DAM761 Assessment 1: Report on Westpac's Strategic Management and HR

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between strategic organizational planning and human resource planning at Westpac. It examines the effectiveness of Westpac's human resource planning practices in developing a people-centered workplace, highlighting the importance of aligning strategic goals with employee needs and diversity initiatives. The report identifies challenges faced by HR professionals, such as balancing employee demands and addressing diversity issues, and proposes solutions, including the implementation of the STAR Team Model to foster high-performing work teams within a multicultural workforce. The report also delves into the development of global mindset employees and managers, offering recommendations for Westpac to enhance its human resource strategies and improve overall organizational efficiency. The report also highlights the use of SMART goals to improve team performance and overall results.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Management
Name of the University
Name of the Student
Author note

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Executive Summary
The report has thrown light on the overall analysis of the different kinds of processes of strategic
organizational process and human resource planning which helped in improving the overall efficiency
of the employees and organizations effectively. With the different types of analytical resource
planning methods and techniques, the company has been able to create a people-centered workforce.
It has been noticed that there is a lack of employee engagement and the different employees have
different kinds of requirements which has affected the morale of employees and hampered the overall
productivity of the firm. With the implementation of the different SMART objectives and the high
team performance models, the various critical elements for the development of people-centered
workplace have been created. However, there are different kinds of potential challenges which
affected the overall growth of the firm negatively, however with the implementation of the various
global mindset concept, the employees and managers were performing effectively.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................................3
2. Findings and Analysis.......................................................................................................................3
2.1 Relationship between Strategic Organizational Planning and Human Resource Planning..........3
(a) Analysis of Relationship between Strategic Organizational Planning and Human Resource
Planning in Westpac in Developing People-Centered Workplace.................................................3
(b) Two Potential Challenges Faced by HR Professional in Aligning Strategic Organizational
Planning and Human Resource Planning......................................................................................5
2.2 Human Resource Planning Process and Methods........................................................................6
(a) The effectiveness of HRP Practices Used by Westpac in Developing People-Centered
Workplace.....................................................................................................................................6
(b) Two Potential Challenges Faced by HR Professionals in Planning Manpower Needs at
Westpac........................................................................................................................................7
2.3 Developing High Performing and Global Mindset Employees and Managers.............................8
(a) Application of Relevant Model in Development of High-Performing Work Team for Multi-
Cultural Workforce.......................................................................................................................8
(b) Implementation of Global Mindset Model in Developing Global Mindset Workforce..........10
3. Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................12
References...........................................................................................................................................13

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1. Introduction
The report throws light on the overall analysis of the relationship between the strategic
organizational planning and human resource planning which is applied at Westpac. The potential
challenges which are being faced by the HR professionals in Westpac are required to be identified
while aligning the strategic organizational planning and human resource planning. Additionally, the
effectiveness of human resource planning methods and process used by Westpac is required to be
analyzed with specific examples.
The potential challenges which may affect the HR professionals in planning the human
resources need at Westpac can be identified conclusively. In developing high performing and global
mindset employees and managers, the high-performance work model is required to be recognized
along with specific examples to understand the different aspects which can be followed by Westpac.
Proper recommendations are needed to be analyzed in developing a global mindset workforce which
can be applied by Westpac to improve the overall scenario.
2. Findings and Analysis
2.1 Relationship between Strategic Organizational Planning and Human Resource Planning
(a) Analysis of Relationship between Strategic Organizational Planning and Human Resource
Planning in Westpac in Developing People-Centered Workplace
In maintaining the people-centered workforce in Westpac, proper relationship between the strategic
organizational planning and human resource planning plays a vital role in managing the overall
efficiency in the firm. As commented by Al-Haddad and Kotnour (2015), the strategic plan is the
process which helps in determining the steps to pursue the long-term goals with the resources which
are expected to be available. On the contrary, Wolf and Floyd (2016), have opined that human
resource planning is the estimation of future demand and supply of the human resource activities
which will be essential for the accomplishment of the stated organizational goals. As opined by
Westpac Group (2018), social resource planning is useful as it includes the different activities such as
training and development of employees, motivation, and development of human resource in the
organization which will be beneficial for the overall success of the firm.
There is a strong alignment between the strategic organizational planning and human
resource planning at Westpac as there is a proper correlation between delivering the customer service
and motivating the employees working in the organization. Firstly, the primary motive of Westpac is
to provide the customers with strategic flexibility to offer the different solutions that meet the
individual customer demands. Similarly, for the employees, Westpac offers flexible working options
including the flexible hours working from home and together with different leave options which
have been one of the significant advantages which have been provided by the company to the
employees (Sparrow, Hird & Cooper, 2015).
For instance- Westpac provides customers with personalized services which focus on needs
and exceeding their expectations. The usage of digital technologies helps control the finances. To
improve diversity issues,
Secondly, Westpac has introduced diversity practices wherein more than 47% of the women
are included in higher authority. In the survey which was conducted by Westpac Bank, it was being
noticed that Westpac embraces workforce diversity and it shows the commitment of organization
towards diversity as well. To support the vision, the organizational structure of Westpac is designed to
align divisions with customer segments which is concerning employees and customers ( Rothwell et
al., 2015).

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For instance- Communication plays a vital role in managing the different kinds of difficulties
faced by customers and employees as for the company both employees and customers are the topmost
priority and their needs are being valued.
(b) Two Potential Challenges Faced by HR Professional in Aligning Strategic Organizational
Planning and Human Resource Planning
Challenge I
While aligning the human resource planning and strategic organizational planning, it can be
analyzed that from the survey it was being noticed that there were different requirements of the
employees which created an imbalance in the company (Noe et al., 2017). For instance- More than
23% of the employees required adjustment to their job as providing them with extra equipment. From
the example, it can be identified that higher officials of Westpac were not able to meet the demands of
the employees as it was creating an imbalance between employees and management.
Challenge II
The other challenge which was faced while aligning the Human Resource Planning and
Strategic Organizational Planning, it was being noticed that there are different diversity issues among
the different employees working at Westpac (Bailey et al., 2018). For instance- It has been noticed
that there is the inclusion of internal gender biases which was a huge disadvantage for the
organization. However, Westpac tried to recognize the need to keep the wheels turning on diversity-
related issues (Mathews, 2016).
2.2 Human Resource Planning Process and Methods
(a) Effectiveness of HRP Practices Used by Westpac in Developing People-Centered Workplace
The Human Resource Planning is strongly effective in developing the people-centered
workforce at Westpac as there are different kinds of flexibility in the effective options which are
provided to the employees working at Westpac. The primary motive of Westpac is to improve the
overall scenario through motivating employees. The two primary reasons can be explained in the
following manner:
Firstly, there is the inclusion of proper diversity training and development which can prove
to be effective in keeping the employees updated in the job which are being performed by them. With
the help of the diversity training, the employees in the organization will be more diverse with the
different employees from other cultural backgrounds that can prove to be beneficial for the overall
survival of the firm (Kerzner, 2019). For instance- It has been identified that there is a sphere of
diversity in the corporate space wherein Westpac is trying to recognize the different issues and keep
the wheels turning on the diversity-related different problems.
Secondly, employee engagement is the other approach which is used by Westpac Company
which increased the morale of the employees. There were the inclusion of flexible working options
and the different kinds of leave which has helped the employees in improving the overall well-being
of the employees (DeCenzo, Robbins & Verhulst, 2016). The employee engagement is one of the
most effective processes which can be adopted by Westpac as it will be essential for reducing the
turnover among employees and it will retain the different customers at a higher rate. For instance- In
Westpac Company, there are different kinds of leaves such as wellbeing and lifestyle leave, retirement
leave and purchased consent which can be beneficial for the overall success of the organization.
(b) Two Potential Challenges Faced by HR Professionals in Planning Manpower Needs at
Westpac
There are different kinds of potential challenges which are faced by HR Professionals in the
planning human resources needs at Westpac as there can be different opinions of the employees that
can affect the overall morale of employees and there are different kinds of lack of proper guidance
from the higher officials which are described as follows:

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Firstly, it was being noticed that there was a lack of support from all the employees as there
were different requirements of the various employees working at Westpac. Planning is generally
performed to improve the overall efficiency; however there can be differences in the opinions of the
individuals working in the company that can affect the global growth of the company negatively
(Taylor, Doherty & McGraw, 2015). For instance- While surveying the employees working at
Westpac, it was being seen that there were different demands of employees which includes 40% do
not require adjustment to perform their job, more than 25% of the employees' necessary workforce
flexibility.
The other challenge which may be faced by the HR professionals in planning the human
resources needs at Westpac is resistance among the different employees. It can be seen that the
employees may feel that they are not included in the process of decision making which can affect their
morale and it will lessen the overall productivity of the organization as well (Collings, Wood &
Szamosi, 2018). For instance- At Westpac, there is the inclusion of diversity programs. However,
there can be employees who may feel that they are not involved in the process which can affect their
morale.
2.3 Developing High Performing and Global Mindset Employees and Managers
(a) Application of Relevant Model in the Development of High-Performing Work Team for
Multi-Cultural Workforce
The High-Performance Work Team Model which can be selected by the Westpac Company is
the STAR Team Model. Galbraith has developed the model in the year 2011, and the critical elements
of the model are as follows:
Figure 1: STAR Model

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(Source: Galbraith 2011) Strengths- It applies the strength based thinking the approach and recognizing the different
areas of work wherein the individuals can improve and they are good at it. To enhance the
performance quickly, the people need to work on their strengths which will contribute
towards achieving the goals of the team (Cassidy, 2016).
 Teamwork- It is the combination of strengths which will complement one another, and it can
build the sense of togetherness as good cooperation are required to be aligned wherein the
overall results of the team can be achieved.
 Alignment- It is one of the critical tasks related to leadership wherein the three elements such
as teamwork, strengths, and results are aligned with the achievement of goals (Cascio, 2015).
 Results- The teams need to be clear on the different effects and monitor the overall progress
towards achieving the different results.
 Other Factors- Leaders in organizations need to align along with adopting surroundings in
which the team may operate, and the overall goals can be achieved (Bryson, 2018).
Detailed Suggestions to Westpac
Suggestion 1
Firstly, the top officials need to use the STAR Model to get the team performing accurately. With the
help of the SMART approach:
Specific- Through the implementation of the model, there will be an articulation of vision and
achieving the goals. There should be an inclusion of a particular purpose and the reasoning behind the
goal is necessary.
Measurable- Additionally, the teamwork needs to be accomplished through proper surveys
which are conducted among employees to understand the reviews.
Achievable- The progress of the employees should be tracked along with actions need to be
implemented and keeping the team motivated.
Relevant- Motivation is one of the crucial elements through which the different employees
can be motivated, and it will provide a bigger picture.
Timely- Goals must be, and it can be done by motivating the staffs as it will help them in
improving their morale.
For instance- While implementing diversity in the workplace, the SMART Objectives need
to be included in improving the team spirit and morale of employees.
Suggestion 2
Secondly, the company needs to offer and foster collaboration with the team as it will help
achieve goals such as:
Specific- Provide more growth and learning opportunities for each employee
Measurable- Providing feedback to each employee two times a week
Achievable- The manager needs to provide input
Relevant- Improving communication which is company wide and feedback culture
Timely- Provided before the end of next quarter
For instance- All the employees should be included in the change management programs as
it will motivate them as they are the part of the organization.

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(b) Application of Global Mindset Model in Developing Global Mindset Workforce
The Global Mindset Model has been considered which was being developed by Mathews in
the year 2016.
Suggestion 1
 To improve the diversity-related problems in the organization
Specific- Proper recognition of cultural biases and values
Measurable- It should include elements of progress, awareness, appreciation, and flexibility
which will help in measuring the cultural aspects
Achievable- Proper training is required to be provided to employees for analyzing the
diversity aspects
Relevant- Completion of goal within six months is essential
Timely- There should be a time limit in completing the goals appropriately
For instance- It has been noticed that there are different issues related to diversity as the
employees are not able to manage with different individuals from various cultural backgrounds.
Suggestion 2
 To build strong intercultural relationships
Specific- To include all the employees in the management process to lead to high-
performance teams
Measurable- To measure success through surveying the candidates whether they are being
involved in the work process
Achievable- To achieve the diverse work groups with the help of the proper teamwork and
leadership skills
Relevant- It should be seen that goals are related to company-wide aims
Timely- The goals should be achieved timely with the help of teamwork and leadership
prospects
3. Conclusion
Therefore, it can be inferred that both strategic organizational planning and human resource
planning plays a vital role in the organizational setting as it will improve the overall wellbeing of the
company effectively. There are different kinds of flexible working options and leave options which
are being provided to the employees in motivating them. In developing a people-centered workforce,
Westpac has included various aspects such as the inclusion of a diverse workforce which has been
successful. With the integration of the Star Model and Global Mindset Model, the different leadership
aspects and high performing teams have been created.
However, there are various issues such as the employees were not happy with the progress of
work and these were resolved with the help of multiple suggestions that will help improve the overall
scenario. The different human resource planning and methods have been used such as employee
engagement which is one of the most effective techniques to improve the work quality of the
organization. Additionally, it was noticed that the potential challenges which affected the growth of
the firm was relating to the lack of support from the employees and resistance to change among
employees that influenced the growth and efficiency of the firm. With the implementation of SMART
objectives, all the goals have been achieved.

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