Centre name: Learn

Candidate name:
CIPD Membership Awaiting membership ICS student
Number: number:

Qualification title: Intermediate Human Resource Management

Unit title(s): Developing Professional Unit code(s): 5 R43-L5DIPOL3

Practice

Assessment 5DVP/01
number

*Online Class Date 15 Jan 2021 *Tutor Name Louis Bent

* Not required when submitting a Formative assessment

1st Submission 10 April 2021 Word Count 2600

Date

2nd Submission Word Count

Date

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I understand that until such time as the assessment grade has been ratified by internal and
external quality assurance verifiers, it is not final.

Evaluate what it means to be an HR professional with reference to the CIPD’s HR

Professional Map.

To be an effective HR professional means taking necessary actions to effectively and

efficiently complete HR functions, responsibilities, and practices to support organisational goals
and performances. HR professionals are involved and engaged in organisational operations to
support people involvement and engagement in completing organisational goals and objectives.
People professionals are considered agents of change to help managers ensure that
organisations survive in the dynamic work environment. HR advocates the organisational
employees to represent them and ensure that they are treated in the right way (Ulrich et al.,
2012). They take responsibility to understand employees' needs and interests and consequently
take the right actions to support them. HR professionals develop strategies to support all the
departmental functions. According to Harrison (2015), the traditional HR roles were explicitly
developed to hire and fire employees. However, in the contemporary business environment, HR
has been fully involved in practices that support people and influence their stay and
performance in the organisation.

For example, at Tesco, the company was limited to ensuring the business's compliance
of policies and practices by each staff member. The responsibility of human resource
professional was carried out by management activities such as gathering, reporting, and
keeping documents. However, in the last decade, the organisation have initiated strategic
human resource with more and better training of staff member. These HR professionals take
responsibility for completing HR functions in a more professional and improved manner. The
CIPD Professional Map guides HR professionals to carry out their roles professionally.

The CIPD Map is a tool that explains the core knowledge, core behaviours and identifies
the specialist knowledge areas that support HR professionals in completing their work roles and
responsibilities. The professional map champion mentioned the issues mentioned above for
better work and working lives for all the professionals. The image below is a representation of
the 2018 CIPD Professional Map.

Core knowledge: People practice

They understand people practices that determine the interrelation between the
professionals and the employees. It is a core knowledge area that professionals consider in
determining the value that organisations put on the people working in the organisation. People
professional components that should be considered in effectively managing the people are the
policies, regulations, workforce planning, and well-being (Armstrong and Taylor, 2020). The
skills needed in managing people professionals are teamwork, facilitation, consultation,
stakeholder management, and coaching and mentorship. By understanding people practices,
the professionals use the information available to create value for the people and organisation.
Based on the low quality of information available in the organisation, Tesco’s market value was
destroyed, affecting the people's core knowledge areas. To avoid this, HR should support other
professionals in ensuring that they work ethically to support the organisational culture and
growth.
Core behaviour: situational decision making
Professionals take responsibility for determining the approaches to which decisions are
made in the different work circumstances. Before making decisions, professionals take
responsibility to evaluate possible options that should be aligned to organisational values
(Griggs, Holden, Rae and Lawless, 2015). In order to make the best positive organisational
decisions, professionals should have leadership skills and be flexible to create positivity in the
workplace. Professionals should be aware of the policies and procedures that should be
followed before making the final organisational decisions.
Specialist knowledge: learning and development
Learning and development is a specialist area where professionals take the significant
value of learning and growing in their personal and professional areas. The organisations are
responsible for developing a culture where professionals learn and become fully involved in
initiatives that support learning. People professionals are responsible for developing learning
programmes effective to support positive competitive engagement, which is a contributor to
personal, team, and organisational growth (Harrison, Tosey, Anderson and Elliott, 2020). To
enhance proper learning, HR supports diversity and inclusion of all organisational employees to
avoid discrimination. This shows that the integration of various specialist knowledge areas
supports organisational growth and development, an aspect well evaluated at Tesco. The
company values the different kinds of employees offering support to the organisation, and
therefore, works to integrate them into learning activities to enhance their personal and
organisational growth.
2.1 Apply Project management techniques
Project management techniques are of great significance within the organisation. These
techniques make the management of projects more effective and more manageable. Last year I
was part of a project where we were being involved in implementing a new ERP system at
Tesco. I was assigned the responsibility of a team leader, where I had to guide others into
completing the project. I followed through the process of project management that identifies with
the five steps of project initiation, planning, execution, performance and control, and finally,
project closure (Meredith, Shafer and Mantel, 2017). The two techniques which were applied in
the context of individual improvements and include;
SMART Objectives
 SMART objectives are set to ensure the goals that the individuals have established are
reachable and clear. SMART (Specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound).
Specific goals are those that have a higher possibility of being achieved. They should
answer the who is involved in accomplishing the goal, what has to be done, where, when, and
why the goal is fundamental to an individual or a project. Specific project goals are developed
by project leaders who understand the project and what exactly needs to be accomplished.
Smart goals are Measurable, where the stakeholders involved have the responsibility to
measure the progress towards attaining the goal. The goals should be Achievable, where
project stakeholders get to challenge each other to identify the right project resources and
capabilities. With the help of the team, the project managers should seek to find out whether the
projects have been successfully achieved before and measure the potential of having the
project being successful. The goals should be Realistic, where the project managers have to
make effective use of resources and time effective to ensure that they commit to the
organisation. Goals should be time-bound in that the time should not be constrained. The
project managers should have a deadline for the project activities. The SMART goals that we
were able to set together with the team to enhance practical completion of the project to
implement an ERP system are stipulated in the table below;
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-bound

To implement To make To decrease To provide Till the end of

an ERP business the extent of training to the this year
system within reporting frauds and team
the better and errors by 15%. members
organisational avoid the about the new
operations dimensions of ERP system
fraud and and to
errors. motivate them
for better
utilisation of
resources.
Work-breakdown structure
The work breakdown structure is an achievement-oriented hierarchical distribution of the
work to be carried out by the project team to attain the project's objectives to develop the
necessary deliverables. The work breakdown structure for the above objectives includes;
 The core objective of the plan was to implement an ERP system within the organisation.
After setting the SMART objectives, I developed an action plan. A meeting was executed to
develop the action plan concerning the proposed implementation of ERP within the business
operations. In this meeting, the core objective of implementing ERP, the budget for the new
ERP system, the number of employees required for the entire project, and the exploration of
contemporary issues and potential solutions were discussed. After developing the action plan, I
was fundamentally accountable for gathering resources.

Identify problem-solving techniques

Problem-solving techniques are ways to identify an issue, determine the cause, identify,
prioritise and implement the solution, and analyse its effectiveness. To solve problems
effectively, HR professionals must act as investigators to get deep into the root cause of the
best solution.

Benchmarking

Benchmarking is a problem-solving technique that HR professionals use to get deep into

the root of a matter. It helps identify the gaps in an organisation, making continuous progress
and implementing necessary changes in an organisation. Benchmarking strengthens the
weaknesses in an organisation, enhances learning, helps to raise organisations standards, and
improves clients' needs. Benchmarking process involves four significant steps, which are
planning, analysing, integrating, and action. Suppose an HR specialist identifies a problem of
incompetence with the employees where they are unable to perform their duties to a satisfactory
standard. In that case, he may decide to use the Benchmarking technique to find the root cause
of the problem and the best solution. Here, HR finds a plan to find out why employees are
unable to deliver and analyses the possible cause for the problem. After integration, he
understands that the problem is caused by a lack of training and proper orientation when newly
hired, and he takes the action of supporting the employees by organising an orientation and
training session. This brings out a better understanding amongst workers in an organisation,
performance, mindset and culture improvement, achieved goals and objectives and satisfaction.

5Whys

HR professionals use 5Whys as a problem-solving technique that helps to get to the root
cause of the problem by interactively interrogating employees to explore the cause of the
problem. When using the 5Whys technique, HR asks why five times, whereby every why
answer forms the basis of the next question. Its main aim is to find the exact cause of the
problem. The 5Whys is used to define the problem, measure its root cause, analyse the
problem, improve by finding out the cause and control the problem by solving it where you use
the cause of the problem as the reverse solution (Myszewski, 2013). An HR receives a
complaint from a client who did not receive their products on time. He decides to use the
5Whys technique to solve the problem; 1) why didn't you deliver customers products on time?
Because I had many deliveries to make along the way. 2) Why did you have many deliveries to
make along the way? Because I am the only one assigned to deliver that route. 3) Why is the
only one assigned to deliver that route? 4) Because we are five delivery team members and the
routes are also five, each takes one route. 5) Why are you five delivery team members and not
ten? Because the other five delivery team members are working on the store to replace the
employees who left due to being overworked. Here, HR can identify the root cause is employee
turnover due to being overworked. He, therefore, can come up with a solution to increase
retention to eliminate the problem and prevent it from recurring. The 5Whys technique helps in
determining the different cause of a problem and take corrective action in an easier and faster
way that does not require you to run a statistical analysis.

1.2 Describe the elements of group dynamics and conflict resolution methods.

Describe the elements of group dynamics

Group dynamics are the forces that unconsciously interrupts the usual ways in which a
group carries out activities, determining their effectiveness. According to Bruce Tuckman
(1965), team moves through different stages as they mature and establish a relationship as a
style of leadership changes. These stages are; Forming, the first stage of team development
whereby members experiences many disagreements on team objectives, have unspecified
roles and responsibilities, and a lot of internal conflicts. In this stage, leaders experience
hardship as team members test their tolerance and ignore the guidelines and directions the
leaders are giving concerning team goals and objectives.

The second stage is storming, in which team member's experiences many

disagreements as everyone is trying to establish themselves and define their positions. There
are lots of uncertainties and struggles for members looking for power. To enable progress in this
stage, many sacrifices, participation, and focus on team goals and objectives are needed as the
team's purpose is evident here.

The third stage is norming. Here all the roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and
accepted by team members. Team members are in agreement, and consensus among team
members is formed to respond to leaders, respecting leadership responsibilities as shared
among the team members. In this stage, team members hold discussions on development
processes and their work norms and engage in interactive social, networking, and fun activities
that promote unity, respect, and commitment. Significant decisions are also made in agreement
by team members, while minor decisions are allocated to individuals or small teams within the
organisation. Here, delegation and detachment from various activities are experienced.

The fourth stage is performing. In this stage, the team members have a clear vision and
do not require intervention from the leaders. Here, all the disagreements are positively resolved,
relevant changes are made, and team members work together towards achieving goals and
objectives, attending to style and process issues as they progress and making significant
decisions against criteria agreed with the leader. They clearly understand their purpose and
reason for their work. Here autonomy is experienced as every team member focuses on
achieving goals and supporting each other. They work together as a team, seeking assistance
from leaders for personal and team development goals and objectives. The leaders' delegates
and oversees activities to a united team with a common goal to achieve organisational
objectives. Here individual management and responsibility are highly experienced, promoting
leadership skills.

According to Bruce Tuckman (1975), the fifth stage is the adjourning phase, which is the
breaking up of the team after successful completion of the project and fulfilling the team purpose
and objectives. This stage is critical to team members and their well-being as it is where they
are recognised and appreciated for their efforts in making the project successful, at individual
levels and as the whole team. In this stage, mourning is experienced when team members
have developed a close bond, and it is time to break. A sense of insecurity is felt as team
members get threatened by the change. It is the most sensitive and vulnerable stage and
requires appropriate closure.

Methods of solving conflicts in the workplace.

Conflicts are disagreements between team members that arise due to differences in
thinking, attitudes, understanding level, interests, needs, and the way individuals take issues.
Conflicts can cause arguments, physical and emotional abuse, loss of trust, peace and unity,
failure and incompetence when unresolved (Lipsky, 2015). There are different types of conflicts:
self-conflict, conflict with others, conflicts with technology, conflicts with the environment, conflict
of interest, conflicts with destiny, and conflicts with the supernatural.

Collaboration

In an organisation, a manager chooses not to follow the organisational guidelines

provided to help employees achieve their set goals and objectives. Instead, the manager sets
the guidelines that favour him to achieve his personal goals by exploiting the minors. This brings
about conflict where employees feel micromanaged, less motivated, stressed and develops a
sense of insecurity. As an HR specialist, this conflict is best resolved through collaboration. HR
should talk to the manager in a friendly way, understand his reasons, and organise an
interactive session between HR, the manager, and the employees to freely address their
challenges. Everyone gets a chance to explain their situation and get to understand each other
and resolve the challenges, understanding they are all working towards achieving a common
goal. At the end of the session, everyone should be comfortable with the concussion made and
are willing to work together, respecting and trusting each other's intentions. It is a win-win
situation.

Competition

An organisation hires an unqualified relative to oversee the completion of a given

project. This brings about conflict where employees feel disturbed, low morale, loss of
confidence, and low productivity. As an HR specialist, this conflict can be well resolved by
competition. This situation needs a quick response to avoid loss in an ongoing project. Here, HR
must use power to influence the employees to ignore the new supervisors’ orders and follow
them in order to save the project from failing. At the end of it all, the unqualified relative may
resign his position as a supervisor seeing that the employees are not submitting to his orders,
the organisational goals and objectives are effectively being run under the guidelines of HR.
Here the organisation ends up losing unqualified supervise but achieves its objectives. It is a
loss-win situation.

Ways of influencing, persuading, and negotiating with others

Persuading others is about convincing them to do something or take a particular action. I

have personally been involved in persuading others to engage in learning activities to learn
more and gain insight into the different issues that support personal growth. Cialdini’s six
principles of persuasion that guided me include reciprocity, commitment to ensuring that others
understood the significance, social proof by showing them the success factors that result from
learning, liking, and scarcity.

I have been involved in negotiating with others on different matters in the organisation.
An example is when we were negotiating on the changing work patterns at Tesco, which came
about after the pandemic hit the business. We had to engage in a negotiation because some
people were rigid to the changes as they found it challenging to change work patterns and
deliver in the same way they would have done before. I used the RADPAC model to ensure that
the negotiation process was a success. RADPAC means creating a rapport between the
negotiating teams, analysing the situation, discussing the challenges and alternatives,
proposing possible positive changes, agreeing on the next cause of action, and closing the
negotiations.

Influencing involves engaging in both the persuasion and negotiation processes to

enhance effectiveness in the organisational decision-making process. I have influenced
employees to accommodate the change to enhance cooperation and engagement in the
workplace. This attribute improves organisational engagements to support the different kinds of
people in the organisation.

Learning Reflection

One of my main objectives was to improve my communication skills, and I intended to

ensure that I would effectively be able to listen to other peoples' opinions. My intention was also
to collect information to help me become competent in carrying out my roles and responsibilities
at work. Through communication, I knew that I would develop and improve communication and
engagement with other employees. With the responses given to me by my manager, I can
confidently state that I have made progress on how I have been communicating with others. I
have learnt to differentiate the different communication methods and engagements and
interactions with other employees. Although it has taken time, the progress is positive, and I
have the best advisors and the best support system that I have been working with and relying
on to get the proper support.

My second objective was to develop my leadership skills. When I started identifying gaps
that limit my leadership capabilities, I looked into the qualities of a leader that I have learned in
my course and from other people I consider leaders. I learnt that because my communication
skills were lacking, I had failed in developing an environment where people would feel free to
exchange ideas. Few challenges were working with my immediate manager in trying to
progress through to gaining leadership qualities that would help me achieve my objective.
However, the support I received from team members and other employees through the
feedback information that they provided to me has been overwhelming. I intend to take
advantage of more possible learning opportunities and attend more seminars and conferences
that would help me learn and gain leadership skills that would make me become a more
competent leader.

The weakness that I had developed in analysing data made me realise that I lacked
knowledge of HR analytics. With the changing nature of work and the use of big data in the
current organisations, the lack of HR analytics for an HR professional is a challenge that may
limit one from making the right decisions. I, therefore, decided to gather data and did my
research to find out which of the research tools were effective in analysing HR data. The whole
process has been somehow challenging, but I have been able to adapt and make use of the
necessary data to ensure that HR takes the right actions to make decisions that support
organisational growth and performance.

The fourth objective was on working on completing my diploma in CIPD level 5. To

achieve this, I had to manage time and make sure that I balance my personal life, work, and
academics. I also had to create time to engage with my tutors to learn from them and receive
guidance that would help complete the different units in CIPD Level 5. The purpose of working
towards completing this level is because I want to become a more effective professional, gain
more skills, knowledge, and insight to carry out HR roles and take advantage of career
opportunities to enhance career progression. Although I have tried, I have not completed all the
units in Level 5 because of the less time and current challenges associated with coronavirus
spread.
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References

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Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S. (2020) Armstrong's Handbook Of Human Resource Management

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Harrison, L., (2015) Professionalism in human resource management: Evolution of a

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Harrison, P., Tosey, P., Anderson, V. and Elliott, C., (2020) HRD professional education
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