Individual Research Portfolio on People Management - MG411

This individual research portfolio examines the contemporary issues facing line management in the UK, focusing on people management within organizations. The report delves into the challenges of recruitment, communication, employee engagement, and adapting to change, using Sainsbury as a case study. It identifies essential knowledge, skills, and behaviors for effective people managers, including transparency, communication, listening skills, and conflict resolution. Furthermore, it explores the HR processes that underpin and support management, such as human resource planning, employee relations, and performance management. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and implications for improving people management practices in UK organizations, providing a comprehensive overview of the subject.

Individual Research
Portfolio

Table of Contents
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
What contemporary issues face line management when it comes to people management..........1
What knowledge, skills and behaviours are needed to be an effective people manager.............3
What HR process underpins and support management when it comes to effective performance
management.................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCE..................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
People management can be explained as subset of human resource management in which
employees are managing and building a team for the purpose of developing business
performance. In each organization employees are the big assets as it understand the organization
goals and give their contribution to complete the task and organising each function. Successful
people management consider hiring and training the right employees, guiding and empowering
staff for the purpose of reaching the potential outcomes (Servant-Miklos, 2019). This is
important for management analysis the needs of their employees and provide them maximum
satisfaction which can help to retain them for long period of time. To understand about how a
company getting better management their employees Sainsbury has been selected that is second
largest chain of super market founded in 1869 by John James Sainsbury with a shop in Dury
Lane London. The human resource management of such organisation is playing important role
who manages the people at the workplace. The report covers contemporary issues face line
management, knowledge, skills, and behaviours that needs to managing effective people, and
HR process that supports management.
MAIN BODY
What contemporary issues face line management when it comes to people management
Human resource management is the important task for each organization as it identifies
the vacant position, conduct the interviews round and recruit the employees by analysing their
skills and abilities. In each organization number of employees are working collectively who
analysis the needs of employee and provide them services accordingly that motivates and
develop the business performance in changing environment (Prickett and et.al., 2019). The
human resource management is playing the important role as it analysis the employees skills and
their abilities then recruit the employees who ready to work and give their contribution to
complete the task. In relation to Sainsbury, human resource management bring the changes in
their performance by managing employees and getting the work done effectively that can help to
accept the challenges and performing well. The management of such organization faces different
contemporary issues in relation to managing the people that are as explained:
Recruitment of right person – This is major issue where management has found
organization needs to fill the vacancy for different position but due to lack of knowledge and
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Covid situation management is unable to perform this function and managing the people. In
context to Sainsbury, HR management faced the issues of recruiting and selecting the right
people due to Pandemic situation and lack of knowledge that affected the organizational
productivity and profitability negatively (Abubakar and et.al., 2019).
Lack of communication – For running and managing the business performance
communication is important as it used to share the business related information and strategies
which are applied to run the business. In context to Sainsbury, management is facing the problem
of communication as employees and employer does not communicate to each other which
affected the business performance negatively.
Staying engaged and employees – From the data analysis it can be find that only 32%
employees are reported as engaged and rest of the staff is struggling. The management is facing
the problem in getting the engage all employees and completing the work effectively. In context
to Sainsbury, management faced problems of engaging the employees in each function and
activity that create the challenge in running business (Bryson and George, 2020).
Problem related to dealing with change – In business environment there are different
changes that needs to adopt change by management and employees that can help to reach the
targeted customers and increase the business performance. In relation to Sainsbury, management
faced the problem of changes that affected the organizational performance and profitability. The
human resource management is not able to accept the changes which reduced the sales and
business performance (De, Wang and Tiwari, 2019).
Providing training and development programme – When employees works in the
organization then new changes and technology is require to accept. As pandemic occurred in
whole world where it become difficult to manage and retain the employees at the workplace
which decreases the organizational productivity. In context to Sainsbury, management is facing
the problem in managing the employees as proper training is not providing which create the
problem in managing the staff. This affected the organizational performance and selling
activities as employees do not work properly.
Therefore, all the challenges faced by Sainsbury’s management when it comes to
managing people and accepting the changes. This affected the organizational performance
negatively and created the challenge for its running business. The sales and profitability of
company is reducing continuously that needs to be improve (Meredith and Shafer, 2019).
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What knowledge, skills and behaviours are needed to be an effective people manager
In Business environment, management is needed as it formulate the planning, organising,
directing, and controlling the functions. Thus understand the requirement of business and
perform each activity accordingly. The management should have proper knowledge and skills
which can be used to accept the changes and managing the higher performance. This brings
challenges by providing training and develops to their staff and accomplishes the business goals.
In context to Sainsbury, a person needs to have proper knowledge, skills and behaviour that are
as explained below:
Transparency – This behaviour is require to have in a person who wants to be a good
manager as it supports to managing the all functions and activities. A person should be honest
and transparent that can help to improve employee engagement. In context to Sainsbury,
management should have transparency behaviour which can be used to engaging the employees
in each functions and managing the performance (Hamilton, Mitchell and Mangan, eds., 2019).
Good communication – If people are able to communicate and share the information
then it will be opportunity to operate and regulate the business continuously. In context to
Sainsbury, employees and employer should have good communication skills which can be used
to share the information and developing the business and accomplish the business goals.
Listening skills – This skill is required in a manager as it is used to listening and
speaking the information effectively. While running a business a person should use this skills to
know the problem of their employees, business related information and others that can help to
make the right business decision and increase the productivity.
Appreciating and encouraging team work – When discussing the qualities of manager
appreciation skills is require in a manager which is used to improve efficiency, work outcomes
and organizational development. The management of Sainsbury should have appreciating skills
and encouraging team work behaviour which can be used to accepting the challenges and
changes at the workplace and develop the business performance (Attaran, Attaran and Kirkland
2019).
Consistency and reliability – The employees who works in the organization need to
know their management is stable, reliable, and secure that build the confidence level of their staff
and increase the business performance. The management of Sainsbury is require to have
consistency and reliability skills that can help to make feel comfortable to employees. The
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management should understand that their employees believes on them and it should perform all
functions effectively.
Trustworthiness – This quality of management is trustworthiness, should have in
individual who wants to be a good manager. If having this skill in individual, will be an
opportunity to growth their skills and abilities to work. As the employees of Sainsbury who
works at the workplace feels their manager is supporting them, it will lead to a good working
environment, increasing collaboration, and will also maintain healthy relations that can help
increase the contribution and attaining higher performance (Bratton, ed., 2020).
Setting the goals – To become a good manager goal setting is another quality which can
be used to increase the business performance and managing the each function. If there is a vision
or goals set by management then will be an opportunity to run the business and follow the
process. In relation to Sainsbury, management decide the goals for their organization and start to
work on them which can help to developing the business and productivity.
Decision making skills – Sometimes it has seen that managers feels fear to make the
right business decision and affected the business performance. The person should be decision
making skills by analysing the business situation and taking the right action. If a person is able to
make fast decision then it will be consider as good manager that can help to developing the
business performance and accomplish the goals. In context to Sainsbury, management have this
kind of skills who make right decision and increase the brand image.
Conflict resolution skills – In a business organization conflict can be arises which is
obvious and natural but a person who have ability to resolve the all conflicts then will be
consider as good manager. This can help to manage the higher performance and accomplish the
goals. The management of selected company needs to have this type of skills and behaviour as it
can help to increase the business activities and performance (Dickens, Womack and Dimes,
2019).
What HR process underpins and support management when it comes to effective performance
management
HR process is considered as fundamentally most important piece if human resource division
which is used to managing the people and arranging the all functions of organization. This
determine the way and procedure in which task and objectives of organization is require to
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completed. The main object behind using HR process is control the functions and increase the
organizational profitability. Sainsbury is using the different HR process that are as explained:
Human resource planning – This is the process of people forecasting in which management
focuses on recruitment, selection, hiring, training and development. This can help to increase the
business performance productivity by managing this process. This can help to accept the
challenges and completing the task effectively (Parry and Tyson, 2019).
Employee relation and benefits administration – This process contains wages, salaries,
incentives, and fringe benefits that fills the employees expectations and supports them to retain at
the workplace. This can help to increase the organizational performance and productivity by
managing each function and activity. As money is prime factor for employees which is use by
management to motivate their employee and retaining them at the workplace.
Performance management – This means employer should train, motivate, and rewarding
their employees which can help to develop the organisational performance and supports to
accomplish the business goals. In context to Sainsbury, management use this process to motivate
and reward their employees for their good performance. The management should use this process
that build the confidence and supports to increase the productivity (Hughesand et.al., 2019).
Employee relation – This is another process which related to human resource management
as employer should have good relation with its employees that can help to operate the business
regularly by engaging them in each activity. This build the good relation and getting the work
done by managing all functions properly. The management of any organization should be
followed this process by understand employees requirement and fill them which can help to
make feel them good and retain for long period.
CONCLUSION
From the report it can be concluded that Human resource management is the important
function which is used by management to managing the people and getting the work done
effectively. Different issues are faced by management such as lack of communication, accepting
challenges, training and development, completing of task and other due to lack of management
that created the problem in running business. A management should have good communication,
listening, decision making, risk taking, training and other skills which can be used to influence
the others and accomplishing the organizational goals. Moreover, HR process is used to
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attracting the top talent and retaining them at the workplace which can help to develop the
organizational performance.
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REFERENCE
Books and journal
Hughes, C., and et.al., 2019. Managing people and technology in the workplace. In Managing
technology and middle-and low-skilled employees. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Parry, E. and Tyson, S., 2019. Managing people in a contemporary context. Routledge.
Dickens, D. D., Womack, V. Y. and Dimes, T., 2019. Managing hypervisibility: An exploration
of theory and research on identity shifting strategies in the workplace among Black
women. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 113. pp.153-163.
Bratton, J. ed., 2020. Organizational leadership. Sage.
Attaran, M., Attaran, S. and Kirkland, D., 2019. The need for digital workplace: increasing
workforce productivity in the information age. International Journal of Enterprise
Information Systems (IJEIS), 15(1), pp.1-23.
Hamilton, L., Mitchell, L. and Mangan, A. eds., 2019. Contemporary Issues in Management: A
Critical Management Approach. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Meredith, J. R. and Shafer, S. M., 2019. Operations and supply chain management for MBAs.
John Wiley & Sons.
De, A., Wang, J. and Tiwari, M. K., 2019. Hybridizing basic variable neighborhood search with
particle swarm optimization for solving sustainable ship routing and bunker management
problem. IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems. 21(3). pp.986-997.
Bryson, J. and George, B., 2020. Strategic management in public administration. In Oxford
Research Encyclopedia of Politics.
Abubakar, A. M., and et.al., 2019. Knowledge management, decision-making style and
organizational performance. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge. 4(2). pp.104-114.
Servant-Miklos, V. F., 2019. Problem solving skills versus knowledge acquisition: The historical
dispute that split problem-based learning into two camps. Advances in Health Sciences
Education. 24(3). pp.619-635.
Prickett, K., and et.al., 2019. Simulation-based education to improve emergency management
skills in caregivers of tracheostomy patients. International journal of pediatric
otorhinolaryngology.120. pp.157-161.
Leicht-Deobald, U., and et.al., 2019. The challenges of algorithm-based HR decision-making for
personal integrity. Journal of Business Ethics. 160(2). pp.377-392.
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