Also, in
order to identify the suitable knowledge and skill personal skill audit is being evaluated. Personal
development plan is also being made.
MAIN BODY
PART 1
P1 Determining suitable professionals knowledge, skills and behaviours which is required
by HR professionals.
Recruitment of employees is done by the HR professionals of a company so that the business
organization can achieve the desired aims of the company. HR professionals helps in retaining
the employees in a company. The process of hiring is done according to the skills and knowledge
an individual posses. For the same, it is important that the HR professionals must posses certain
qualities such as appropriate communication skills, behaviour, knowledge so that they can
manage the employees properly. Basically, HR is responsible for determining the factors that are
required to be changed in order to perform in an efficient manner. The HR of Smyths know that
what are the important skills they are required to handle the problematic situations by providing
training to the employees. This would help in development of skills in the employees. There are
various skills, knowledge and conduct that are needed by the HR of Smyths company-
Skills

There are various skills that are required in the HR professionals. In relation with Smyths
company skills are important in the HR so that they can administer, strategise and calculate the
performance of the employees of an organization. This would help in improving the weak areas
of the employees. The skills that are needed are mentioned in the following points-
 Communication- Communication or interpersonal skills are the first and the foremost
requirement for the HR professionals because they acts as a bridge between the
management and employees of the company. At different levels they need to
communicate with the shareholders of a company(Hennekam, Follmer and Beatty. 2021).
 Time management- It is very important element in the category of skills of HR
professional. It is important to prioritize that the working of the employees in order to
achieve any particular goal for the company is being done in specific period of time. This
would ultimately helps in completing the assigned task before time without any delay.
Knowledge
In relation with Smyths company, the knowledge which is essential for the HR professionals in
order to manage the employees of the company are given in the following points-
 Administration and management- It is essential for the HR of any company to have a
proper knowledge regarding the fundamental postulates of business and management. It
basically covers coordination, cooperation, distribution of resources, human resource
management, leadership tools(Styliani, 2019) (Kirkpatrick and Hoque. 2022).
 Personnel and human resource- The HR professionals must posses an idea that in what
manner an employee is being hired for a particular position. The HR should have
knowledge about the proper recruitment procedure for selecting the employees, providing
them with appropriate training, maintaining good relationship with the employees.
Behaviour
The conduct of an HR is very important in a company in order to retain the employees. There
must be a healthy relations between the HR and the employees because this would ultimately
helps in improving the performance of the employees.
 Understanding knowledge- It is essential that the HR of a company must holds
knowledge of all technological changes that are being taking place so that if in any case
any employee faces any difficulty in understanding or operating any system then it can be
sorted out effectively.

 Resolution directed- If any dispute arises between the employees, then the HR should be
able to solve the conflict by rendering the proper solutions for the same. This could be
done when the HR works impartially. The HR professionals should maintain a positive
attitude with the employees so that they could listen to them in case of any disputes.
P2 Analysing personal skill audit for knowing skill, knowledge and behaviour and
professional development plan is created.
Personal SWOT analysis-
From this particular analysis, the HR professionals can examine their strength, weakness,
opportunities and threats both internally and externally.
Strength
 Time management skill- It is one of the key strength that I posses. I use to complete my
tasks on time. It helps me in proper management of the employees in order to make them
work according to the specified time limit(Mazurchenko and Maršíková, 2019).
 Resolution directed- It helped me solving the various issues that arises among the
employees efficiently by providing best solutions to their problems.
Weakness
 Administration and management skill- I am unable to manage the details of the
employees and the data of their work.
 Information technology- I am not comfortable in dealing with the technology
advancements as I found this particular task difficult due to its complexity.
Opportunities
 Listening skills- While tackling the various issues of the company, listening skills are
important. It helps in evaluating the employees on the basis of their speaking skills.
 Understanding HRM- It is very important for the HR professionals to have a proper
understanding and knowledge about human resource management. As this is the only
area in which they need a specialized skills in order to deal with the employees.
Threats
 Competition- The competition have increased in the field of human resource
management due to the high range of demand in the market. There are many individuals

who posses better understanding of various skills and knowledge that is required for
being the HR professionals.
Personal Skill Audit
It is basically a plan in which there is a document that specifies that provides an insight about the
skills a particular individual posses and in what way it could be more improved(Alatailat,
Elrehail and Emeagwali, 2019). It helps in finding the loopholes in the skills of a person in terms
of making them advance regarding their need at present. In relation with Smyth company the HR
professionals must undergo personal skill audit to understand the skill set that is needed.
Skill/ behaviour/ Poor Average Good Excellent
Understanding
HRM
#
Time
management
#
Listening skill #
Information
technology
#
Administration
management skill
#
Resolution
directed
#
Personal Development Plan
PDP basically helps in determining the aims of an individual through a strategised action plan. It
is required for attaining appropriate skills, knowledge and experience for further career
enhancement. Which will bring success to the company. It is important for self analysis and self
assessment so that the weaker areas could be improvised effectively.
Skills Current
capability
Target Development Time frame

Information
technology
I am not able to
understand the
technological
complexities
easily. It is very
difficult for me
in getting use to
with any type of
technological
advancements.
I will focus on
adapting the
various changes in
the field of
technology so that
I can complete the
assigned tasks on
or before time. It
will also help to
solve the issues of
the employees
regarding
technological
complexities(Guer
ci, Hauff and
Gilardi, 2022).
I can enrol in a basic
online course that
provides me the
detailed information
about the technology
and other changes.
One year
Administratio
n and
management
I am unable to
deal with the
details and data
of the working
of employees
which is very
important in
order to keep a
record of their
performance.
I want to improve
my supervising
skills in order to
keep administering
the records of the
employees in terms
of their work. If the
records are
maintained in an
efficient way, then
it will not create
any sort of disputes
among the
employees.
I will undergo training
process and read some
books thorough which
I can gain knowledge
on how to manage the
data of the employees.
It will also helps me in
administrating the
performance on the
regular basis.
4 months

Understanding
HRM
It is essential
that one who is
the HR
professional
must have
knowledge
about the human
resource
management. It
could provide a
lot of help at the
time of hiring of
the various
candidates.
Proper
understanding of
human resource
management is
required for the
enhancement of the
career as well as
the professional
skills of the
individual who
wants a growth in
the profession of
the HR.
Various online
packages are available
through which an
individual can gain
appropriate knowledge
about human resource
development. There are
different books,
recordings are
available which could
help in increasing the
use of cognitive mind
in terms of HR
management.
5 months
PART 2
INTRODUCTION
The success of any business organization is dependant on the employees who use to give their
sweat and blood for the company. They are the reason through which the co0mpanies achieve the
desired aims and objectives in an efficient and effective manner. So, the employees must always
be treated with importance and they should be valued as assets of the organization. But in order
to administer or management of the employees, HR professionals are considered to be an
important part of the company. They use to hire the employees and place them on different
positions in an Organization. And further, it is crucial to maintain a positive relationship with the
employees. This report explains the importance of learning and development in order to sustain
the business in the market. It also helps in managing the performance of the company in the
context of Smyths company which is a toy retailing brand of United Kingdom. In furtherance to
this, it would focus on the concept of high performance management along with its various
formulations. It also discuss that how efficiently communication can reinforce high performance
nature of the company(Rubel, Kee and Rimi, 2020).

P3 analysing difference between organisation and individual learning, training and
development.
For an organization it is very important to focus on the organizational and professional learning
in order to increase efficiency. In order to make the environment adaptive for the employees it is
crucial for the business corporation to create a healthy working atmosphere for them. If the
employees are dealt in appropriate manner then it would enhance the performance of the
company. It will help in the growth and development of Smyths company. The distinction is
mentioned below-
Organizational and individual learning
Basis Organisational learning Individual Learning
Meaning The organisation provides this
form of learning to those
people who requires an
improvisation in their skills. A
proper procedure of field
learning is being followed by
the organization. For example-
team leading, encouraging, etc.
This type of learning is useful
when a person needs self
advancement. This makes an
individual to learn various
skills which are important for
their job. In this way they
could increase the efficiency of
their performance and capacity
to work.
Purpose The main aim of this type of
learning is to render a chance
to the employees to attain
different types of knowledge
and skills that is useful for the
future performance and
professional growth(Afsar,
Shahjehan and Shah, 2018).
The major objective of this
type of learning is to increase
the experience level and
knowledge of the individual in
the similar area in which they
are specialized.
Benefit A company must provide an An employee can gain personal

opportunity to the employees
to learn new techniques and
skills by giving them training
on the regular intervals of
time. This will keep them
encouraged throughout the
day.
experience while undergoing
the process of individual
learning. Personal skills of a
person are improved to an
extent.
Training and development
Basis Training Development
Meaning It helps in imbibing essential
skills and knowledge that are
required for a particular
position. It is provided for a
short period of time.
It is used when an individual
needs overall change in its
professional career for
enhancing the future growth
and development. It is
provided for a longer time
period.
Purpose The basic purpose of training
is to render the details about
the various changes that are
taken place in the manner of
working along with the
technological advancements. It
includes information regarding
modifications in any product
or services, introducing new
techniques of handling the
system in which the company
It majorly concentrates on the
personal growth of an
employee for its better future.
It helps in improving the soft
as well as hard skills of a
person.

is dealing.
Focus The company basically
provides training so that the
employees can have a
knowledge about the goods or
services in which they have to
deal with. So that they can
work effectively in
coordination for the
development of the company.
The major focus is on the
professional growth of the
employees. It is important that
a person should learn
something from the
organization and gain
experience for future
enhancement.
Orientation The employees are mostly
involved in fulfilling the
requirements of the company
in order to achieve the desired
goal. They are responsible for
doing a job oriented role and
not more than that(Garg,
2019).
The individuals are self
oriented in which they perform
to improve their performance
in order to grow in future. It
will help them in acquiring
various opportunities for
gaining further experience.
P4 Examine the want for continuous learning and professional improvement for drive
sustainable business performance.
In the Smyths company management professional development and continuous learning
is important so that the worker were engaged in development and training program. Continuous
learning assists workers for gain and learn knowledge on same time when they were working.
This assists to get skill and knowledge which will be needed in their job. On other word the
development of professional is a set for experience and skill which assist them to identify
promote and objective creativity. Some example for this are increment, job shifting, change of
authority. In the management of Smyths company this is essential for increase performance and
productivity. The main objective for the Smyths organisation is for keeping satisfaction of
customer this is the only possibility when the worker were highly skilled for the products. So, the

company focus on the development and continuos training. This program will assist the worker
for increasing the eventually increase and development skill for level of profitability in the
enterprise. Continuous learning focus on full development in an person. They are able for getting
more opportunity in future through learning new skills as per the time period. This opens gate for
success and growth(Gahan, et.al, 2021). If a person keeps on learning new things than this
increases the performance of company and this gives more contribution to the enterprise. This is
very essential for professional development of worker.
P5 Demonstrating understanding of how HPW contributes in employee engagement and
competitive advantage.
High-performance work or HPW helps a company in achieving its aims by operating in an
efficient way. According to the company Smyth the workers are able to assist one another in
achieving the set target through improved performance and coordination. The organisation
benefits from its competitive advantage which has came from its motivated workforce.
Supporting and inspiring individuals in contributing to the company is beneficial. Employees are
an important part to the company is enormous success by playing a crucial role in their
achievements. The ability to encourage employees using various techniques will allow them to
perform to the best of their abilities. total performance and productivity of the organisation can
be used to gorge and individuals level of performance. High performing staff at Smyth’s carry
out their tasks expertly and completely. They offer clients best quality goods to keep them as
valuable consumers. They help employees become more knowledgeable and skills so that the
company can succeed. A healthy workplace culture and limited international competition
encourage high-performance levels. Employee involvement is improved through human resource
management(Kloutsiniotis and Mihail, 2018). By boosting performance and productivity, high-
performance work and employee engagement are both crucial to the success of an organisation.
Smyths is the corporation that emphasis on ethical standards and traditional methods while yet
being it is also very adaptive that means it adopts the changes very easily. In their business, they
utilise a variety of techniques. They adhere do high-performance work and never stop inspiring
their staff to get more involved in the organisation.
HPW traits include-

 Participative leadership – where everyone in the company works in a coordination to
achieve the aims and objectives. Everyone in the group is free to take part.
 Open and transparent communication – where all team members and supervisors are
allowed to speak and exchange information in order to achieve targets.
 Effective decision-making – it is ensured by high-performance work that decision
making process must be done effectively which is in the accomplishment of
organisational goals.
P6 Evaluating different approaches to performance management.
Valuation of an employee's skill, strengths, shortcomings is a key component of
performance management, which plays a crucial role in deciding an employee salary rate and
chances for promotion. It is a corporate management technique that assists managers in keeping
track of and assessing employees performance. In the context of Smyths, this fosters a productive
work place where employees can work more effectively and efficiently while producing good
quality work using their capabilities(Travers, 2022). Performance management is basically used
by managers in their business organisation in order to improve the work performance, suggest
new strategies, and make wise decisions that aid the company in achieving its objectives and
performing at its best. Setting individual and team goals that are in line with the planning
objectives of the organisation is the basis of performance management, which is a constant
process for improving performance and organisations. In relation to have less, various
performance management strategies were described below-
 Collaborative working – it is also known as joint or partnership working, refers to the
methods used by two or more organisations in order to work in a coordination. In this, the
group exchange its knowledge, skills and abilities for achieving objectives. Collaboration
inside Smyths organisation increases the fecundity and profitability by giving employees
a sense of working together. Along with team development that is independent of
management and mutual cooperation, collaborative working is a permanent structure.
 Shared goals – these are the common aspirations that bind people together, enable them
to coordinate their efforts, and enable them to cooperate for the benefit of all. The
organisations shared objectives give a management and staff a single aim to work toward,
which boosts and increase trust among workers at all levels and enables management to

stay in contact with the employs. This improves the morale of the workers and builds
trust in the context of Smyths in the most effective and efficient way possible.
 Decision making – In a company, the process of decision-making aids enjoys
identification, gathering the details and valuation of potential course of action. It is
crucial element of managerial activities that play a significant part in the planning
process(Grit, 2019) (Rimmer, 2018). In the workplace, supervisors commands are
followed, management considers employee viewpoints, employees are motivated to do
their best. The organisations performing personnel should be provided with adequate
control and authority to carry out various company management tasks.
 Management by objectives MBO – it is a performance management strategy in which
the manager and employee jointly decide, set up and arrange the goals for a specific time
period. By utilising the smart methods that is used to effectively align the aims of the
employs with the overall target of the company. The Smyths organisations
implementation of MBO in performance management improves the commitment of the
employs and increases the likelihood that goals will be achieved.
CONCLUSION
The conclusion drawn from the above report is that employees are the most important part of the
company as they contribute in accomplishing various tasks for the growth and development of a
company. They also assist in ensuring high performance working atmosphere in a business
organization. In order to manage the employees appropriately, HR professionals are needed.
They helps in motivation of the employees by improving their skills in order to perform well. It
is crucial for every company to undertake high performance working pattern in terms of
increasing the profitability and the productivity of the business organization. For the same, a
company requires to implement such practices with the help of the employees working in the
organization. An effective participation of employees in the corporation is ensured by the human
resource management.

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