MG411 Portfolio: Analyzing People Management and HR Support Systems

This portfolio delves into the critical aspects of people management, focusing on the challenges faced by line managers, particularly in the context of a dynamic business environment impacted by events like the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines issues such as employee relations and adaptation to innovation, highlighting the need for strong communication and leadership skills in HR managers. The portfolio also analyzes key HR processes that underpin effective performance management, including performance management reviews and 360-degree appraisals. It emphasizes the importance of aligning organizational and employee goals, monitoring performance, and providing appropriate rewards and recognition. The assignment uses Marks and Spencer as a case study to illustrate these concepts, and concludes with recommendations for HR managers to enhance employee motivation and productivity.

Introduction to people
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK ..............................................................................................................................................3
Current issues which are faced by the line manager related to people management:.................3
Knowledge skills and behaviour needed to be an effective people manager:- ..........................5
HR process which underpin and support management when it comes to effective performance
management:- .............................................................................................................................6
Recommendations:- ...............................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Human Resource department is being considered as one of the most valuable department
of the company which are responsible for finding the right person according to the need of
different department and along with this, this area also responsible for developing the training
programme for the employees(Cooke, Dickmann and Parry, 2020). Behind the success of an
organisation effective functioning of all the department is very important. The concept of people
management in the dynamic environment of the company has been covered in this report. Due to
the impact of Covid 19 huge impact has been seen on the overall people management over the
past three years. Different types of problems and challenges like disconnection from the job,
distance working and many more has been face by the organisation, after the arisen of the
pandemic. This not only affect the profitability of the company but also affect efficiency and
productivity of the employees. Along with this problem like miscommunication,
misunderstanding and poor coordination has also being arise due to which performance of the
employees and organisation has been decrease. The following report is based on Marks and
Spencer which is a multinational brand of UK and the company was founded in 1884. This
report is going to cover the current issues which are faced by the line manager and skills,
knowledge and behaviour which are required in an HR manager. Along with this, this report
also cover the HR process which underpin the performance of management.
TASK
Current issues which are faced by the line manager related to people management:
As the business environment is very dynamic in nature due to this different types of
problems and challenges has been faced by a line manager in relation to the people management.
After the arisen of Covid 19 a drastic impact has been seen not only economy of the country but
also on the functioning of the different department of the company (Olander and Hurmelinna-
Laukkanen, 2019). Different types of challenges which has been faced by the line manager of the
Marks and Spencer has been discussed below:-
 Relation with employees:- in relation to the people management, this issue is being
considered as one of the mist important challenge which have been faced by the line
manager of the company. It is very important for a line manager to focus on relation with

their employees because this directly impact on the different functions of the business.
Good relation with the employees not only improves the productivity of the employees
but also help them to attain the objectives of the company in a very effective manner. If
the line manager of the company makes good relation with their employees then they can
easily understand the different problems which has been faced by them. After the arisen
of pandemic employees relation has become a big issue for the organisation because of
the improper communication and less interaction(Burnard, 2021). In context to the Marks
and Spencer, most of the employees perform their task from home and due to this
ineffective communication, no performance check and bad leadership has been seen from
the mangers of the departments. This result in that, the employees of the M&S are not
able to perform their task in productive manner which reflects on the profits of the
company.
 Adaptation to innovation: It is very important for an organisation to adopt the changes
in the technology. Adaption to innovation is being considered another issue which has
been faced by the line manager in relation to the people management. After the arisen of
Covid 19 most of the organisation start adopting the new technology and innovation in
their different business function. This not only helps them in improving their productivity
but also help them to enjoy the competitive advantage in the market. But from the
employees point of view the adoption of the new technology take lots of time. The
adaptation technology and innovation within the organisation came with lots of
responsibilities and opportunities(Dancer, 2021). In context to the M&S, for the
employees of the company adaption of the new technology has been considered as a big
issue. Due to the lack of guidance within the workplace the employees of the company
are become familiar with the new technology or new ways of carry out the task. As the
employees of the company are not much confident about the adoption of the new
technology this directly reflects on the working of the employees. To overcome from this
problem the line manager of the company have to focus on developing the training
programmes to their employees so that they can easily adopt the new technology and
innovation.
The line manager of the Mark and Spencer have to focus on these major issues to stand in the
market for a long period of time and to achieve successful position in the market as soon as

possible. It is very important for the management of the company to develop good training
programme for their employees to improve their skill and knowlwdge.
Knowledge skills and behaviour needed to be an effective people manager:-
Different types of skills, knowledge and effective behaviour has been needed in an
human resource manager. With the help of this skill and knowledge they are able to achieve all
the objectives of the business which are set by the higher authorities within the set time limit.
The knowledge, skill and behaviour within a human resource manager plays a very significant
role as this helps them in understanding the issue of the employees which are face by them and
generate a effective solution for them related to their problem(Aungsuroch, Gunawan and Fisher,
2022). Along with this, with the help of these skills and behaviour the HR manager of the
company effectively motivate their employees so that they can work hard and achieve the
individual as well as organisational goals. Following are the important skills, knowledge and
behaviour which the line manager of the M&S must have, has been discussed below:-
 Good communication skills: Communication skill is being considered as the core skill
which a line manager of the company must have within them. This skills plays a very
important role in achieving the objectives of the company in a very effective manner.
With the help of this skill the HR manager of the company make good relation with their
employees and effectively communicate their thoughts and ideas in front of them.
Basically communication skill is being divided into two parts i.e. verbal and written and
it is very important for a line manager to become excellent in both types of
communication skill. From the Human Resource manager point of view the good
communication skill improves the productivity, motivates the employees and help them
to always connect with their worker. It is very important for a line manager to use their
words in front of the employees in a very wise manner because this not only encourage
the employees to achieve the organisational objectives but also motivates the employees
to work hard.
 Leadership skills: For a effective people management in the organisation the human
resource manger must have the leadership skill within them. With the help of this skill
the HR manager effectively manage the employees. In order to encourage and motivates
the employees different types of leadership style has been used by the manager. In

context to the M&S the human resource manager of the company can use the different
types of leadership style like democratic, authoritative and many more in their
organisation to manage their staff members. Along with this they can also use the
theories like contingency and translation to manage their employees. With the help of
these theories they are able to motivates their employees so that they perform all the task
with utmost productivity(Bryer, 2021). To become a good leader different types of
behaviour like soft behaviour and polite behaviour has been needed within the line
manager.
 Motivating skill:- This skill is also very much needed in an HR manger of the company
because with the help of this skill they effectively motivate their employee which
ultimately helps the organisation to achieve all the set objective. Without motivation the
productivity of the employees of carried out the task has been decreases which directly
reflects on the performance and profitability of the company. With the help of this skill
the line manager of the company understand the needs and wants of the employees and
along with this also guide them in the right direction(Shaw and Cunningham, 2021)
(Uzo, Shittu and Meru, 2018). In addition to this motivation skill also help the line
manager to influence their employees and changing their behaviour. In context to the
Marks and Spencer the Human resource manager of the company can use the Maslow's
hierarchy need theory or Herzberg's dual factor theory to motivate their employees and
encourage their employees within the organisation so that they work with utmost
productivity.
HR process which underpin and support management when it comes to effective performance
management:-
The Human Resource department of the organisation plays a vital role in developing,
designing and implementing the different activities of the organisation. The HR department of
the company act as a middle man between the employees and higher authorities. The employees
of this department is responsible for managing the staff members within the organisation and
implementation of the training programme which are developed for the employees in a very
effective manner (Harris, 2017). The processes which underpin and support the effective
performance of the management has been discussed below:-

 Performance management review:- This process is directly related to the collaboration
and communication with their employees within the organisation. In this process the
higher authorities and the employees of the company collectively plan and review the
different objectives of the organisation as well the employees. This process has been
divided into four parts and each step has its own importance. The four steps of the
performance management review process has been discussed below:-
◦ Planning stage:- planing stage is being considered as the first step of this process in
which the management and the HR not only define the jobs but also define the
objectives of the company. In this step the goals of the organisation are aligned with
the staff members goals.
◦ Monitoring:- in this step the goals are breakdown in monthly sub goals or quarterly
sub goals, so that activities of the business can be done in smooth manner.
◦ Reviewing:- in this step the management and the employees of the company
collectively review the performance and seen that whether workers meet the goals or
not. In the end of the financial year this step has been done.
◦ Rewarding: from the manager point of view this stage is being considered as one of
the most important stage in this process. If the employees of the company receive the
reward in form of appraisal or any item in the end of the year because of their good
performance, this not only motivate them but also improves their productivity in a
very significant manner (Kovalenko and et. al., 2020).
 360 degree appraisal:- this process is also known as holistic employee review process
which comprises opinions and views of the manager and team members of the company.
The report which is developed by the manager not only give the well rounded feedback
but also give the consecutive feedback. This process is used by the manager to give
appraisal to their employees so that they work hard and perform all the task in a well
effective manner.
Recommendations:-
The Human Resource manager of the M&S company have to use performance
management review process within the organisation in order to motivate the employees. In this
process the objective of the organisation as well the employees are aligned in the same line
which benefits the both. Benefits of this process has been discussed below:-

 Employees become more engaged towards their work and also being motivated
 the retention rate of the employees within the organisation has been increases.
 Objectives are clearly defines and new opportunities has been developed for both the
employees and organisation.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that effective functioning of the Human
resource department is very important for the overall growth of the company. Different types of
issues has been faced by the line manager of the company in order to manage the people within
the organisation in relation to the Marks and Spencer. This report also concluded the different
types of knowledge, skills and behaviour which required in an line manager to manage the
people and different process which underpin the performance of management.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Cooke, F.L., Dickmann, M. and Parry, E., 2020. Important issues in human resource
management: introduction to the 2020 review issue. The International Journal of
Human Resource Management. 31(1). pp.1-5.
Olander, H. and Hurmelinna-Laukkanen, P., 2019. Introduction to managing people for
technological innovation.
Burnard, T., 2021. Introduction: The Management of Enslaved People on Anglo-American
Plantations, 1700–1860. Journal of Global Slavery. 6(1). pp.1-9.
Dancer, H., 2021. People and forests at the legal frontier: Introduction. The Journal of Legal
Pluralism and Unofficial Law. 53(1). pp.11-20.
Aungsuroch, Y., Gunawan, J. and Fisher, M.L., 2022. Introduction: The Evolution of Human
Resource Management. In Redesigning the Nursing and Human Resource
Partnership (pp. 1-13). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
Bryer, T.A., 2021. Introduction to the Handbook of Theories of Public Administration and
Management. In Handbook of Theories of Public Administration and Management.
Edward Elgar Publishing.
Shaw, S. and Cunningham, G.B., 2021. The rainbow connection: a scoping review and
introduction of a scholarly exchange on LGBTQ+ experiences in sport
management. Sport Management Review, pp.1-24.
Uzo, U., Shittu, O. and Meru, A.K., 2018. Introduction: Indigenous management practices in
Africa. In Indigenous Management Practices in Africa. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Harris, E., 2017. Introduction to performance management and control. In The Routledge
Companion to Performance Management and Control (pp. 1-9). Routledge.
Kovalenko, S.M and et. al., 2020. General aspects of introduction of management systems in
educational organizations in pursuance of ISO 21001: 2018. Management, economy and
quality assurance in pharmacy, (4 (64)), pp.4-9.