5DVP Developing professional practice

5DVP Learning outcomes

• Understand what is required to be effective and efficient HR professional
• Be able to perform efficiently and effectively as an HR professional
• Be able to apply CPD techniques to construct, implement and review a personal development plan

ACTIVITY 1

1.1 Evaluate what it means to be an HR professional, making reference to the CIPD 2018 Profession Map

The HR professional in any organization has the mandate to ensure that the interests of both the employer and the employee are well taken care of. They are supposed to implement the company’s policies and maintain and develop new and innovative ways to meet the needs and objectives of both the employer and the employee. The term professionalism was defined as an as an attitude and approach to an occupation that is commonly characterized by intelligence, integrity, maturity, and thoughtfulness (Balthazard, 2020). These aspects then ensure that the HR professionals are able to make informed decisions in their day to day lives and ensure that they manage the employees’ and the employer’s expectations without making emotional or biased decisions but instead use the professional guidelines within the organization and also those that are over and above the organization.

The CIPD 2018 professional map was designed to ensure that the HR professionals are able to make better decisions, perform their duties at the optimum levels, implement all their actions with confidence and ensure that they are change agents who assist in development of the employees’ careers as well as their own individual career paths. The map can be described as an international benchmark that guides all the professionals across different sectors and industries on the best ways to ensure that they are able to meet the set objectives ensuring that all the stakeholders are well represented(Ayers, 2018). The map is well structured with guidelines and they are broken down to ensure that every sector and element that will guide the professionals is properly explained and therefore it can be considered as a good reference point for all the professionals.

The main purpose of the professional map is to ensure that there is better work and working environment through creation of roles, opportunities and duties aimed at ensuring that both the employee and the employer are able to meet their objectives. It is guided by the principles led; evidence based and outcomes driven guidelines that ensure professionals are able to make effective decisions. From the three, there is a more specialized guideline which is specialist knowledge, core knowledge and core behaviours (CIPD, 2018). These then allow the professionals to have a point of reference and guidance in their day to day activities and in the long run ensure that all the stakeholders are caters to. Below is a diagram of the professional map.

ACTIVITY 2

1.2 Briefly describe the elements of group dynamics and give at least two examples of conflict resolution methods within an HR context

Group dynamics elements

According to Tuckman and Jensens’ theory of 1965, there are five stages of group development. The stages include forming, storming, and norming, performing and adjourning. In the forming stage, the goals and objectives are not very clear and therefore there is a bit of confusion in this stage. The members of the group are not so familiar with each other and therefore there is no trust and therefore the forming stage should not be rushed in order to ensure that there is openness and trust. The leadership structure is also not properly defined in this stage. The storming stage is the most vulnerable since the members compete for leadership positions and also argue about the objectives of the group(Chapman, 2021). If issues are not solved at this stage, the group may be dissolved or remain without serving the desired purpose. The norming stage has members acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of each other and there is the ability to agree on the objectives. At the performing stage, the members are able to solve disputes through group discussions and come up with advised decisions. The adjourning stage, though not an occurrence in all groups, is here the group is finally dissolved mostly due to having accomplished the objectives. In other cases, conflicts may lead to the dissolving of groups.

Examples of conflict resolution methods

Organizations are comprised of different people with different opinions and backgrounds. It is therefore a norm for conflicts to arise in the organizational structure and the HR should be able to appropriately step I and come up with solutions for the conflict in order to ensure that the stakeholders involved in the conflict are able to continue with their day to day activities to meet organizational and individual objectives.

• Compromise; this method of conflict resolution tries to establish a middle ground for both parties. This means that neither of the individuals or groups in the conflict will be able to get everything they want but they will at least get something within reason. Compromise is one of the quickest ways of conflict resolution as it does not require one to find a solution that completely suites either of the parties. In most cases, compromising is used to come up with temporary solutions for complex issues or in cases where the two parties are not familiar with one another(Shonk, 2020). The downside in this method of conflict resolution is the fact that at times, it might result to a loose-loose scenario where both parties do not get any desired result. This also means that there is constant follow up and monitoring in order to ensure that the parties are able to adhere to the agreements in the conflict resolution. Also, it does not offer a long lasting solution and there is no development of trust by either party.
• Collaboration; it is also referred to as a win-win conflict resolution method where the person involves is expected to come up with a solution that suites both parties. It covers the interests of all the parties involved and ensures that there is an amicable solution where both parties will be satisfied with the solution moving forward. It works on a more long term basis and can therefore be more time consuming since one has to do proper analysis in order to identify the right solution. The foundation of this is based on mutual trust and respect for both parties and is therefore a source for ensuring that there is a permanent solution to the actual problem(University of Notre Dame, 2020). This method can be used in solving conflict between to employees in an organization that have been working together for a long time and therefore trust each other to some extent and are therefore willing to look into the interests of one another to achieve a solution.

ACTIVITY 3; with reference to a recent or current project (large or small) which you have led (or been part of a project team):

2.1, 2.2 Provide evidence of using project management and problem-solving techniques in the course of the project

• Project Management; working as a HR assistant in a HR firm, I was tasked with drafting of proposals and approach different organizations and get them on board their portfolio as HR partners. To ensure that this project was successful, the steps used in project management had to be followed to the letter. The first step was the initiation process where I had to do a background check on the organization, ensuring that I know about the company size and come up with a list of possible challenges that may arise. After that I would set up a meeting with the relevant personnel where we would go through our proposal and have a one on one interaction with the people(Everitt, 2020). Planning was the second step after having come to an agreement with the clients. In this stage, all the other factors are analysed in order to ensure that there are no future misunderstandings. Issues like the cost involved and the KPIs were exhaustively addressed in order to ensure that both parties would get the desired results.

The third stage was execution where the plan set for the entire project is examined and a pilot test executed in order to see the effectiveness of the entire process. This also gave us an idea on how we would allocate resources to meet our clients’ needs. The next stage after execution is monitoring where assessment is made and we were able to look at the progress of the project(Everitt, 2020). At the same time, we looked into different methods that can used to achieve the goals of our clients in case there were any challenges faced in the project. Finally, in the completion stage, we were able to make adjustments based on the day to day needs of the clients since the projects were mostly agile and this enabled us meet the clients’ expectations.

• Problem solving techniques;while conducting the project, the main problem we encountered was coming up with a specific manner of handling the HR function of organizations due to the existence of traditional HR functions that were not supportive of having HR partners. In most cases, brainstorming was the problem solving technique that we applied in order toensure that all the stakeholders had a chance to freely give and support their ideas without the fear of being judged(McConnell, 2019). Brainstorming also ensured that we were able to come up with a lot of ideas at the same time and narrow down to the most effective methods and therefore we able to arrive at solutions faster and come to an agreement on the way forward.

2.3 Explain how you successfully influenced, persuaded and negotiated with others in the course of the project (or other related activity)

Persuading is the process of being able to convince others to take certain steps and made certain decisions based on your own conviction (Scotwork, 2017). In the entire project, I have to ensure that I persuade my potential clients to have our HR firm as the HR partner. Persuasion mainly worked when in went to pitch the project in our first meeting with the clients as this was the first time I had a one on one meeting with them. I had to listen and show interest in their needs and ensure that I used positive words of affirmation as I slowly put across my points. This showed the clients that I was willing to listen and put their interests first which enabled me to persuade them into allowing us to proceed with the project.

Negotiating on the other hand is the process of getting into a discussion with another party and coming to an agreement that best represents the interests of both parties. In this process, one can use facts and statistics in order to convince the other party to adopt your line of thinking while at the same time ensuring that their needs are also being put in consideration(Scotwork, 2017). When dealing with organizations that had a traditional HR system, I had to convince them on the benefits of having a HR partner on the organizational productivity and also the employee satisfaction. The use of these facts made it possible for me to come up with terms in the proposal that would work in both our favour and the organizational favour and therefore it was easier for them to transition into the HR partner model.

Influencing is mainly a combination of both the persuasion and negotiation skills. This means one is in a person to use their own personality to convince people to take action but at the same time use the skills and statistics that will convince the other parties to make a certain decision(Blackburn, 2019). In this project, I was able to influence my line manager to appoint me as the one in charge of the project through continuously showing my ability to negotiate with other clients and at the same time having knowledge on the different methods and techniques that were required in order to convert the clients. This gave me the opportunity to steer the project and meet the set objectives as per the organizational needs.

ACTIVITY 4

3.1 Undertake a self-assessment of your practice against selected areas of the CIPD 2018 Profession Map

• Core Knowledge; in the case of core knowledge, analytics and creating value is an important tool in my day to day activities especially in cases where I have to convince organizations to utilize the services of our HR firm as their business partners. Understanding the value and using the same in order to come up with better business and organizational decisions is a key feature that I am continuously learning in order to fully understand the value that people add to organizations and will therefore be in a position to act professionally and ensure that both the employer and the employees are able to get the right resources based on the value that is attached (CIPD, 2019a). It is also very crucial to learn the roles each individual plays within the organization so as to have a well-informed structure that ensures all the parties involved are properly compensated and this can be achieved through analytics and creating value.
• Core Behaviour; professional courage and influence is the behaviour of speaking up when it is the right time to do so even if there might be some of sort of resistance from others due to the sentiments echoed. This is the ability to stand up for what is right and ensuring that things are done in the right way even if that means rubbing shoulders in the wrong way with people(CIPD, 2019b).This behaviour will go a long way in ensuring that I become a change agent and also work in an ethical manner by ensuring that the right thing is being done at all times and that the needs and objectives of both the employer and the employee are not jeopardized by individuals who might consider themselves to have influence over certain aspects within the organization.
• Specialist Knowledge; people analytics is a specialist knowledge that ensures one is in a position to understand the research design, come up with the right questions and at the same time have knowledge and skills on how to approach organizational challenges by using qualitative and quantitative research methodologies(CIPD, 2018b).This skillset allows one to do the proper statistical analysis that will ensure that there is the right interpretation of data and come up with the right recommendations that will improve the overall organizational performance for the benefit of both the employer and the employee.

3.2 Produce a professional development plan (PDP) plan to meet your professional development needs which includes a justification of the option(s) chosen

A professional development plan is aimed at ensuring that one is able to put down the skills and strategies needed for one to achieve certain career objectives and professional goals.

What do I want/need to learn?	What will I do to achieve this?	What resources or support will I need?	What will my success criteria be?	Target dates for review and completion
Learn on innovative ways to use people data in decision making	Taking up online courses on people data	Online articles	Online exams on people data	April
Learn data analyst techniques	Taking up online courses	Online articles	Online exams on data analysis	June
Learning on how to be courageous and professional	Continuous engagement with different people within the organization.	Support from the line manager	Assessment by the line manager	June

3.3 During your programme, provide a reflective summary of your performance against the plan. You should also identify any future development needs and record these in your PDP

The core knowledge, analytics and creating value was one of the objectives that I had to learn and this is to be achieved by the month of June. So far, I have been able to learn on the basics of the same and in a month’s time I will be sitting for the online exams on the same. The online articles are educative and I am currently able to do connect people with the value they add to the organization. I have also learnt the difference between qualitative and quantitative data sis techniques and can currently make decisions on which technique to use based on the problem at hand. This has been enhanced by doing online research and I can conclude that I have achieved that objective way before the set goal. This has boosted my morale and encouraged me to pursue more personal development activities.

References

Ayers, R., 2018, June 15. 7 Responsibilities of HR Professionals | Hppy.Hppy. https://gethppy.com/talent-management/7-responsibilities-of-hr-professionals

Balthazard, C., 2020. What Does “Professionalism” Mean for HR Professionals? Vice-President Regulatory Affairs Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). https://hrpa.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/10/Professionalism-for-HR-professionals-July2014.pdf

Blackburn, J., 2019. Learning Resources: Employability Skills: Persuading, Influencing & Negotiation. Libguides.wigan-Leigh.ac.uk. https://libguides.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/c.php?g=667800&p=4736456#:~:text=Online%20Safety%20%26%20Security-

Chapman, A., 2021, February 17. Tuckman: Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing – BusinessBalls.com. Businessballs.com. https://www.businessballs.com/team-management/tuckman-forming-storming-norming-performing-model/

CIPD., 2018a. New Profession Map | CIPD Profession Map. CIPD Profession for the Future; CIPD. https://peopleprofession.cipd.org/profession-map

CIPD.,2018b. People analytics | CIPD Profession Map. CIPD Profession for the Future. https://peopleprofession.cipd.org/profession-map/specialist-knowledge/people-analytics

CIPD.,2019a. Analytics and creating value | CIPD Profession Map. CIPD Profession for the Future. https://peopleprofession.cipd.org/profession-map/core-knowledge/analytics-creating-value

CIPD.,2019b. Professional courage and influence | CIPD Profession Map. CIPD Profession for the Future. https://peopleprofession.cipd.org/profession-map/core-behaviours/professional-courage-influence

Everitt, J., 2020. An Introduction to Project Management for HR | Wrike. Www.wrike.com. https://www.wrike.com/blog/project-management-for-hr-guide/

McConnell, B., 2019, November 28. What is brainstorming and why is it important? | MindManager Blog. https://blog.mindmanager.com/blog/2019/11/what-is-brainstorming-and-why-is-it-important/#:~:text=Brainstorming%20allows%20people%20to%20think

Scotwork., 2017. What is the difference between negotiation and persuasion?Scotwork Limited. https://www.scotwork.com.au/negotiation-blog/2014/what-is-the-difference-between-negotiation-and-persuasion/

Shonk, K., 2020, October 19. What is Conflict Resolution, and How Does It Work? PON – Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/conflict-resolution/what-is-conflict-resolution-and-how-does-it-work/#:~:text=Conflicts%20can%20be%20resolved%20in

University of Notre Dame., 2020.The Five Styles of Conflict Resolution. Notredameonline.com. https://www.notredameonline.com/resources/negotiations/the-five-styles-of-conflict-resolution/

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