LSST PPD: Report on Leading and Working with People, Unit 13

This report analyzes the key aspects of working with and leading people, focusing on the recruitment and selection of a store manager for Virgin Media. It outlines the job description, required skills, and the impact of legal, regulatory, and ethical considerations. The report details the selection process, including screening, personality assessments, skills testing, and interviews. It also examines the importance of team leadership, conflict resolution, and the evaluation of individual contributions to the selection process. Furthermore, it explores essential leadership skills, the differences between leadership and management, various leadership styles, and methods for motivating staff. The report concludes by discussing the benefits of team working, team effectiveness, and the factors involved in planning, monitoring, and assessing work performance, including the assessment of store manager development needs.

WORKING WITH AND LEADING
PEOPLE

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3
TASK 1......................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Preparation of document to select and recruit store manager for Virgin Media..............3
1.2 Assessment of the impact of legal, regulatory and ethical considerations when
recruiting and selecting a Store Manager for Virgin Media...................................................4
1.3 Taking part in the selection process.................................................................................5
3.2 Demonstrate working in a team as a leader and member towards specific goals, dealing
with any conflict or difficult situations..................................................................................5
1.4 Evaluating own contribution to make the selection process more effective and fairer....6
TASK 2......................................................................................................................................6
2.1 The skills and attributes needed for leadership................................................................6
2.2 The difference between leadership and management.......................................................7
2.3 Compare leadership styles for different situations...........................................................8
2.4 Ways to motivate staff to achieve objectives .................................................................8
TASK 3......................................................................................................................................9
3.1 Benefits of team working for Virgin Media.....................................................................9
3.3 Effectiveness of the team in achieving the goals...........................................................10
TASK 4....................................................................................................................................10
4.1 Factors involved in planning the monitoring and assessment of work performance.....10
4.2 Plan and deliver the assessment of the store manager development needs....................11
4.3 Evaluate the success of the assessment process.............................................................12
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
The concept of working with and leading people facilitates the effective and useful
method in the contemporary business world to lead the successful business. In order to
understand the concept in real sense, the below report is inculcating about recruitment and
selection of store managers and methods that can be used to evaluate and improve their
performances. The top management by leading their store manager fairly can achieve
corporate goals successfully.
TASK 1
1.1 Preparation of document to select and recruit store manager for Virgin Media
Store manager at Virgin Media is responsible for every aspect of the day-to-day supervision
of retail outlets, including sales, staff, resources, and stock management in order to
successfully run the store. It is a great opportunity to progress management skills by having
autonomy over the store’s overall management (Adair, 2009). Given below is the job
description of the store manager.
However, job advert for recruiting store manager for Virgin Media is to be identified
as:
JOB ADVERTISEMENT
(Recruitment for store manager at Virgin Media)
Location Virgin Media, London
Educational qualification Masters degree in commerce (MBA/MBM
or any specialization in masters)
Required skills Communication skills
Team building
Problem solving
Knowledge of recent market trends for
promotion of goods.
Experience Minimum 2 years
Applicant can apply through Online link of the Virgin Media's site or
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contact via email
Last date to apply for interview 20th July 2017
Duties and responsibilities:
 To develop, plan and monitor strategy for budget of the store and product inventory;
 To take full accountability for profit & loss of the store;
 To manage day-to-day store operations and ensure that customer value is delivered
through quality services;
 To recruit, train and retain staff and provide friendly working atmosphere;
 To carry out periodic performance reviews of staff members and identifying training
& development needs;
 To ensure consistent product availability through efficient supply chain management;
 To ensure delivery of responsive, efficient and knowledgeable customer service;
 To build and maintain long-term customer relationship through timely resolution of
complaints and effective implementation of loyalty programs;
 To manage, deliver and exceed desirable sales target as set by the company’s
management;
 To ensure safe and healthy atmosphere at sore through fully compliant with Health,
Safety and Fire policy, procedures and retail legislative requirements (Aldrich, 2008).
Person specification:
 Passion for customer service and ensure higher standards are set and maintained;
 Strong leadership skills and ability to motivate team to strive for excellence;
 Strong interpersonal skills, excellent influencing and negotiating skills;
 Commercial acumen and ability to take actions so that costs are minimised and profits
are increased;
 Decision making skills considering all options and applying analysis while taking
calculated risks;
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 Enthusiasm, excellent numerical skills, computer and IT skills as well as confidence is
desirable;
 Though, management degree in subjects like accounting, marketing, retail and
business are advantageous, the ideal candidate should at least possess a university
degree in any discipline (Cohen, 2016).
1.2 Assessment of the impact of legal, regulatory and ethical considerations when recruiting
and selecting a Store Manager for Virgin Media
The recruitment and selection process should be legally performed, there are certain
areas recruiters and selectors need to follow certain steps which are regarded as necessary in
order to comply with the applicable rules and regulations. For instance, during interview
process certain questions have been regarded as unlawful and should not be asked to
candidates. Unacceptable questions include regarding race, questions towards pregnancy,
questions relating to financial condition of the individual, unnecessary questions relating to
the educational background of the individual (Conlan, 2017). Furthermore, it is necessary for
an organization to adhere the regulations as prescribed by various regulations in relation with
recruitment and human rights. Some of which are - Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and
1997, Equal Pay Act 1970, Human Rights Act 2001, Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and 1986,
The Equality Act 2010, The Data Protection Act 1998, Asylum and Immigration Act 1996
etc.
Moreover, there are certain rules made to complete the selection process in an ethical
way and every employer should be quite aware about those standards. Every individual
should be given equal respect during the selection process. The recruiter should not show any
sign of discrimination like gender discrimination during the selection process. Unnecessary
and irrelevant questions should not be asked during the interview process. Failure to perform
the selection process in unethical way, attract numerous problems such as lack of respect and
compromise with success if the discrimination is showed during selection (Friedman, 2017).
1.3 Taking part in the selection process
Virgin Media is in requirement of a Store Manager and as a Marketing Manager is
responsible to take part in the selection process. The selection process included four different
phases as briefly discussed below:
In the first phase, all candidates were screened and a group of around 15 individuals
were shortlisted for further assessment. At his stage the competence of the individuals
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relating to skills set and educational qualification is equated with the requirements by
analysing their job application and resume (Gill, 2014).
In the second phase, the personality assessment was done using personality test and an
HR interview. 10 individuals were selected who have the desired personal profile for being
job fit.
The third phase was related to testing practical skills related to the managerial skill as
required to carry out the job. The candidates were given the opportunity to demonstrate their
skills and knowledge.
In the fourth and final phase, detailed interview was conducted to check the in-depth
knowledge of individuals rigorously by a panel of interviewers. The purpose of this phase
was to judge the abilities of the individuals from different perspectives and to make final
selection and the final verdict was given by the head of the marketing department (Goodman,
2016).
As participating in interview session with applicants for appointing as store manager
for Virgin Media, I coordinated with my team. For interview, I also asked questions with
applicants regarding their previous job experiences and all. Moreover, I also coordinate in
selecting the right and appropriate candidate out of several options. However, being manager
and decision maker of the entity, I participated in interview session and appointing store
manager for the entity.
Some sort of questions asked by interviewers as:
 How can you promote goods and services for attracting people for purchasing them?
 In your opinion, which is the best technique to advertise and promote products and
services for any entity?
 How can you solve out issues occurred within organisation to create positive
environment?
3.2 Demonstrate working in a team as a leader and member towards specific goals, dealing
with any conflict or difficult situations
The team leader has the authority to provide instructions so that proper guidance and
directions can be provided to individuals and the team for meeting the aims and objectives of
the company. An effective team leader always have the in-depth information on the team
members’ strengths and weaknesses so as the capability to inspire them. The team leader is
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also aware of the work distributions among the members. Instead of dictating decisions on his
own, the team leader should give an opportunity to the team members to express their views
through discussions so that it does not create any issues for future communication
(Greenwich, 2000).
So, providing guidance and transferring clear instructions to the team members are
important roles for dealing conflict situations. Problems arise in a team when there is a
conflict between the members of the team regarding any issues like selection of candidates.
These issues may lead to the inefficiency in the customer service department of retail store. If
such a case arises then the leader should take into account the ideas of all the members and
should give his final verdict by judiciously looking into the topics and thereby resolve the
conflict. The role of the team leaders also include to communicate deadlines and objectives as
well as to get all the tasks done by his team members through providing enough resources
(Magloff, 2017).
For selecting the right candidate in between of 2, we selected the one who was able to
express himself. As we observed that he has required and suitable skills for decision making
and promoting goods for Virgin Media. However, the candidate who was able to express his
thoughts and ideas with interview team was selected appropriately for the entity as store
manager.
1.4 Evaluating own contribution to make the selection process more effective and fairer
It is important to ensure that recruitment and selection process is effective and fairer
in order to select and hire right candidate for the particular job profile. First of all, the person
specification should contain all the essential criteria that are required to carry out the
responsibilities of the Sore Manager post (Mattson, 2016). The initial screening of CV should
be closely monitored so that if an applicant does not have all of the essential criteria then they
must not be shortlisted. As a marketing manager, should ensure that equity principle are
followed in the recruitment and selection process to avoid any kind of discrimination. Strict
action should be taken against any unethical practices. The judges in the panel of last round
of interview should be chosen from diverse fields so that final decision should be taken after
overall assessment of the candidate (Marquardt and Horvath, 2014).
On analysing own learning, skills and performance, I observed that my observation
power get enhanced for appointing right candidate for the entity. Likewise, I learned to
coordinate in team regarding decision making and participating in interview session.
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However, different positive changes are identified which impacted on my personality and
professionalism.
TASK 2
2.1 The skills and attributes needed for leadership
Skills and attributes are those qualities that enable us to apply knowledge in a
practical way to perform job responsibilities. The leaders should have the ability to lead
effectively which is based on several skills as listed below:
 Interpersonal and communication skills – One of the most important qualities that a
Store Manager should have as they are required to communicate effectively with
customers as well as various stakeholders, moreover to manage staff members.
 Critical reasoning: Problem solving skills and critical reasoning are essential as Store
Managers are required to analyse a given complex situation and formulate a strategy
to solve issues.
 Emotional intelligence – Working in a team, requires that the Manager should interact
regularly with them, and the empathy that he shows to your co-workers indicate his
maturity and self-control (Noe and et.al., 2006).
 Professional Knowledge –In-depth, current knowledge of the various sales and trade
practices in retail domain are also important skills to lead the team of retail store as
expertise knowledge increases the confidence of the individual as well as team.
 Last but not the least store manager should be able to motivate and influence
behaviour of individuals to work for attainment of desired objectives (Schunk and
Zimmerman, 2012).
Leaders is an individual who takes initiate for meeting goals and accepts challenge regarding
entity's effectiveness. He is to encourage team members towards effective coordination in its
building. Likewise, he also work for creating positive environment of the group for meeting
set targets effectively.
2.2 The difference between leadership and management
Definition of Leadership: A relationship through which one person influences the
behaviour or actions of other people. Leaders inspire through creating a vision, build
effective teams and motivate them to attain goals.
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Definition of Management: Management is related to plan, organize and coordinate
the assigned responsibilities in efficient manner (West, 2012).
Difference between leadership and management:
 The manager are more inclined towards administration whereas the leader focus on
bringing innovation.
 The manager focuses on maintaining the systems and procedures whereas the leader
develop solution by focusing on people.
 The manager relies on control as compare to the leader inspires trust.
 The manager often has a short-term perspective as compared to the long-term view of
the leader (Asquith and Scott, 2007).
For example, a sales manager in retail stores some decades ago probably was not
much concerned about the value offering. The job of the sales manager was to follow orders,
organize the sales, assign the right people to the necessary tasks, coordinate the results, and
ensure the job is carried out as ordered. The focus was on efficiency. However, now the
entire focus is on providing higher value through better customer experience, so the role of
store manager is entirely different from the typical sales manager (Basadur, 2004). Store
managers must organize workers, not just to maximize efficiency, but to nurture skills of their
staff so that better customer experience is provided at the store. Store manager leads by
having an approach to solve the problems of the co-workers and they have a mind-set of
innovative ideas and take suggestions from the team members and effectively implement
these ideas. Therefore, the focus is now on effectiveness (Black and Lynch, 2004).
Leader vs manager:
Base Leader Manager
Work Team building, managing
workers, encouraging
workers for better
performance
Analysing business
performance, planning,
directing, staffing and
controlling.
Time frame Suitable for long time period For short time period
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2.3 Compare leadership styles for different situations
The managers at Virgin Media adopts the combination of two different leadership styles, such
as autocratic and democratic, which allows the managers to react according to the
requirement of particular situation: Autocratic style – The autocratic leadership is important in many workplaces. The
particular style is necessary when the company demands error-free results. The
process of autocratic leadership mainly includes one person making all important
business decisions. The particular style in Virgin Media is used in the situation when
instant decisions are required to be taken without consulting others (Cascio and
Aguinis, 2005). For instance, organising training sessions due to the drop in store
monthly sales and introducing loyalty or discount schemes to increase the foothold of
customers, etc.
 Democratic style – This style is based on the mutual respect. It is also combined with
the participatory leadership, as requires collaboration in between employees and
leaders. The store managers of Virgin Media employs the democratic style to
adequately engage each staff member in the business decisions and practices. This
style is used when managers feel any drawbacks in the customers’ services due to the
decreasing morale of employees at the store. The participative style creates balance at
the work and make employees feel valued and thus, improves their performance
(Chapman and Webster, 2003).
System leadership involves decision and suggestion of all team members while autocratic
leadership is for instructing members of the group only. Therefore, workers' interest get
increased towards working together in comparison to autocratic leadership.
2.4 Ways to motivate staff to achieve objectives
The Maslow’s need hierarchy theory can be used at Virgin Media to provide best
motivation and encouragement to the staff members. The company should firstly consider
that employees’ physical or basic needs are properly met. The store manager also develop
secure and safe working environment to appreciate the team members efforts. The manager
must consider the workforce mistakes as learning experience and inspire them to try again.
Moreover, by working together, the cordial relations can build among individuals, which may
lessen conflicts and improve their performances. Furthermore, the manager should
complement staff members for their excellent performances in order to meet their self-esteem
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needs. In this regards, the manager can provide both constructive criticism and praise
(Connelly and et.al., 2000).
Firstly, manager analyses need of an individual and further implement plan for its
fulfilment. It is appropriate for maximizing his/her satisfaction level also the person will
perform better for team building. Therefore, worker will be motivated and coordinate in team
more efficiently to meet entity's goals effectively.
TASK 3
3.1 Benefits of team working for Virgin Media The following are five ways in which teamwork can benefit the Virgin Media: Foster learning and creativity – The creativity at the workplace increases when
individuals perform together in a team. It is because a team leader by combining each
member unique perspectives can create more effective solutions of selling. Balances complementary strengths – The employees by working together can build
on their teammate’s talents. The team together performs well, as members rely on
each to bring their unique knowledge in front of others (Daily and Huang, 2001). Builds trust – The members by relying others develops trust at the work and all of
them builds strong relations with their colleagues. In spite of occasional
disagreements, a competent team enjoys sharing a strong bond and working together.
The employees by putting trust in their peers, establishes the base of relationship,
which can lessen the minor conflicts at the work. Teaches skills to resolute conflicts – When any conflict arise in the teamwork,
employees are encourages to resolve it on their own instead of taking support of the
management. In this manner, they learn to resolve conflicts and make them more
efficient to take the managerial roles in future (Eagly and et.al., 2003).
 Promote wide sense of ownership – The teamwork projects inspire staffs to feel
delighted of their contributions. Creating notable work and tackling obstacles together
makes all members fulfilled. Working towards the attainment of corporate objectives
allows individuals to feel attached to the Virgin Media. It enhances their loyalty and
leading to high job satisfaction within all members.
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3.3 Effectiveness of the team in achieving the goals
The effective teamwork for the Virgin Media is viewed as the ultimate competitive
edge, which can produce excellent outcomes. The team leader of the company by improving
the team performance can achieve enhanced employee involvement, increased market share,
innovation, continuous improvement and reduced waste. The leader can make effective teams
at the workplace by combining the members who have different skills which are necessary to
reach the business objectives (Griffin, Patterson and West, 2001). Every member bring their
own knowledge and views to the group and exchange their perceptions in open
communication through active responding and listening. Moreover, tasks can be adequately
divided in a team so that no one overwhelmed by their responsibility. The leader makes each
member accountable for completing some tasks connected to final goal and are encouraged to
perform it well. Furthermore, in co-workers in an effective teams support and trust one
another and thus, contributes well in the business goals attainment on decided time (Jayne
and Dipboye, 2004).
TASK 4
4.1 Factors involved in planning the monitoring and assessment of work performance
A quantified, automated and standardised process of employee review is an important manner
to track the progress of employees and enhance workplace productivity. The regular
evaluation supports in recognising high performing employees and assist in keeping midlevel
performers on the track towards the reasonable goals achievement. In this regards, the
following factors should be considered by the manager to plan the work performance
monitoring and assessment: Keep in mind the audit principle – The manager should monitor employees’ small
number of details which suggest their incompetence and competence across wide
areas instead of examining their performances every minute detail (Lockamy III and
McCormack, 2004). Weigh carefully the advantages before taking steps to enhance the objectivity and
breadth – The manager can use 360 degree review, where an employee performance
is evaluated not just by supervisors but their peer workers as well. Ensure the process stays measurable, brief and goal-oriented – This is most effective
in case the managers have less personal interaction with their followers. By keeping
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