Assessment on Development of Individuals and Teams in an Organisation

This report delves into the critical aspects of individual and team development within an organizational context. It begins by outlining the essential knowledge and skills required by HR professionals, emphasizing communication, judgment, ethics, negotiation, and multitasking abilities. The report then presents a personal skills audit and professional development plan, identifying areas for improvement such as database usage, drafting employment contracts, and conducting training sessions. It further explores the differences between individual and organizational learning, highlighting the interconnectedness and the importance of continuous learning for both personal and professional growth. The report also examines the contribution of High-Performance Work (HPW) systems in organizational development and discusses various approaches to performance management, providing practical examples. Overall, the report underscores the significance of effective performance management for the successful functioning of an organization.

DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUALS AND TEAMS IN AN
ORGANISATION
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Knowledge and skills required by HR professionals (P1).........................................................3
Personal skills Audit and Professional Development Plan (P2)................................................4
Differences between individual and organisational learning (P3).............................................5
Need for continuous learning (P4).............................................................................................7
Contribution of HPW in organizational development (P5)........................................................8
Different approaches to performance management with examples (P6)...................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................11
Reference List:.........................................................................................................................12
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Introduction
The management of individuals and teams in an organisation can cause both positive and
negative impacts on its working. An organisation is a social establishment comprising of both
individuals and teams. Performance of individuals and teams in an organisation are
interrelated and determines its performance in a significant manner. Performance
management of both individuals and teams are essential for successful working of the
organisation. If an organisation can effectively manage performance it is a great achievement
on its part. This will help in smooth functioning of the organisation so that it can achieve its
goals quickly. Performance management these days forms a significant part of human
resource management due to its ability to achieve quick and successful results. It is used as a
method of linking individuals and teams in an organisation through a series of methods that
explains the roles to be played by individuals and teams in order to fulfill the aims of the
organisation.
Knowledge and skills required by HR professionals (P1)
The HR team of an organisation is one of the most crucial parts that influence the
organisation’s working to a large extent. Therefore it is important that the people in this team
have the appropriate skills and knowledge required:
Good communication: The HR people should have good communication skills because they
need to coordinate with almost all departments in an organisation. They need to explain their
point to employees, managers and various other people and should be able to communicate
across all departments in a particular organisation.
Proper judgmental abilities: It is very important for HR people to have the right judgement
in order to select suitable people for suitable positions in an organisation. This is also
important for tackling disputes and problem situations. There might be several complexities
among employees working in a concern. Right judgement abilities would mean taking the
proper action in respect of a particular situation.
Proper Ethics: HR managers should have proper ethics in order to take wise and fair
decisions. This implies that a HR manager should have the proper ethics so that they take a
fair decision both in case of employees as well as the management.
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Negotiation skills: Negotiation abilities are important for HR managers as they form a link
between the management and the employees. Thus they would be able to take decisions so
that both parties are satisfied as much as possible.
Multitasking abilities: HR people deal with varied issues on a daily basis. So it is important
for them to be able to multitask. They mostly deal with issues which are different from each
other and so they require many skillsets. Thus multitasking abilities are essential for them.
Organized: According to Noe et al. (2014, p.189), HR people should be organized and
sorted persons. They deal with varied issues and problems daily. They need to communicate
with various departments and manage their activities with time hence they need to have more
organised approach.
Dual focus: HR department is the link between management and employees in an
organisation. Hence they should be able to balance effectively between the two and should
take decisions which would not harm the interest of both.
Problem solving: HR managers deal with a large number of problems and disputes within
the organisation on a daily basis. Resolving disputes form a part of their job hence they
should have ability to solve problems and disputes easily (Sanghi, 2016, p.42).
Performance evaluation: Performance evaluation is one of the major roles of the HR
department. The HR managers need to be good at evaluating, assessing and comparing
performance so that they can evaluate performance of employees and teams which in turn
will help in successful functioning of the company.
The HR managers should have these qualities which will help in smooth functioning of an
organisation.
Personal skills Audit and Professional Development Plan (P2)
The candidate is not able to use database and HR software but is well versed with Microsoft
word and power point. Also internet and mailing skills are good. The candidate is unable to
draft employment contracts and in conducting training sessions. However she is good at
writing reports and preparing materials for presentation. The problem solving abilities of the
candidate is quite impressive. Since the candidate has good internet and mailing skills she can
deal with clients sometimes, coordinate between departments as well as reply to queries and
feedback over mail. Thus often she can help in maintaining internal and external
requirements of the company by replying to important mails such as queries and feedback.
Also she can send necessary mails to clients and answer pending mails from customers.
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According to Real et al. (2014, p.189), besides he is also good at resolving issues and solving
problems. So the company can use him to their benefit by letting him handle client and
customer support over mail. The candidate is good at searching over internet and also in
writing reports and preparing materials for presentation. Also she is good in Microsoft power
point thus she can prepare the slides before presentations by choosing suitable materials from
internet. It can be said the candidate has the potential to be a suitable HR with a bit of training
and development (Parker, 2014, p.662)
Areas of
improvement
Necessity of improvement Resources
needed
Methods of
assessment
Timescale
Database usage It is important for
organisation and retention
of data
System and
Database link
Application
after
improvement
2 weeks
Drafting
employment
contracts
This is required for issues
related to employee
negotiation
Employee
contracts and
effective tools
Application
after
improvement
1 month
Conducting
training session
This is needed to train new
employees who come into
the organisation or an
existing employee in a
particular skillset
Knowledge
about the topic
and effective t
Method of
delivery
1 month
Differences between individual and organisational learning (P3)
Organisational learning and individual learning are interrelated with each other. As per
Huffman et al. (2014, p.452), individual learning promotes organisational learning to a
certain extent however organisational learning is often a natural process which is necessary to
achieve short term and long term goals of an organisation. Organisational learning may also
be undertaken by companies for accomplishing financial goals and to make employees aware
of current needs and interests. Some organisations have an existing culture which is adapted
by new members entering it. But sometimes organisational learning becomes useful when
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disputes and conflicts increase in a company. Individuals working in a concern tend to have
differences in opinion so it is necessary to make them understand the company’s unanimous
motives and goals and how individual differences may affect the organisation on a whole.
Organisational learning helps to motivate employees and remove differences of opinion
within the same organisation. Individual learning is also important for a company. Individuals
working in a company might learn something from errors made by them or by others. Both of
these are helpful in some or the other way. Performance evaluation of employees are
important in this respect. Many times individual learning helps in transfer of skills as well.
Generally individuals function as teams or groups within an organisation so influenced
decisions are likely to take place. Often there is lack of effective communication since
individuals are influenced by the decisions of their respective groups. Therefore it is essential
for management to adapt problem solving strategies that would effectively resolve conflicts
among groups and help in smooth functioning within the organisation. The situation becomes
more complex within large organisations for individuals to differentiate between team
interests and organisational interests. If certain groups are more empowered than others they
would always try to influence the organisation’s decision making. Therefore individuals
should develop their professional ethics to the extent that the company’s interests are valued
more than individual interests. The hierarchy of an organisation should be such that team
interests do not interfere with organisational interests. Each individual should be aware of
their roles. Team or Group heads should be strong enough to develop teams in a manner that
they see organisational aims and goals above all. The management should emphasise on
problem solving and conflict resolution. Individuals and teams at the greater level of the
hierarchy should stop exercising their power in selfish way by trying to manipulate decisions.
Individual and Organisational powers are directly related so this relation should be used
positively. The HR team of Marks and Spencer should impose rules that would help
individuals and teams to influence decision making at some point of time. Individuals should
emphasize on role-play, acquisition of skills and development of professional ethics. Since
several individuals come together to form an organisation therefore a positive approach to
individual learning will promote organisational learning. If individual learning is not there in
an organisation it ultimately has negative impact on organisational learning and the
organisation on the whole. Both individuals and organisations should keep this factor in mind
for smooth functioning of a company. Inability in maintain a positive approach towards
individual and organisational learning affects the company’s decision making, financial
conditions and profit margins. This would lead to downfall in revenue, deterioration in
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customer service and decline customer retention possibilities. It would also lead to improper
implementation of strategies and difficulty in achieving short term and long term aims and
objectives. Hence companies should build up a strong coordination and understanding within
its teams and groups. Management should emphasize on individual performance evaluation
which would make individual learning easier thus also promoting organisational learning on
the whole.
Need for continuous learning (P4)
As per Cohen (2015, p.207), in the personal and professional life, improvement depends on
learning new things effectively and through implementing that learning in the workplace
efficiently. This particular objective is achievable through focusing on continuous
development of oneself. In this regard it is foreseeable that continuous development is
potential to take one’s abilities to that height where achievement of personal and professional
goals is easier. From different perspective, continuous development is necessary in personal
and professional development.
Minimises idea implementation time
A continuous development plan is needed to decrease the time needed to implement some
idea into practical. The ideas to improvement a self can come out of nothing at any given
time. Hence there must be a mechanism ready within a person’s activities that allows that
ideas to be implemented and thus enhances the personal and professional efficiency of that
particular person. As per Inyang and Akaegbu (2014, p.90), a continuous development plan
acts as that mechanism which allows a person to implement the ideas aroused to develop his
or her personal efficiency. In a business organisation like Marks and Spencer, this continuous
development plans helps in decreasing the time to implement any idea that comes into the
way in such a way that has the potential to enhance the effectiveness of the organisational
operations (www.marksandspencer.com, 2017).
Enhances knowledge and skill sharing
Referring to Akkermans et al. (2013, p.357), in an organisation like M&S, the actual
development depends on the sharing of knowledge and skills held by different employees in
their respective expertise. In this regard, the main application of a continuous development
plan is in the realm of sharing of knowledge and information within the different stages of the
organisation. The implementation of continuous development also encourages the employees
to share the knowledge that they hold in order to improve the overall performance of the
organisation.
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Failure ROI maximisation
Failure is important to learn something. But in the organisation context, it is not necessary
that every employee has to learn something through a failure. In this very point, the necessity
of a continuous development plan becomes important. Through a continuous development
plan, as knowledge and skills are shared within the organisation, hence the rate of failure has
to decrease. In this way, each employee of the organisation can learn the same thing without
committing the same mistake.
Increases improvement opportunities
Referring to Meijerink et al. (2016, p.222), the process of radical development must come in
the way of continuous development in an organisation. Through CD, one team or employee
of an organisation gets to about the activities and improvement strategies applied by another
team of employee in that very same organisation. In this way, despite having norm of
developing in a continuous way, the team or employee can accept radical way of
improvement by being inspired by the other team or employee. In this way, time and efforts
are saved in the way of achieving some radical change in an organisational context.
Contribution of HPW in organizational development (P5)
As per Katzenbach and Smith (2015, p.23), high performance working can be defined as the
collection of customs, ideas, arts, skills of a given set of people in a given timeframe. It is
considered a practice of HR to promote skills, productivity and commitment of employees to
develop a situation of advantage in competition of Marks and Spencer over their industry
rivals. The most significant aspect of high performance work culture is to positively influence
the attitudes and beliefs of the employees. According to Buckingham and Goodall (2015,
p.42), the employees in an organisation are responsible for shaping the work culture in an
organisation. As the system of M&S dictates, the employees who have a positive mindset
regarding HPW are highly rewarded and the workforce on the performance of the company
would provide incentives if there is a significant contribution. The culture of an organisation
also has several impacts on the people associated with the organisation. These norms are not
clearly visible and in order to enhance profitability and performance, norms are considered
the first aspects to look at. This can be carried out by an employee’s belief, attitude and value
towards the enterprise.
The current marketing situation of Marks and Spencer has not been remarkable, as of late,
and as a result, HPW needs to be incorporated within the work culture. When HRM practices
and beliefs are to be included in the work culture of M&W, then it can be presumed that there
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would be a hike in productivity, which might increase the profit margin of the organisation. It
has been complained about the management of M&W that incentives or hike in pay scale are
not carried out in an appropriate way. Several employees have left the organisation because
of the stagnation in the pay scheme of the company. As a result, there have been talks of
boycotting and causing strikes within the organisation premises.
For improving this situation, incentives or compensation need to be provided to the
employees that would motivate them to enhance their productivity in work, which is the most
significant aspect of High Performance Work.
Systems of High Performance Works define the practices of various human resources,
processes and work structures. This would combine and maximise the skills of the
employees, along with flexibility and commitment. This synergy would be necessary for
M&S to design its advanced technologies, structures and processes and those fields that have
a synergy with the external environment. As per the agendas of HPW, the performance of
M&S is its ability to meet organisational objectives and goals by harnessing the available
resources in an efficient and effective manner. The most significant principle of HPW
systems include shared data, development of knowledge, egalitarianism and linkage based on
performance approved rewarding.
Data needs to be shared with employees of M&W to enhance the performance of business,
which they are infamous for not carrying out. It also can provide appropriate suggestions,
cooperate and contribute in the reformation of the company. An employee of M&S where
HPW is introduced needs more skills along with technical, fundamental, leadership,
occupational and social which would be needed in a wider perspective. The primary
significance of HPW in M&S is to formulate culture of high performance in which every
employee of the conglomerate are dedicated towards individual and organisational
development.
Different approaches to performance management with examples (P6)
According to Budworth et al. (2015, p.47), measuring the performance of employees is
deemed as the backbone of any management of a company. The owners of business generally
measure the performance of employee by evaluating how much contribution an employee can
make to the growth of the organisation. This message is conveyed to an employee at the
appraisal times. Various factors have major impact on the performance of a worker. They
include the presence of a conducive environment to work, profile of work, bonus system,
compensation, satisfaction of job, technology and organisational policies.
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Figure 1: Various Approaches of Measuring Performance
(Source: Posthuma et al. 2013, p.1185)
Various strategies can be implemented by a company for the reason of determining
performance of their workers. The most five used approaches include attribute approach,
comparative approach, behavioural approach, quality and result approach.
As per the comparative approach, a performance of an employee is compared with respect to
other members of the group. For instance, a team of top performers approximating to 10% of
employees, another average performing group of 50% employees, another good performing
group of 20% of workers and the lowest performing group being the remaining 30% of the
employees (Shirokova et al. 2016, p.705).
In the attribute approach system, the performance of an employee is based upon several
aspects such as teamwork communication, skills on solving problems, creativity, judgement
and innovation. The Scale of Graphic Rating details an employee’s performance on a scale of
1-5. A mixed scale of ratings is a more improved measurement form.
The behavioural approach is the oldest technique of measuring performance. This comprises
of vertical scales for various job dimensions. This can be carried out by utilising BOS or
BARS technique that stands for the Scale of Behaviourally Anchored Rating. These scales
are dependent on vertical scales marked from 5-10.
Referring to Pulakos et al. (2015, p.52), the Result Approach is a straightforward and simple
concept where the productivity and efficiency are two determinants for judging the
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performance of an employee. The main benefit provided by this method is that strategy is
converted to operations with extensive holistic perspective.
The Quality approach emphasises upon improving the satisfaction of consumers by
minimising errors and obtaining improvisation of continuous services. This approach would
consider both the factors of systems and person.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that Marks and Spencer need to incorporate some significant
changes in their work culture to enhance productivity. As it can be seen from the work, the
current marketing situation of Marks and Spencer has not been remarkable as of late, and as a
result HPW needs to be incorporated within the work culture. Several changes need to be
incorporated within the company, such as providing incentives and bonuses to improve the
situation of stagnant productivity. Organisational information needs to be shared with
employees of M&W to enhance the performance of business, which they are infamous for not
carrying out. It also can provide appropriate suggestions, cooperate and contribute in the
reformation of the company. An employee of M&S where HPW is introduced needs more
skills along with technical, fundamental, leadership, occupational and social that would be
needed in a wider perspective to improve the productivity and profit margin of the company.
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