HR Development Report: Skills, Training, and Performance at Whirlpool

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the skills, knowledge, and behaviors required by HR professionals, focusing on the context of Whirlpool. It includes a skills audit to identify strengths and weaknesses, followed by a professional development plan to address areas needing improvement. The report explores the importance of individual and organizational learning, training, and development, emphasizing continuous learning for sustainable business performance. It examines the contributions of high-performance workers to employee engagement and competitive advantage, as well as different approaches to performance management and their role in fostering a high-performance culture. The report references various theories, including the Honey and Mumford learning styles, to illustrate different learning approaches. Overall, the report highlights the critical role of HR in driving organizational success through effective skills development, employee engagement, and performance management strategies.

Developing Individual, Teams
and Organisations

Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................3
TASK 1....................................................................................................................................................3
P1: Professional knowledge, skills and behaviour required by HR professionals...............................3
P2: Personal skills audit and professional development plan............................................................5
M1: Detailing about professional skills audit...................................................................................11
TASK 2..................................................................................................................................................12
P3: Evaluation of different between individual and organisational learning & training and
development....................................................................................................................................12
P4: Need of continuous learning and professional development in sustainable business
performance....................................................................................................................................13
M2: Application of learning cycle theories......................................................................................14
Honey and Mumford theories: It is based on the work of four distinct learning styles and preferences
such as activist, theorist, pragmatist and reflector. There are three learning approaches that an
individual naturally prefer and they used to recommend that in order to maximise their own
capabilities. .........................................................................................................................................15
Activist are those people that learn by doing things such as brainstorming, problem solving and
puzzles games. ....................................................................................................................................15
Theorist on the other hand understand the theory behind the actions. They used to draw new data
new data into systematic manner. .....................................................................................................15
Pragmatist people required to be able to see how to put the learning into practices in the real world.
.............................................................................................................................................................15
Reflector: These kind of people learn by observing and thinking regarding what is happening within
an organisation. ..................................................................................................................................15
TASK 3..................................................................................................................................................15
P5&D2: Contribution of High performance worker in employee engagement and competitive
advantage........................................................................................................................................15
M3: Analyses of benefits received through applying HPW within an organisation..........................16
TASK 4..................................................................................................................................................17
P6&M4: Different approaches of performance management and their contribution in high
performance culture and commitment...........................................................................................17
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................................18
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................................19

INTRODUCTION
Development is an essential requirement for an individual, teams and organisation in
order to achieve growth and success for longer period of time. Thus, every individual or
organisation focuses on improving their weak areas so as to enhance their capability of doing
allotted task allotted to them. It will help in achieving strong image and position in the market
due to which it become easy for them to compete with their rivals. Employees are an assets of
an organisation which contributes their maximum efforts in achieving them growth and
success thus developing their skills and knowledge through providing them training and
development programs will directly bring beneficial result to company. Whirlpool, a
manufacturing company which deals in producing quality home appliances and selling is
across worldwide. The project report includes skills, behaviour and knowledge required by
HR professional and its proper analysis through conducting skills audit. Contribution of HPW
in employee engagement and competitive advantage. All other aspects are also discussed
under this report with the context of Whirlpool (Ainscow and Sandill, 2010).
TASK 1
P1: Professional knowledge, skills and behaviour required by HR professionals
Human resource is considered as an asset of company whose efforts and supports
decide the chances of company in achieving growth and success in competitive market.
Therefore, HR professionals of Whirlpool required to conduct recruitment and selection
programs in order to attain more qualified and skilled employees. It is also important to
identify the needs of training at workplace according to which suitable training and

development programs shall be conducted in order to enhance quality of work and efficiency
in performance.
Professional development refers to specific plans and policies for the development of
skills and knowledge of an individual working in an organisation for the purpose of receiving
better outcomes. For this, it is responsibility of HR professionals to identify the high and low
skilled workers according to which allotment of work and training programs shall be
conducted.
The benefits of professional development plan are:
 It helps HR professional to know the actual skills and capabilities of their employees
so that an effective decision shall be made for the purpose of improving their
identified weak areas.
 It also helps in getting knowledge about the requirements needed by employees at
workplace and accordingly makes further actions to fulfil as quickly as possible. For
example, training need (Chaskalson, 2011).
 It educates HR managers to analyse skills and knowledge of employees and
accordingly educate them to utilise available resources while working on advanced
and modern systems.
Skills and capabilities of HR manager:
Conflicts management and problem solving: An organisation can increase its
productivity and profitability ratio when their employees perform in a collective way so that
maximum efforts should be made in achieving desired goals and objectives. It may increase
the chances of conflicts thus HR manager here play a valuable role in resolving their conflicts
through providing them optimum solution.
Discrete and Ethical: HR managers are considered as blood cell of an organisation
which performs different roles and functions for the betterment of human resource. They are
liable to manage and monitor employee’s performance so as to make sure that each employee
performs in an ethical ways. They are liable to identify their need of training at workplace of
Whirlpool through conducting research within an organisation. It will help in bringing

motivation among employees to not indulge in any unethical activities and performed in right
direction.
Knowledge of HR professionals:
Administration and management: It is essential required for HR professional of
Whirlpool to become aware about the business activities to be performed at workplace
according to which they are able to assign roles and responsibilities to the human resource. It
will help in achieve better possible outcomes from every business activities.
Communication and technology: HR manager need to acquire communication skills
in order to make better communication and coordination with their employees and make them
aware about company’s plans and polices in more understanding way. Educating them about
utilising available resources through working on modern technology, communication skills is
must required (Chen and et. al., 2013).
Behaviour of HR professional involves:
Accountable: HR professional of Whirlpool required developing and making changes
in their pre-planned decisions and informing them to their employees in order to achieve
better possible outcomes.
Customer/Quality focus: HR managers are required to improve their employee’s
quality of work due to which maximum positive result will be getting by them in near future.
This will help in producing quality products to the customers which further help in retaining
loyal customers for longer period of time.
P2: Personal skills audit and professional development plan
HR manager of an organisation performs different roles and responsibilities for the
purpose of achieving desired goals and objectives thus require specific skills and knowledge.
Therefore, to enhance their performance it is important to conduct personal skills audit. It will
help in identifying the strengths and weaknesses so that further steps can make to enhance the
weak areas. It can possible through participating in training and development due to which
the chances of achieving growth and success in personal as well as professional career will be
more (Eime and et. al., 2013). Personal skills audit and professional development plans of HR
professionals are given as below:

Skill Very Good Good Adequate Little or no
experience
Information
Technology
Use Microsoft
office word
✔
Use Excel
Spreadsheet
✔
Use specialist HR
software
✔
Use a database ✔
Use the internet ✔
Use Email ✔
Use PowerPoint ✔
Skill Very Good Good Adequate Little or no
experience
Communicatio
n skills
Drafting
contracts of
employment
✔
Taking notes
of disciplinary
hearing
✔
Write reports ✔
Produce
materials to
support
presentations
✔

Conducting a
training
session
✔
Resolving
disputes
✔
Interviewing ✔
Advising on
HR issues
✔
Skill Very Good Good Adequate Little or no
Experience
Problem
solving skills
Make good
use of verbal
reasoning
skills, able to
handle
complicated
data and make
selective use
of information
✔
Explore more
than one
solution in
order to solve
a problem
✔
Consider the
ideas of others
to help solve
problems
✔

Supervisory
Management
How much experience
have you had in your
placements?
< 1 month
✔
1-3 months > 3 months
How many people
have
you managed at any
one time?
None 1-5
✔
Above 5
It has been clearly seen from the above skills audit that HR professionals should
require to focus on enhancing their communication and problem solving skills. It can be
improved through participating in training and learning programs which make HR officer
more capable of doing allotted roles and responsibilities in an effective and efficient manner
(Hitt and et. al., 2011).
Personal development plan for HR professionals
As it has been identified from the above skills audit that there are some areas where
the HR professionals need to work on. For this, it is required to made development plan due
to which it can be easy for HR officer of Whirlpool to achieve growth and success in their
personal as well as professional career. Such development plan is given as below:
Develop
ment
need
Development
type
Development Learning
phases
Deadline for
the remedial
action
Evidences
Commun
ication
skills
Self
assessment
Communication
skills of HR
professionals are
not good
according to the
Time
required to
develop
communicati
on skills in
4-5 months Proper
judgement of
knowledge from
the HR
department head

information
received from
skills audit
report Thus it is
essential to
enhance such
skills As it help
in maintaining
healthy relation
with their
employees and
creating healthy
atmosphere at
workplace as
well. Giving
guidance
through proper
communication
help in retaining
experience
employee in
company for
longer period of
time.
Participation in
training and
seminars helps
in improving
such skill by HR
officer.
Jane
Cambridge is
around 2
moths.
and top
authority.
Problem
solving
skills
Self
assessment
Such skills are
also required to
be improved
In
development
of problem
6- months It can be
reverting back
by taking

according to
skills audit
report. As there
are lots of
employees
working in
Whirlpool
which created
the chances of
arising conflicts
at work place
thus it is
essential for HR
professionals to
have such skill
in order to find
out the optimum
solution that
will help in
resolving issues
as quickly as
possible.
solving skills
1 moth time
is required.
feedbacks from
the senior
manager and
supervisor.
Leadersh
ip Skills
Self
assessment Jane Cambridge
is lack of
leadership skills.
This affects her
ability to
motivate the
employees in
company to
work hard with
more passion.
To develop
such skills
there is need
20 days of
time period.
4-6 months
training.
Through,
analysing the
responses from
their team
member about
their leading
skills.

This will affect
the overall
performance of
all teams and
organisation.
Development of
such skills helps
to motivate the
employees and
build good
teams in
organisation.
M1: Detailing about professional skills audit
Professional skills audit is define below:
Skill Very good good average
Leadership skill ✔
Team building skills ✔
TASK 2
P3: Evaluation of different between individual and organisational learning & training and
development
Training and development are different aspects which need to be considered by the
management of Whirlpool in order to enhance their overall performance of employees as well
as an organisation. Training refers to a practice which is adopted with a motive of developing
skills and capabilities of employees whereas development refers to the improvement of
overall personality thus development programs has wider scope (Marquardt and et. al., 2011).
Diffeence between training and development:
Basis Training Development
Meaning It refers to a practice which is It refers to practice which is

used to adopt with an
objective of enhancing the
skills and knowledge of
employees due to which
maximum support from them
in achieving desired target.
used to develop overall
personality of an individual
and has wider scope.
Term Training programs assist
organisation to learn new
aspects and technology in
short.
This helps in organisation to
attain long-term objectives.
Concentrate on This remains oriented around
present situation and plans.
This mainly oriented towards
long-term sustainability and
organisational growth.
Orientation Job oriented Career oriented.
Objective This focuses on weak areas. Main objective is to enrich
business objectives.
Evaluation
It is evaluated that the HR department is tends to improve the communication skills to
improve. This will assist employees to communicate values and importance of business
operations. Sustainable business structure is one of the practical form that helps, as training
program will assist the business to drive the value of business in different form. Development
plan to enhance scope of functional team in North America region also devised with ive core
dimensions. It is one of the become more On the other hand, individual and organisational
learning are also an important concept which improves the knowledge and capabilities of an
individual thus need to be considered by HR professionals. There is difference as well
between among two concepts which are described as below:
Individual learning: It is such a concept that gives main emphasis on increasing
learning of an individual in an organisation. It is important for HR professionals to identify
the strengths and weakness according to which learning programmes shall be conducted with
an objective of enhancing weak areas. Through such learning programs, the employees
working in Whirlpool should able to increase their knowledge about using modern and
advanced technology which helps in utilising available resources in an optimum manner
(McKenzie and Aitken, 2012).