The Concepts and Components of a Time Plan of the Organization - Report Example

Developing teams and individuals Insert Name Course, Class, Semester Institution Instructor Date Introduction Learning has been described as a never-ending process of adapting oneself or a group to a certain action (Yarbrough, 2007). The process is said to be never-ending because e of the dynamic nature of the contemporary world. All the variables affecting the existence of organizations are undergoing continuous evolution due to the endless advancement in technology. People learn at different rates. This can be attributed to various factors that vary from one individual to another. The speed at which a group learns depends upon the independent speeds of the individuals constituting the team. The average speed of the group may be slow since the composition of the same is heterogeneous. This has led to the introduction of such concepts as the learning curve in the organizations. Due to the inefficiencies of a group when it comes to learning, the organizations in the contemporary business world have begun appreciating and adopting the concept of the learning plan. Also referred to as a professional development plan or a team development plan, the learning plan is a document used outlines the pre-determined learning activities over a specified duration (WLL, 2008). There are both organizational ad individual learning plans. The organizational learning plan may be the sum total of the various individual learning plans or a collective arrangement designed by the human resource function of the firm or organization. This paper seeks to explain the concepts and components of a time plan in light of my personal experience in the work setting where group dynamics were an integral part of the organization. Being a member of the Human Resource department of our company, and a team leader of a group of nine other employees I took part in a work-related learning plan in the organization. Before elaborating on the details of the particular learning plan to which I was party, it is essential that we first get a clear understanding of the concept. To better understand the concept, it is of essence that we evaluate the components and elements of the learning plan. To begin with, a learning plan must have a pre-determined pact of objectives to be attained within the specified period (Hills, 20001). On this component, it is recommended that the broad goals be broken down into smaller goals that can be easily evaluated and subjected to post implementation analysis. Breaking down such goals helps the company staff or the members of the concerned team to understand that which is expected of them in a bid to achieve the goals and objectives of the firm. The second component of the learning plan is that there must be steps that are clearly stated (Hackman, 2002). Such steps should be aimed at achieving the specific objectives of the team and the organization as a whole. It is argued that the steps to be taken should be real actions. For instance if the aim of the team is to gain proficiency in the use of computer applications and programs in the management of the company’s human resources, one of the particular steps is the use of the Microsoft suite. It is also argued that each action should be linked or connected to more than one evidences or resources. For instance if the action is using the computers there should be such resources as coaches, books and references, the internet, world wide web connection broadband. The users of the learning plan should be in a position to rate the resources. This will be very useful for the management in preparing future learning plans. The learning plan that I was involved in In the learning plan that I have been involved in identifying group or team developmental needs the above components were all observed. It was thus a complete learning plan that embraces all aspects of the developmental needs of the team within the organization. The learning plan is discussed below by each aspect: The overall aim The overall objective of the learning plan was to achieve knowledge in the use of computer applications in the management of all human resource functions. This was meant to equip the staff in charge of the human resource function with the necessary technical skills with the aim of boosting the efficiency of the personnel management team. This would make the payment of salaries faster, the carrying out of performance appraisal more effective and the training and retraining of the members of staff more efficient and effective. This learning plan was referred to as the plan to automate the personnel function. Current competence As at the time of conducting the learning plan, the current competence of the team members was rated average. Most of the members had elementary knowledge on the use of computers especially the operation of the Microsoft applications such as the MS Word. This was considered an average team since the outsourced coach argued that comprehending the real concept required a person with knowledge in the basic computer packages. Specific objectives These were the goals that had to be met in order for the overall goals to be met. These goals included such aims as: gaining knowledge in the use of the Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), the use of the digital employees register and the use of the innovative tax calculator. These specific objectives are in line with the overall objective. These are taken as means to an end. They are aimed at equipping the members of the team with necessary skills at the same time helping the group achieve the overall goal. The time scale The learning plan was designed to cover a period of six weeks. During this time, all the specific objectives were supposed to have been covered. The team members were expected to have learnt all the necessary skills which they would present and perform before a panel that would approve the team. The number of hours available in a week The number of hours we were able to assign the learning plan per week was thirty six. This amounted to six hours per day for a six-day week. The time was considered adequate since after close assessment of the team, the coach advised that four hours in a day would be adequate. The hours were put at six so as to cater for the inherent inefficiencies of the team members. Required certification There was no required certification. This was because the learning plan was considered part of the company’s periodic training and retraining aimed at increasing the efficiency of operations. Location The program was designed to take place within the organization premises where the management had set aside a conference hall for the activities of the learning plan. This location was selected for convenience purposes as tem members came from different places. Finance The financial requirement associated with the learning plan was catered for by the organization. The company took it as retraining expense and outsourced the coach. The learning and developmental needs of the team members The developmental needs of the team members were found to be varying from individual to individual but as the team leader, I had to come up with a list of all those needs that commonly featured in the list of each individual. This, I realized, would yield positive changes in the growth and development of the organization as a whole. The needs of the employees all pointed to efficiency and growth. The first common need among the team members was they needed to develop their skills in Information and technology. They argued that being well versed with information and technology would make them be in a better position to use the most recent computer technology in improving efficiency in the organization. The second developmental need of the employees was identified as being acceptance to change. As mentioned earlier the team I was dealing with was from the personnel department. These are the same individuals entrusted with the introduction and management of change in the organization. All organizations across the globe usually encounter the problem of resistance to change among its employees (Hackett, 2003). Likewise, our organization had employees that tended to be in favor of the status quo always. Resistance to change has been associated with many causes, the most common being fear of the unknown. As such the team members wanted to develop skills in using information and technology in achieving acceptance to change. The third developmental need was identified as the need to improve the speed at which the employees executed their tasks. They planned to achieve this through gaining adequate knowledge in the use of computers. Typically, working through the computer is considered more efficient than working manually (Neider & Schriesheim, 2005). The essence here was that they had the need to be conversant with the computer so as to be more efficient in performing their duties. Speed is associated with efficiency in all organizations and automation is the core of speed. The other common need among the team members was to improve in their positions and earn better salaries. The assumption in this need was that efficiency would cause them to get promoted and that from being promoted, they would earn better salaries. The aim of each employee is to improve their standards of living. The living standards of an individual can only get better if the earnings of the individuals get better. Ensuring the learning activities meet the development needs The learning activities of the learning plan are practical in nature (Guijt, 2007). As such, they equip the team members with the necessary skills and practices needed in improving their performance. To ensure the learning activities meet the developmental needs the team members are continuously evaluated. These continuous assessments ensure that the employees understand one concept before they move to the next concept. This is to say that the assessments are carried out after each and every step of the learning process. Te coach is capable of telling whether the particular member has understood the concept or not. Apart from the continuous assessments, the organization has employed thorough monitoring of the team. The supervisors are in constant contact with the employees. They are capable of generating objective reports on their view of the improvement of the team members. These reports on the progress of the team are linked to their pre-determined developmental needs. Any variances are investigated and remedied in good time such that by the end of the learning plan period, the members will have gained adequate skills to meet their developmental goals. Government, industry and business knowledge requirements In building teams, knowledge in various fields and concerning all the stakeholders of the business is very important. As such, such knowledge must be incorporated into the learning plan. This implies that at every step of the process, such knowledge must be linked to the knowledge on the various stakeholders. The government is a stakeholder in all businesses either directly or indirectly or both. The government is related to this team in the sense that the collection of taxes is handled by both the government and the human resource function of the organization. Statutory deductions such as the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) are handled by the human resource department (Greaney & Kellaghan, 2007). This knowledge must be imparted in the members’ program and related to the use of computers. The relevant parts of legislation relating to the learning plan must also be considered. The industry must as well be considered by the team. This is to say that the members of the team need to be given knowledge on the most innovative changes in the industry. Such changes may include such things as the latest and most effective methods and techniques of carrying out a task. The organization may source such information from other better performers and market leaders in the industry through benchmarking and other concepts such as kaizen. Having knowledge of what the industry calls for makes them find it easy to prioritize the organizational goals and subordinate individual interests to such goals. Business knowledge that should be made part of the learning plan basically entails understanding the rationale for the existence of the business entity. The existence of any business is founded on the aim of maximizing the wealth of the shareholders (Foxall, 2009). This can be related to the developmental needs of the team. This can be done by assessing the particular needs and examining whether they yield an increase in the wealth of the shareholders or if at all they better the rate at which such wealth is maximized. Business knowledge is useful at all levels of training. The approach to monitoring the learning process In ensuring the effectiveness of the learning process, the organization adopts a concept referred to as participatory monitoring. Participatory monitoring entails the involvement of the supervisors and the assessors in the learning plan. Such monitors set standards against which the performance of the employees is evaluated. This approach is the most effective and efficient idea in ensuring the desired goals of the firm is understood and pursued appropriately (Dutta & Mondal, 2007). The monitors act as the whistle blowers to the management and recommend whether the team is ready or whether further training is necessary. The fact that the monitors and the evaluators are part of the team being trained, establishing personal contact for individual assessments is quite easy and practicable. The approach is associated with objectivity and effectiveness. This means that if the trained employee does not meet the developmental needs of the organization, the assessor is answerable for the failure. This is the most practical approach and entails the use of direct observation, continuous assessment and practical application. Relevance and effectiveness are the most sought after qualities in any learning plan. As such monitoring becomes an inevitable part of all learning processes. Conclusion In conclusion, it I worth noting that all components of the learning plan are equally important and should be given equal priority. It is also noteworthy that the process of learning may take different durations depending on the individual capacities of the employees as well as the proficiency of the coach. Knowledge on the various fields and stakeholders is as well important since they all affect the organization in one way or another. Learning has been described as an endless process that requires close monitoring. The monitoring is meant to ensure relevance, effectiveness and efficiency. References Dutta, S & Mondal, A. (2007). Monitoring For Outcomes In Community Driven Projects: Using A Learning Based Approached. Washington: World Bank Foxall, F. (2009). Haemodynamic Monitoring and Manipulation: An Easy Learning Guide. Cambria: Reeds Printers Greaney, V & Kellaghan, T. (2007). Monitoring the Learning Outcomes of Education Systems. Washington: The Word Bank Guijt, I. (2007). Negotiated Learning: Collaborative Monitoring In Forest Resource Management. Washington: Resource for the Future Hackett, P. (2003). Training Practice. Wiltshire: Chartered Institute Of Personnel and Development Hackman, R. (2002). Leading Teams: Setting the Stage for the Great Performances. New York: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation Hills, H. (20001). Team-Based Learning. Hampshire: Gower Publishing Limited Neider, L & Schriesheim, C. (2005). Understanding Teams. New York: John Wiley & Sons Worldwide Learning Limited. (2008). Learning Teams. Burlington: Elsevier Yarbrough, B. (2007). Leading Groups and Teams (2nd Edition). Boulevard: South-Western Cengage Learning Read More