HR Professional
Organizations in modern times are increasingly dependent on the ability of human resource (HR) professionals to deliver for their success. As an HR expert, one has to exhibit certain behavior, skills, and competence in different specialized areas for them to successfully deliver the HR goals of the organization in accordance with the position they occupy. Any HR professional who wants to be regarded as a successful employee should be capable of creating a healthy environment in which all workers have clear roles and a shared vision to make the organization better.
Through the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) HR Profession Map, experts in the field of HR understand the duties, knowledge, and behavior that is necessary for them to succeed (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2015). The map is an ideal mechanism to guide professionals to learn and develop so that they are effective in their jobs. The expert areas and behaviors that are defined by the map are applicable at different levels of an organization. To a large extent, an HR specialist’s success depends on their understanding of the organization and whether their competence is sufficient to lead.
One area of the HR profession that points to the meaning of being an HR expert, as revealed through the CIPD Professional Map, is leading HR. In this regard, it is of the essence to note that this area entails providing support, development, and leadership to others in the organization and being the example that can be emulated by others. It is also about being able to lead teams and sharing with colleagues about best practices for leadership within different areas of the business.
Relevant knowledge in HR should then be possessed and implemented when advising and supporting people that the HR expert interacts with when performing their day-to-day activities. In addition, as an HR professional, one also needs to understand that there they should seek the opinions of others in matters affecting the organization. Therefore, leading teams requires a professional experienced in matters of HR to ensure continued performance of teams.
Being an HR specialist is connected to dealing with issues that affect people, and as such, professionals should be capable of approaching these issues in relation to the commercial aspect of the business. As a leader in HR, it is of paramount importance to set standards that will be used to gauge the performance of individuals and provide opportunities for development. What is more, they should understand that they cannot work alone, and they should coordinate what they do together with other experts in HR. A good HR professional will, thus, be flexible in executing their functions and will accommodate the preferences of others, cooperating with them and uniting the team.
As noted earlier, the CIPD map also outlines conduct that helps professionals succeed in their work. In this regard, one behavior that is worth having and developing for HR experts, according to the map, is the courage to challenge others, to be demanding and persuasive. As an HR professional, one should be confident to speak out and challenge others even when surrounded by resistance or certain circumstances that they are not familiar with. The implication here is that HR specialists must be ready to challenge any difficulties they experience in the line of duty, and they should counter those who want to differ with them with evidence to support their claims. In doing so, these professionals need to look at issues from different viewpoints, and this would help them have a more in-depth understanding of issues that affect the organization and which they need to respond to.
An HR professional should be prepared to question matters and defend their organization in the face of the public. Thus, any decision that is made should be stood by even when some people within the organization seek to resist it or disagree. Having the courage to challenge also means that a professional should be able to relate closely with other top leaders in the organization to create a platform for addressing difficult issues and getting to the bottom of organizational issues. HR experts should be able to provide the required leadership when disputes occur, and their courage to challenge should help them in resolving such matters.
From the CIPD Professional Map, another important behavior for HR professionals is being driven to deliver. Practitioners in this area should be determined and resourceful in ways that ensure the best outcomes for the organization they work in. It should be their aim to do everything they can to help the organization to achieve its goals and objectives; the drive to deliver means that work deadlines and expectations are met. As organizations have their targets, HR professionals should be guided by targets that will lead them on how they do their work and enable them to set timelines for completing various tasks.
What is more, it is also important that they take responsibility for delivery issues in their departments or areas they are personally responsible for. Many people wonder if there is a need for the HR function at all because it is responsible for issues that affect all employees. Therefore, HR professionals should be committed to delivering results to show and prove the importance of this function.
Elements of Group Dynamics; Conflict Resolution
Groups in organizations involve people who come together to form a united team that works collectively to achieve a common goal. Each individual has a unique contribution to make towards the organization’s success (Mohanty & Mohanty, 2018). Group dynamics imply that people in the workplace have distinct roles and behaviors as they work together in a team; it becomes possible to understand the actions and conduct of individuals and how they affect others. Precisely, it refers to influential interpersonal processes, such as formative and influence procedures, that are experienced in assemblies and between one association and another (Forsyth, 2018). People who do not know each other are able to come together to form a real organization. Formative processes will show that the reason why people meet is to serve the fundamental human need for belonging.
People join organizations because there are personal and situational forces that make them want to be a part of an association. Influence in an assembly determines its ability to stay as one unit, and in this regard, members are to coordinate what they do with what other members of the group handle. In an organization, structural processes will determine procedures and contact patterns, as well as how members interact with each other. As each member assumes a particular role, regularities in actions are generated, and members become accustomed to the norms of the group that tell them the expectations of the organization.
There is no single assembly that can manage to avoid conflicts at all times as people regularly disagree on various issues due to personality struggle, as well as struggle for power. Consequently, since it is impossible to prevent them, clashes should be resolved to avoid negative impacts. HR professionals can employ different methods to resolve conflicts that arise in the workplace. It is worth noting that organizations in the modern world are increasingly turning to build stronger relationships with their workforce with the aim of reducing discords.
One useful method of solving conflicts at work is negotiation, which can help the HR practitioner to bring parties that are in a war together and help them to find a solution to the disagreement. Shonk (2020) argues that while using a compromise in conflict resolution, parties can explore the principles of collaborative intervention that are in play when the agreement is made. For example, the HR manager can explore the interests that conflicting parties have in the positions they take, including their willingness to find a solution while avoiding negative publicity or repairing a business relationship. In the process of negotiation, each party considers the compromise that the other person is willing to accept.
That way, through negotiation, the people in a conflict reach a compromise, and this helps them to avoid arguments and escalation of the dispute. This type of dispute resolution presents a case where both parties gain and accept the outcome of the process.
Another method that can be used to deal with discord is mediation. In this form of conflict resolution, parties to a dispute engage a third party who helps them get to a consensus (Shonk, 2020). Mediation is voluntary and flexible, and organizations get an impartial third party to help in conflict resolution, which helps avoid formal and more expensive methods (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2020). Consider a case where an employee working in a certain team reports bullying and harassment from another member of the team.
The HR manager can engage the two employees who are involved in the process of mediation, where each party is given the opportunity to express what they feel about the situation and how it should be resolved. The employees can then reach a mutual agreement that guides their relationship going forward and how the management will engage them in the future, thus ending the conflict. Therefore, the resolution of the dispute is such that all parties are satisfied, and no other options are necessary for the mitigation of the disagreement.
As an HR practitioner, one should be able to take decisive actions whenever there is conflict. There are instances when other methods of resolving disputes in the workplace may not work, and in such cases, HR can come in and offer a solution through arbitration. However, parties to the dispute should be given an opportunity to express themselves and provide facts about the disputes. The arbitrator should listen to the parties and weigh the evidence provided before them. After considering the issues surrounding the conflict, a decision should be made in the best way that the dispute should be resolved. This decision is binding to the parties, and they have to follow the recommendations given. If one of the parties is not satisfied with the decision to end the conflict, they can pursue other available options that they feel will resolve the matter fairly.
Project Management and Problem-Solving Techniques
Organizations undertake various projects to achieve their goals and objectives or to improve their operations. Project management is needed to ensure that the project team is able to achieve the objectives of the project. To improve the quality of employees hired by the organization and to make it more attractive to potential candidates, a project to revamp the recruiting process was undertaken. The project involved a team of ten people drawn from different departments, but most of them came from the HR department. Motivation to undertake this project came from the need to ensure that only the best talent was employed and to reduce the turnover rate by hiring employees who would stay in the long term.
In the course of the project, different techniques were used to ensure that the project objectives were achieved. First, the team employed the work breakdown structure (WBS) to breakdown the project into components that are easy to manage. The team was able to recognize that tackling the project as one big item would be overwhelming, and thus this made it necessary to divide it into small deliverable pieces. In this regard, the project team met and came up with six key areas that needed to be improved. These areas would involve different tasks that would be executed at different times. These areas are as follows:
- Enhanced and increasingly cost-effective processes.
- Reduce the time taken to recruit.
- Widen the scope and create more engagement with potential candidates.
- Improve the organization’s brand and reputation.
- Develop a renewed responsive workforce plan.
- Ensure the organization aligns talent with business needs.
After deciding on these key areas that the organization needed to improve, the team took a one-day break then met again to decide on the timelines for execution and what would be addressed in each of the areas, and the manner in which the project would be undertaken. This meeting turned chaotic because the project team members could not agree on all matters, especially one who would undertake what part of the project.
My suggestion for brainstorming was welcomed, and members openly aired their suggestions. This helped solve the problem that had been seen as a major hindrance to the project’s success. It was agreed that members would lead those areas of the project that they had expertise in. For example, one team member drawn from the finance department would lead the team in its objective to ensure the cost-effectiveness of the hiring process. After deciding on the timelines for delivery, it was agreed that a Gantt chart would be used to create a visual timeline in the course of the project. This helped develop a timeline with indications of when each task would begin and end.
Notably, the program evaluation and review technique (PERT) were helpful in estimating the time for the project. Each of the improvement areas was broken down into detailed tasks, with the help of the WBS, which were then added to the Gantt chart, which helped identify activities that depended on each other. With PERT, it was then possible to determine the fastest, most likely, and maximum times that would be required. The project’s success was also impacted by missing targets for some activities. Through root cause analysis, the team was able to uncover the causes of failure and avoid them in later activities.
Another problem that arose in the course of the project was scope creep. The client made a few changes that extended the scope of the project beyond the initially agreed-upon objectives. Both parties had agreed that there would be more engagement between potential employees and employers, but there was no mention of using a trial run as an objective in the recruiting process. The client introduced the concept having realized that it has proven effective for other competitors. This meant an adjustment to the budget since the potential employees would be paid during the trial period. However, I had anticipated the possibility of a change to the scope even though the objectives were clearly defined. As such, I had documented the steps needed to decide on modifying the project’s scope.
Root cause analysis identified the core issue and provided an appropriate response to handle it. The scope creep problem was defined, and more information about it was gathered. All possible events that might have contributed to the problem were then identified and root causes determined. It was evident that poor analysis of requirements played a crucial role in creating the problem. I was, thus, able to make the required changes after both parties agreed to compromise on certain elements of the problem to keep the overall project on track. To eliminate the problem’s reoccurrence, I ensured the client understood the project’s vision.
I also spent time going over the objectives with the client, describing the deliverables and results. For clarity, I documented activities that were in scope as well as those that were out of scope. I walked the client through this document, explained every detail, and later made them sign it off.
In the end, the project was completed, and the team achieved its objectives. Influencing, persuading, and negotiating played an important part for me in the completion of the project. As an HR professional, I was able to influence other members of the team through my expertise and knowledge in the area of human resource management. A negotiation skill such as anchoring proved useful in aiding me level time commitments from members of the team. Using this skill, I presented the completion times for the project’s various stages early on in the negotiation. This established a base upon which other team members founded their terms. Therefore, even those who intended to propose extremely different terms had to gravitate towards my initially proposed terms.
In the course of the program, I was also able to use brainstorming to persuade team members to find solutions successfully. For instance, as the project made progress, one team member almost left, and it was through my efforts that he was convinced to stay. In this instance, the member felt that the project was not progressing in the right direction and that it was prudent to stop it. I was able to make him see the importance of the project to the organization and the effort and time that had been invested thus far.
Influencing skills such as leading by example, collaborating, clarifying, motivating and mentoring others, being empathetic and committed were also employed during the project. For instance, there were times when I had to rely on my leadership and others when I had to make an effort to understand my team members and work closely with them, clarifying and motivating them when they encountered challenges. From this project, I also believe that my persuasion skills were put to a real test. For instance, my ability to compromise and establish a mutually attractive solution for myself and the client was central to solving the problem of scope creep. I recognized that compromising is not a weakness but a sign of my flexibility. Therefore, through persuasion, I listened to the client and incorporated their perspectives into mine.
Professional Development Plan
Planned Outcome
References
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2015). The CIPD profession map: our professional standards. Web.
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. (2020). Mediation at work. Web.
Forsyth, D. R. (2018). Group dynamics. Cengage Learning.
Mohanty, A., & Mohanty, S. (2018). The impact of communication and group dynamics on teamwork effectiveness: The case of service sector organizations. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 17(4), 1-14. Web.
Shonk, K. (2020). What is conflict resolution, and how does it work: How to manage conflict at work through conflict resolution. Program on Negotiation. Web.