HR Assignment Help Online Analysis and review Help:: Employability and current skills, Development and professional plan in Workplace

Task 1

a. Reflect on your own current skills and competencies

       i.          Competencies

1. a.     Leadership: Ability to lead a team, direct it towards the goal and achieve success
2. b.     Team building: Ability to interact with team members and work in partnership
3. c.      Flexibility: Ability to adjust to situation, organization culture, people and place

     ii.          Skills

1. Communication skills: Ability to express my opinion clearly
2. Analytical skills: Ability to conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis
3. Technical skills: Ability to understand the financial concepts and implication

b. Compare these skills and competencies against those of professional standards within a chosen organization’s objectives.

Solution the Assignment Essay frame is::

National Australian Bank requires its financial planner to be well-informed and intelligent. It also wants them to have an analytical bent of mind with awareness of the economic and social environment. As a financial planner one is also required to meet many people and so requires a confident and people friendly approach. (NATIONAL AUSTRALIAN BANK)

As far as my personal competencies and skills are concerned, they do fall in line with the industry standards with respect to analytical and people skills are concerned. However, to be the best in the industry hard work is required to gain an expertise on the technical skills and awareness of the economic environment to deliver results.

c. Evaluate what you need to achieve to meet your development needs and what you need to do to achieve those needs.

To achieve success in the field, wholesome knowledge of economic, social, political and legal environment is required along with strong understanding of asset classes including real estate, equity, debt etc. This can be achieved through intensive reading and courses of CFP and MBA etc.

Also, to improve presentation skills and communication skills, practice is required. Attending seminars and sessions can also help.

Networking forms a very important part for which customer relationship management is required.

For building economic models, using databases, and creating spreadsheet use of computer has to be excellent. Training for the same by taking up courses can help.

d. Devise a personal and professional development plan based on your identified needs (Your development plan must be in a chart format).

 Development area

e. Reflect on your own development against the original aims and objectives within your professional development plan.

 Task 2

a. Show that you are able to communicate in a variety of (at least 5) styles that are appropriate for given occasions and a variety of situations within your chosen organization

Each individual has his or her own communicating style and adapts his style on the basis of the demand of the situation. Flexibility in communicating styles is a must to get across the desired impact of the message. One needs to modify his/her style to suit the situation, the content of the message, the receiver of the message, the channel of communication etc. Five such styles and their suitable situation are discussed below:

                 i.          Emotive Style: Emotive style has a combination of high dominance and high sociability. The person is much more uninhibited in his speech and behavior and is capable of influencing the listener in a strong manner. For e.g. while making a presentation about a new product launch, the presenter may use emotive style of speech to express his views and convince the audience. (PEARSON EDUCATION)

               ii.          Director Style: As the name suggest, it is a more formal form of speech where in a person maintain high dominance with low sociability. But the use of this style, a person can ensure a much more serious response of the receiver. The tone is neither empathetic nor friendly. For e.g. when a senior communicates the target for the month to his subordinates he takes up a director-style of speech in a hierarchical organization. (PEARSON EDUCATION)

             iii.          Reflective Style: This style involves low dominance and low sociability. The person concentrates on work and looks for detailing. He does not interact much. For e.g. a listener in the team meeting. They would listen to all arguments in a meeting and analyze points put on the table instead of actively participating in the discussion. They generally come up with well thought and detailed plan. (PEARSON EDUCATION)

             iv.          Supportive Style: This style of communication entails low dominance and high sociability. This tone is more sympathizing and supporting for the receiver. The person listens more than he speaks in this case. For e.g. a person in an informal group trying to support his fellow employee during a crisis. (PEARSON EDUCATION)

               v.          Clear and indirect: This style of communication involves clearly stating a fact but not directing the conversation towards a particular individual. This style of message clearly communicates the content but does not point out a single person. It is used in situations where some fault is to be pointed out without accusing a particular person. For e.g. loafing around of a team member can be pointed out by saying – ‘Some people are not contributing to the team in the desired manner and this would not be tolerated.’ (NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY)

b. Demonstrate effective time management strategies for a variety of business situations.

 Time is the most important resource in a busy business world like todays. Each second wasted is an opportunity lost. This makes time management a vital key to success. Various strategies can be used to do so. Few are listed below.

       i.          Prioritize: All activities are not or equal importance. Hence one can prioritize the set of work according to its urgency and impact on the business and carry out the activities in the listed order. Prioritizing can be done using ABC analysis, Pareto analysis etc. (DEMAND MEDIA)

     ii.          Multitask: Carrying out a single activity throughout the day can reduce the effectiveness of the employee by causing boredom. Multitasking on various projects at the same time reduces monotony and gives better results in lesser time. Moreover, making calls and checking emails while traveling will also help manage time better. (MIND TOOLS)

   iii.          Delegate: An organization is formed by various individuals. All assignments cannot be completed by a single person. Delegation then forms an important tool to manage time. All assignment which does not requires personal involvement can be passed on to sub-ordinates having caliber to complete the same. This would leave the superior with more time in hand to concentrate on much more important issues. (DEMAND MEDIA)

   iv.          Leverage: Making less effort to give much better result is the key of leverage. Hence, identifying key elements for success of the project and allocating more time to, and paying less attention to the rest can result in better utilization of time and more or less same result. (MIND TOOLS)

     v.          Schedule: Scheduling of activities throughout the day helps utilize each minute of the day efficiently. A person can assign time to each work on the basis of its complexity, deadline, importance and his own comfort with project. Scheduling makes the person more focused and results in better time utilization. (MIND TOOLS)

   vi.          Use of technology: Use of technology to reduce efforts on unproductive activities can also help in better time management.  For e.g. linking email to phone, automatic reminder for a meeting etc reduces time wasted on unproductive but important tasks. (DEMAND MEDIA)

Task 1 (LO3)

a. Analyze team dynamics by exploring the roles people play in a team and how they can work together to achieve shared goals.

A team consists of various members, who together indulge in discussion and implementation of tasks. Each individual comprising the group is responsible for the success of the tasks undertaken by the group and undertakes one of the many roles discussed below.

       i.          Devil’s Advocate: A member who cross-questions arguments presented in a team meeting is a devil’s advocate. He/she ensures that the team analyses each issue at hand or solution to a problem from all possible angles.

     ii.          Listener: A member who takes up the responsibility of observing and taking notes in a group is a listener. He patiently hears all the ideas presented and analyses them calmly. It is his responsibility to ensure that a good idea does not get unnoticed. (BYU, 2012)

   iii.          Idea Generator: Idea generators are the most creative person in the group who can list a variety of possible solution to a problem facing the group. Usually they present options to the team who ultimately narrows down to a particular solution after discussing on them. (BYU, 2012)

   iv.          Moderator: A person who is blessed with good people skills acts as a moderator for the team. He guarantees that the team is steering towards fruitful discussion and there are no conflicts among the team members. (BYU, 2012)

     v.          Leader: A leader is a person who provides direction to the team steers them towards the decision, takes the final decision and delegates work to the team members for proper execution of the task at hand. (BYU, 2012)

   vi.           Sniper: All good ideas are not worth discussion. A person who rejects ideas takes up the role of a sniper. (BYU, 2012)

 vii.          Clarifier: All plans needs to be well chalked out and understood by all team members. By asking for further elaborations a clarifier ensures that the team comes up with a detailed plan with no loop holes. (BYU, 2012)

Contribution of all team members is absolutely necessary for the team to give to desired result. Together, an idea generator, clarifier, listener and moderator take the team towards constructive discussion and find the solution to the problem at hand. On the other hand, a devil’s advocate and a sniper make sure that the solution is reached only after sufficient discussion and evaluating the situation in all possible manners by pointing out the limitation of each solution. The leader takes concludes the discussion by taking the decision after hearing all and delegates work to all to ensure proper implementation of the project.

b. Analyze 5 different teams used within the workplace and show how these different teams achieve their goals.

 An organization can have various kinds of teams including formal and informal team; interdependent or independent teams; permanent or temporary teams etc. Each team has its own functions, composition and goals to be achieved. Their relevance varies from organization to organization and project to project and each has a specific way of achieving the goal. We have analyzed 5 different types of teams which are commonly used and their modus operandi.

       i.          Cross functional teams: A cross-functional team comprises of people from different verticals of an organization like marketing, IT, finance, operations, Sales etc. The cross functional team is usually formed for a particular project or for the purpose of problem solving. Each individual having expertise in a specific field brings to the table a unique skill which is used constructively by the team. Such a team provides a holistic view and guarantees quick and successful implementation. Once the project or problem is solved the teams are generally disbanded. (MANAGEMENT STUDY GUIDE, 2012)

     ii.          Self Managed teams: A self managed team, as the name suggests, is a team comprising of small number of team members who co-ordinate among themselves, delegate work to each other, and implement control and monitoring tools themselves to deliver the project without the presence of a supervisor. The team members take the onus of completion of a complex task upon them and are accountable for their slice of the work. (MANAGEMENT STUDY GUIDE, 2012)

   iii.          Virtual teams: This era of technology brought to fore “virtual teams”. The team members do not meet each other on a daily basis but are connected via internet, telephonic or videoconferencing mode. This enables formation a cross-cultural team which is required in certain cases. It also facilitates companies to increase competency by utilizing their human resources more efficiently. (MANAGEMENT STUDY GUIDE, 2012)

   iv.          Problem solving teams: Problem-solving teams are generally teams formed by intra department members who get together regularly to discuss issues like quality, efficiency etc. They meet regularly to search for innovative solutions for the problems facing the department to increase the effectiveness of the department. However, it has to take approvals before actual implementation of a plan. (PATHWAYS TO HIGHER EDUCATION)

     v.          Task interdependence teams: Based on the level of interaction among the team members we can have various types of interdependent teams. In task interdependent teams, the members depend on each other for completion of a project. In a sequential task interdependence team, the task performed for the project is done sequentially by the members, while in a reciprocal task interdependent team the task the work performed by one member is dependent on the other. In a pooled task interdependent team each individual does his part of the work to complete the project. (PATHWAYS TO HIGHER EDUCATION)

 Task 2 (LO4)

a. Review tools and methods used to develop solutions to problems within the workplace.

In the dynamic environment in which an organization functions, a new problem arises every single day. A robust problem solving system ensures that the problem is solved and its effect is mitigated.  A typical methodology adopted for problem solving involves seven steps (RICHARD CHANG ASSOCIATES) which are:

       i.          Identify the problem: First step is to identify the problem which is reducing the effectiveness of the organization, hindering its growth etc. This can be indicated through various KPIs like increasing number of complaints, reducing sales, increasing cost of production etc.

     ii.          Analyze the causes: The problems are usually manifestation of some deficiencies within the organization. It’s important to uncover the root cause of the problem to ensure that the problem is resolved. Various techniques are used to find out the cause of the problem like:

1. Cause and effect diagram: A diagram is drawn to identify the factors that can lead to a problem. For egg. Increase in cost of production can be due to equipment or workers. Then each factor is further analyzed to see the reason why it can lead to the problem. For e.g. an obsolete equipment and dissatisfaction among workers regarding work environment can lead to their inefficiencies. (CENTRE FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE)
2. Pareto chart: Pareto chart can be formed to identify the cause as well as prioritize the causes in order of their importance. In the above taken case, the loss of production due to machine breakdown as well as the labor unrest is analyzed to understand the importance of each.         (CENTRE FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE)
3. Scatter diagram: The problem and its probable cause are plotted on a scatter diagram to see if there is any correlation. For e.g. the no. of years of use of machinery and its breakdown when found correlated, we can conclude that the machine is obsolete. (CENTRE FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE)

Various other techniques like hypothesis testing, histogram charts, flow charts can also be used to identify the problems.

   iii.          Identify various possible solutions: Once the root cause of the problem is analyzed various alternative solutions are brought to the table which can be used to resolve the problem. This is idea generation phase where various creative solutions are thought of to solve a given problem. The techniques used to the same includes:

1. Analogy: Using past experience of a similar problem, a possible solution to the current problem can be generated.
2. Lateral thinking: Creative solution to a problem can be brought to fore by out of the box thinking. For e.g. to increase the sales one can suggest free sample distribution during college fest. (MIND TOOLS)
3. Divide and conquer: Breaking down a problem into smaller parts which can be dealt with individually. For e.g. fall in profit and be broken down to fall in sales and increase in cost.
4. Inductive thinking: A solution which was successful in a pilot survey can be used as an alternative in the bigger picture as well. (MIND TOOLS)

   iv.          Identify the best solution: Once all the alternatives are generated, the best solution needs to be identified which would be implanted in the future. For identifying the best solution intense brainstorming is done.

     v.          Make a plan of action: Once the best solution is selected, a plan of action is carefully chalked out for the implementation phase.

   vi.          Implement the solution: Once the plan of action is decided, each team member is delegated some work for successful implementation.

 vii.          Review: Once the solution is implementation, one has to evaluate its effectiveness. It can be done through various techniques like:

1. Survey: A survey among the grieved stakeholder to check their satisfaction.
2. Measuring the KPIs: To see the impact various KPIs like cost per unit, sales per month, no. of machine breakdowns etc are measured to see if the pan was successful.

b. Identify a particular problem within the workplace and develop an appropriate strategy for resolving the problem.

A vital problem every organization faces in today’s competitive environment is of falling profits. To solve this problem as well we can follow the seven steps mentioned above.

       i.          Identify the problem: Here, the problem is the decrease in profits over the years.

     ii.          Identify the cause of the problem: The cause of the problem can be diagnosed by cause and effect diagram

   iii.          Enlist possible solution through lateral thinking, analogy, inductive reasoning and divide and conquer.

   iv.          Select the best solution through brainstorming sessions

     v.          Plan the implementation through Plan-do-check-Act method.

   vi.          Implement the POA

 vii.          Evaluate the result through measuring of KPIs like sales growth and cost per unit.

 c. Show how this strategy could be used in the workplace and evaluate the impact on the business of implementing the strategy.

The above mentioned strategy can be used in the business situation in the following manner:

       i.          Identify the problem: In this case, the problem is that of reducing bottom-line.

     ii.          Identify the causes: For this purpose we can use cause- effect. A cause effect diagram can shows that the falling profit is due to increase in cost and decrease in sales. A further analysis of sales value reveals that the volume of sales has fallen due to competition, while prices are intact.  Cost analysis indicates that the cost of production has increased mainly due to increase in cost of raw materials. Hence, the cause of the problem is two- fold: Decreasing selling price and increasing cost of raw material.

   iii.          Enlist various possible solutions: Various possible solutions for each of the cause can be thought of like to increase the sales volume increase promotional activities, improve packaging, and strengthen distribution channels and to decrease the cost of raw materials long term supply contract, substitution of raw material for cheaper ones can also be done.

   iv.          Evaluate each possible solution to select best alternative: This can be done through brainstorming session among individuals from various departments. The cost and production departments can zero down on the best alternative. While the marketing, sales, finance departments can select problem of sales volume.

     v.          Chalk out a plan of action:

1. Plan of action for improved packaging may be:

                                                    i.     Design the new packaging

                                                  ii.     Do a pilot survey to check the effectiveness of the new packaging

                                                iii.     Contract out the packaging to the most efficient bid

1. Plan of action for long-term supply contract includes:

                                               i.          Invite bids from the suppliers

                                             ii.          Select the best bid

                                           iii.          Sign a long term supply contract

   vi.          Implement the plans

 vii.          Evaluate the plan: This can be done by reviewing sales growth and cost of production quarter on quarter. A favorable outcome can be attributed to the strategy adopted.

 MH86

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