Organization Structure and Culture, HR Professionals Support for Line Managers and Support Staff - Assignment Example

3HRC Part A The report aims at providing a new manager with insight into how the company works and the main activities it is engaged in so at to understand the organization well. The report gives an overview of the company products, purpose and goals, structure, culture and the external factors impacting on the firm. Products and Customers The organization is the leading manufacturer of soaps and detergents, vegetable and animal oils and fats, cleaning and polishing preparations, foods, and personal care products. Its main customers include suppliers, consumers, shareholders and the surrounding communities. Purpose and goals The purpose of the organization is to make life better by meeting everyday needs of hygiene and personal care and healthy nutrition with quality brands that help people feel great. Our goals are: To be the leading manufacturer of home and personal care products. To enhance the quality of lives of our consumers through high quality products. To maintain high customer service levels through low delivery delay. To be environmentally sustainable through sustainable and responsible sourcing. We strive to work with integrity and fairness by ensuring compliance to laws. We strive to improve the lives of communities through provision of support services such as education, health and water. Environmental factors One of the main factors that affect business activities in the organization is the technological aspect. Due to increased competition in the industry, we keep innovating new products and adopting new technologies. This consequently leads to redundancy and we have to keep retraining staff on its use or employ new staffs who are skilled. This in turn affects our financial resources due to commitments in research and development as well as training and restructuring operations. Another factor is the increased demand for green products which have been produced in an environmentally responsible way and this is a challenge for the organization as we have to ensure that we source responsibly and sometimes suppliers do fail to comply with this requirement. Moreover, all our operations have to use green technology. However, this may be an advantage to the company as using green strategies saves us a lot of costs in terms of saved energy and reduced electricity bills. We are also able to retain our most trusted and loyal customers. Unstable economic environment also does affect our business activities. For example, during the financial crisis of 2007/08 we were forced to cut down operations and reduce staff due to reduced demand and consequently low returns. Poor infrastructure in some areas also does affect our delivery services. Customers who are mostly wholesalers do require us to deliver products in time and when the weather is bad, roads are affected leading to delay. This prompts us to adopt the just-in-time inventory system to ensure low deliver delay. Organization Structure The organization adopts a matrix structure which incorporates both functional areas and products and characterized by use of cross-functional teams. The functional departments are under the CEO and include: production, sales and marketing, finance, research and development and human resources. The production function is involved with product development and manufacturing whilst the marketing departments gets to promote products and source suppliers as well as customers. Finance is involved with budgeting and resource use while R&D engages in continuous innovation. The human resource development is involved with managing the employees who are vital company assets as well as liaison between management and staff. They are also strategic business partners and ensure organizational commitment. These different functions must work together within the organization to optimize performance through job rotation and cross-functional teams. Also the HR has to recruit the best people for the jobs to production effectiveness whereas the finance department has to ensure all departments get resources in a way that ensures operations are smooth and productivity is increased. Organization Culture This is the way of doing things in an organization and comprises beliefs, values and norms. Culture defines the business and determines how external and internal customers relate to the organization. The organization is known for how well it treats its employees and is among the best companies to work for. It remunerates them well, engages them in decision making, offers training and development for career advancement, and promotes employees based on merit. This culture has enabled the organization to recruit the best talent and also retain best employees thus improving the performance of the organization. This also gives the company a competitive edge. This culture has also helped build company reputation or image hence attracting suppliers as well as customers. This is crucial for business as it makes sourcing easy and also ensures profitability as customer loyalty is gained and maintained. It also leads to reduced staff turnover as the employees are satisfied and committed to the organization thus overall effectiveness. Part B The report seeks to provide justification to the Executive director on the importance of retaining the HR function within the organization. It will explain how HR activities support the organization to meet its goals and the role of HR professionals in providing support to line managers and support staff. HR activities such as recruitment and selection, performance management, employee relations, training and development are very crucial in an organization wishing to have sustainable competitive advantage. The recruitment and selection function of HR involves attracting, selecting and retaining the talented staff. This ensures employees have the right skills to carry out assigned roles hence increased productivity. Mismatch of jobs and skills or having unskilled employees is detrimental to organizational success as it leads to delay in delivery of products as well as production of low quality products. This in turn leads to increased operational costs and customer complains thus reducing profitability and damaging reputation of the organization. Performance management is also a crucial activity. Once selection of qualified employees has taken place, it is the duty of HR to ensure that they perform to the expected standards. This entails deriving objectives from overall goals, setting performance targets from these goals and conducting continuous monitoring of performance to ensure the targets are being met. This enables the HR to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses and offer training to weak employees. This ensures continuous organization learning leading to skill development and consequently improved organizational performance. Another important HR activity is employee relations. HR acts as liaison between management and employees and also external stakeholders such as government and trade unions. For employees, they ensure effective communication in the organization where employees can air their voices without being reprimanded. This encourages the spirit of innovation and also leads to employee satisfaction and commitment. HR deals with trade unions to ensure working conditions are met and that employees have nothing to complain about hence reduced industrial disputes and strikes which hinder smooth production. This is crucial in reducing production costs and also ensuring shareholders get returns on their investments. Besides, HR keeps themselves updated with current trends in labor laws thus saving the company the risk of litigations due to non-compliance and the costs associated with it. HR Professionals Support for Line Managers Lines managers are engaged with day-to-day management of employees hence perform most functions associated with HR management but they are not trained. As such, HR professionals have to ensure that they are conversant with the organization policies and procedures for proper implementation. This helps the line managers to know what is required of them and not act according to their self-interests. Moreover, they need to know what the company expects of them and how to achieve organizational objectives. HR professionals also share best practice on how to identify departmental and team objectives. Determining the key performance indicators (KPIs) is crucial for organizational success. HR professionals thus work closely with line managers in developing these KPIs especially since they are the ones who deal with employees on daily basis hence knows their strengths and weaknesses. This involves assisting them with developing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bound (SMART) objectives that are aligned with overall organization objectives for success. HR professionals also assist the line managers to resolve conflicts in their departments. This is because they are well versed in people management skills and labor laws concerning grievance procedures and punishment. HR professionals thus act as a bridge between line managers and staff in ensuring smooth working relationships. They in this case establish effective communication channels for both groups to follow in case of a dispute especially which the line manager cannot be able to deal with. HR professionals Support for Support Staff The support staffs are vital in organizations as they provide essential services especially to management. They are those employees in the middle of managers and employees such as clerical staff, electricians and administrators. HR support for this category of employees comes in form of professional development. HR professionals ensure that these staff receive appropriate training to develop their careers and move up the career path. Training also ensures they develop their skills hence smooth running of the organization. HR professionals also assist support staff by ensuring they have the right tools and equipments to work with hence smooth work flow. Without these staff, the organization would not run smoothly hence it is vital for them to be well equipped. Since they work across departments, it is highly likely for them to be neglected in sharing of resources and the HR professionals ensures this does not happen. Support staffs also need HR professional services in ensuring their rights and well-being is safeguarded. As such, the HR professionals protect their rights and responsibilities. They thus make them aware of their rights and the proper procedures to follow in case of grievances and also educate them on the company policies. Assignment 3RTO Part A This essay is to explain the induction process in the organization and its benefits to individuals and the organization as a whole. It also aims at developing an induction programme for a new HR administrator in the organization. Induction Once recruitment and selection are complete and the right candidates engaged in employment, the induction process begins to familiarize the employee with their jobs and the working climate. New employees may attend a certain type of induction training for orientation purposes whereby they are given important information which they can be able to assimilate (CIPD, 2014). New employees know nothing about the organization except what they get from adverts or other sources before joining the organization. They therefore need to be given the facts about the organization such as how it works; its vision, mission and goals; performance standards; its financial performance; health and safety procedures as well as other policies and procedures. The purpose of induction is also to allow new employees to socialize in the workplace hence form new relationships join teams and identify their roles within such teams and integrate fully into the organization culture. The benefit of induction is that it helps the new employee to adopt easily and feel comfortable in the new environment. This reduces any stress or anxiety they may have about their new roles hence improved productivity. Induction also helps the new employee to learn about valuable organization information and how they are expected to integrate in it. For example, they are told the behaviors expected of them or organization culture thus they are well able to adjust and relate with old employees. This improves their morale and general feelings about the job and organization. Training also offers them necessary equipments and information to carry out their roles effectively and also of their rights hence they feel accepted in the organization. To the organization, induction is very vital as it is the way to achieving productivity. The more easily employees adjust to their new roles, the more they are able to concentrate on production hence increased productivity. Moreover, they get accustomed to the organization culture of high quality production and feel comfortable working for the organization. This boosts their morale and consequently improved productivity. Another benefit to the organization is high retention rates as employees integrate into organization culture. This saves the company costs and time associated with hiring replacements. If the company continuously engages in hiring, it may incur a lot of costs in terms of advertising, recruiting and selecting new employees who may not perform as expected and it also risks having a bad reputation. Lastly, it enhances team work which is crucial for organizational success as it enable transfer of skills amongst team members and fosters a climate of learning and innovation. Induction Programme for New HR Administrator Part B The report is about resourcing talents in organizations with special attention to diverse workforce, recruiting senior managers and specialists and potential graduates, and merits and demerits of recruitment and selection methods. Employee Diversity Diversity in the workplace is crucial and involves employing people from diverse age groups, sexual orientation, racial, national, ethnic, and religious backgrounds as well as those with physical disabilities. Though the Equality Act hinders discrimination in the workplace based on such categories, it is prudent for an organization to recognize and appreciate, embrace and leverage this diversity to its advantage through an inclusive workplace. One benefit of attracting and retaining a diverse workforce is skill development. People from diverse backgrounds have different skills and abilities which they pass to each other especially in cross-functional teams thus facilitating organizational learning. Diversity enables the organization to operate in a global competitive environment. The company operates in different countries with different cultures and if it does not embrace diversity, then it is headed for ruins. The staffs have to learn the new cultures of the countries they are sent to work in order to integrate well with local staff. Multinational companies cannot always send staff to different regions but have to utilize the locals and if they do not understand each other, then it would be difficult to operate in such countries. Diversity also saves the company from legal litigation and costs associated with it. Various countries have different labor laws concerning diverse workforce and the company must adhere to such laws. For example, wearing hijabs in some countries is prohibited while in others it is legal. It thus has to be aware of laws in different countries to avoid lawsuits. Factors affecting Organization’s Approach to Attracting Senior Managers, specialists and high Potential Graduates The organization approach to attracting qualified staff depends on level of competition. Intense international competition for experienced senior managers and specialists is one of the supply-side factors that affect staff attraction. This prompts the organization to either promote from within or use such means as technology or attractive rewards to attract talent. Promoting workers is easier as they are conversant with the environment and the way things get done. On the other hand, offering attractive rewards ensures that senior managers do get to apply for the job. Another factor is that in the 21st century, universities and colleges are producing graduates with mismatched qualifications and experience. This leads to skill shortage in the market and leads the organization to adopt other methods such as internal recruitment to get qualified staff rather than hold open days in universities and colleges to get fresh graduates. However, if there are high potential graduates, most companies go to these institutions to look for such graduates by organizing career fairs. By doing this, the company markets itself as a potential employer and even engages some of these students in the organization who then becomes potential recruits for the organization. Organization can also sponsor such students if it feels there would be a shortage may be due to increased tuition fees. Most senior managers and specialists have got accustomed to their own culture and family environment hence making it difficult for them to travel and leave their families behind or be forced to relocate them to another country. This impact on the approach the company will take in attracting such senior staff and specialists. Due to shortage of such skills, the executive may engage in head-hunting from various companies but he must assure them of better benefits than where they are currently. Or the company may use local staff instead of employing expatriates or engage recruitment agencies to hire the specialists for them. The costs of hiring senior managers and specialists also affect the approach to attracting such employees. This may prompt the executive to outsource some functions instead of hiring specialists. Approach to Recruitment and Selection Recruitment and selection in an organization depends on purpose for which the function is required. It may be a matter of routine staff turnover that requires employees to be replaced regularly. In this case, organization can advertise posts and keep data (CVs) of the applicants such that whenever need arises, such data could be referred to. Changes in technology prompt training of staff or recruiting external staff who have the required skills. Since training staff is more costly, the organization is better off by hiring new staff with required skills. However, the changes in technology may also mean shortage of skilled or qualified staff in the market meaning the company has to train its employees on use of new technology. Expansion by entry into new locations requires recruitment of staff from external sources. The company should source staff from surrounding communities who are well versed with their cultural environment. However, it should also utilize its already existing workers in such branches especially if local staffs do not possess necessary skills to minimize hiring costs. Recruitment Methods The company may decide to recruit internally by promoting current employees. This gives the employees a chance to move up the organization ladder hence increased motivation and productivity. Such employees are also conversant with the work environment hence do not need time to adjust. Moreover, the organization already knows their behavior hence easy to predict their performance. However, it hinders innovation as such employees just continue with the old culture. It may also lead to employee dissatisfaction especially if the promotion is seen to be unfair. External recruitment such as corporate websites ensures new blood is injected in the company hence innovation. However, the new recruits are not well conversant with policies and procedures hence may take time to adjust than internal sources. The management also does not know their behavior hence it is not easy to predict performance. Advertising is also a recruitment method but it is tedious and time consuming. Most people even those without the mentioned qualifications apply for the job leading to much paperwork and time sorting out CVs. Selection Methods The traditional interviews is whereby candidates face the panel and are asked questions which are not structured hence it may lead to bias in questioning different candidates and the way interviewers assess performance. Structured interview on the other hand, involves use of pre-determined questions to be answered by all interviewees hence are more fair than traditional interviews. An assessment center involves a variety of methods ranging from interviews, tests, group exercises and presentations. Although it is more reliable and predictable since interviewee skills are assessed practically, they are time consuming due to the many activities involved. They are also very expensive compared to other methods. 4DEP Part A CIPD Profession Map Purpose and Structure The CIPD Profession Map sets the standards required of HR practitioners. These standards “determine what the best HR and L&D professionals and organizations are doing, what they need to know and understand, to really make a difference and drive the performance of the organization” (CIPD, 2015). Its purpose is to show how the HR function adds value to the organization. It also helps professionals to map out their career paths and work towards achieving their goals in life. The map is divided into 10 professional areas which include: organization design, organization development, resource and talent planning, learning and talent development, performance and reward, employee engagement, employee relations and service delivery and information and two core areas: insights, strategies and solutions and leading HR. It also consists of 8 behaviors a competent HR professional is supposed to exhibit such as being a role model and decisive thinker. These professional areas and behaviors are encompassed in 4 bands which show the level of competence of HR profession and how one can transit to the next level of competence hence exhibiting the behaviors associated with that level. These bands thus help HR professionals to analyze their level of skills and to develop the areas of weaknesses by striving to achieve behaviors of the next level. The insights, strategies and solutions core area is the competence level where the HR professional is able to get full understanding of the business, its context and the organization as a whole to be able to make sound and actionable decisions and also to develop and prioritize HR strategies that make a difference for the organization. For example, HR professional should be able to understand business products, clients, as well as its internal and external environment to be able to plan strategically. The Leading HR core area involves active insight-led leadership whereby one shapes his/her own behavior or is self-directed thus influencing others in the organization. Working at band 2, the activities I undertake in the insights, strategies and solutions area include: encouraging diversity and inclusive practices, keeping updated with HR trends through networking with colleagues, setting clear goals which are measurable, developing and implementing people policy and process solutions, assisting in development of organizational plans and priorities as well as working with managers through change. Activities in Leading HR include acting as role model, developing team goals and measures to deliver against operational plans, ensure targets are achieved, set cleat accountabilities, track progress and resolve issues promptly, scrutinize feedbacks to identify controversial areas in regard to reward and recognition and remedy them. Identifying resource needs of project teams and ensuring continuous improvement are also crucial HR activities. Leaders also encourage employees to come out of their comfort zones and try out new things without fear of failure. He therefore maintains commitment and enthusiasm even in face of difficulties. The organization development (OD) area involves ensuring organizational effectiveness by ensuring a learning organization culture, value support and enhancing organizational performance. It entails developing OD interventions to ensure organization becomes a high performing organization, defining strategy and managing change. The main activities in Band 1 includes using data to identify gaps and requirements to meet objectives, assisting in development of OD plans, providing feedback on readiness for change to support OD plan as well as feedback on proposed OD interventions and supporting and advising employees and managers. OD also entails seeking to create opportunities to test new ideas for innovation. Part B This part aims as self assessment of personal development plan. Reflecting Back Last year I learned how to deal with clients by using a range of interpersonal skills gained through experience and mentoring by senior staff. I also learned working through and trusting other people rather than individualization through my daily interactions. Deepening technical skills and knowhow was learned through coaching by senior managers. For the last 12 months, I added value to customers by ensuring they get value for their products by collecting information regarding their experience with our products and forwarding the same to relevant departments. By learning how to make use of feedback, I have been able to resolve most disputes between employees and management leading to smooth running of the organization and profitability. I also learnt how to engage and motivate people from all backgrounds by interacting and understanding them. The tangible outcomes over the last 12 months is that my team’s productivity increased by a huge margin. This is because I was able to move from focusing on individual goals to focusing on team goals and measures as well as ensuring targets are achieved. As a result, my work has become more strategic in nature and more collaborative. Another outcome is being able to build relationships especially with customers. Before, I used to think of customer complaints as a nuisance but with time and more knowledge I have learned to turn such complaints into opportunities to improve customer service. I have commented on these activities as they are proof that my development as a Leading HR are improving. Others who have gained from my professional development include managers, family and community as a whole. This is because I can now assist managers in strategic planning. My family benefits as now I have a fulfilled career and am on the right path to progression while community benefits by improved services and problem-solving skills. Moving Forward I identify my learning and professional needs by carrying out an assessment of my strengths and weaknesses and developing the areas of weakness. I recognize such weak areas through the constant feedback given by the senior management, colleagues and customers. I also measure my progress against established goals to know whether I am moving in the right direction. The main areas I want to develop in the next 12 months are: addressing HR challenges at the organizational level, offering meaningful solutions to clients rather that recommendations, and deepening my understanding of the business, organization and context to make informed decisions. These will be measured by the degree to which the management will consider me a business partner, being able to effectively align objectives to business goals and what impacts the value of the business and client satisfaction. Key differences in my role will be to provide more value for the organization through improved competencies. Involving clients in decision making by seeking their views on how well we can assist them and areas they would like improvements. And being more committed to employee developments needs and acting as a coach and mentor for them to acquire necessary skills. I will review my professional development needs every six months to ensure I am in the right direction. Part C This report concerns identifying HR service users and what effective service delivery entails HR Service Users The users of HR services who are internal to the organization are employees, line managers and senior managers. The employees offer their services in return for a wage commensurate with their work. What they want thus from HR function is proper remuneration and good working environment. If employees work in an environment where their voices are not heard or listened to, they are bound to lose morale and consequently a decline in productivity. Line managers need support from HR professionals to be able to carry out their mandate which is challenging due to lack of training. Coaching the line managers is therefore crucial especially when it comes to performance management. Line managers also need the help of HR professionals in dealing with disagreements since the HR are skilled in problem-solving and well versed with organization policies and procedures. Senior managers on the other hand, need HR to be business partners. This requires HR to develop deep understanding of the business and its context. They also need the HR to challenge them where possible so that they can know where they are going wrong when making decisions. Prioritizing Needs The HR/L &D can ensure the needs of service users are prioritized effectively by being a business partner. This way, HR can have deep knowledge of the business, its internal and external customers and the needs of all service users and use this information in developing a HR strategy that addresses these needs. The HR also needs to engage in professional development activity to gain the knowledge and competencies required to be able to effectively prioritize needs. In this case, the CIP profession Map is crucial in acquiring such competencies. The needs of employees can be prioritized through effective job descriptions, recruitment and selection. Here the employees are inducted into the policies and procedures of the organization hence they know the right channels to follow if they have problems. Communication Communication may be oral, written or non-verbal. Whatever method is used, the sender should ensure the information is decoded properly for effectiveness. One method of communication to service users is through handouts which explain the company policies and procedures as well as rights and obligations. This method is advantageous as the users can always refer to it in case of breach of contract or a dispute. It also informs the users of what is expected of them hence developing a sense of direction. However, it has a lot of information hence tedious to read and as such some users may not even read it thus remain unaware of what is expected of them in certain circumstances. Another form of communication is the memo. It is written to inform the users of any impending changes or anything that has come up either for a department or organization as a whole. It explains the issue and brief history of the problem and the decisions taken and for what reason. The method ensures the target audiences receive the message although it must be written clearly in a way the audience will understand otherwise it may be interpreted to mean something else. However, the users cannot ask questions or seek clarifications as the sender of the message is not available and this can lead to information bias and misinterpretation. Another method is survey whereby employees or users are asked questions regarding an issue or what they feel needs to change in the organization. This is another way of empowering employees by giving them voice hence it can boost morale especially if their recommendations are put into consideration while making decisions. However, it is susceptible to bias as some users especially employees may not give the true information due to fear of being reprimanded unless the questionnaires are anonymous. It is also costly due to the production of such questionnaires and administering them as well as analyzing them for results. Effective Service Delivery Effective service delivery entails building and maintaining good relationships. HR professionals need to relate well with all stakeholders in order to build and maintain good relationships with stakeholders. In this case, they should be emotionally stable in order to act with reason at all times. This will ensure all concerned are committed to their tasks especially when their problems are being listened to and resolved. HR also handles and resolves complaints by employees as well as customers. This will ensure employees work effectively and produce high quality goods. The HR can also liaise with production department to retest products based on complaints to ensure problem does not recur. However, some customers are difficult and the duty of the HR to ensure that such customers are taken care of thus providing clear and realistic expectations is crucial. HR should also adopt positive approach to complaints by turning them into objectives. Timely service delivery can only be achieved through a productive workforce. The HR professional thus needs to ensure employees are always motivated and also set targets that will ensure products are delivered in time. Use of just-in-time technology can help in this regard. Budget implications are better handled by the finance department although HR should be engaged in manpower planning to reduce costs and also ensure high productivity thus minimizing costs. Continuous improvement involves managing time and workforce to ensure quality standards are met at all times. Learning and development can contribute to continuous improvement. Read More