Whirlpool: HR Skills, Organizational Learning, and Performance Report

This report delves into the critical aspects of human resource management, focusing on the skills, knowledge, and behaviors essential for HR professionals. It begins by identifying key competencies, including management, legal, and communication skills, and emphasizes the importance of multitasking, conflict management, and adaptability. The report then analyzes personal skills audits and develops professional development plans to address individual strengths and weaknesses. It further explores the differences between organizational and individual learning, highlighting the need for training and development to enhance efficiency and adapt to technological advancements. The analysis extends to the importance of continuous learning for driving sustainable business performance, with a specific focus on high-performance work (HPW) and its contribution to employee engagement and competitive advantage. Finally, the report evaluates various performance management approaches, demonstrating how they can foster a high-performance culture and commitment within an organization, using Whirlpool as a case study.

Developing Individual, Teams
and Organisations

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
P1 Determine appropriate and professional knowledge, skills and behaviours that are required
by HR professionals...............................................................................................................1
P2 Analyze a completed personal skills audit to identify appropriate knowledge, skills and
behaviors and develop a professional development plan for a given job role........................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
P3 Analyze the differences between organizational and individual learning, training and
development...........................................................................................................................4
P4 Analyze the need for continuous learning and professional development to drive
sustainable business performance...........................................................................................6
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................7
P5 Demonstrate understanding of how HPW contributes to employee engagement and
competitive advantage within a specific organisational situation..........................................7
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................8
P6 Evaluate different approaches to performance management and demonstrate with specific
examples how they can support high-performance culture and commitment........................8
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Development is an important aspect of every individual to achieve growth in their
professional and personal career of life. Development of team and individual is necessary to cope
with the changing environments of market through learning, knowledge management and
effective communication within organization (Belbin, 2012). Whirlpool is an American
multinational marketer of home and kitchen appliances which was established in 1911. the
company's main office is situated in Michigan, United states. The organization trade washing
machine, refrigerator, AC's, microwave, purifier and many other electronics and home
appliances.
This report discuss about the professional skill and knowledge which was needed by HR
professional. It present the skills which HR contain and also the abilities which are required to be
developed by HR. Comparison between organization learning and individual learning is also
discussed in this section. Moreover, it also inform about the importance of HPW in the employee
engagement to earn competitive advantage. Lastly, it will study the different approaches used in
measuring the performance of the individual.
TASK 1
P1 Determine appropriate and professional knowledge, skills and behaviours that are required by
HR professionals
Human resource professional is important part of every organization. The main duty of
HR is to organize the people so that they can effectively perform activities related to work. They
undertake multiple tasks such as labor law compliance, record keeping, hiring and training,
compensation and handling issues related to employee performance (Curtis and O'connell, 2011).
The responsibility of HR is to assign the work and task according to the knowledge and skills of
employee so that they can perform their work effectively. When employees is assigned job
according to their qualities then they will help in increasing the productivity and performance of
overall firm. There are various skills, behavior and knowledge required by HR professional that
are discussed below :
Knowledge required by HR professional are described below:
Management knowledge : HR of the business should have the knowledge of
management principles and methods so they can support them in allocating resources, adopting
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different leadership style, prepare plan and assign task according to available resources. By the
help of management knowledge, HR officer are able to solve any problem of business very
easily.
Legal knowledge : HR of Whirlpool require to have a basic knowledge of the law so that
it can't be barrier in the firm's growth. There are many situation which arise in the organization in
which HR professional need to take immediate decision regarding any legal consequences
(Liljenberg, 2015). If the business does not follow the rules and regulation of the government
than they have to face big problems related to that. Whirlpool should follow all rules and
regulation regarding labor protection as the government is very strict in this department. Not
only labor law but all the other law which are imposed by the government otherwise it will affect
organization's market reputation.
Skills contain by HR in his personality are as follows :
Multi tasking : HR professional have to perform various responsibilities in the
organization which changes time to time. They have to simultaneously mange the compensation,
job advertisement, interviews, training session, employees grievance and manage their time in
order to get effective performance form employees (Anagnostopoulos, Byers and Shilbury,
2014). Whirlpool’s HR manger should develop their skills and abilities in order to make
organization more valuable and efficient in market.
Conflict management : HR manager need to have negotiation and meditation skill in
them. They have to solve the variety of work conflicts between two colleagues or an employee
and employer. Whirlpool’s HR should have conflict solving skill in them so that dispute can be
solved within adequate time. If the conflict is not removed in proper time than it will affect the
productivity and performance of an individual and organization.
Communication : HR officer should have good communication skill in them as they are
the mediator between the employer and the top authority. They contain strong written and oral
communication skills in their personality so that they can transfer effectively important
information of the organization to the employees. Whirlpool HR should contain these skills in
their personality so that they can email employees in correct manner, conduct an exit
interview,run a training session and many more things.
Behavior which HR need to show in the organization are as follows :
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Polite : HR should behave properly with their employees even the situation is not good.
They treat employees in a respectful manner so that they can comfortably discuss their problem
related to them easily. Whirlpool HR should be polite with their employee so that if they adopt
any new policies for the welfare of the organization then they can easily adopt it.
Curious : Changing environment create a necessity for HR to react adequately in timely
manner to cope up with it. Whirlpool human resource manager should have curious mindset so
that they can think ahead of time, set vision to move business forward as well as make creative
policies for the welfare of the organization.
P2 Analyze a completed personal skills audit to identify appropriate knowledge, skills and
behaviors and develop a professional development plan for a given job role
Personal skills refer to strength, abilities and attributes which individual contain in his
personality (Pardey, 2016). Personal skill audit is a way under which individual asses their
strength and weakness and try to develop in order to face the society. Whirlpool should develop
such policies and strategies in their organization which help individual and team to grow
themselves and to achieve desired result. Several strength and weakness of individual is
described below :
Strength Weakness
 Efficient listening ability is required for
an HR to solve the problems of
employees which is the basic duty in
the organisation.
 I contain practical and theoretical
knowledge of my field which help me
to carry any task effectively.
 Communication skill is not good due to
which I am not able to convey
important information to the employees
of the organisation.
 Difficulty in handling HR software
which help to perform work effectively.
 Face problem in performing multiple
task which is the basic task for the HR.
Personal development plan : It refer to plan which is designed to nurture, shape and
improve skills and knowledge so that maximum benefit can be get. Basically, it refer towards the
goals which individual want to achieve in the short, medium or long term career (Anne
Loewenberger, Newton and Wick, 2014).
Learning Present Target Opportunities Judging Time period
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target profici
ency
proficienc
y
attainment
Communicatio
n skill
2 5 Through talking with
different individual
in the society and do
training to new
employees , HR able
to develop this skill
in them.
Employees provide
the feedback that
they are able to get
information in a
correct manner or
not.
3 months
HR software 3 5 By taking several
classes for required
technical course, I
am able to gain
knowledge so that
task related to it can
be completed in
appropriate manner.
When able to
perform the task
related to it like
calculating
employee
compensation and
salary.
3 months
Multiple task 4 5 By observing and
performing different
task this facility will
develop in the
individual.
When able to
perform different
task in the
organisation than it
refers that skill
develop.
4 months
TASK 2
P3 Analyze the differences between organizational and individual learning, training and
development
Learning is the most important aspect of human life. There are several kinds of learning
which need to be carried out in the organization in order to improve overall efficiency (O’Boyle,
2015). Whirlpool should provide their employees proper learning so that they are able to perform
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their work effectively. Whirlpool should know the need of training and development in the
company and for that firm organize the event in order to improve knowledge and skills of their
staff so that operations can be undertaken in a proper manner to get desired result.
Organisation learning Individual learning
This type of learning depends upon the person
who related with it.
This type of learning depends upon the
individual mind and interest.
It get improves with the passage of time with
the enhancement of organisation experiences.
It is improved slowly because this is based
upon the individual interest and capabilities.
It was done in order to enhance the skills and
knowledge of employee for working in an
organisation culture.
This was performed by individual himself in
order to give life long learning.
Need of training and development : By the help of training, individual is able to
develop the skills and knowledge which help them to perform the tasks of the organization so
that desired aim can be achieved (Wesselink and Wals, 2011). Whirlpool can provide training
and development programs so this will enhance their employees individual learning and
organizational learning.
Reduction in the learning time : Training reduce the time taken in the trial and error
method. When the worker learn from trail and error method than they will take longer time to
perform a task and does not get to know the right way of performing the task. By the help of
training Whirlpool able to increase their productivity as the employee know the right way to
perform a task.
Technology update : In present scenario, technology is changing at a very fast speed. In
this situation, there is a requirement for workers to learn new techniques and methods so that
they can work effectively. Whirlpool should adopt this in their working method to update their
employees about the new method and process. When employees know new technique than it will
help in increment of productivity.
Quality improvement : Customer now become very quality conscious and their
requirement is continuously changing. To satisfy the customer need, Whirlpool should provide
proper training to employees so that they can produce qualitative product.
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P4 Analyze the need for continuous learning and professional development to drive sustainable
business performance
Continuous learning helps in maintaining and enhancing knowledge and skills which are
essential to deliver professional service to their customer, clients and the community. Whirlpool
can improve their existing position in order to develop the skills and knowledge in their team so
that they can bring innovation and enhance productivity (Firth, Maye and Pearson, 2011).
Organization can achieve its target when their individual is satisfied and feel grow in their work
culture.
CPD refer to the process of tracking the skills and knowledge that person contain for
formal or informal work and completely different from the initial training. It was taken place in
the organization to empower people with the skills to get high performance and initiate change.
Whirlpool should provide their employees lifelong learning so that they get developed in their
professional and personal career.
There are various matters which shows the importance of continuous learning and
professional development are as follows :
Prepare for unexpected : Lifelong learning help organization to face the unexpected
things. For example : If the person lose his job due to any reason than the new skills help him to
find the new job. When Whirlpool provide continuous learning to their employees than they
easily come out of his comfort zone and get ready to take new opportunities.
Confidence : When individual learn new things than they will develop a feeling of
completion and develop confidence in their own capabilities (Chung and Jackson, 2011). Due to
this employees of Whirlpool start taking challenges and explore new idea and thoughts.
Retain employees : In present time employees does not retain longer in any organization
because according to them there growth is not happening in that establishment. When the
organization use continuous learning for their employees than employees retain longer in the
enterprise. Whirlpool can use this in their working environment in order to cut the cost of
training and to improve their performance they can offer some professional development plans
and programs to them.
Improve efficiency : Profession development offer new skills sets in the employee as
they learn many things from the others in the training. As other person share their knowledge and
experiences which help staff to update their knowledge and skills. When Whirlpool employees
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add more feature in their skills than they are able to perform work with full efficiency which
result in increase in productivity and performance.
TASK 3
P5 Demonstrate understanding of how HPW contributes to employee engagement and
competitive advantage within a specific organisational situation
High Performance Work can be defined as the enhanced and better performances of
employees in an organization to boost up economic competitiveness and growth. When
employees receive higher job satisfaction,motivation ,involvement ,commitment then it will lead
to innovation and creativity for the system (Cherubini and Nielsen, 2016). High performance
working of the individual is beneficial for the organization to face peak load and generate desired
outcome timely. By the help of HPT Whirlpool able to improve the organization performance
and enhance the ability of the team to deliver the exceptional result.
Mutual respect : Every employee should respect their colleagues whether they at higher
or lower level of position. When worker respect each other than they are able to support each
other in working and solve problems regarding their work. Whirlpool’s by this generate high
performance as the efficient worker help the low performer in improving their performance.
When low performer work get the opportunity to improve their work than it will engage more in
the organization working which ultimately result in achievement of desired result.
Shared commitment to the vision : In an organization, it is required for each individual
to follow the same shared vision in regard of achieving business objectives but that does not
mean that they don't focus on the organization's ultimate goal. Every person of the organization
is responsible for the achievement of long term goal. When staff will work together, organization
will be able to achieve high performance and desired result (Shah and Jain, 2017). Whirlpool
adopt this method to attain business objective. When all employees shared their commitment
than business able to engage employee in their working and earn competitive advantage.
Transparent communication : In an organization, communication should be effective.
Every information should be communicated properly in an effective manner to the employees.
When the staff of Whirlpool get correct information related to their work or task than they
develop the link and relation with the organization. This help in achieving high performance in
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their task and firm able to earn large amount of profit. By the help of effective communication
people get involve more in the organization and perform better for enhancing productivity.
TASK 4
P6 Evaluate different approaches to performance management and demonstrate with specific
examples how they can support high-performance culture and commitment
Performance management is a process under which employer and manager together plan,
review an employee objectives and the overall contribution to the organization. It is adopted in
the Whirlpool to improve the employee performance which directly related to firm's productivity
(McKenzie, van Winkelen and Grewal, 2011). In order to get effective performance, various
steps are followed by Whirlpool's authorities such as setting expectation for staff, monitoring
performance, developing capacity to perform and lastly rate performance.
Generally, performance is measured in company on the basis of individual's contribution
in the firm success and growth. This basis should be conveyed to the employee at the time of
evaluation. Whirlpool can select any of the below approach on the ground of their goals and
management structure.
Collaborative working : In collaborative working, individuals work on collaborative
ideas and share same vision to achieve the standard objectives and goals. By the help of this,
Through opting this learning technique, organization will be able to accomplish their business
objectives and can improve overall quality of business. It directly improve organization's
performance as it develop the qualities and knowledge which individual earlier does not possess.
Comparative approach : In this approach, employees performance is measured
according to the individual of the same group. Under this, employees are ranked on the basis of
categorization not on their working performance (McKenzie and Aitken, 2012). Whirlpool can
use this method for comparing their employees performance with best person of the organization
in order to improve their performance.
Result approach : It is most simple approach among all, in which enterprise rate
employees on the basis of their end result. Due to this, strategy get converts into operation in
more holistic view. This method lack focus on the human resource aspect. Whirlpool can apply
this method in order to motivate employees for enhancing their productivity and performance.
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Quality approach : This approach concentrates on enhancing customer satisfaction by
reducing error and achieving continuous service improvement. Whirlpool use this method to
improve quality of their product and services .It is the basic thing towards which customer get
attracted to the organization. Employers take regular feedback from clients, managers and peers
to resolve performance issues.
Attribute approach : Under this method, employees are judged on the basis of some
specific characteristics such as problem solving skill, team work, innovation, mutual cooperation
and creativity. It was done through graphic rating scale and mixed rating scale. Whirlpool can
apply this method if the same work need to have specific skills for performing it by the
employee.
Behavioral approach : It is approach in which staff performance is judged on the basis
of their reaction on certain task. Supervisor have to remember large number of data. Whirlpool
can adopt this method when they need accuracy and reliability in their working.
(Source : Approaches for measuring performance of employees,2018)
For Whirlpool quality performance approach is best in which there is a consideration on
both person and the system. Product is the first thing towards which customer get attracted so
organization make effort to improve their quality of the product.
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Illustration 1: Approaches for measuring performance of employees

An individual whose performance is continuously monitored perform better as compared
to the employee whose performance is not analyzed.(Payne and Calton, 2017). For example : an
organization where employee's performance is not evaluated, will not be able to achieve its
desired target and performance and employees does not perform the best of his ability. When
employees performance is evaluated than worker will be able to identify their strength and
weakness and able to improve their skills so that business can achieve its desired result.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it is concluded that professional development is the route through
which organization is able to improve the performance of employee and their undertakings. This
present different skills and knowledge which HR need in their working such as legal knowledge,
management knowledge, multi-tasking, effective communication etc. Moreover, it shows a
personal development plan which HR use in order to increase their efficiency and productivity. It
informs that continuous professional development engage the employee more in the organization
working as they get life long learning. Additionally, it describe high performance practice which
involve employee more in the organization working. Performance management is the tool
through which firm can achieve its desired result.
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