Developing Individuals, Teams, and Organisations Portfolio

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DEVELOPING INDIVIDUALS,
TEAMS AND
ORGANISATIONS
NAME -
ID NUMBER -
GROUP NUMBER -
LECTURER’S NAME –
Table of Contents
2019

Section – 1................................................................................................................................2
Portfolio................................................................................................................................ 2
Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
a) The necessary KSA or Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes for an HR Advisor at Hightown
Housing Association..............................................................................................................3
b) Personal Skill Audit........................................................................................................5
c) Professional Development Plan (Andrews and Russell, 2012).......................................7
d) Briefing Paper................................................................................................................8
Section – 2.............................................................................................................................. 12
Briefing Paper..................................................................................................................... 12
Reference List.........................................................................................................................17

Section – 1
Portfolio
Introduction
CPD or Continuous Professional development has become the need of the hour since it
allows the employees and organisation to cope up with the high completion levels within
and without the organisation (Stewart, 2014). The CPD helps an individual to remain
competitive and execute their designated tasks effectively thereby contributing to the
organisational performance that increases as a result. The Continuous Professional
development can be considered to be a process that helps individuals evaluate existing skill
levels and compare it with organisation standards thereby identifying the skill gap if any
(Stewart, 2014). The individual can then work towards enhancing their skill levels to
eliminate the skill gap and enhance their individual productivity. CPD is also an important
tool for preparing oneself for future endeavours by acquiring necessary skill sets and
expertise. The process of CPD involves identifying skill gaps, taking measure to eliminate the
identified skill gap, and tracking the effectiveness and outcome of the steps being taken
(Sessa and London, 2015). It’s an on-going process that spans the entire professional career
of the individuals and ensures their competency in their designated roles (Stewart, 2014).
The Section – 1 portfolio consists of the standard KSA or knowledge, skills, and attributes
required by an HR Advisor at the Hightown Housing Association, a personal skill audit, and a
professional development plan based on the results of the skill audit.

a) The necessary KSA or Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes for an HR
Advisor at Hightown Housing Association
The HR Advisor at the Hightown Housing Association is responsible for the HR Business
Partner and works towards delivering the HR service that's strategic, comprehensive, and
effective. The responsibilities of an HR advisor includes handle human resources related
activities of the organisation such as staffing, disciplinary and grievances proceedings,
employee relations, employment laws, regulatory framework, performance management
support, creation and implementation of employment processes and policies, drafting
standard templates for HR policies, manage and develop a HR Assistant, etc.
The KSA or Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes describe the requirement of a specific role such
as the HR Advisor (Ulrich et al., 2013). Knowledge describes the theoretical understanding of
certain aspects of a particular role that are necessary for the effective execution of the
designated role. The skills are the competencies that are developed by means of experience
or training while Attributes are inherent traits of individuals (Ulrich et al., 2013).
Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes for an HR Advisor at Hightown Housing Association
Knowledge (Ulrich et al., 2013)
Knowledge of Employment Laws, Employment Tribunal, legal compliance, TUPE,
and Regulatory framework
Knowledge of key Human Resource activities and processes such as performance
management, training, development, employee relations, recruitment and
selection, and absence management
Command of Business Manager
Knowledge of documentation related to human resources management policies
and procedures.
Knowledge of Change Management
Skills (Ulrich et al., 2013)
Written Communication: For preparing official documentation pertaining to HR

such as emails, letters, and proposals
Verbal Communication: To facilitate clear and concise communication within and
outside the organisation
Listening: To clearly understand the relevant verbal communications and
proceedings
Presentation Skills: To conduct training session and representing the employees
and the organisation at relevant platforms
Interpersonal Skills: To coordinate with stakeholders in various organisational
functions
Logical, critical, and deductive reasoning Skills
Problem-Solving Skills – To handle HR related issues such as employee complaints
and support other business functions to handle such issues.
Attributes (Ulrich et al., 2013)
Leadership
Patience and self-discipline
Outgoing
Adaptability
Creativity
Time management
Negotiation Skills
Impartiality
Trustworthiness
The above-mentioned KSA are derived from the Job description of the HR advisor enclosed
with the assignment. These KSA’s are a necessary aspect of the effective execution of the
listed job responsibilities in an effective manner such as to handle disciplinary, grievance,
capability, absence, and whistleblowing cases the HR Advisor will need to have strong
listening skills, communication skills, Logical, critical, and deductive reasoning Skills along
with problem-solving skills (Ulrich et al., 2013).

b) Personal Skill Audit
The personal Skill audit facilitates the evaluation of current skill levels with KSA of the HR
advisor discussed above. This allows the determination of skill gaps that can be filled by
undertaking relevant course work and the training programs (Harrison, 2012). This personal
skill audit will be the basis of a professional development plan to correct the skill gaps.
KSA Category Competency Level
Knowledge (Harrison, 2012)
Knowledge of Employment Laws, Employment
Tribunal, legal compliance, TUPE, and Regulatory
framework
Competent
Knowledge of key Human Resource activities and
processes such as performance management, training,
development, employee relations, recruitment and
selection, and absence management
Competent
Command of Business Manager Moderate
Knowledge of documentation related to human
resources management policies and procedures.
Competent
Knowledge of Change Management Competent
Skills (Harrison, 2012)
Written Communication Moderate
Verbal Communication Competent
Listening Competent
Presentation Skills Moderate
Interpersonal Skills Competent
Logical, critical, and deductive reasoning Skills Competent
Problem Solving Skills Competent
Attributes (Harrison, 2012)
Leadership Moderate

Patience and self-discipline Competent
Outgoing Competent
Adaptability Competent
Creativity Competent
Time management Competent
Negotiation Skills Competent
Impartiality Competent
Trustworthiness Competent
The skill audit can be used to conclude that the skill gap was identified in the command of
the Business manager that belongs to the knowledge category, written communication and
presentation skills of the Skills category and Leadership of the Attributes category of the KSA
for HR Advisor at Hightown Housing Association (Harrison, 2012). The Written
Communication skill can be improved by undertaking certificate courses of the English
language and professional writing, the leadership skill can be improved upon by taking the
managerial training that will help in improving not only the leadership attribute but other
managerial skills like team handling and team management. The presentation skills will
require both training and certification courses to instil the theoretical aspects of
presentation skills like verbal delivery and preparation of relevant literature as well as
practical aspects of presenting a subject (Harrison, 2012).
Patience and self-discipline
Outgoing

c) Professional Development Plan (Andrews and Russell, 2012)
Development
Objectives
Priority Activities to be
undertaken
Resources Timeline Criteria for Success
Command of
Business
Manager
Medium Training Trainer Three weeks Trainers Feedback and
Successful operation of
Business Manager
Written
Communication
High Certification
courses
Online and Offline
Certifications
Six Weeks Course Certificates
Presentation
Skills
Medium Training and
certification course
Trainer and online
Certification
Five Weeks Trainer’s Feedback and
Course Certificates
Leadership High Managerial
Training
Trainer Six Weeks Trainer’s Feedback

d) Briefing Paper
For The Board of Governors
Creation of an inclusive learning and development culture within Hightown Housing
May 12, 2019
The focus of the organisations has now days shifted towards promoting continuous learning
within the organisation and create a Knowledge-based organisation due to its efficiency in
delivering sustainable business performance (Dochy et al., 2012). These organisations use
continuous learning as a tool to gain a competitive advantage in their specific industry.
Google, Apple, and Microsoft can be good examples of successful Knowledge-based
organisations that focus on promoting innovation and continuous learning within their
respective organisations (Sessa and London, 2015). The benefit to the organisation lies in
the fact that in knowledge-based organisations, the employees gradually become experts in
handling their designated roles and work that result in time bound, and cost-effective
execution of work with high-quality levels (Dochy et al., 2012).
Individual vs. Organisational Learning
Individual learning can be defined as the learning initiated and pursued by self-motivated
individuals on the basis of their inclination and needs (Dochy et al., 2012). The individual
needs in case of individual learning may or may not align with organisational needs, goals,
and objectives (Sessa and London, 2015). The organisational learning can be defined as the
learning initiated, promoted, and endorsed by the organisation with an objective to fulfil its
current or future requirements (Dochy et al., 2012). The organisational learning framework
is created to eliminate the skill gap in the employee KSA or to develop the employees by
promoting their acquisition of skills that’s relevant to the future organisational requirement

or the future employee endeavours (Sessa and London, 2015). The key differences between
Individual and organisational learning are listed below.
Individual Learning Organisational Learning
The scope of learning is limited and
dependent upon individual interests and
needs (Dermol and Čater, 2013)
The scope of learning is larger and depends
upon the organisational needs both current
and future.
The focus is on individuals and the
enhancement of knowledge and skill levels
of individuals
The focus is on groups of employees and the
enhancement of their knowledge and skills.
May or May not align with the organisational
requirements
Designed on the basis of current or future
organisational requirements (Dermol and
Čater, 2013)
Focused on individuals growth Focused on both organisational and
individual growth
Intrinsic motivation is necessary for
successful learning (Dermol and Čater, 2013)
Extrinsic motivation plays a vital role.
Training vs. Development
Both training and development can be considered as organisational initiatives to enhance
collective and individual performance as a tool to enhance organisational performance
(Cohen, 2017). Training can be defined as the process that enhances the employee skill and
knowledge levels and changes their individual behaviour so that they can execute their
current responsibilities effectively. Development is a process that imparts skills and
knowledge in employees that’s beneficial for future organisational requirements (Cohen,
2017). Development can be described as the process of furthering employee skills and
knowledge continuously and systematically with an objective to fulfil future organisational
requirements. The difference between training and development are listed below.

Development Training
It’s a proactive process It’s a reactive process (Cohen, 2017)
It’s an on-going process (Cohen, 2017) It’s conducted for a short duration as and
when required.
It focuses on future organisational and
employee needs
It focuses on current organisational and
employee needs
It is focused on developing the employee's
personality as a whole (Cohen, 2017)
It focuses on improving a particular skill set
It prepares and enables the employees for
future endeavours.
It enables an employee in effectively
executing their designated tasks (Cohen,
2017)
The importance of professional development and Continuous learning within Hightown
Housing
Continuous learning and professional development allow individuals to acquire new
knowledge and skills on an on-going basis. This helps them in remaining highly efficient
irrespective of the changes in the requirements of the business environment (Zepeda,
2013). The process is highly effective in keeping the employees prepared to face changes
both inside and outside the organisation. The consistent high efficiency and effectiveness of
the employees contribute towards the enhanced effectiveness of the organisation indicates
by its enhanced performance levels. In an organisation like the Hightown Housing, cost plays
a critical role (Stewart, 2014). The consistent saving in terms of cost due to cost-
effectiveness of the employee task execution and refinement of the organisational workflow
not only justifies the cost of incorporating the continuous learning within the company but
consistent organisation performance increases profitability and market share of the
organisation by making the employees the tools of competitive advantage (Zepeda, 2013).
The Company also prepares a high skilled employee pool that is not only highly efficient in
their work but they also mentor other employees thereby enhancing the expert employee
pool (Cohen, 2017). The continuous learning will make the Hightown Housing a knowledge-
based organisation where the employee performance and innovation are always at higher

levels. Also, this practice enhances the employee loyalty and motivation level that again
contribute towards organisational growth. The Hightown Housing can incorporate the Kolb's
learning styles and experiential learning cycle as a tool for fulfilling the organisational
learning needs (Cohen, 2017). This will be a beneficial model for the company since it will
allow identification of individual learning styles thereby allowing the organisation to adopt
the learning styles that suit the employee learning styles (Stewart, 2014). This will improve
the effectiveness of continuous learning allowing employees to learn faster and better. The
experiential learning cycle will allow the employees to learn by gaining practical perspective
of their learning goals that are usually more effective in an organisational setting (Zepeda,
2013).