Different Learning Styles and Needs of HRD - South Australian Public Service Agencies - Case Study Example

Name: Institution: Human Resource Development Background The contemporary discourse of human resource development (HRD) revolves around the specialist assistance afforded employees in order to achieve different enjoyments from their labor. The HRD discourse extols the principles of encouraging employees to identify ways in which they can enhance their careers and other crucial features of their working life (Bell 2008). The concept of HRD has been faced with increasing multigenerational issues that specialists have to consider critically in order to maintain a viable working environment characterized by intergenerational coherence and competition. As the twenty first century progresses, the contemporary institution employs a human resource that comprise of three more generations that work and interact more relevantly. The simultaneous presence of a multigenerational workforce in the contemporary organization is largely due to the improved longevity and the renewed tendency by people to work more beyond traditional retirement age. This phenomenon has caused human resource specialists to redesign development programs and functions to fit with the varied needs and expectations of the generational diversity (Delcampo, Haggerty, Haney, & Ashley 2011). Recognition of generational similarities is a vital factor for a HRD specialist for help in guiding attraction, retention and support for members of the multigenerational workforce. This implies that a HDR design must be informed by vital drivers that move each generation at work while addressing the intergenerational needs and concerns (Pollitt 2006). The HRD program must seek to help create a supportive working environment and create a management strategy that enhances awareness that each generation perceives work differently and desires different motivational features. This report entails an identification of the vital generational working groups in the contemporary Australian organization which follows with a one year feasible plan. Workplace Generations The human resource element of generation is a vital HRD factor because the inherent life experiences by each age cohort directly influences their life long values and beliefs. In the Australian context, the labor force is characterized by three main generations: baby boomers, Generation x, and the millennials. In designing a viable HRD adaptable to the hallmark generations, it is important that the specialist understands their inherent features that make them relevant in the contemporary workplace planning. The Baby Boomers represents a large population of Australian workers that were born during the immediate post-war years (1946-164) and nurtured under industrial values that instilled competitiveness and dedication for work as the core values. This generation is associated with excellence in major competence areas such as accountability, adaptability, clear and effective communication, organizational cooperation, project management, initiative and many others (Pollitt 2006). However, the Boomers have portrayed notable weaknesses in terms of desire for instant gratification, lack of the touch with technology, and less regard for diversity at the workplace (Bell 2008). Generation X (1964-1980) has been defined by HRD specialists and academics in this realm as the age cohort that manifests unparalleled workplace competencies such as adaptability, initiative, management of resources, problem solving, are ardent technologists, value for workplace diversity, and the recognition of training as a development instrument (Delcampo et al. 2011). However, a specialist in this realm must recognize the weaknesses by members of this generation to use simplified professional language at workstations, less collaborative capacity, and their weaknesses in remaining loyal to their employers. The Millennials comprise of age cohort that was born and nurtured in the highly globalized international economy. Important to note about this group is that though continually evolving, upholds accountability, proper organizational management, accountability, and value for diversity at workstations (Mathis & Jackson 2010). Additionally, Millenials are people that value and belief in service organization and cooperative service delivery. However, Bell (2008) faults this generation for deprivation in formality of communication, problem solving, loyalty to their employer and their dependence on technology as an integral to their professional life. Millenals is a HRD specialist’s interest cohort because it represents a relatively larger proportion of the current labor force. The group represents young people that have been part of the corporate world for a shorter period compared with Generation X and the Boomers. The character of continual increment in terms of numbers entering the workforce connotes Millenials as a special cohort that managers must accord special attention particularly regarding different expectations, values, needs, and the generational desires (Villwock 2007). An establishment of a breadth of knowledge about each generation underpins proper HRD planning in a multigenerational workplace. Recognition and Evaluation of Different Learning Styles and Needs of HRD The primary task of a HRD consultant contracted by any organization to establish a development plan comprise of the identification of the workforce training needs and relevant learning styles in the context of each generational group. Employee learning needs extract from the dynamic working environment within the fast changing knowledge-driven global economy. The learning needs commonly revolve around employee’s need to be able to read and assimilate existing and emerging information in order to continue meeting the demands of the employer. Learning needs are also driven by the desire by different employee groups to acquire contemporary problem solving skills and enhancing proficiency levels necessary to function on the job, within teams, and in the multigenerational working community (Cassidy & Kreitner 2009). Although the learning styles vary across generations and between individuals, they are principally underpinned by commonality of ability to garner acknowledgement and promote assurance. There four main learning styles that have been ubiquitously associated with employee learning process. The learning process takes place through visual, auditory, tactile-kinesthetic and kinesthetic channels (Daft & Marcic 2008). Many trainees tend to retain what they have acquired from hands-on-experience as they initiate some degree of practice. Cassidy and Kreitner (2009) argues that many of employee trainees fall within the kinesthetic or experiential learning style while a fraction acknowledge learning more through visual modes. It is important that employees in a multigenerational context be trained using a combination of techniques. Human Resource Development Plan This report presents a HRD plan for the South Australian Public service agencies. The imperative is that a HRD plan is necessary for a multigenerational workforce to achieve efficiently. The planning will take to account the whole government, specific public service agency, and individual employee needs. The primary aim of the plan is to ensure that the training and development activities integrate with the organization’s stated goals and optimize the learning outcomes for the employees. This plan will serve as a 12 months guide for the South Australian public sector agencies to base policy formulation and practices in order to achieve desired human resource development strategies. Structure of the HRD Plan The plan targets the vital employee development aspects in a multigenerational Australian working environment. 1) Service Culture Building Program i) Service leadership ii) Service excellence 2) Team Culture Building i) Team leadership ii) Management team building iii) Company-wide team building iv) Assertiveness training v) Team problem solving and decision making 3) Leadership and Management Development i) Basic leadership and management ii) Performance management iii) Superior coaching skills iv) Change management 4) Communication Skills Enhancement Program i) Basic business language ii) Business writing iii) Personal skills enhancement 5) Personal Effectiveness i) Personal effective workshop ii) Stress management iii) Time management Rationale and Justification for the Plan Although the plan is comprehensive and broad, it is fairly worthwhile for a large multigenerational workforce in an Australian public service agency. The rationale is to provide a guiding instrument on which the agency to infer for continual human resource development and sustainability of competency in the knowledge driven and fast changing labor market. The justification for the HRD plan is that it addresses the critical human capital aspects of service quality enhancement, team culture building and purposeful competency appraisal (Raffel, Leisink & Middlebrooks 2009). The plan prioritizes leadership, team building and development, and individual competency as primary anchors of service quality enhancement in both public and private sector. As the South Australian public agencies strive to attract and retain of the multigenerational character, the need to develop and make them fit for changing labor demands remain critical. The agencies recognize that the quality of service delivered to the public has an impact on its image. It is therefore crucial that a training and development plan that will ensure delivery of desired service by all employees regardless of generational identity. Moreover, the plan enhances the tam culture building that is greatly valuable in a multigenerational human resource context. The plan recognizes that realization of strategic synergies is a function of culturally bonded teams that deliver services to the public collaboratively, with common commitment, and focus on results. Full implementation of the HRD plan will hone leaders’ capacity to lead and manage multigenerational groups, create an environment within which employees of different generations interact and collaborate. Additionally, the HRD plan will enhance communication skills within the workforce and cultivate problem solving habits. As aforementioned, at the core of the contemporary workplaces is the shifting, diversification of demographic patterns such as the multigenerational character of the labor force (Werner & Desimone 2011). The human performance theory (HPT) (Wang & King 2009) provides that relevant intervention plans take into account vital elements such as individual nature, perceptions and attitudes of employees in terms of the working environment in order to stem high performance by the multigenerational force. HPT specialists in planning an intervention program must understand and appreciate prevalent differences along the generational dimensions. The theory advances the rationale that HRD professionals not only acknowledge differences but critically analyze inherent variables that influence behavior and attitudes with an aim of enhancing employment satisfaction and performance. Intervention Strategies Service Culture Building Program The training program targeting service leadership (Cassidy & Kreitner 2009) will be aimed at the top management and supervisors. The strategic intervention would include description of the roles of a leader in an age diverse working environment particularly in formulating and implementing employee-oriented regulative instruments for matters concerning human resource. The program will as well identify skill and knowledge gaps for optimizing multigenerational workforce. The main objective will be to train the leaders to exercise relevant behaviors that promote intergenerational performance. The interventional training for enhancing service excellence would fundamentally aim at describing the feasible intergenerational mindset in the multi-age working environment. Important for this program will be to instill cooperation and conflict resolution skills. The Team Culture Building Team leadership is a very vital interventional program that will target managers and supervisors as well. This would comprise an implicit definition of the roles and responsibilities of the tope management in leading the multi-aged working teams. As provided by Humphrey and Over (2010), the interventional measure will seek to encourage the leaders to instantaneously assess their own preferred styles and match it with the general range within the working teams. The program aims at equipping the leadership with ability of identifying skills and knowledge and appropriate practices that make them appealing to their subordinates across the age divide. Important in this interventional strategy is for it to enable team leadership to identify the factors underlying motivation in a multigenerational working environment and how to nurture it within a dynamic team. Worthwhile mentioning is that the leaders should be told to build cohesiveness and promote conflict management measures. Continual provision of problem solving skills and knowledge is a requisite intervention inherent in the plan that would cultivate the members of each generation within the working teams to pursue ways that help identify issues empirically and devising relevant solutions promptly. This assertion would be supported by the ability of deploying correct analysis and decision making tools. Leadership and Management Development This interventional aspect is meant to promote the culture of leadership and management within the multidimensional workforce. The training on basic leadership and management will be aimed at managers and potential leaders from within, and will seek to initiate a transitional mindset for movement from ordinary employee status to leadership stature. As suggested in Cassidy and Kreitner (2009) the program would emphasize the skills and knowledge of team building within a multi-age workforce while focusing on organizational goals. A performance management strategy would be relevant in initiating the spirit of applicable and sustainable policy designs and implementation. Important in this intervention is the equipment of target groups with performance goal setting and monitoring skills. Communications Skills Enhancement Strategic interventions under workplace area will entail the training on the use of correct communication language within and without office especially in matters concerning organizational correspondence. The rationale is to instill confidence in relevant employees in communication and in preparing official correspondence documentation for on behalf of the employer. Intervention on communication will also involve the transfer of business writing skills and knowledge to teams of interest. This program will be vital in instilling proper written communication skills and adhering to conventional business reporting practices and formats. Personal Effectiveness The interventional arrangement on personal effectiveness will target individuals within the organization at all levels. The aim of the program will be to help employees of different generational backgrounds to identify their professionalism and strengths. The primary idea will be to enable staff to set viable working and career goals, improve time management, and identify stress management strategies. Theory and Analysis Although the intervention programs have been designed for general organizational workforce, customization has to be exercised in the context of a multigenerational human resource. Emphasis should be focused on areas of communication, participation, and leadership and management areas. This is because each of the identified age cohorts within the organization communicates with cross age colleagues and participates in decision making at differing levels (van Tiem, Moseley & Dessinger 2012), and responds to management and leadership concepts divergently. Theory has it that member of Generation X desire participative working setting in which they can play a role in decision making process. Contrastingly, the Millenials demonstrate characteristics of the 1925s generation in that they value collective action, remain optimistic about future opportunities, they are adventurous and they trust a centralized leadership structure. Accordingly, Cassidy and Kreitner (2009) presents the Boomers as an independent lot that has little regard for a centralized power point within an organization. Additionally, the Boomers are known to perform optimally for a management that treats all employees as equal without superiors within. To govern a multigenerational workforce therefore, the leadership need to dig deeper into the theoretical concepts in order to expand their knowledge about each age group. Although communication and participation have been ubiquitously presented as conventional workplace enrichment tools, each working generation has characteristic level of tolerance and or denial of the scope to which the leadership can use them for effective management. In this context, Generation X surfaces as a group that is curious for information and hence continually inquisitive, which make the more communication a better remedy for optimal performance. However, though the Baby Boomers will remain obedient to instruction, they are largely individualistic and hence suspicious of decisions by others. On the other hand, the youngest generation, the Millenials, are unselfish partially because of their value for collective action. Important to note is that although the Millenials will tend to be submissive authority, their seemingly hyperactivity makes them challengers of the systems particularly if they view it as lacking integrity. The analysis of these theoretical assertions is vital for a HRD specialist to ensure that the interventions target and achieve intended results. Conclusion This report underlines the dynamics of a contemporary multigenerational workforce. The report identified the apparent working age groups as Baby Boomers, Generation X, and the Millenials. Each group has distinctive characteristics that must be observed critically if a HRD plan is to work. The plan and interventions exhausted in this coverage targeted a South Australian public service agency. Understanding working characteristics of each generation is critical for attraction, retention, and development of a multi-aged labor force. References Bell, EE 2008, Multigenerational workplace performance: generational similarities and differences in employee perception of the work environment, ProQuest, New York, NY. Cassidy, C & Kreitner, R 2009, Supervision: setting people up for success, Cengage Learning, London, UK. Daft, RL., & Marcic, D 2008, Understanding management, Cengage Learning, London, UK. Delcampo, RG., Haggerty, LA., Haney, MJ., Knippel, LA 2011, Managing the multi-generational workforce: from the GI generation to millennials, Gower Publishing Ltd, London, UK. Humphrey, WS & Over, JW 2010, Leadership, teamwork, and trust: building a competitive software capability, Addison-Wesley Professional, New York, NY. Mathis, RL & Jackson, JH 2010, Human resource management, 13th edn, Cengage Learning. Pollitt, D 2006, Diversity in the workplace, Emerald Group Publishing, Netherlands. Raffel, JA., Leisink, P & Middlebrooks, AE 2009, Public sector leadership: international challenges and perspectives, Edward Elgar Publishing, London, UK. van Tiem, D., Moseley, JL., & Dessinger, JC 2012, Fundamentals of performance improvement: a guide to improving people, process, and performance, 3rd edn. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Villwock, M 2007, “Gen Xers” and “Boomers”: representation of an intergenerational relationship in Douglas Coupland’s “Generation X”, GRIN Verlag, Germany. Wang, VCX & King, KP 2009, Fundamentals of human performance and training, IAP, New York, NY. Werner, JM & Desimone, EL 2011, Human resource development, 6th edn, Cengage Learning, London, UK. Read More