Report: Developing Individuals, Teams, and Organizations at Whirlpool

This report delves into the critical aspects of developing individuals, teams, and organizations, using Whirlpool as a case study. It begins by evaluating the essential knowledge, skills, and behaviors required of a Human Resources (HR) professional, followed by a personal skills audit to identify strengths and weaknesses, culminating in a personal development plan. The report then differentiates between organizational and individual learning, emphasizing the need for continuous learning and professional development to enhance business performance. Furthermore, it explores the contribution of High-Performance Work (HPW) systems to employee engagement and competitive advantage. Finally, it examines different approaches to performance management that support a high-performance culture and commitment within the organization. The report provides insights into how to foster a positive and productive work environment to achieve organizational goals.

Developing Individuals, Teams
and Organizations
1

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................3
TASK1...........................................................................................................................................................3
P1.Evaluation of knowledge, skills and behavior required by a HR Professional.........................................3
P2. Personal skills audit to identify appropriate knowledge , skills and behaviors for developing a plan
of given job role.......................................................................................................................................5
Personal Development Plan.........................................................................................................................7
TASK 2..........................................................................................................................................................8
P3 Difference between organizational and individual learning in training and development.................8
P4 Need for continuous learning and professional development to drive sustainable business
performance..........................................................................................................................................10
TASK 3........................................................................................................................................................12
P5 Contribution of HPW to employee engagement and competitive advantage .................................12
TASK 4........................................................................................................................................................14
P6 Different approaches to performance management which support high-performance culture and
commitment..........................................................................................................................................14
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................16
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................................17
Books and Journals................................................................................................................................17
2

INTRODUCTION
Development of working staff and team groups is the basic requirement of every
company which wants its business growth in the business worlds. It is beneficial for the
employee’s personal growth and professional career. It helps in making policies rules and
effective strategies to achieve organization’s desired goals. The developments of individuals,
teams and organizations are interrelated as it helps in achieving in organization goal. It also helps
in market growth of the organization. The present report is based on the case study of Whirlpool
which deals in providing electronic appliances across worldwide. In this report behavior,
knowledge, skills required by a HR professional is included to manage company’s environment.
Apart from that, individual and organizational learning is also discussed to enhance productivity
among individuals. Moreover various approaches of performance management are briefly
discussed under the report.
TASK1
P1.Evaluation of knowledge, skills and behavior required by a HR
Professional
To carry out activities in a proper manner, every organization requires a well trained and
hard working staff. As, this training generates good efficiency and professionalism in the mind of
an employee. Development of employees should be focused to attain targeted goals in business.
In the context of Whirlpool company requires employees having sufficient knowledge and skills
with the advancement of technology to increase market growth and profit margins. Different
capabilities and knowledge is required through by HR Professional of Whirlpool to enhance
skills. Here knowledge, skill and behavior of HR professionals are discussed below:
Required skills: To complete a task with a targeted result in specified time is the ability which is
required. In the context of Whirlpool, an HR Professional required these skills (Turner, 2014):
 Good communication
Information should be conveyed properly among staff members. The words which
are used by HR professional and communication should be clear and accurate. It is the
duty of an HR manager of Whirlpool to convey the information properly on every level
3

of an organization without any misunderstanding. This helps in maintaining a good
working atmosphere.
 Overcoming confliction and problems
Conflicts of of communication should be resolved by an HR manager in
organization. A Manager should be calm, impartial and unbiased while addressing the
issues. The HR manger at Whirlpool must capable of resolving problems with his
maturity and understanding. This results to a healthy working environment.
 Problem Solving Skills- HR Manager at Whirlpool should be capable of problem solving
by providing immediate solutions. This assist the manager to complete the difficult tasks
as well as allow the employees to perform tasks without any interruption. This leads to
creation of harmonious environment at the work place.
Required Knowledge: An organization should hire employees with sufficient knowledge in
their respective fields. This helps in running a business effectively. Proper knowledge helps in
making decisions quickly to tackle the issues. In the context of Whirlpool a manger should have
knowledge in followings fields:
 Training and Development- HR Manager at Whirlpool should have proper knowledge
regarding training needs for the employees. This knowledge helps the manager to
provide necessary training to its employees and enhance their skills which assist them to
function properly and attain the positive result.
 Laws and Governance- Hr manager within the respective organization should have
proper understanding and knowledge of the different laws and regulations which are
defined by the governmental authorities which have impact on the whirlpool business.
Proper knowledge regarding health and safety law, proper working condition and
employees working hour are the basic laws which the HR manager of the Whirlpool
should be aware of to attain the positive results.
Required Behavior: the way of talking and interaction determines the behavior of an employee.
Interaction of a manager with other staff manger also influences the working ability of the staff.
In the context of Whirlpool it is important for an HR manger to communicate politely and
humbly to employees (Katzenbach, 2015).
4

 Ethical -These are the basic codes which should be followed while making the decision.
These codes don’t have any laws as this will enhance friendly and peaceful environment
within an organization. The HR manger of Whirlpool should be ethical so that it can
influence working ability of the employees. Ethical nature of a HR manger increases the
trust of the employees regarding the organization.
 Trustworthy- A manger should be trustworthy so that it helps the employees to have open
communication with him. In the context of Whirlpool, as the manger is trust able it helps
the employees in sharing their issues easily.
 Confidentiality- Hr Manager at Whirlpool should have confidential nature so as not to
share private information with the outside employees and the general public. It is the
responsibility of the HR Manager to keep the organizations information confidential
which results in the success of the organization.
P2. Personal skills audit to identify appropriate knowledge, skills and behaviors for
developing a plan of given job role
Personal Skills Audit is an activity to measure the skills and knowledge of the individual.
The main purpose of conducting the skills audit is to identify the skills and the knowledge the
organization requires in context to the skills and the knowledge that the manager posses. It is an
important method to eliminate weakness and take necessary actions to convert weakness into
strengths. Therefore for HR manager it is essential to conduct personal skills audit.
Personal skills audit of HR Professional of Whirlpool is as follows-
Sr. No. Skills and Competencies Self-assessed
Score
Score from others Variances
1 Communication Skills 9 8 1
2 Problem Solving Skills 9 8 1
3 Ethical 9 8 -1
4 Confidential 6 7 -1
6 Training and Development 7 8 -1
7 Laws and Governance 8 7 1
8 Trust Worthy 7 8 -1
5

(In above table negative variance is considered as my strong point and positive variance are
identified as my weak point).
The explanation of some of the important skills have been provided as under:
Communication Skills: My communication skills are very good as with the help of these skills, I
am able to make the thing clear to the next individual in the same way in which I want to
communicate with him. This is because I have given good scores in this skill.
Problem Solving Skills: In critical situations, it becomes important to make decisions at the
earliest possible for the betterment of the condition. Based on my own experience in dealing with
the situations, I also think that I am good in this skill as well.
From the above skills audit plan, it led to analysis of own strengths and weaknesses. These are
described as follows-
Strength Weakness
 I am quite trustworthy in
communicating with the employees and
the customers and provide realistic
information which creates harmonious
work place environment.
 I have a proper ethical nature which
results in treating all the employees
equally as well as results in effective
performance of business activities.
 I have the ability to keep the
information confidential and doesn't
share with the general public.
 I have proper knowledge regarding the
training and developmental needs
which is to be provided to the employee
to enhance their skills.
 I am unable to interact effectively with
the employees and the customers.
 Due to lack of problem solving skills it
leads to increase in the chances of
increasing conflicts at the work place.
 I have average knowledge regarding the
laws and governance which sometimes
results in execution of tasks in a
difficult manner.
6

Personal Development Plan
It is an activity or a process to take necessary actions against the weakness identified in
the personal skills audit so that individuals skills can be enhanced to perform the allotted roles
and responsibilities in a effective manner. PDP plan for HR professional at Whirlpool is
described as follows-
Sr
.
N
o
Learning
Objective
Current
Proficiency
Target Proficiency Development
Opportunities
Judging
criteria
Time
Scale
1 Commun
ication
skills
I have a bad
communication
skills and faces
lots of problems
in interaction
with the clients
and the
employees
within the
organisation.
These are the major
requirement skills
which needs to be
improved by
effectively
communicating with
the employees and
understanding their
problems and
concerns.
These skills
can be
developed by
reading
books,
journals as
well as
attending
seminars as
well as
regularly
interacting
with
employees
and
customers.
From the
employees
and
supervisor.
1 month
2 Problem
solving
skills
I have a poor
problem solving
skills to which I
face difficulty in
These skills needs to
be effectively
grasped so as to
provide solutions to
This skill can
be developed
by solving the
complex
High level
authorities
2 months
7

solving
problems and
which
sometimes leads
to conflicts at
the work place.
the complex
problems and creates
harmonious
environment at the
work place.
problems and
by providing
various
alternative
solutions.
3 Laws and
Governa
nce
I have a poor
knowledge
regarding the
laws and
regulation of the
governmental
authorities
which affects
the functioning
of the
organisation.
These skills needs to
be improved so that
effective decisions
can be made with
respect to employees
working within the
organisation.
This skill can
be developed
by reading
various law
books as well
as getting
updated with
the latest
ongoing
information.
Employees
and higher
authorities.
2 months
TASK 2
P3 Difference between organizational and individual learning in training and
development
Individual learning: It is the learning of each individual who is working in an organization. It
includes their qualification and their practical experience of work environment (Sessa, 2015).
Every individual in Whirlpool has a particular field and performs well to generate maximum
output. It is the responsibility of the HR professional to provide adequate individual learning and
training facilities to enhance the skills of the employees at the Whirlpool which assit them to
function properly.
Organization learning: It refers to the skills of an employee which are required in Whirlpool to
complete a given task. It includes the effective process of communicating, creating, transmitting
8

and retaining the knowledge within the specific organization. This type of learning should be
adopted by the managers at the Whirlpool towards adopting new and innovative styles of
working which results in the success of the organization.
Factors that support organizational and individual learning
So many factors are there which influence and support the individual and organizational
learning. Work culture of organization is one of the main element that have an impact on
learning of enterprise. Develop and maintain a work culture that value employee’s creativity in
very essential for encourage employees to generate new and creative ideas. Further, style of
leadership exists in enterprise also affect the learning of both individuals and organizations.
When leaders appreciate employees for their efforts and hard work then it encourages them to
work well and they find new ways to carry out their job roles.
Difference between individual and organizational learning
Individual learning Organization learning
 It is use for the individual growth.
 Individual learning will be tough to
the workers of Whirlpool as they
have thousands of employees.
 It facilitates personal and career
growth to individuals and help an
individual to learn various ways
through which they can perform
their job roles.
 Less resources and funds require for
individual learning as compared to
organization learning.
 It is used for the employees to make
them efficient to achieve
organizational growth.
 It allows the company to make them
learn under single roof.
 Organizational learning improves
company’s profits and productivity.
 Huge funds and resources are require
for organizational learning.
Training: It is a process to make new employees to learn able and to provide training for new
technological changes. This program helps in the achievement of short term goals. It has been
carried out in Whirlpool to implement a specific task. It is the prime responsibility of the HR
9

manager at Whirlpool to provide various on the job and off the job training methods to enhance
the skills and knowledge of the employees which contributes their best effort in attaining the
desired outcomes.
Development: It is a continuous process for which different seminars related with the
development of employees are conducted by Whirlpool. This process allows to attain new
changes continuously. Apart from this, this process helps in achieving a competition among
different market competitors. It is related to the to overall development of the employees for
their future growth.
Difference between training and development
Training Development
 It is an internal aspect of an employee
with orientation and induction.
 To understand the roles and
responsibility effectively, training is
provided.
 Development focuses on individuals but
not on the whole organization.
 It allows employees efficient enough to
tackle any situation that may arise in
future.
 Training is a short term process.  Development is a long term process.
 It mainly emphasis on present skills
knowledge of employees.
 It focusses more on future knowledge
and skills of employees.
 Main objective of training is to
improve the overall performance of
employees.
 Main objective of development is to
prepare workers to face future challenges
of job.
 It is a job oriented process. It is a career oriented process.
Under the organizational learning theory there are three levels of learning such as single
loop learning and double loop learning. Under the single loop learning it consist of one feedback
when strategy is modified in response to the unexpected results whereas under double loop
learning it results in a change in the values, strategies which leads to creation of efficient
10

environment at the work place. This type of learning theories at Whirlpool will allow the
employees to effectively run and manage all the business activities in a significant manner.
Therefore proper learning and training and development will assist the employees at the
Whirlpool to enhance their skills in a better way and performs the business activities in a
effective manner.
With the help of individual learning, an individual will come across many good and bad
experiences with the help of these experiences it will be possible for them to develop some good
qualities and to avoid doing bad things or removing the bad qualities from them. In this way,
individual learning will help in personal development.
On the other hand, talking about the organisational learning, so with the help of training
and development programs, the employees will be provided with training in order to increase
their skills and knowledge and learn new things and this will help in the professional
development of the individual.
P4 Need for continuous learning and professional development to drive sustainable
business performance
Continuous learning: It allows improving individual’s knowledge and skills in order to
work properly for the organization on a continuous basis. It increases knowledge of employees,
behavior and helps in achieving targets and objectives within an organization. Training and
development program for the Whirlpool employee is provided for continuous learning and
improving the skills (London, 2015).
Professional Development: With the help of this tool, a professional can maintain and
be updated with current market scenario which his professional degree provides. This can be
done by regular conferences, seminars, professional magazines. It helps in building the
personality of individuals. Whirlpool wants to build personality for the company. How this
theory can be helpful for continuous professional development in explained here with the help of
learning cycle theory.
This theory was developed by David Kolb in 1984. This theory is divided into two parts,
Learning theory and Learning Style:
11

Learning Theory: This theory is divided into 4 parts which are described here as under:
 Concrete experience
This helps in learning new things from experience or past or existing situation. In
Whirlpool’s, continuous and development program are help the employees to get a
chance to learn.
 Reflective observation
When regularly particular things are important between understating and
experience, sometimes staff gets confused in the way of understanding and conveying the
message which creates problems to the organizations.
 Abstract conceptualization
It occurs from past experience when new ideas and modification arises. It allows
people to learn from their pat experience. Whirlpool’s requires such type of addictive
people who can improve individual and organizational performance simultaneously.
 Active experimentation
This type of theory comes into existence when a learner learned from his
professional development and applies those learning to his particular problem. This
theory allows an employee to take risk and be innovative.
Learning Style: This theory is also divided into 4 parts which are described here as
under (Bolden, 2016):
 Diverging
People of this style are sensitive, having different views of watching things and
prefer watching rather than doing. This style helps Whirlpool’s to find great opportunities
in market and perform to those opportunities accordingly.
 Assimilating
12