Reckitt Benckiser: Developing Individuals, Teams, and Organisations

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of human resource management elements essential for developing workforce and organizational capabilities to improve performance. It includes a portfolio detailing the skills and knowledge required for HR professionals and developmental plans for achieving organizational objectives. The report also demonstrates the role of human resource management in performance management and conducting high-performance work (HPW) within organizations, specifically in the context of Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC. It features a detailed personal SWOT analysis to identify areas for improvement, a skills audit to assess current competencies, and a professional development plan to enhance skills and knowledge. Furthermore, the report analyzes the differences between organizational and individual learning, training, and development, highlighting their respective purposes and focuses.

35 Developing
Individuals, Teams
and Organisations

Contents
INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY............................................................................................................................3
TASK A.................................................................................................................................3
TASK B.................................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION.......................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................17

INTRODUCTION
Modern day business is built on the back of the productivity and efficiency of a firm’s
workforce s the human component of enterprises is the key force which powers its
operations, plans and policies. In order to survive an prosper in the increasingly competitive
business environment on both global and domestic level, companies must make sure that
there is a proper system of human resource management in their organizational infrastructure
(Ozbilgin, 2020). Human resource management refers to the strategic approaches and
practices which an organization uses for the effective management of their workforce in order
to gain variety of advantages such as boost in performance, better customer service and
goodwill generation along with inculcating standards of talent management and succession
planning. The field of human resource management is quite complex and is subject to a
multitude of theories and models which make it necessary for HR professionals and managers
to be quite skilled and know every aspect of their job roles inside and out (Chaudhary, 2019).
This report will contain a comprehensive analysis on the various elements of human
resource management that are needed to develop workforce and organizational capabilities to
improve their performance. There will be a portfolio built regarding the various skills and
knowledge’s needed for HR professionals and developmental plans for inculcating the
competencies necessary for helping the organization achieve its set objectives. There will
also be a demonstration regarding the role of managing human resource in performance
management and conducting high performance work (HPW) in firms in the organizational
context of Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC which is a British multinational company trading
under the name of Reckitt and as a retailer, it specializes in nutritional and hygiene oriented
products.
MAIN BODY
TASK A
P1 Determine appropriate and professional knowledge, skills and behavior’s that are
required by HR professionals
The role of HR professionals in the current business landscape cannot be understates
as all the major functions and departments of the business are closely interconnected with the
HR duties due to the workforce driving all the important routines that a business conducts on
a day to day basis. These developments have made it compulsory for HR professionals to be

holistic and skilled individuals who possess a good spectrum of knowledge from diverse
backgrounds of life and exhibit appropriate behavior to influence the workforce positively.
Some of the knowledge, skills and behaviors required from the HR personnel in a highly
professional setting are listed herein.
Skills
 Time Management – One of the most needed skills in HR is that of proper time
management as human resource managers have to juggle a lot of tasks and are
responsible for managing s large amount of workers at the same time or in batches
which all require effective division of time and execution of activities such as salary
discussions, conflict solving and interview scheduling well within deadlines. The HR
personnel of Reckitt have to be extra careful with their time as the company has
business in multiple countries and managing virtual teams is a time consuming
process and there are deadlines in place for many daily tasks by the top management
of the company.
 Great communication skills – Since the field of human resource management deals
directly with people and is responsible for setting the standards for organizational
culture and the job experience that employees go through daily, it is necessary for
them to be efficient speakers and listeners (Ogbeibu, and et.al., 2020).
 The HR professionals working for Reckitt are supposed to understand the problems
of the staff and duly address them with respect to diffuse tough situations. The
company’s business operations have picked up in the COVID-19 pandemic as it has
started focusing more on hygienic products which has increased work pressure on
some employees. The HR professionals must communicate worth these workers and
develop systems to lessen their workload.
Knowledge
 Expertise in all HR practices and roles – The entire domain of human resource
management has become quite complex as with time, many prominent researches and
gurus of management have added various models and theories to it which are all
deserving of some merit. The HR professionals are supposed to be experts in their
domain and must know how to accurately apply different employee oriented
approaches during important events such as designing compensation packages,

planning employee orientation and preparing for annual performance appraisals. The
HR personnel at Reckitt are required to have expert knowledge of their field as being
a multinational retailer, it has a diverse workforce in multiple countries which all need
to be kept motivated and satisfied at all times.
 Knowledge of different departmental operations – HR personnel are also required
to have at least passable knowledge about various other functions of business
management that are regularly performed by different employees in diverse
departments of the companies they work in. This is mandatory because the core
functions of human resource management supplement all other operations of the
business as in Reckitt, the employee satisfaction and rewards varies according to
different departments and different errors, performance recording tools are used in the
production line, finance and marketing department of health and nutrition products.
Behaviors
 Transparency and trustworthiness – The HR personnel at Reckitt have to deal with
many employees with a daily basis and since the business has been expanded
globally, they have to deal with them in person and on virtual communication
software’s. All these employees come to the HR department in hopes that they will
have their conflicts resolved and their satisfaction is closely tied to how they are
treated by the HR professionals. HR workers must make sure that they display
trustworthy behavior and not try to double cross any other employee and build
relationships with them on the basis of transparency (Yaroshenko, and et.al., 2020).
 Purpose and solutions oriented - Reckitt’s organizational vision is strictly adhered
to in the company and the HR personnel are required to stay aligned to the ultimate
purposes of the company and make sure the rest of the workforce does to. The HR
department at Reckitt is required to supplement the organization’s leaders in making
sure all the employees are working for the accomplish of set objectives and provide
solutions to employees whenever they face any difficulty in the workplace involving
other people and processes.
P2 Analyze a completed personal skills audit to identify appropriate knowledge, skills
and behavior’s and develop a professional development plan for a given job role

A detailed personal SWOT analysis has been conducted below in order to find out the
areas in which the HR personnel at Reckitt are lacking to optimize their working performance
in the long run. This SWOT analysis is being undertaken to highlight the personal skill
acquisition and to create a developmental portfolio for the selection of a job role at Reckitt as
the Assistant Manager HR Development and will showcase the honesty, reflective analysis
and skilled personality of the individual.
Personal SWOT analysis
Strengths
1. As a HR professional, my
communication skills are very
sound and I am both an active
speaker and listener who knows how
to hold the attention of the people I
talk to and make them open up about
their problems while also offering
them holistic solutions.
2. I am also an expert in traditional
administrative skills and
techniques of HR management
which still have widespread usage
and utility to offer in the digital age
of business.
Weakness
1. One major problem with me is that I
suffer from time management
problems as I am unable to meet set
deadlines for many HR operations
and I struggle under pressure
2. I also struggle with modern digital
technologies that are used in HR
and I am not proficient in use of
human resource information systems
which are in trend nowadays to
supplement multiple business
segments
Opportunities
1. I am learning about advanced HR
methods to manage and control
performances of remote workers
and virtual teams which gives me
an edge in the current post pandemic
business landscape.
2. I am also doing certification courses
in performance and talent
Threats
1. Due to not being proficient with the
current digital technologies and
modern methods of HR
management, I am afraid that my
competitors might leave me
behind on the corporate ladder
2. Another major threat is the COVID-
19 pandemic which has created

management which are both
emerging fields of HR management
headaches for HR professionals as
taking care of the workforce has
become much complex and harder.
M1 Provide a detailed professional skills audit and professional development plan that
demonstrates evidence of personal reflection and evaluation
Personal skills audit
A personal skills audit has been prepared below to compliment the above described
reflective account of strengths and weaknesses in order to highlight the various skills that the
individual has and how the candidate perceives his mastery in these skills as an Assistant HR
manager.
Skills/
knowledge/
behaviour
Poor Average Good Excellent
Time
management
*
Communication
Skills
*
Expertise in HR
practices
*
Knowledge of
business and
industry
operations
*
Problem solving
skills
*
Transparent *
Tech Savvy *

D1 Produce a detailed and coherent professional development plan that appropriately
sets out learning goals and training in relation to the learning cycle to achieve
sustainable business performance objectives
Personal development plan
In order to properly undertake a complex job role of Assistant Manager, HR
Development at a big multinational company like Reckitt, the individual’s personal
development plan has been designed below. It will highlight the learning pathways to be
undertaken in order to accomplish organizational objectives of the company in an efficient
manner.
Skills Current
ability
Target
ability
Developing
opportunities
Judging
criteria
Time frame
Time
Management
Poor I would like
to complete
all the given
tasks in time
and meet the
deadlines set
by the
organization
s
This skill can
be developed
by
undertaking
practical
exercise and
practicing
better
organization
of resources
to save time
Various HR
tasks will be
performed
with me and
the time
taken will be
recorded and
contrasted
against
earlier time
frames
4 months
Technologica
l awareness
regarding HR
practices
Poor I want to
become
competent in
use of
majorly used
HR
information
systems
I will gain
this
knowledge
through
certification
courses
provided by
reputed HR
institutes and
by studying
I will
participate
in tests and
exams
whose score
will validate
my learning
efforts
6 months

secondary
data on the
internet.
TASK B
P3 Analyse the differences between organisational and individual learning, training and
development
When it comes to driving the organization’s performance and the workforce
productivity, the role of training and development is very important as they are drivers of
employee and organizational growth. Through training and development, firms can help
make their workers more competent, engage in better profits and provide better market
offering to their customers in the long run. There are many different concepts of
organizational learnings apart from training and development and the concept of both are
different in meaning as well as scope. Major differences between these approaches have been
highlighted below.
Basis Organizational Learning Individual Learning
Meaning It is a learning process in
companies which involves
analysis of individual and group
analysis to perform tasks more
effectively (Carden, Kovach
and Flores, 2021).
It is the process of
undergoing improvements in
the personal self by people
through external training
and development and
intrinsic motivation.
Purpose To help an organization
undertake continuous
improvement over time and
adapt to changing conditions.
To help employees perform
complex job roles and boost
their performance.
Scope Organization wide and involves
analysis of multiple business
dimensions and entities.
Mostly on an individual or
team level as every
personnel is in need of
varying skillsets.
Basis Training Development
Meaning It is an educational process
within which employees
develop new skills and
competencies to perform better
in more complex job roles.
It is an informative process
which helps employees
understand about their
growth in the organization
and their future pathway
(Järlström, Saru and
Vanhala, 2018).
Purpose Increasing the skillsets and
knowledge of the workforce for
a company.
Charting and developing an
employee’s career and their
competencies.
Scope Short term focus based on small
sessions depending upon job
This process takes a long
time and occurs during the

roles. entire tenure an employee
spends in a company.
P4 Analyse the need for continuous learning and professional development to drive
sustainable business
Reckitt is a multination company which has employed closed to 43000 people
worldwide and specialized in making the world a better place by providing the people
affordable and innovative products in the field of hygiene and nutrition. The company has
multiple popular brands as a part of its impressive portfolio such as Lysol, Vanish and
Nutramigen and the need for learning on both an individual an organizational level is
important for the company as it directly deals in goods which impact public health and
lifestyle (WHO WE ARE, 2022)
In simpler terms, sustainability refers to the conduction of business without causing
any harm or damage to the stakeholders or any element of society (Sharmahd, Peeters and
Bushati, 2018). Reckitt follows this principal strictly, the needs for continuous learning and
professional development in promoting sustainability is listed herein.
 One of the biggest responsibilities for a business is towards its workforce as looking
after them and keeping them motivated and healthy must be a priority and standard
for sustainability. Having a professional development system in Reckitt helps increase
employee loyalty, reduces turnover costs and has helped build the brand’s image as
ethical and sustainable among the general public.
 Through professional development, the workforce of the business gets motivated,
focussed and develops higher levels of competencies that allows businesses to design
and implement sustainable strategies on a bigger scope (Alzyoud, 2018). Reckitt has
multiple strategies in place that are driving it’s CSR efforts forward and people who
are in charge of managing such affairs are highly developed individuals
professionally.
 In order for businesses to become more sustainable, it has to make considerable
investments and undertake market growth as many operations have to be optimized
and streamlined. Whenever a business like Reckitt grows and undertakes global
expansion to make its sustainable products available to a bigger audience, they need

more senior roles in their organizational hierarchy filled with talented people which
can only happen through continuous learning.
M2 Apply learning cycle theories to critically analyse the importance of implementing
continuous professional development
The concept of learning cycle theories was given by David Kolb in 1984 and it
contains multiple approaches and stages in which organizational and individual learning takes
place and its critical analysis is listed below to highlight the importance of implementing
professional development standards in a business.
 Concrete Experiences – This part of the theory states the event in which employees
encounter new experiences or a change in their usual daily activity and in their
surroundings. The modern business landscape is quite volatile and due to presence of
many disruptions, employees experience a lot of change frequently in their working
environment (Yuliansyah and Jermias, 2018).
 Reflective observation – This stage involves the employees who encountered the
new changes or alterations in their work environment reflecting upon the experience
which just happened and keenly observe their workplace for these changes occurring
again.
 Abstract conceptualization – At this stage, the reflections made by the employees
result in formation of new ideas and creative ways of making sense of the new
situation.
 Active experimentation – The employees begin to work their minds and indulge in
frequent experimentation with the new changes made at work or in their company
based on formulated hypothesis in their minds regarding the new ways to proceed
further.
This cycle reinforces the importance of continuous professional development as through this
concept of business training and development, employees are taught to tackle changes in their
working environment which are frequent sightings (Utin and Yosepha, 2019). In
multinational businesses such as Reckitt and by having continuous standards of professional
development in place, the company can develop the creative minds of their workforce and
encourage out of box learning and practice of new concepts. By studying the learning cycle

and practicing CPD, Reckitt can also understand the learning styles of their employees and
categorize them differently based on the following criteria’s.
 Diverging – Employees which are sensitive and think from all aspects, perfect for
involvement in activities such as mind mapping and brainstorming.
 Assimilating – Employees which respond and learn better with strictly defined
theories rather than abstract concepts and creative thinking. They are great at
implementing traditional plans and strategies in the company.
 Converging – These employees are focused on learning and undertaking job roles
which involve practical learnings instead of bookish theories. Reckitt benefits from
putting such people in fields such as product development.
 Accommodating – These people are dependent on analysis conducted by others and
often rely on their gut instincts to take decisions and perform work rather than
practice and research. Business should make sure such employees are not in
managerial roles.
D1 Produce a detailed and coherent professional development plan that appropriately
sets out learning goals and training in relation to the learning cycle to achieve
sustainable business performance objectives
A detailed professional development plan is given below which highlights weaknesses
in the workforce of Reckitt in regards to its globally expanded business operations along with
the detailed timeframes and measures needed to achieve the CPD targets towards making the
business more sustainable.
Current weaknesses and
gaps in the workforce
Actions needed Time frame
Lack of knowledge about
hygiene and nutrition
Training workshops
focusing on brand and
company specific
knowledge of Reckitt.
3 months
Low productivity Employee feedbacks,
surveys and one on one
developmental sessions
2 months
Inexperience in providing Business simulation, 4 months

after sales services practical sessions and e-
learning programmes
After internal environmental analysis of Reckitt, it was found that its workforce in the
UK was suffering from low performance issues for the past few months and the employees
were not providing adequate client servicing due to lack of knowledge about products and not
having enough experience with after sales service such as addressing client enquiries and
initiating returns on faulty products. By addressing the employees and taking their voices and
feedbacks into account and proving them with a developmental plan for their careers and a
better compensation package, they can become productive again (Opoku‐Dakwa, Chen and
Rupp, 2018). Subjecting the workforce to training sessions and technical learning
programmes regarding Reckitt’s vision, products, philosophy and after sales service methods
will make the business more sustainable as customers will be treated much better with less
chances of errors.
P5 Demonstrate understanding of how HPW contributes to employee engagement and
competitive advantage within a specific organisational situation
HPW or high performance working is a relatively new HR practice and approach
which has been in trend in the current business scenarios as it establishes a framework within
which the productivity of the workforce and the company is highly boosted and consistent
over time. HPW is primarily concerned with the breaking down of traditional forms of
workings and organization wide structures to create a smaller and flatter hierarchy in which
employees are more free, creative, motivated and ultimately happy with being a part of the
organization (Tavakoli, and et.al., 2018). The ways in which HPW contributes to various
important business dimensions of Reckitt is listed herein.
 Employee engagement – With the help of high performance working, Reckitt can
engage its employees in a much better manner and take care of its important
stakeholders in a much more efficient manner. Reckitt internationally has multiple
major brand acquisitions and employs close to 43000 people which makes it
necessary to engage in effective employee engagement practices. HPW helps in
streamlining communication channels which builds trust and transparency between

employees and management and the lack of a rigid structure also helps decrease the
work load of employees keeping them happy, away from stress and loyal.
 Competitive advantage – HPW is a relatively new concept when it comes to human
resource management but many firms like Reckitt are using it successfully to sustain,
develop and increase their competitive advantage in their target markets in multiple
global markets. HPW helps break down the traditional top to bottom flow of control
and hierarchy in firms and instead allows Reckitt to undertake its business using a
flatter structure which has made its operations much faster at the production line and
helped it maintain and match the demand for its popular brand products such as Lysol
and Dettol through sustainable production.
M3 Analyse the benefits of applying HPW with justifications to a specific organisational
situation
HPW helps in moving away from inefficient and archaic business models which are
not effective anymore in the current business situations where expansion and growth has to
be prioritized over safety and survival. Reckitt can benefit a lot if it implements HPW
standards across its organization and some of these advantages have been described below.
 With the help of HPW systems, the human resource department of Reckitt can easily
meet the deadlines set by the top management and the departmental operations of the
company such as finance and marketing can be managed with much better efficiency.
 HPW helps boost the productivity of both the company and its workforce by
streamlining the organization structure and open up the communication lines in
creative ways rather than simply allowing top to bottom information flow. By
following a flatter hierarchy, Reckitt’s top management and communicate with its
employees much more easily and implement policies with higher chances of success.
 Reckitt is a multinational company and one of the biggest issues that such companies
face is managing and motivating a racially and religiously diverse workforce as they
all perceive messages and practices differently. HPW facilitates better
communication, lesser workload and encourages employees to express their creativity
freely which can benefit Reckitt a lot in making sure its employees are all on the same
page following the organizational vision of providing sustainable solutions globally
with the best possible quality.

D2 Provide valid synthesis of knowledge and information resulting in appropriate
judgements on how HPW and mechanisms used to support HPW lead to improved
employee engagement, commitment and competitive advantage
The use of high performance working in human resource management is done through
various means and methods which vary according to the financial and operational capability
of different companies. For multinational companies which have powerful brands under their
belts like Reckitt, the different mechanism of supporting and implementing HPW in its
organizational capabilities are listed herein.
 The firm should conduct decentralization of authority in the workplace which will
make employees work with much more freedom and that approach has been proven to
increase their performance. This approach of supporting HPW also teaches the
workforce to become self-reliant which saves the resources of organization.
 By opening new and unorthodox communication channels in the company hierarchy,
HPW can be easily supported and inculcated in the company framework as many
problems emerge in HRM due to lack of understanding between superiors and their
subordinates which can removed with the help of HPW (Anwar, and et.al., 2018).
 Apart from simplistic measures to implement HPW, it can also be implemented and
integrated with human resource information systems which involves the use of
informational technology oriented solutions to install smart systems on the entire
organization’s infrastructural capabilities. Such systems are also called HPWS (High
performance work systems).
The use of the different approaches of HPW and its support mechanisms can be very
beneficial for companies like Reckitt as after the pandemic has subsided, the global market
for hygienic and nutrition products have skyrocketed and that prompts plans for future
expansions. HPW can help in engaging and keeping a large and diverse workforce in a
proactive manner by making sure their voices are heard and they are compensated well while
working in a culturally positive business environment.
CONCLUSION
The above report went into detail regarding the various concepts and processes of
business administration that are concerned with the development of individuals, teams and

organizations using applications of human resource management and it’s tools and
techniques. There was detailed discussion on various aspects of HRM such as all the skills,
behaviors and knowledge that should be possessed by HR personnel along with audits and
developmental plans to help increase an organization’s sustainable performance. The role and
scope of various HR practices were highlighted such as training and developed, CPD
(Continuous Professional Development) and HPW (High Performance Working) and it was
concluded that the performance of the company and its workforce depends heavily on the
systems of human resource management that are a part of its capabilities.

REFERENCES
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Online Referencing
WHO WE ARE, 2022[online] available through https://www.reckitt.com/about-us/who-we-
are/