Working with and Leading People - Assignment Example

Title: Working with and leading people Assessment Name Institution Date of submission AC1.1 Recruitment procedure of a store manager 1. Identifying the workforce needed The established position for a store manager is vacant and therefore the company needs to recruit a person for this position. The following should be done: Discussing the requirements of the position with human resources considering the budget, employee establishment and work plan for the employee (Mello, 2006). Requesting for approval from the top management in order to start recruitment process (Fowler, 2000). Responsibility: Human resources management Timeline: 2 days 2. Reviewing the position Hiring manage will do the following Clear statement of the position required: skills, knowledge, behaviors, salary and job classification are pointed out clearly. Checking the job description, Checking on issues of health and safety Deciding of the selection and recruitment panel, and Confirming the advertisement budget for the position Responsibility: Hiring manager Timeline: 4 days 3. Seeking approval to hire Seeking approval from the company’s executives to post the position on the company’s website Establishing an appropriate selection team and methodology, for example use of interview and case studies Responsibility: Delegated authority Timeline: 1 day 4. Advertising The position of a store manager should be advertised through company’s website, print media, agencies and referrals. Responsibility: Delegated authority Timeline: 1 day. 5. Assess appropriate candidates Getting the appropriate applicants before the panel Responsibility: Chair of the recruitment panel 6. Candidates are shortlisted Successful candidates are selected from the applicants. It is done by human resources and hiring manager. The list approve by the chair of panel. 7. Conducting interview Asking the applicants the set questions, Checking on academic qualifications and other requirements, Responsibility: Human resources Timeline: 1 day 8. Selecting the preferred candidate Choosing a qualified candidate from the pool Responsibility: Selection panel Timeline: 10 days Job description of a store manager Position: Store manger Job responsibilities Supervising store staffs as well as managing stock Store manager duties Ensure that operational requirements of the store are met every day. Ensuring store environment is clean and safe Maintains the reputation of the store Coaching and counseling store workers Ensuring that the store is well facilitated Skills and qualifications Results driven, high proficiency, good verbal communication, customer focus and have good market knowledge. AC1.2 The impact of legal, regulatory and ethical consideration The common challenge facing this recruitment procedure is the pressure from labor unions (Bondarouk, 2009). This is because there is a standard salary that should be given to the store manager even before he/she starts working. AC1.3 A report demonstrating recruitment process A number of 7 applicants were received after advertising the position of store manager. The CVs were reviewed and out of 7 applicants, 2 candidates were chosen to face selection panel based on their competitive nature of their abilities and skills. The two faced the selection panel where they were given an opportunity to give a brief background of themselves and also explain why they are the right candidates for the job. The selection panel administered interview question to each one of them after which the panel voted for candidate meeting all the requirements of this position. AC1.4 Contribution of a Recruitment Manager I ensured that the whole recruitment and selection procedure is facilitated through the following (Newell, 2011): Getting approval from the top management to recruit a store manager, Appoint an effective selection panel Ensuring that the timeline of section procedure is met, Establishment of a job description of the store manager position Determining the appropriate salary for the successful candidate AC2. 1 Skills and attributes required of a leader From the case of Fancy Footware Company, Hogan demonstrated good leadership skills and attributes that should be adhered to in order to improve company’s performance. These skills include: A leader need to have passion in what he/she is doing. This attribute has been demonstrated by Hogan since when she was in school. She has been on top of the things particularly in pursuing her profession. This attribute builds confidence in an individual thus performing the duties effectively (Kippenberger, 2002). A leader should be committed to staff. Hogan is always focused on the staff and their development as a team. For example, she is helping out every individual in the company since she knows that all employees are and asset to the organization. As a leader therefore, one should support every employee in order to achieve good results (Hernandez and Leslie, 2001). Hogan is innovative: Hogan has introduced various ways of motivating individuals to achieve good results. For example, she has guided them to work as a team and also by introducing performance awards for the high performers in the company. Apparently, this has changed the entire culture in the organization and Fancy Footwear’s was highly reputable (Adair, 2006). Hogan is a team ‘builder’: Hogan knows exactly the benefits of working as a team. This is a skill that has helped every individual in the company develop in the same pace. Also, it is noticeable that individuals are actively participating in their teams and they are highly motivated since they get support from group members and Hogan as well. AC2.2 Difference between management and leadership A management is only focused on facilitating the core functions of administration which include planning, controlling coordinating and organizing. Leadership on the other side is focused on the administrative functions as well being task oriented. Management is fully committed to individuals, time, resources (money) and equipment while leadership is fully committed building good behavior in individuals in order to successfully achieve the tasks. AC2.3 Leadership styles of Worthy and Hogan Ms. Hogan is demonstrating charismatic/transformational leadership style (Kippenberger, 2002). She is committed in ensuring that employees are motivated and inspired towards what they are doing. Apparently, she is a transformer in Fancy Footwear Company. She comes up with new ways of achieving high performance which transformed the whole organization. The image of the organization is not the same as when Worthy was a leader. Hogan leadership style is more focused on developing all employees and this reflects how she is driven by goals and objectives of the organization. Hogan has changed almost everything in Fancy Footwear Company. Mr. Worth is demonstrating autocratic style. Mr. Worth is the one making the decisions on what to be done and how it should be done. To make it worse, he spend longer time doing activities which are not attached to company’s functions. For example, he spends extended lunch with friends in clubs when he is supposed to undertake his duties as a leader. This has created a culture of irresponsibility in Fancy Company where employees are not committed to their duties. It is evident that no one can challenge the decision made by Mr. Worthy. AC2.4 How people under Ms. Hogan can be motivated 1. Through development of good working relationship It is evident from the case that the spirit of team work is not experienced by the employees. This is because the Mr. Worthy was not interested in working as a team. In this case, Hogan will need to understand the employees well and build a strong working relationship between them. For example, Hogan may invite two or three employees for coffee perhaps during break times. This will create a connection among them thus making employees become more involved in business activities. 2. Recognizing and rewarding employees: After developing a good relationship between employees and senior staff, it is important to give them rewards even on small achievements. Hogan should set small targets to the employees and promise some financial rewards if these targets are met effectively. Employees will be committed to the small targets which are meant to achieve the objectives of the business. It is important also to reward them when these objectives are met since it will push even higher (Zaccaro, 2009). 3. Creating a friendly workplace: Employees in the case are possibly experiencing hard times especially when the decisions from Mr. Worthy are strict. However, if Hogan creates an environment with team working, it will help employees come out of the difficult situations of the work pressure (Zaccaro, 2009). Task 3 AC3.1 The benefits of team working in customer service It is important to know that organization’s service creates a good reputation to the customers. In some cases, especially when a customer service employee is present, demonstrating a spirit of team working is very important in maintaining the status quo or rather improving it. Based on Howell Abib (2013) the following are benefits of an effective employees working together as a team; It saves cost to the organization: Aquis Credit Card Company does not need to employ another customer care in case of the absence of the one who is in charge. Rather, anyone who is working in the department can take that place. Department training is essential in ensuring that team working becomes effective. Increases the cohesion between employees and employers: In this case, a good relationship is built between workers and the company since everyone takes the responsibility in the absence of the coworker. Even the customers can see the mutual existence between employees and perceive this kind of relationship. Commitment: Employees working together as a team members becomes more involved various activities in the organization. Therefore, they support one another when a needs arises thus becoming demonstrating team working benefits. Productivity of the team increases thus raising company’s reputation. AC3.2 How working in a team as a leader differ from working in a team as a team member Leaders lead by example. They show other members of the team what objectives and goals are yet to be achieved by demonstrating leadership skills in their functions and roles (Carter, 2011). On the other side, a team member undertakes the responsibilities delegated by team leaders and ensure that he/she drives it towards the goal of a group. A leader is part of the team and he/she is there in front to guide members towards a goal where as members are obliged to follow suit what the leader does. Working in a team as a leader, one should understand the strength and weaknesses of the team members and focus on their strengths rather than their weaknesses. This will make the team members to realize their potential thus trusting one another (Wellington, 2012). In this case it will be easy to resolve a conflict that arises since a leader has promoted cohesion between the members. Team members on the other side are expected to embrace the culture of the team such that in case of a conflict, it will be easier to solve within the culture. AC3.3 How to review the effectiveness of the team As a leader, I will examine whether there is a mutual trust between the members of the group and see if the communication between them is honest as well. Members with mutual trust, for instance, as customer service, one can trust a member of his/her team by delegating some duties in case of absence. Also, the absentee should be honest about his/her absenteeism. As a result, the absence of a member will not alter the team form achieving the goals since they can trust one another with their duties (Wellington, 2012). I should also check whether the team has positive interdependent attitudes that will help in decision making and conflict resolution. A team with members who understand one another very well would solve the conflict that would have altered the achievement of their goals (Goleman and Boyatzis, 2008). Also, checking on how team members collaborate naturally would tell me as a leader what needs to be done in case of a misunderstanding among the team members. Task 4 AC4.1 factors involved in planning the monitoring and assessment of work performance for your team From the two cases, we realize that the laxity of the two employees is most likely to affect the performance of the team. Therefore, the following factors should be incorporated into their development schemes in order to get the best out of them: Setting an effective goal: It is evident from the two cases that both Carol and Bill have interest in accomplishing their duties but they lack a guiding principle. Therefore, setting a group goal perhaps will help them meet the demands of the group and they will handle their duties being guided by the goal of the group (Robbins and Judge, 2013). Use of effective progress assessment tools to track their commitment in their duties. The tool will be recoding every step each one of them undertakes in achieving the set goal/target of the group (Robbins and Judge, 2013). Clear communication especially during delegation of duties. Also, it is important to set individual performance expectations for both Carol and Bill like other members of the group. Selecting learning and training activities for Bill and Carol will help them to realize their weaknesses and be positive while developing to become team members of high performance achievers (Robbins and Judge, 2013). AC4.2 A plan for assessment of development needs of individuals 1. Setting a reasonable performance target: Bill and Carol should be given specific performance targets. The process of pursuing their targets will be monitored and the outcome examined (wellington, 2012). 2. Effective communication: clearly defining the tasks that should be achieved by both Carol and Bill. 3. Offering teams culture support: The team members should provide Carol and Bill what they need to have for them to complete the assigned tasks. As a result, they will adapt to the culture of the team (wellington, 2012). 4. Documentation: Every practice they do or come across should be documented. This will show the development stages of the team members. 5. Training: This should be done after noticing the specific area of the individuals and use appropriate techniques to offer them the required training (wellington, 2012). 6. Monitoring development after training: This is to ensure that the staff adhere to the policies of the organization and have sustained improvements on the areas they have been trained in. 7. Feedback: The whole plan should have a feedback containing the outcome of the development process of the individual. This will help me as a team leader to know whether there is a need for further training or not (wellington, 2012). AC4.3 The success of the assessment process In evaluating the success of the assessment process, the team leader should focus on the following: If the purpose of the assessment is clear: The goals of the assessment process should be defined in order to give a clear direction to the team members.(Abib,2013) Using valid assessment procedures: The methods that should be used in the case of Carol and Bill are those of assessing change in behaviors. Using appropriate assessment tools and methods provide valid outcome. The methodology of assessment should be reliable. Team leader relies on the results of the assessment in order to change the performance of the team members. Therefore, using appropriate tools and procedures will lead to reliable results which can be used to change the performance of individuals to normal. The transparency of the assessment process: The producers used in conducting the assessment of Carol and Bill should be communicated clearly before assessment team. This will help in understanding the objective of the procedure by both the individual and assessment team (Abib, 2013). Comprehensive assessment strategy: The strategy of performance assessment procedure should cover everything connected to the individual in order to realize both the strengths and weaknesses. This will help the team leader to maximize on individual’s strengths and reduce the impact if his/her weaknesses on the job (Abib, 2013). References Abib, B. (2013). Leadership-How to lead effectively and get results. Pearson Education Limited. Adair, J. (2006). Leadership and motivation. London: Kogan Page. Baldoni, J. (2010). What does the Organization need me to do. 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Wellington, P. (2012). Managing Successful Teams. London: Kogan Page. Zaccaro, S. (2009). Leader and team adaptation. Alexandria, Va.: U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Read More