Working with and Leading People: Leadership and Team Dynamics Report

This report analyzes leadership and human resource management within the context of a case study involving Purple Mail Company (PMC). It begins by outlining the essential documentation needed for the recruitment process, including job descriptions and specifications, and the legal, regulatory, and ethical considerations that impact this process. The report emphasizes the crucial role of an HR manager in selecting the right candidates, highlighting the importance of skills assessment and interview techniques. Task 2 delves into leadership skills and attributes, differentiating between leadership and management styles, and comparing various leadership approaches suitable for different situations. The report also explores ways to motivate staff to achieve organizational goals. Task 3 focuses on the benefits of teamwork, the leader's role in fostering effective teams, and reviewing team effectiveness. Finally, Task 4 addresses the factors involved in planning, monitoring, and assessing work performance, including the development needs of individuals and evaluating the success of assessments. The report concludes by summarizing key findings and recommendations for PMC to improve its leadership and HR practices.

WORKING WITH
AND LEADING
PEOPLE
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
1.1 Preparing documentation to hire new staff.......................................................................4
1.2 Impact of legal, regulatory and ethical consideration to the recruitment and selection
process....................................................................................................................................5
1.3 Importance of HR manager in the selection process........................................................6
1.4 Contribution to the selection process...............................................................................6
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................7
2.1 Explaining skills and attributes needed for leadership.....................................................7
2.2 Difference between leadership and management.............................................................7
2.3 Comparing different leadership styles for different situations.........................................8
2.4 Explaining ways to motivate staff to achieve goals.........................................................9
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................9
3.1 Assessing the benefits of team work................................................................................9
3.2 Importance of working in a team as leader....................................................................10
3.3 Reviewing the effectiveness of team..............................................................................10
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................11
4.1 Important factors involving in planning the monitoring and assessment of work
performance..........................................................................................................................11
4.2 Plan of assessment of the development needs of individual..........................................12
4.3 Evaluating the success of assessment.............................................................................12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14
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Index of Tables
Table 1: Job description for human resource supervisor in PMC....................................................3
Table 2: Job specification for human resource supervisor in PMC.................................................4
Table 3: Diffrence between leadership and management................................................................6
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INTRODUCTION
Working with leading people is an opportunity to improve skills and knowledge of
employees so that they can increase their performance level and help to achieve organisational
goals. Furthermore, it helps to understand recruitment and selection process to hire appropriate
candidates. In the present report, Purple mail company has been selected which is the largest
courier firm in the UK. Company also faces serious problems regarding leadership, management
and administrative. Moreover, the overall administration of the company as well as recruitment
and selection process are very poor so as an HR manager, I have to solve these problems by
using effective recruitment and selection process in order to achieve desired goals.
1.1 Preparing documentation to hire new staff
It is essential to prepare documentation so that recruiter and applicants both are able to
know the requirements of company as well as job designation (Bryman, 2013). There are
different documents required for recruitment and selection process which also include job
description and job specification. These are as follows-
 Job description
Table 1: Job description for human resource supervisor in PMC
Job offered Human resource supervisor
Reporting head Human resource manager
Working days 5 days in a week
Working hours (daily) 9.30 am to 6.00 pm
Position offered Position offered by PM company is human resource supervisor
who has responsibility to supervise the overall functions of
management. Furthermore, they have responsibility to keep
records of all the functions which help to understand the
weaknesses and strengths of company.
Qualifications Master in human-resource-management and also have basic
computer knowledge to keep records of the functions and
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processes.
 Job specification
Table 2: Job specification for human resource supervisor in PMC
Work experience This position requires 2 years of work experience in human
resource field and the person has skills to supervise all the
work and solve the problems.
Skills and abilities Candidate is required to have basic computer knowledge and
good communication skills in order to maintain relations
with subordinates (Chhokar, Brodbeck and House, 2013).
Expertise Solve problems effectively by using systematic approaches.
Individual quality Understanding behaviour
Coordination skills
Quality to work in a team.
1.2 Impact of legal, regulatory and ethical consideration to the recruitment and selection process
It is crucial for every company to follow rules and regulations which are regulated by the
government of UK. Legal aspect helps to minimize problems regarding gender inequality.
Therefore, mentioned company follows rules and acts in their recruitment and selection process
to reduce such problems in order to achieve goals (Holm, 2012). There are several acts which are
regulated by UK government and these have impact on the recruitment and selection process of
PM Company. These are as follows- Sex discrimination act 1975- This act concerns with employment and trainings to avoid
problems of harassment and other at the workplace as well as it protects people from such
problems at the workplace. In context of PM Company, it follows this act for their
recruitment and selection process in order to minimize such problems (Chemers, 2014).
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 Equality legislation- According to this law, the mentioned company has to provide equal
opportunity to males as well as females which helps to motivate employees and by this,
they develop their skills and knowledge for company’s benefits so that business can
achieve their goals. This rule also supports to satisfy employee needs and increase their
performance that indirectly affects the profitability of PM Company in a positive manner
(Rice, 2013).
1.3 Importance of HR manager in the selection process
Being an HR manager, I have responsibility to select right type of candidate for the job.
Therefore, I play an effective role in the selection process to select right employees by discussing
with my team members. In this process, I will take decisions to select employees through
discussion with my team members. For selection, we take a Q&A test to analyse IQ level of
employees and after that, we will select those candidates who have successfully attained this test.
Moreover, these are called for personal interview where they will finally selected by face to face
discussion or answering the questions (Bryman, 2013).
Another role which is played by me in selection is to solve problems regarding to select
right type of employees in order to minimize problems which are currently faced by PM
Company such as leadership, administrative problems and so on. By recruiting right employees,
it will also help to maximize profitability of this company by using their extra ordinary skills and
experiences. Being a part of selection process, I give my opinions and use my skills as well as
abilities which help to identify required skills and knowledge among employees.
1.4 Contribution to the selection process
As an HR manager, I play an essential role to contribute my team members in the
selection process. In this process, I ask required questions to the candidates to measure
knowledge level of them which is beneficial for company to solve problems that they are having.
By hiring skilled and knowledgeable candidates, I will be able to give effective suggestions and
ideas to the company to solve problems (Ashar and et.al., 2013).
Another contribution which is given by me is to give suggestions to my team members
which is helpful in the recruitment and selection process. On the other hand, I also contribute to
take interview of employees to finalize right candidate for right job and for this, I prepare a list
of questions related to PM Company and ask this question to the candidates. After this, I select
only those who give appropriate answer of that questions. Such questions and answers help me to
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find out the skilled and knowledgeable employees who will be able to solve the problems that are
being faced by PM Company. During interview session, I give suggestions to my members
which is helpful to identify appropriate candidates (Holm, 2012). As an HR manager, it is my
duty to select employees according to the need of company in order to achieve goals.
TASK 2
2.1 Explaining skills and attributes needed for leadership
As per the case, PM Company is facing problems regarding leadership so it is essential to
choose leaders who have skills, knowledge and experience to lead effectively. A good leader has
good communication skills, cooperative nature and problem solving attitude in order to fulfil
objectives of the team (Chemers, 2014). There are several skills and attributes which are
essential for leadership which are as follows- Effective communication skills- It is essential to have good communication skills
because all work are depend on that how you communicate with others. Therefore, a
good leader must have good communication skills to solve problems of the team. Decisiveness- The leader has to take decisions that are correct, logical and beneficial for
them. It is also an essential part of a good leader to take decisions quickly which gives
effective results (Miner, 2015). Problem solving- It is a sign of good leader that they solve problems of employees to
fulfil objectives of the team. In context of PM Company they are facing problem
regarding leadership so they have to select appropriate leader to solve their problems.
 Motivating- It is essential to motivate team members so that they can perform effectively
and achieve their goals in an effective manner (Council, 2012).
2.2 Difference between leadership and management
Leadership and management play an important role in every organisation. In context of
PM Company, they are facing problems regarding leadership and management. If they use
appropriate leadership style then they will be able to minimize problems and if they manage
functions in a systematic way then it will give effective results (Council, 2012). There are several
differences between leadership and management which are as follows-
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Table 3: Difference between leadership and management
Basis Leadership Management
Definition Leadership refers to abilities to lead a
team by providing directions and
guidance to them to complete their
tasks and achieve goals.
Management refers to control and
direct resources within a group or
organisation.
Orientation Leadership is people oriented
approach.
Management is task oriented approach.
Focus It focuses on leading team members to
achieve their goals.
Management focuses to manage work
in the organisation.
Outcomes They get outcomes in terms of
achievements by performing well in
the team and coordinate with team
members.
Their outcomes are results that how
effectively they manage in the
organisation in order to achieve goals.
Approaches In leadership, leaders try to solve
problems by motivating and
supporting to their team members.
Management makes policies, strategies
for team which is beneficial to achieve
goals effectively.
2.3 Comparing different leadership styles for different situations
Leadership styles refer to a type of leading a group by providing guidance, directions to
team members. In context of PM Company, they have poor leadership and are facing problems
of it. Therefore, it affects the overall profitability of the company. There are different types of
leadership styles such as autocratic, democratic, laissez fare and so on. Moreover, in the
autocratic leadership style, the leaders have authority to take decisions for team and they do not
involve their team members in decision making (Ford, 2014). In this, they only give directions to
their subordinates to complete task. For example, if mentioned company follows this type of
leadership style then it leads to increase the chances of dissatisfaction among employees.
On the other hand, democratic type of leadership gives freedom to team members to take
decisions regarding their task. However, if the company applies this type of leadership then they
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will be able to accomplish their goals because in this, leaders and team members perform by
coordinating with each other (Mort Feldmann, Level and Liu, 2013). Another one is laissez fare
in which leaders give all power to their subordinates to take decisions to complete their task.
Furthermore, this is the most effective leadership style because workers of team make decisions
by discussing with others. Therefore, it requires more skilled and talented employees who can
take correct decisions and the mentioned company can solve their problems by following this
style (Ashar and et.al., 2013).
2.4 Explaining ways to motivate staff to achieve goals
It is essential to motivate employees to increase their performance level as well as satisfy
them. In context of PM Company, it is facing problems of leadership, administration and others.
Therefore, they can motivate their staff by following motivational theories such as Maslow's
need hierarchy theory, Herzberg two factor theory and so on. These theories help to identify the
levels of needs so that they can accomplish their goals by fulfilling needs of employees
(Valkonen, Huilaja and Koikkalainen, 2013). Another way to motivate employees is organising
reward programmes so that they can enhance the motivation level and fulfil company's needs. On
the other hand, if PM Company provides incentives and extra benefits like bonus then employees
feel motivated and work for the company for longer time. These ways help to motivate
employees to increase profitability of cited company (Holm, 2012).
TASK 3
3.1 Assessing the benefits of team work
It is essential for every company to divide work into group so that they can make easy
way to achieve goals. However, working in a team by cooperating with team members helps to
complete task effectively. There are several benefits of team work which are as follows- Increase profitability- Team work helps to increase profitability of the company by
effective team working which helps to achieve goals of the company (Mayer, 2014). Increase creativity- Effective team work helps to increase creativity of the employees
because if they perform effectively and efficiently then it enhances their creativity and
gives innovative ideas as well as suggestions to the company.
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 Builds trust- In the team, team members share their views and ideas to each other and
work accordingly which helps to build trust among employees and leader so that they can
achieve their common goals (Wery and Thomson, 2013). Reduce conflicts- Conflicts are the major issue of any company so they have to work in a
team by cooperating each other which will reduce conflicts among employees and they
can give their effective performance.
 Increase motivation level- Team work also helps to increase motivation level of
employees so that they can achieve their goals in an effective manner (Derlega and
Grzelak, 2013).
3.2 Importance of working in a team as leader
Leaders play an important role in any organisation because they provide guidelines and
directions to their team members and also help to solve problems regarding their work. In
context of PM Company, they are facing problems regarding leadership, administration and
many more so it is important to have skilled and knowledgeable team leader who can help to
achieve goals of the company. Therefore, the company has to recruit and select skilled and
experienced employees who have abilities to lead in a team so that they can fulfil their objectives
and achieve their goals (Chhokar, Brodbeck and House, 2013).
Team leaders help to guide and solve problems regarding their work and for that, they
have to maintain strong relationship with their employees as well as organisation. In another
aspect, team leaders have to motivate their employees so that they can increase their performance
level and give their best to the company (Chemers, 2014). Moreover, leaders also reduce
conflicts at the workplace by providing guidance and teaching them the importance of team
work. Team leaders play an important role to handle difficult situations like overburden of work,
health issue of employees and many more (Hackman and Johnson, 2013).
3.3 Reviewing the effectiveness of team
Team effectiveness refers to the capacity of team workers to perform task in order to
achieve goals. There are several ways which help to understand team effectiveness or team
strength which are as follows- Utilization of resources- If team members utilize available resources to achieve their
goals then it will provide effective results by achieving their goals (Tannenbaum,
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Weschler and Massarik, 2013). In context of PM Company if team members utilize
resources in an effective manner then they can achieve desired goals of the company. Feedback- If team members are able to receive and give feedback then it will help to
analyse their skills and knowledge as well as improve them according to the need. By
this, they can increase their performance level (Rice, 2013). Performance and personal outcomes- For measuring effectiveness of team, they have to
measure performance and outcomes of employees so that they will be able to achieve
their team goals.
 Effective working environment- Working environment also plays an important role in
team effectiveness. In context of PM company, if they provide a familiar working
environment then employees will perform effectively and increase their morale as well
(Miner, 2015).
TASK 4
4.1 Important factors involving in planning the monitoring and assessment of work performance
Work performance depends on the factors and resources which are provided by PM
Company. There are following factors that are involved in planning the monitoring and
assessment of work performance such as- Motivation- By applying motivational theories, it helps to increase performance level of
the employees so that the mentioned company can achieve their desired goals (Bryman,
2013). Feedback- It helps to improve performance of employees as well as management and for
PM Company, they should improve their services so that they will be able to increase
customer satisfaction. Training and development- Training and development processes help to enhance skills
and abilities of employees so PM Company is required to organise these programmes to
improve performance level of the employees (Council, 2012). Behaviour- It is essential to analyse behaviour of the employees at the workplace so that
they can be able to assess their performance and get results accordingly.
 Recruitment and selection process- It helps to select right type of employees for PM
Company so that they can give effective performance to accomplish goals. If the
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mentioned company selects skilled and knowledgeable employees then it will increase
the effectiveness of work. Therefore, it is necessary to plan a systematic process (Ford,
2014).
4.2 Plan of assessment of the development needs of individual
It is important to assess needs of individuals to accomplish goals of company. For this,
the mentioned company has to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of employees so that they
can be able to know about capabilities and skills of employees. If they get negative results of this
then they have to plan for training and development process for the employees so that they will
be able improve their skills as well as knowledge and enhance their performance level
(Kumpikaitė, 2015).
It is also essential to plan for employee’s health and safety needs so that they can work in
the firm comfortably. This is the main aspect to attract employees towards the company because
it helps to fulfil employee’s needs for work so that desired goals can be attained. In context of
PM Company they face problems regarding leadership, administrative and many more, then it
helps to minimize their problems and by this, company can achieve their goals (Mort Feldmann,
Level and Liu, 2013).
4.3 Evaluating the success of assessment
It is essential to evaluate the success of assessment to realize differences between
previous management and current management conditions of the company. Therefore, the
company has to evaluate its processes which helps to attain their goals (Ashar and et.al., 2013). If
PM Company chooses systematic recruitment and selection process then they will be able to get
skilled and knowledgeable employees (Holm, 2012). Another one is feedback method which
helps to analyse customer satisfaction so that company can improve their services and fulfil the
needs of customers. Moreover, company can also conduct interview to observe the current
conditions. Another method is to set benchmarking for their employees and company so that
desired goals can be achieved (Valkonen, Huilaja and Koikkalainen, 2013).
CONCLUSION
It can be concluded in the above case that PM Company uses effective recruitment and
selection process to hire skilled employees who help to achieve their goals. Furthermore,
company follows the rules and regulations which is beneficial for employees in order to increase
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