Human Resource Development Report: Strategic Training at Woolworths

This report analyzes the importance of strategic human resource development within the Woolworths organization. It emphasizes the significance of training programs in enhancing workforce productivity and gaining a competitive advantage. The report delves into the characteristics of adult learners, highlighting the need for self-directed, practical, and result-oriented training approaches. It outlines various strategies for implementing training programs, including structured, semi-structured, and unstructured learning methods. Structured learning involves theoretical sessions and lectures, while semi-structured learning utilizes discussions, case studies, and role-plays. The report also discusses the importance of experiential learning through instruments, simulations, and projects. Finally, it addresses the evaluation methods necessary to assess the effectiveness of the training programs, ensuring alignment with the organization's goals. The report highlights the employee turnover rate, the need for more full-time workers, and the importance of addressing the challenges of the company.

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Human Resource Development
Name of the student
University name
Author’s note

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Executive summary
The current assignment takes into consideration the importance of strategic human resource
development within an organization. The strategic management policies aim at benefitting the
workforce in the organization and at the same time are responsible for enhancing the productivity
of the organization. Therefore, the chapter aims at the training needs of the workforce in a
competitive environment. It helps the organization in gaining a competitive advantage over
other organizations.
The inculcation of the training programs also helps the staff in enhancing their personal skills
and values. The training is again dependent on a number of factors such as the demands and the
learning needs of the employees. However, post training a number of evaluation measures needs
to be undertaken by the organization. Some of them include judging the staff on the basis of test
and performance measurements. Thus, human resource development is an important component
of strategic management and development.

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Table of contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
1. Description of the organization and need of the training program to address the current
problem situation.............................................................................................................................3
2. Characteristics of adult learners..................................................................................................5
3. Strategies to implement the training program.............................................................................7
4. Evaluation method to access the effectiveness of the training program.....................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................12
Appendices....................................................................................................................................16
Appendix 1.....................................................................................................................................16
Appendix 2.....................................................................................................................................16

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Introduction
The current assignment studies the importance of strategic human resource development
for the growth and sustenance of the Woolworths Company in the global market. The
Woolworths Company is an Australia based supermarket/grocery store chain owned by the
Woolworths limited. The Woolworths supermarket along with the Coles group account for 80%
of the Australian supermarket. Thus, the market share of the organization being huge calls for
effective measures to be adopted for strategic human resource management of the organization.
There is a wide range of products offered by the Woolworths supermarket are fresh fruits,
vegetables, sea food, freshly baked products along with freezers and drinks. Some of the other
products offered by the company are pet and baby products along with household items.
The organization comprises of a number of different departments and sub-department.
However, for the smooth functioning of the organization, there is a need to provide sufficient
growth opportunities to the workforce. This is accomplished by means of strategic human
resource development programs aimed at training the workforce. Thus, a well-trained workforce
helps in enhancing the productivity of the organization. The current assignment focuses on the
impact of the training program in addressing the problem situation of the organization. However,
for the purpose of the implementation of the training programs the learning need and
requirements of the workforce needs to be analysed.
1. Description of the organization and need of the training program to address the current
problem situation
Description of the organization

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The Woolworths supermarket along with the Coles group of companies holds the
majority of the share of the Australian supermarket. The market provides a wide variety of
products such as the basic groceries, packed food items, freezers and pantry. It also customises in
baby foods and household or beauty products. The organization consists of a number of
department and sub-departments comprising of a huge number of workforce. However, as
argued by Purce (2014), the shortage of skilled employees possessing relevant marketing skills
can act as a hindrance for the company. As commented by Steffen et al. (2015), half of the
jobseekers in the current Australian scenario are the migrants.
Problem statement
Thus, a number of challenges need to be addressed in the recruitment of the migrants
within the Woolworths company. Some of the challenges faced here are language barriers among
the few. Most of the migrants are from countries such as China, Vietnam, Italy, being some of
the few. As commented by MacArthur et al. (2014), a seismic wave has resulted in the
Australian job sector due to a huge exodus of indigenous Australians. Most of the indigenous
Australians have failed to find a job within their own specialisations, thus promulgating the
exodus. In order to settle the huge workforce gap, there is a need to absorb more people from
different nationalities on board. However, as argued by Alfes et al. (2013), language often
becomes a constraint in most of the cases. This results in a huge communication gap within the
organization resulting in differences of opinion within the workforce. In the last few months, the
Woolworths supermarket has seen a huge number of employee turnovers. A survey conducted
within the organization have pointed out that stringent policy measures along with the
inability to cater to the development needs of the employees have been a major cause for the
employee turnover.

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Need of training
The aim of Woolworths Limited has been “to treat our people with dignity and respect”.
Thus, the organization has always strived at providing sufficient growth opportunities for the
overall well being of their employees. However, the current statistical reports have pointed out
towards a number of gaps or loophole. The figures and statistics have reported that the employee
turnover rate within the age group of 15-24 is as high as 63%. Similarly, the number of full-time
workers of the organization is only 29%. Thus, unpaid overtime and highly strict demands are
some of the factors, which have resulted in a huge rate of employee turnover. Reports and
evidence in the form of feedbacks posted by the ex-employees in job sites such as Indeed
Australia have pointed out at managing strict demands from the customers as one of the
downsides of working with Woolworths. Moreover, many have even complained about being
bullied by customers on being unable to redress their demands properly.
The aim of designing the training program was to help by providing the employees with
sufficient skills and marketing gimmick in order to deal with the hard-to-handle customers.
2. Characteristics of adult learners
In order to develop a suitable training program for the workforce of the organization,
there is a need to focus on the characteristics of the adult learners. The needs and requirements of
the workforce need to be evaluated in order to design effective training programs. As commented
by Kehoe & Wright (2013), tailoring the training as per the suitability of the learner can help in
the development of a positive culture of work within the respective organization. The adults like
to take control their own learning and development needs. Thus, the training needs to provide a
self –direction to the employees. As asserted by Noe et al. (2014), the employees should be able

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to access their own performances throughout the training program. They can establish that with
the help of establishing a strong relationship with their peers and instructor. The learning
measures should be supported by multiple options to ease the process of learning of the
employees. As commented by Guise et al. (2017), effective participation from the instructor is
required. This particularly helps in figuring out the difficulties that the participants may be facing
throughout the learning program.
The adults are practical and result oriented, therefore, more comprehensive content needs
to be designed for them. It should be able to answer the different queries one might have
regarding practical marketing approaches. Thus, ready-made and full proof solutions need to be
provided which will help them in meeting the requirements of the highly demanding jobs. As
commented by Noe et al. (2014), the adults are more resistant to change owing to life
experiences. The past learning experiences have a much more rigid imprint on the adult mind.
Therefore, as commented by Kehoe & Wright (2013), each theory need to be supported by a
“why”. This helps in substantiating the new concepts and replacing the old ones.
The Woolworths chain of company advocates discussion and sharing of knowledge over
large-scale platforms. It is mostly encouraged by the past work life experiences of the
employees in similar or different organizations. As argued by Guise et al. (2017), such sharing of
knowledge helps in deeper integration of knowledge. Learning in adulthood is driven by intrinsic
motivation rather than forced compulsion. As argued by Noe et al. (2014), the lack of motivation
in the employees can act as a hindrance to achieving the objectives of the concerned
organization. Thus, the Woolworth organization needs to promote more motivational spirits in
the employees for participating in the training programs. In this context, one of the practices
adopted by the Woolworths supermarket chains is providing of performance bonus and

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incentives to the employees. This helps in generating interest in the employees towards attending
the training programmes. The adults constantly have to juggle between a number of roles and
responsibilities. Therefore, there is a need to design tailor made programs which would be both
time and cost effective.
3. Strategies to implement the training program
A number of strategies can be used for the implementation of the training program. The
strategies are designed based on the learning needs of the students such as- structure learning,
semi-structured and unstructured learning. The structured learning is where a teacher or an
instructor controls the learning. The mode of training is based upon theory session and learning
session (Reicks et al. 2014). The theory session is used for the inculcation of deeper levels of
knowledge in the employees regarding the marketing skills. The incorporation of the theoretical
knowledge helps them in dealing with the high demanding situations with more ease and
comfort. This helps in making the staff more competent in enhancing the market sales apart from
ensuring customer retention. This helps in providing the organization with a competitive
advantage over other similar market players in the industry.
The theory method of teaching can also be supported by lecture method of teaching. The
lecture method of teaching helps in addressing a much wide section of audiences at a much
nominal rate (Daniels et al. 2014). The theories help in reinstating the values and skills within an
individual and have a rigid effect on the mind of the learners.
The semi-structured learning strategies are based on learning through interactions and are
mostly encouraged by discussion, case studies and role-plays. In this context, the discussion puts
emphasis upon the past life as well as the work experiences of the employees (Kris-Etherton et

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al. 2014). As commented by Marzano et al. (2014) learning through flaws helps an individual
in meeting the required objectives of a high-constrained job. Moreover, the same can act as a
stimulus where similar instances of disagreement with the customers can be avoided in the
future. As commented by Lin et al. (2013), case studies highlighting similar problem situations
can help the employees in being market ready. Additionally, they can be called for role-playing
where they engage with each other through practical dialect. It helps them in understanding the
situation better where they learn to interpret situations and responses through words. Thus, the
role play also plays a crucial role in the aspect of communication where the employees learn to
deal with the customers in an effective manner through effective communication. As commented
by Kennedy (2014), fluid and transparent communication are crucial with regards to the aspect
of customer retention. Additionally, experiential learning cam is beneficial in the development of
depth knowledge (Reames et al 2015). In this respect, the experiential learning can be divided
into a number of steps such as learning instruments, stimulation and projects. In as commented
by Chen (2014), the employees can be asked to gather personal data through drafting survey
questionaries. The questionnaires can then be used for generating personal enlightenment and
learning stimulation in an individual. The employees could also be asked to conduct projects
where they could learn within a practical scenario the different steps, which could be taken for
the purpose of enhancement of the productivity of the workforce.
The concept of unstructured learning can be divided into problem-based learning,
contract learning and action learning. In this respect, the contract is simply based on course and
curriculum design. The study module helps in achieving the step wide learning requirements
within a practical setup. The action learning, on the other hand, is based on conducting a research
where the employees are provided with a number of multiple options to choose from. This will

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help the employees in becoming more flexible in meeting the demands and needs of the people.
In this respect, the Woolworths supermarket needs to introduce a number of diverse training
programs to cater to the diverse needs of the employees. However, as argued by Sikora, & Ferris
(2014), a number of challenges are suffered in meeting with the implementation of the training
needs and programs. Thus, sufficient support needs to be provided to the organization in terms of
funds and investments. As commented by Han et al. (2013), the participation of stakeholders can
play an effective role in meeting the demands of the organization. The organization need to
conduct a survey of the potential stakeholders and the interest vested upon by them in the
sponsoring the training events.
4. Evaluation method to access the effectiveness of the training program
A number of methods may be followed for the evaluation of the training program such as
conducting of written tests. The tests help in evaluating the level of knowledge gathered by the
employees in the training program. The written tests could further be divided into objective and
subjective written test. The objective test would help in testing the level of knowledge possessed
by the employees. Additionally, the written test would provide them with the space to elaborate
their knowledge. As commented by Wright et al. (2014), dividing the workforce into control
group methods would help in testing the learning behaviours of the different employees. It can be
a basis of comparative analysis where the employees are asked to provide group wise feedbacks
regarding the different marketing campaigns. The Woolworths supermarket can use these
campaigns in order to implement the desired changes within the company framework.
Additionally, the use of log diaries can be beneficial in taking a note of the different measures
which could be undertaken for achieving the changes within the company structure and policies.

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The logbook helps in keeping a tab on the constant performance and evolvement of the
employees.
As commented by Chadwick et al. (2015), the use of models such as Kirkpatrick model
can be used in order to achieve the desired outcomes. The model can be broken down into a
number of steps such as evaluating the needs and goals, evaluating the HRD design,
measuring the learning outcomes. These steps can be helpful in achieving the desired
outcomes by the implementation of the required training programs.
Conclusion
The current assignment focuses on the need of the development of strategic human
resources for increasing the productivity of the organization. Thus, the organization needs to
provide sufficient training and growth opportunities to its employees. This helps in adding a
competitive advantage to the organization. The biggest competitors of the Woolworths
supermarket are the Coles group. Therefore, there is a constant pressure from the rival
organizations in terms of value added services.
Additionally, a well-trained workforce helps in customer retention by providing the best-
in-class services to the organization. In this respect, the training measures help in achieving the
personal and productive requirements of the staff. In this context, the training program would
help in meeting the organizational loopholes by providing the employee with sufficient
competency. This further helps in preventing the rapid rates of employee turnover, which has
been a problem with the Australian, based Woolworths organization. Thus, answering the
deficits and needs of the employees helps in generation of employee motivation. Employee
motivation is indispensable for the achievement of the organizational objectives to the fullest.

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In this respect, effective strategies and measures need to be adopted for promoting a
strategic human resource development. The strategies should be based on the requirements of the
employees. Thus, occasional surveys need to be made a part of the organizational policies, which
helps in understanding the employee requirements.

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References
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Appendices
Appendix 1
Development Activity Period of time
Proposal development and Approval One month
Review of the training process Three months
Methods determination for implementation of training programs One month
Designing of strategies Fifteen days
Collection of data Two months
Testing the reliability Seven days
Data analysis Eighteen days
Findings, suggestions and conclusion One month
Table 1: Schedule of the project
(Source: researcher)
Appendix 2
Jul
y
201
7
Aug
.
201
7
Se
pt.
20
17
Oct.
2017
Nov.
2017
Dec.
2017
Jan.
2018
Feb. 2018 Mar
ch
2018

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Developmen
t activity
31
day
s
31
day
s
30
da
ys
15
da
ys
15
da
ys
30
days
31
days
31
days
10
da
ys
7
da
ys
11
days
31
days
proposal
development
and
Approval
Review of
the training
process
Methods
determinatio
n for
implementati
on of training
programs
Designing of
strategies
Collection of
primary data
Collection of
secondary
data

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testing the
reliability
Data analysis
Findings,
suggestions
and
conclusion
Table 2: Gantt chart (timeline)
(Source: researcher)