HR Strategies for High-Performing Teams at Aston Martin

This report analyzes the role of HR professionals in creating high-performing teams, using Aston Martin as a case study. It explores key HR strategies such as talent management, leadership, planning, and performance culture. The report delves into how HR can boost employee engagement through open communication, rewards and recognition, and clear goal setting. It also examines team-building models like Tuckman's and Belbin's, highlighting the importance of fostering strong employee relations and legal compliance. The study emphasizes the impact of these strategies on organizational capacity, sales, productivity, and overall employee relationships, providing valuable insights for businesses aiming to build effective and successful teams.

HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT

Contents
1. HR professionals for creating an effective team..........................................................................1
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

1. HR professionals for creating an effective team
Human resource is referred as a term for describing both people who are working in an
organisation and division which is responsible for managing all the activities and resources
(Alegre, Sengupta and Lapiedra, 2013). The term was first used when the values of labour
increased and it was gaining attention and this happened in the year around 1960s. Human
resource management can be said as a unit that helps in establishing mutual understanding
between different departments so that set goals and objectives can be achieved effectively. Main
activities performed by the department of HRM is to identify the requirements of company such
as conducting recruitment and selection process, providing compensation and benefits, providing
effective training and development programmes, maintaining employees relation etc., Therefore,
it can be said that Human resource management develops certain programmes through which
effectiveness of the company as well as employees can be maintained or increased. With the
change in course of time the shape of human resource management is changing as companies are
including both strategic and comprehensive approaches for managing the activities within the
organisation.
In addition to this, human resource professionals are playing a crucial role as they make
sure that firm's most of the important assets like human capital and employee’s relation are taken
care by them. According to the current market scenario, human resource management look after
for both traditional personnel and administration tasks (Andreeva and Kianto, 2012). Therefore,
members who are included in human resource department perform their task focussing on
actions which can add value to the company and provide benefits and competitive advantage to
the organisation. Henceforth, human resource management has some key responsibilities such as
vital in the growth of a business which is done by providing effective training and development
to employees.
Aston Martin is a British independent manufacturing cars the manufacture luxury sports
cars and it was founded in the year around 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Since the
company was established they are providing effective services and facilities to its customers.
Aston Martin has around 150 car dealership in approximately 50 countries and continents across
the world. Company's revenue is according to the 2017 is nearby £876 million and their net
income is around £79 million. In terms of number of employees around 1,850 are working with
full dedication so that company can be provided with benefits. Henceforth, in order to achieve
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set targets and objectives it is crucial that company develops an effective team which is capable
of giving high performance. Therefore, with the help of this essay a researcher will get to know
about different HR professionals strategies so that effective High performing Working Team
within the organisation can be created (Bailey and et. al., 2018).
Human Resource Strategy or HR Strategy is defined as a long term plan which is created
or formulated considering overall needs and requirements of the company. Thus, it can be said
that HR strategy is adopted by an organisation with the purpose of integrating and maintaining
company's culture by establishing coordination so that required objectives can be achieved in a
speculated time frame. Generally, Human Resource Strategy is based on four key dimensions
and these are culture, organisation, people and human resource system. Therefore, for getting
effective high performance if appropriate strategies are made than company can gain success.
While working in an organisation it is crucial that a space is maintained between employees and
superiors as it will further aid company in giving excellent work. Thus, for high performing
working team it is important that effective performance management is maintained and this can
be done through appropriate leadership, interpersonal relationships, constructive feedback and
teamwork (Bratton and Gold, 2017).
In relation with Aston Martin, HR strategies for developing high performing working
team company's strategies are based on four key areas and these are talent: this factor shows
how much human capital an organisation have who can perform their task in an effective manner
in order to provide benefits to the organisation. For example: manufacturing car is not an easy
task as it requires skilled workers and engineers who can understand about the basic
requirements for developing an efficient car. Therefore, Aston Martin with the help of
comprehensive staffing blueprint they can further forecast the staffing needs which can be
further analysed for hiring and retaining employees who are best in their work. Henceforth,
company for improving the skills and knowledge of an individual they can provided effective
training and development programmes. Leadership: This is a crucial factor through which
employees are guided so that appropriate results can be obtained. Thus, it can be said that an
effective leader can foster or fail a business operations. Therefore, in case of Aston Martin,
leaders of this company are guiding its team mates such as which engine can be best fit with the
model so that excellent cars can be manufactured. Planning: While developing HR strategies it
is important that a proper planning is done considering future consequences (Brewster and
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Hegewisch, 2017). Therefore, in case of Aston Martin they are conducting surveys on a regular
basis in order to know about the employee’s needs and requirements so that facilities can be
provided for satisfying their needs. Other than this, company is considering the insight of
different leaders so as to understand what kinds of activities are required for maintaining
effective workplace. Performance culture: If an organisation has well defined performance
metrics than potential of the company can be increased which can further leads to success. In
relation with Aston Martin, HR department by evaluating performance and skills they provide
reward scheme which is monetary and non-monetary. Therefore, it will enable company in
creating a high performance culture where employees are aligned with the requirements of
business and for this, they are highly motivated in order to do their best in return.
In addition to this, HR strategies can boost employee engagement by other factors as well
such as managers can listen to the needs and requirements of employees and according to the
performance feedbacks are provided. In relation with Aston Martin, managers are providing
equal opportunities to its employees for coming up with new and innovative ideas while
developing a new model for a car. This is not the task which is being done by HR manager they
are also asking for suggestions so that arising problem can be solved. But a space should be
maintained because too much dependency on employees can act as a negative factor as company
may not be able to provide effective services and facilities on time (Campbell, Coff and
Kryscynski, D, 2012).
. Therefore, most of the employees generally wait for the opportunity for showing their talents
and if they are given chance than this can boost their morale and workers can feel connected with
the company. As a result, employees will become more workaholic which will ultimately assist
company in developing high performing working team. Rewards and recognition is another
factor through which performance of employees can be increased. If an employee is provided
with certain kind of reward that this can create a sense of feeling that whatever work they are
doing are being valued. Therefore, awarding worker is the best way of letting employees know
about the efforts which they are giving to the organisation is precious. Thus, this kind of action
will not only encourage employees but also make them ready towards developing an effective
team for future activities.
Apart from this, assigning goals and responsibility in an effective manner plays a
crucial role as this can encourage employees or can lower down their morale (Casimir, Lee, and
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Loon, 2012). For example: specification in the engine like how much will be its capacity,
performance etc., should be done by engineers this will give effective outcomes. But if same
activity is accomplished by finance department than results will be different and employees can
feel demotivated. Other than this, giving appropriate payment according to the post is very
crucial for keeping up the morale of employees so that they can give their best performance. For
suppose: if a worker is highly qualified and working in a good position than but he/she is not
getting appropriate salary than working environment can get affected which can further create
issue while accomplishing the targets in a speculated time frame. In order to develop an effective
team using HR professional can adopt the strategies of cultivating open communication where
they can easily interact with other team mates and subordinates so that better outcomes can be
achieved in a speculated time frame. Maintaining employee’s relation: This is another factor
which can be used by HR Professionals for building an effective team who have high
performance capabilities. Because for accomplishing an assigned work it is crucial that team
mates have mutual understanding towards each members as it will further create an
understanding for doing a particular task. In order to this there should be a requirement of
effective communication such as using appropriate tools and technologies with the help of
which message can be communicated in an effective manner. For example: superiors in Aston
Martin are delivering information to the superiors and subordinates and they are further
transferring the same to employees. As a result, work is being done in an effective manner
without any complication (Chelladurai and Kerwin, 2017).
After discussing and implementation of the strategies which HR Professionals can adopt
for developing an effective team its impact can be analysed in two different segments such as
with the help of this, Aston Martin can improve the capacity of the firm by having effective
staffs who are capable enough in executing their task in a proper manner. This will enable
company in implementing new and innovative ideas to their businesses so that maximum
benefits can be attained. Along with this, department of sales and productivity will gets impacted
because effective team while performing their task will determine various factors that are
essential for having appropriate results. In addition to this, by using the HR strategy of like
providing equal opportunity to every individual in terms of keeping their ideas and thoughts
while performing the task in an effective manner will develop a better employee relation
(Cleaver, 2017). As a result, it will create a sense of belongingness towards the company and
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ultimately strengthen the relationship between superiors and workers. Other than this, with the
active participation in maintaining employee’s relation legal compliance will be stronger as
worker will get to know about the factors and legal requirements that are to be followed in order
to maintain policies and action plan. Therefore, workers in future can corporate with the
company if they implement any kind of policy for the betterment of the firm (Cogin, 2012).
Developing a team is very crucial for achieving set targets and objectives so that
company can get into a better position. In the process of building a team different people are
collected so that they can be united and used for achieving a common goal. In relation with
Aston Martin, they are using two models one of is Tuckman's Model of team building and other
one is Belbin model of team building.
Tuckman Model of Team Building:
This model was first introduced by a psychologist Bruce Tuckman which is largely used
by companies for building a high performance team. Developing a team goes through certain
stages and these are Forming: It is determined as the first stage in which all the employees are
new to one another and for performing the activity they are highly dependent on leaders who can
guide and direct them for accomplishing the task in an effective manner. Members are polite and
humble to each other. This period last for shorter period of time as people start knowing each
other while working together for a common goal (Flamholtz, 2012). Storming: This is the next
step after forming and in this team members start pushing their limits and try to establish a good
relation between employees so that mutual understanding can be developed. Individuals get to
know about the roles and responsibilities but uncertainties are present. Team members start
focussing on goals and give their best in order to achieve the same. But there are chances of
conflict arise because an individual can challenge authority about a particular task. For instance:
Employees in Aston Martin, after forming the team, managers are providing roles and
responsibilities to workers for instance: designing of the model of the cars are done by people
who are good in AutoCAD as a result, it will provide effective results. Norming: This is the
third stage in which agreement and consensus are formed in large number because roles and
responsibilities are clear. As a result, effective decisions can be made for further activities. Other
than this, for having an appropriate team all individuals can be included in fun activity as it will
create a sense of belongingness and further performing activities is easier. Performing: In this,
team are aware of what task they are doing and with what purpose (Knies, and Leisink, 2014).
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Thus, main focus is put on shared vision and achieving goals and objectives. Therefore, all the
team members working in an Aston Martin has a high degree of autonomy. In addition to this,
team mates who are working for a common goal can ask for assistance of leaders so that work
can be done in an appropriate manner. Adjourning: This is the last stage which was added in
Tuckman and in this deforming and mourning is takes place. Adjourning is applicable and
relevant in the areas where know each other in a group (Marchington, and et. al., 2016).
If a team is getting effective result than it is believed that team mates are very much
familiar about the roles and responsibilities they have to perform. But there might be a possibility
that despite of having clear knowledge about roles and responsibility team fails to perform their
task. Reason behind this can be effectiveness of the team as team members doesn't share mutual
understanding between each other. Therefore, another model which can be used by Aston Martin
is Belbin model of team building. This is very helpful in determining the effective team roles
which can be provided by leaders so that maximum contribution can be given. Belbin theory of
team building is categorises under three sectors Action oriented roles which is further classified
into three segments and these are Shaper (SH): People who are included in this are generally
extrovert and challenge team for further improvement. For resolving issues and problems shapers
finds the best approaches. Therefore, they are the one who make sure that team members are
using all the possible resources and considering the facts while accomplishing the task. For
example: shapers in Aston Martin after analysing the entire factor they are providing information
related to the challenges which can hamper the performance of an organisation. Implementer
(IMP): They are the one who make the action being done in an effective their prime role is to
change the ideas and concept into practical actions so that better outcomes can be gained. For
example: in Aston martin people who are discipline and systematic while performing their task.
Complete Finisher: They are the one who plays a crucial role and look out for all the details
which are to be considered. For example: Safety department of Aston Martin are checking every
detail of the car so that safety measures can be maintained and customers are provided with
excellent cars. People Oriented Roles it is further categorised into three categories and these are
Coordinator: In order to get effective result coordinator guide the team so that objectives can
are achieved. For this, it is crucial that coordinator is effective listeners because before coming
onto the point they must have appropriate information (Belbin Team building, 2018). For
example: research and development department of Aston Martin are providing the appropriate
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information related to the choices and preferences of the customers so that designing department
can make effective product which can be given to customers. Team Worker: While working in
a team it is important that people builds a mutual understanding between workers so that all
individual works in a team together. They are flexible in nature which enables them in making
effective decision for the organisation (Nickson, 2013). Resource Investigator: While executing
a task it is crucial that a team have effective resources and other elements with the help of which
work can be done in an effective manner. Therefore, in case of Aston Martin they their resource
investigators are innovative in nature as they explore new options through which targets can be
accomplished. Thought Oriented Roles which is moreover classified into three parts. Plant:
They are the one who are innovator and for performing the task they come up with new ideas and
thoughts but it has some negative impact as well because the person may prefer to work in aloof.
Monitor Evaluator: Before doing a job it is required that all things are analysed and evaluated
so that better outcomes can be gained. Other than this, they careful look after the pros and cons
so that better options can be made and maximum benefits can be gained in return. Specialist:
There are some people who are expertise in a particular field and give suggestion for performing
any kind of task according to the situations. For example: In Aston Martin there are expert
consultant who contribute their valuable thoughts while formulating strategies and executing the
action plan (Pieper, 2012).
Therefore, both the model Tuckman and Belbin can be used by Aston Martin for
developing an effective team which can further assist company in delivering their best for
accomplishing the task in an effective manner. As Tuckman can enable team members for
working in a group whereas Belbin can easily ensure that each person is given task according to
their skills and knowledge they have. As a result, the work will be done in an effective manner
without any complications and chaos.
Developing a team and enable them for performing the task in an effective manner will
not only provides benefits to an individual but ultimately it will improve the performance of the
company as well. Therefore, working in a team will always improve the existing skills and
knowledge of an individual as this will make a person capable of doing a task in collaboration.
While working in a team an individual should interact with other team members so that as much
as information can be grabbed. This will make the person future ready for performing the task in
an effective manner (Pierce and Aguinis, 2013).
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Critical Incident Technique
In this world there are many things that are to be understood and learned so as to improve
the knowledge. Learning is an ongoing process that continues unless a person is dead thus. With
the change in course of time in every situation a person learns new things which can further be
implemented in future activities. In order to attain success it is crucial that a team must have
members who are capable of giving high performance so as to get effective results. Thus, in
context with this assignment, before starting this I thought of many things which I will get to
learn. First I use to believe that for developing a team having appropriate knowledge and
coordination is what which is required but. Therefore, I thought that this report will increase my
knowledge related to building an effective team like what all factors are required for developing
the same. Other than this, I thought that age and interest is the biggest factor because as the
people gain some experience they feel that they are superior to others. Apart from this, my
expectation was very high related to knowledge which I will gain in some context I succeeded
and this research has made my concept clear. Furthermore, my assumption of role of managers
and leaders in building an effective team was that they only guide the employees and rest task is
to be done by team members. In spite of all these factors there are certain elements that I
expected from this module and it is that by going through lot many articles I will get to know
about the various aspects that are related to creating an effective team in order to get a high
performing team.
While doing this assignment I was having many thoughts in my mind related to what all
activities are to be considered so as to build an effective team. Thus, with the progression in this
assignment all my thoughts and ideas were getting cleared. For instance: I got to know that
developing a team is not an easy task as there are many factors that are to be considered such as
it includes certain steps like forming where people from different departments are collected so
that on the basis if their knowledge and intelligence a team can be build and by coming onto the
stage of performing forgetting all the grudges and clashes, team members work in collaboration
so that task can be completed in a speculated time frame and maximum benefits can be gained
from the same. Other than this, I get to know that although knowledge and skills are the only
thing which are essential for developing an effective team but maintaining mutual understanding
is foremost important because if a team doesn’t have better understanding than no task can be
accomplished in an effective manner. In addition to this, I get to know that every individual is
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important in a team as all of them have specific roles and responsibilities to perform such as
planter in a team has its own action to play i.e. to think of new ideas and thought that can be
implemented for getting effective results. Whereas specialist in a team has its own role of
providing guidance to employees as well as HR department so that based on their consensus
effective strategies and action plan can be development and can further be used for achieving the
set targets and objectives in a speculated time frame. Therefore, as I progressed in this
assignment my information related to team building and that too high performance has been
increased. Thus, this cleared my concept of developing a team and working in a team as a whole.
Doing a task perfectly in one go is not easy as there are many complications and issues
which has to be faced by an individual. Performing things provides an insight of things like
currently how it is done and how it can be improved in future. Therefore, if I will get a chance of
doing the same assignment once again than I will first, gather as much as information from
different sources. Other than this, I will quote example from real live experiences so that the
report can be made more authentic in nature. Apart from this, I will opinions of people who had
worked in a team and capable enough in explaining the what exact situation is being faced by san
individual while performing its activities whether they feel conformable or feel some kind of
pressure while accomplishing the task because there are some people who are more productive in
nature when they do the activity all alone instead of working in a group. As a result, this will
assist me in making my report more valuable and reliable.
In relation with transfer of learning, all the information and knowledge which has been
gained will further assist me in my future activities or to the next level. By suppose I got a job in
a multinational company as a team leader who is responsible for making an effective team in
order to achieve set targets and goals in a limited time frame then, factors which are responsible
for making a high performing team will assist me out in order make an effective team on which I
can rely for future. Other than this, having proper knowledge will help me in guiding other
individuals about the way how an activity is being done so as to get appropriate results in a
speculated time frame.
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REFERENCES
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Nickson, D. (2013). Human resource management for hospitality, tourism and events.
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