Knowledge and understanding for this core unit will be assessed by written answers to the questions below.
1.1 Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the organisation structure in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar) and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of one other organisation structure. Within the evaluation, you should include the reasons underpinning the structure. (AC 1.1)
Organizational structure refers to an organizational system that outlines how roles and titles in an organization are directed to control an entity’s outcomes (Wagner III and Hollenbeck, 2020).
Functional Structure
A functional structure starts with positions which involve the highest roles at the top. The employees are usually organized basing on their functions and skills (Wagner III and Hollenbeck, 2020). Advantages of this structure include:
- Enhancement of specialization
- Enables employees to engage in their roles effectively
- It is easily scalable
- Enables teams to feel self-determined(Griffin, Phillips, and Gully, 2020).
The disadvantages of this structure include:
- Reduces coordination between different departments
- Difficult to manage in large organizations
- It may initiate conflicts due to differences in objectives (Griffin, Phillips, and Gully, 2020).
Flat Structure
It is a type of structure with few or no idle management levels. It is primarily associated with startup organizations as they tend to have few employees (Wagner III and Hollenbeck, 2020).
The following are the advantages of this structure:
- It ensures the employees have more responsibility
- It enhances more open communication
- It ensures there is improved communication when handling new ideas(Wagner III and Hollenbeck, 2020).
The disadvantages of this structure include:
- It creates confusion as there is no clear supervisor to report to
- It has limited specialization
- It is difficult to manage as the organization grows(Griffin, Phillips, and Gully, 2020).
1.2. Analyse connections between your organisation’s strategy (or an organisation with which you are familiar) and its products or services, and customers. (AC 1.2)
An organizational strategy refers to a long-term plan that determines how people utilize resources to engage in business activities.In my organization, the connection of its strategy and product and services emanates from how an organization aims at fulfilling its objectives. The management tends to utilize organizational strategy to enhance product growth and marketing (Farida and Setiawan, 2022). It also ensures there are sustainable solutions for products and services through provision of eco-friendly packages and support software for different stakeholders. Regarding customers, the management has created initiatives to ensure that continuous research is done. The employees ensure they evaluate the needs of customers, thus leading them to achieve innovation when creating products. Moreover, the organization focuses on expanding its services to new markets. This act requires a customer-centric approach that enables the organization to grow its customer base (Iglesias et al., 2022).
1.3 Analyse three external factors or trends currently impacting your organisation (or one with which you are familiar). The impact of these factors or trends could be positive, neutralor negative, some are short-lived whilst others are long-lasting. Identify organisational priorities arising from the factors or trends analysed. (AC 1.3)
One of the external factors that impact my organization is technological advancement. Changes in technology have made the organization to buy new equipment and also advance the employees’ knowledge and skills through training. In the short run, the issue has led to increased efficiency and productivity. The issue also continues to improve the customer experiences.Currently, the entity emphasizes digital transformation in all of its sections. Consumer behavior is also an external factor that influences the organization (Wagner III and Hollenbeck, 2020).
In the past few years, it has been noted that consumer preferences have disrupted the market, thus requiring the management to create strategies that align with the trends. To align with the impact of this factor, the organization ensures it continuously understands the trends in extensive market. Moreover, the prevailing legal frameworks have also impacted the organization by determining the types of operations that the organization can utilize to fulfill its goals. The issue has made the firm to prioritize being informed about current and emerging regulations (Pfeffer, 2019.)
1.4 When setting out its view on automation, AI and technology, the CIPD states, ‘Automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and other workplace technologies are bringing major changes to work and employment.’ Assess the scale of technology within organisations and how it impacts work. (AC 1.4)
To determine the level of technology adoption, it is essential for professionals to understand evaluate different industries. Currently, it is observed that technology is adopted in various sectors. For instance, in the manufacturing industry, companies utilize robotics and other forms of automation to improve efficiency. In the service industry, healthcare and finance organizations tend to utilize artificial intelligence to enhance their engagements in different forms of analytics. From another perspective, it is shown that technology is applied in both small and medium-sized enterprises and large organizations (Vahdat, 2022).
Research shows that adoption of technology in various organizations has led to the development of new work roles which require the utilization of advanced technical skills. The technology has also led to an increase in the level of productivity and efficiency as machines have been able to enhance accuracy and speed in different processes. In addition, the issue has led to increased workplace flexibility as individuals are able to engage in remote work. This feature also helps organizations to have improved job satisfaction(Farida and Setiawan, 2022).
2.1 Explain Edgar Schein’s model of organisational culture AND explain one theory or model which examines human behaviour. (AC 2.1)
Edgar Schein’s Model
The Edgar Schein’s model provides a comprehensive framework on the development, maintenance, and shifts in culture. One of the aspects of this model are artifacts, which are the tangible elements of an entity’s culture. They entail aspects such as the physical environment, language, and ceremonies. The model also reveals a culture entails espoused values which entail goals, ideas, and procedures that need to be followed. For instance, a company’s policy is observed to determine the right or wrong behaviors in an organization. In addition, an organization is observed to have basic underlying assumptions which involve perceptions, feelings or thoughts. These aspects help individuals to be resilient in their activities (Coghlan, D., 2021).
Social Cognitive Theory
The social cognitive theory was developed by Albert Bandura with the aim of explaining the connection between relationships, behavior, and the environment. The model reveals that individuals learn their emotional and behavioral reactions from those they interact with. The model also shows that individuals’ executions of behaviors depend on their beliefs in their performance capabilities. In addition, the model reveals that individuals tend to process and store information they learn from others. The model also reveals that the way individuals interpret other people’s actions determines how they respond to them (Bandura, 2023).
2.2 Assess how people practices in your organisation (or one with which you are familiar) impact both on organisational culture and behaviour, drawing on examples to support your arguments. (AC 2.2)
People practices influence an organization’s culture and behavior in different ways. Firstly, it ensures individuals who are hired have values that align with the organization’s culture, thus making it easier to maintain organizational behavior. For instance, in the organization only employees who support collaboration and are able to communicate with others effectively. Moreover it ensures individuals are trained in issues such as leadership, communication, and teamwork which result in positive behavior and culture. In addition, people practices ensure employees understand their job expectations. The management provides regular feedback to help in reinforcing positive behaviors which encourage development of a good organizational culture (Cardona and Rey, 2022)
2.3 Peter Cheese, current CEO of CIPD asserts, ‘People professionals are a vital function in supporting businesses to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances’. Explain two different models or theories to managing change. (AC 2.3)
Change management is an essential aspect of an organization’s capability to adapt and succeed in a dynamic environment. One of the theories of change management is the Lewin’s change management model. The theory reveals that change management entails three steps: unfreeze, change, and refreeze. In the unfreeze stage, the management shows how change is required by sharing about its benefits to employees. In the change step, an organization implements change and encourages the employees to learn and adopt new behaviors. In the refreeze step, the organization develops steps for stabilizing a change process, hence improving its efficiency (Burnes, 2020). The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) is also a suitable theory of change management. The model has 4 steps: planning, doing, studying, and acting. During the planning stage, the management identifies goals and makes predictions about a change intervention. In the doing stage, the employees are involved in the implementation and collection of data. The study phase analyzes the outcomes and evaluates them to compare with the objectives. In the acting stage, an organization makes decisions and prepares for another change cycle (Katowa-Mukwato et al., 2021).
2.4 A variety of models have been developed to explain how change is experienced. Discuss one model that explains how change is experienced. (AC 2.4)
The Kubler-Ross Five Stage model is theory that depicts how change is experienced. It utilizes psychological concepts to highlight the reality of change to individuals and organizations. The model indicates there are five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. During denial, individuals may depict feelings of disbelief, avoidance or numbness. Therefore, the individuals find it difficult to accept the reality. In the bargaining stage, people attempt to negotiate or reverse a loss. During the phase, individuals depict feelings of guilt and desire to regain control. The depression phase leads to sadness if the bargaining phase does not work. Therefore, individuals are likely to show hopelessness of despair. Lastly, the acceptance stage involves an individual coming to terms with the reality of an issue, thus making them to move forward (Teh et al., 2023).
2.5 The CIPD’s Health and wellbeing at work survey 2022 found, ‘There is less management focus on health and wellbeing compared with the first year of the pandemic’, and goes on to remark that this is disappointing. Assess the importance of wellbeing at work and factors which impact wellbeing. (AC 2.5)
Wellbeing enables employees to increase their levels of productivity by ensuring they are satisfied, thus improving their engagements in different activities. It also enables employees to collaborate with each other, hence ensuring there is a higher level of coordination in a facility. The concept also enables organizations to have high levels of employee retention as individuals feel to be highly valued and supported by the management. Apart from low turnover rates, it is easier for the management to experience employee loyalty (Gorgenyi-Hegyes, Nathan, and Fekete-Farkas, 2021).
Regarding factors impacting wellbeing, it is shown that the work environment is significant as it determines the level of safety and cleanliness that the employees enjoy. The type of leadership that an organization experiences is also significant as it determines the level of transformation and the types of communication that are involved in a firm. Moreover, organizational culture helps in determining the provision of collaboration, respect, and inclusivity in an entity, hence influencing the level of employee wellbeing in a firm (Pagán-Castaño, Maseda-Moreno, and Santos-Rojo, 2020).
3.1 The CIPD Profession Map states ‘People practices are the processes and approaches that we use across the employee lifecycle’. Discuss the links between the employee lifecycle and different people practice roles.
The employee lifecycle entails different stages that an employee goes through during their time in an organization. People practices align with these stages in the following ways:
- Attraction and recruitment: During this stage, the management creates strategies for attaining the top talent through various channels. An organization also engages in promotional activities through marketing campaigns to make it more attractive to employees (Pagán-Castaño, Maseda-Moreno, and Santos-Rojo, 2020).
- Onboarding: The stage requires employee alignment with company policies and other system requirements. To enhance this, people practices through designs of reliable training programs ensure there is improved company culture (Cattermole, 2019).
- Development: This stage requires the development of training and development opportunities. During this stage, the employees are provided with the right advice and guidance to ensure they grow professionally(Cattermole, 2019).
- Performance management: During this stage, the management engages in the development of performance appraisal systems which leads to improvement of the employees’ capabilities to set objectives (Pagán-Castaño, Maseda-Moreno, and Santos-Rojo, 2020).
- Retention: The stage requires the management to create more favorable strategies to ensure the employees are maintained in a firm. Practices such as promotion of engagement and provision of competitive compensation ensure the employees attain reliable benefits to retain them (Cattermole, 2019).
- Transition: This stage involves the exit of employees from an organization. The management ensures the employees are provided with their final paychecks. They are also asked to provide insights on how they can improve various organization practices to improve their retention of employees in the future (Pagán-Castaño, Maseda-Moreno, and Santos-Rojo, 2020).
3.2 Analyse how people practice connects with other areas of an organisation and supports wider people and organisational strategies
People practices align with different areas in the following ways:
- Strategic planning: People practices are planned and executed in ways that help employees to meet different strategic goals. For instance, they ensure the performance management systems align with individual performance requirements.(Wagner III and Hollenbeck, 2020).
- Collaboration: HR managers ensure they develop initiatives to improve how employees collaborate with each other. For instance, they develop technology initiatives for ensuring there are suitable teamwork activities regardless of the employees’ physical location(Wagner III and Hollenbeck, 2020). .
- Organizational culture: HR practices ensure employee engagement leads to the promotion of inclusivity and respect among employees. They also ensure there is reliable communication that supports transparency and commitment in a firm(Griffin, Phillips, and Gully, 2020).
- Change management: This aspect of organizational management requires the need for employee support to ensure that organizational changes are achieved well. The HR managers are required to develop suitable structural changes that improve the quality of organizational changes (Wagner III and Hollenbeck, 2020).
3.3 Discuss processes you have, or could use, for consulting and engaging with internal customers of the people function in order to understand their needs. (AC 3.3)
To communicate with internal customers such as the management and employees, the following techniques can be used:
- Surveys and questionnaires: The management creates surveys and questionnaires to attain comprehensive knowledge on employee satisfaction, expectations, and needs.The techniques are suitable as they can collect information from a huge number of employees (Naveed et al., 2022).
- Focus groups: The techniques are involved in collecting data from employees in different departments. Interviews with these employees ensure qualitative data on aspects such as policies and initiatives are gathered well(Griffin, Phillips, and Gully, 2020).
- Advisory committees: They hold different meetings to discuss various employee concerns. The members then report back to their departments to facilitate better feedback. Information from different departments helps in shaping workplace policies(Griffin, Phillips, and Gully, 2020).