Unit 23 Employability Skills Solution Assignment

Program	BTEC Higher National Diploma in Health and Social Care
Unit Number and Title	Unit 23 Employability Skills Solution Assignment
QFC Level	Level 5

Introduction

Employability skills solution assignment refers to which has been owned by the employees to maintain theirs responsibility and activity in professional field. Generally, employees have conducted common skill in workplace.  The general skill is based on different types of activity such as communication, problem solving, planning and implementation, teamwork, self management, technology, learning and initiatives. It has been noticed that the own responsibilities and performance objectives help to develop self assessment in workplace. It has been noticed that this shill really helps the employees to take right decision in critical moment.  Therefore, this report is based on the different types of employability skills such as personal abilities, basic knowledge, communication, effectiveness in workplace, responsibility which are important to fulfill the objectives and vision of the organization. The learner has planned to develop self effectiveness to define different objectives. The learner also develop recommendation for improving the responsibilities and performance in workplace. Lerner has planned to describe different motivational techniques which generally used by the human resource management for improving the quality of performance. On the second part the learner has planned to develop the personal and professional management in a brief manner. After that the learner has planned to discuss about some work based problems along with solutions and line management strategies.  After that the learner has planned to demonstrate the dynamic of working with others and finally implement the strategy.

Task 1

1.1 Develops a set of own responsibilities and performance objectives

My responsibly and performance of the employees has benn developed in different set of practices such as:

Team work : I have noticed that the efficiency of team performance is always better that individual performance in organization.  Therefore the team performance depends on some properties such as equal involvement of all team members in the decision making process.  On the other hand the supportive mentality of team members also increases the confident of team members.

Communication : According to my opinion, Good communication system increases understanding among employees. Therefore, the team performance is developed. On the other hand the good communication system also reduces the risk in any work. As stated by Lowdenet al.(2011) communication system helps to improve the decision making process. Therefore, better decision making process also increase the perfection and speed of work progress.

Problem solving : As opined by Yuzaineeet al.(2011)almost maximum team members must have problem solving ability to reduce risk in critical situation.

Leadership : The leadership quality improves team bonding and direct team to fulfill the objectives.  I have observed that team leaders have taken the help of information technology for finding solution of issues and track team members performance.

Creativity : Creativity is another quality of the team members which solves issues and develops perfect way to complete team target. I have been appointed for critically observing he performance of the employees and produce a report using my creativity level for developing standardize process for employees. therefore, my first responsibility was to implement a training session for employees to understand the most simple way to conduct their job such as cleaning glass, building fabrics and others.

Commercial awareness and other skills : The commercial awareness develops the knowledge about outside world. As a marketing management, the commercial awareness is very important to understand the external condition of the organization. Apart from that computer skill and presentation skill are important for the team member to find out the suitable way to solve the issues and express the solution to other team members.

1.2 Evaluate own effectiveness against defined objectives

I have discussed earlier that I was appointed as a team leader in organization. Therefore, my responsibility is to check target objectives regularly. I have observed tat the objectives sated by the organization was quite relevant with the aim of the organization. Therefore, I have implemented some procedures which improve the efficiency of my team such as:

Increase responsibility of the team members : According to my innovative planning, I have divided entire responsibility of work and delivered the responsibility among the employees. Therefore, every employee has to take responsibility of small part of the entire job and tried to fulfill the responsibility. It has increased the efficiency of team.

Develop knowledge : I have arranged a training session to improve the knowledge level of the team. It helps to improve the performance and knowledge level of my team. Hence, my team can adopt any kind of change in the organization quickly.  Now my team is happy and satisfied with their job.

Terms and policies : I have critically observed that rules and policies of the organization. I have observed that terms and policies cover the health and employment of the employees. then I demonstrated all terms and condition so that they can feel that organization thinks about their employees and protect their future life. It also motivates my team members to deliver their full efficiency in work place.

Therefore there are some internal and external effect of my effective steps such as :

Internal affect

Strength : My implemented strategy improves the efficiency of my team members. Employees have started hard working to achieve the team target. The knowledge development process also improves the process of work and work efficiency. On the other hand the terms and policies make the employees motivated towards their work. Therefore, the employees become more motivated to do to fulfill their work target.

Weakness : My implemented process takes more than 3 months to start the reaction. Therefore, it can be considered as a medium term process for the organization. On the other hand, during the implementation period my staffs cannot maintain full efficiency. On the other hand the staffs face trouble due to long duty hours and training session. However my staffs are very co-operative and ready to accept any kind of challenge. However the decreasing performance graph during training session will be de-motivated for others but they have to keep patience and wait up to 2 to 3 months to observe the improvement because it is a medium term process. Apart from that the team leaders have to arrange money for training session or knowledge development session otherwise entire process will go wrong way.

External effects

Opportunity : The improved strategy will increase the performance of employees. On the other hand the quality improvement also influences the employees to perform well. It also acts as a motivational factor in the workplace. The employees will be ready to take challenges regarding change of job role, change of management styles and change of place. The new implemented strategy will improve the job role of the employees in future. Therefore my personal and professional development planning will create opportunity for the organization. The team work development will increase the psychology of employees. Therefore, employees will be ready to accept any challenge in workplace. Better team management will develop better time management process. 

Threats : The main threat of my personal and professional development plan is its time frame. As its time frame is long so the organization has to wait minimum 5 to 6 months to get better output.  On the other hand the organization has to invest lots of money from the training and development planning. That is another threat for the organization. Apart from that, market competition is considered as another threat for organization.

1.3 Makes recommendations for improvement

Professional Skills	Current level	Best current example	Ways to improve
Communication	average	Communication regarding job distribution	Arranging group discussion, training on communication skills
Listening	average	Understanding the job role	Arranging seminar, team meeting and training
Leadership	average	Everybody egger to take responsibility but can fulfill the requirements	Providing team leading responsibility for short time period like one day and analyses the experience in team meeting.
Planning/organizing	average	Planning process takes long time	Skill development and communication development process will increase planning process
Presentation	poor	The team members cannot express their issues and opinion to team leader.	It’s a long term process. The team members have to learn to correct presentation method from managers and team leaders.
Problem solving	Average	Team members can solve the issues collaborate but individually they cannot.	Correct use of information technology will help them to find out correct way to solve the issues.
Professional knowledge	poor	They often as me about the process of work.	The employee development program will help to develop correct knowledge about the process of work.
Self- Management	average	Some team members cannot finish the task within selected timeframe	Knowledge development process will develop the smart working process among the employees. Therefore, they can manage their work within selected timeframe.
Team work	good	Team members help each other to manage the job in time.	Human resource has to encouraging the staff to participate in the discussion to improve the working practices and opportunities for workers. On the other hand the human resource management has to implement team target strategy to improve the involvement of the employees in team.
Technology Skills	poor	Some employees do not know the use of computer for file saving, sharing, searching solution in internet and sending information.	The short time computer course will help to increase the use or computer. Therefore their will no problem regarding for file saving, searching solution and sending information. On another hand I can track team performance easily.
Time Management	poor	Some employees can to finish their work in selected time frame.	Technological innovation, group collaboration and better communication system will help employees to save time during searching process.

1.4 Review how motivational techniques can be used to improve quality of performance

After observing the issues of the team members, the team leaders have already implemented the strategy to improve the skills, communication strategy, leadership and presentation of the team members. After that the team leader has planned to complement some motivational strategy to improve the work quality of the employees.

The team leader has planned to implement Maslow hierarchy of needs to improve quality of performance. According to the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, there are generally five different factors such as physiological, safety, love or belongings, esteem needs and self-actualization.

                          (Figure 1: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs)
                            

According to the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the team leader has to implement different satisfaction process such as:

Physiological needs : In order to maintain the physiological needs, the team leader has to observe that the team members can manage their basic needs such as food, water, sleep, home aesthetics and excretion. Therefore, the employees can involve then in their duty and perform well.

Safety needs : Maintaining and observing the basic safety matters are team leader’s responsibility. The team leaders have to critically observe that health security, employment security, security of resources, morality of the employees and safety of the properties.

Love or belongings : It has been observed that sometimes the employees became good friends and good supportive staffs too. Therefore, the team leaders have to understand bonding among the employees and influence them to perform well.

Esteem needs : Team leaders have to understand the esteem needs of the employees. The esteem needs are considered as confidence, achievement; respect other staffs and getting respect from other staffs. The esteem needs improves the work culture and motivate the employees to perform well.

Self-actualization : As stated by Blom and Saeki (2011) the self-actualization is maintained by the morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice and acceptance of facts. Those factors also improve the employee motivation and the employees perform well. 

It has been noticed th at sometimes Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is not suitable for the team motivation because the administrative want hard human resource management system to motivate the employees. In that case the human resource management or team leaders have implemented the McGregor X-Y theories.

Theory X : The team leaders find out the employees who are de-motivated from their job role. Therefore the team leader has closely supervised those people who are not maintaining their role in organization. It has been observed that the employees avoid the work when possible. It has been observed that those employees avoid their responsibility in work place. Therefore, the team performance is affected. The motivations of those employees are only earning money. After observing that, the team leaders pushed those people to perform well.

Theory Y : The team leaders or human resource management has implemented the theory Y when they have observed that team members want independence in workplace. The team members are responsible enough to take the whole responsibility of the task.  It has been observed that employees are motivated by self-fulfillment. The team leaders have observed those employees are basically coming for work not only for money. The employees always love to perform well.

After identifying the motivated employees, the team leaders have implemented motivational strategy by two different reward systems such as financial reward system and non-financial reward system.  The team leaders or human resource management often influences the employees through different financial reward system such as incentive, bonus and salary increment.  On another hand the team leaders or human resource management influences the employees through non-financial rewording system such as holiday trip, insurance, lunch or dinner coupons.

Task 2

2.1 Develop solutions to work based problems

The issue in the organization is already discussed in earlier section. It has been found that the team leaders have highlighted several issues regarding communication, listening, leadership, planning, presentation, problem solving, professional knowledge, self-management, team work, technology skills and time management. After that the team leader has planned to start the training and skill development session for the team members.

The team leader has planned to start the training session on training on communication skills, arranging seminar, team meeting, team leading strategy, Skill development and communication development process, correct presentation method, team target strategy to improve, technological innovation, group collaboration. The entire learning methods are divided in three different sections such as training, coaching and mentoring.

Training : The team leader has planned to arrange training session on the professional skills, information technology, and communication and presentation strategy. The team leader or human resource management arranges the training session to develop knowledge. Therefore the employees will manage the task in easy way and communicate with others to solve issues. On the other hand the basic communication skill helps them to start the communication with team members as well as team leaders. Apart from this the information technology related training session will improve the use of internet for problem solving.

Coaching : The human resource management or team leader arranges the coaching session to get the best performance from the employees. The regular coaching session also increase the knowledge level as well as decision taking capability. It also improves the ability. Therefore, the employees became more talented and finish the job in a smart way.

Mentoring : The team leaders or human resource management often acts like mentor. They just share their experience with the team leaders. The shared experience will increase the knowledge level of the employees. The employees can relate the critical situation with the experience and understand the proper way to solve it. On another hand the understanding among the employees and with the team leaders will increase.

2.2 Communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels

The team leaders generally implements different styles of communication such as telephonic skills, presentation, give and accept criticism, motivating and supporting, spoken communication, persuading and negotiation, gathering information, listening and body language.

As stated by Wilton, (2011, p.86) telephonic skills will improve thinking through in advance that what the employees or customer want to express. The employees can   keep business call to the point. In presenting skill, the employing a logical order and structure by using a audio visual aid effectively. Apart from that the employees can build rapport with customers. Therefore, the employees can ask clear and encouraging question to team leader. It has been noticed that team leaders often influences the team members by giving praise. Therefore the giving thanks, praise and reward encouraging team to perform well. The persuading and negotiation process helps to sign the agreement through win: win condition. Gathering information will help the team leaders to ask open question to understand the views and feeling of the employees. The listening process will improve the accuracy in hearing process about what the employees are saying and expressing interest. The body language will help to be sensitive during communication with others such as eye contact, gestures, head nodding, smiling and open posture.

2.3  Identify effective time-management strategies

It has been observed that human resource management and team leaders often follow time management strategy to finish the project in time. There are generally eight different steps in effective time management strategy such as identifying to-do list, priorities, delicate, achievements, time management, rest, technology and project.

                                                     Figure 2: Time management
                                                    

On first step, team leaders arrange a meeting with team members to identify what to do. The team leader generally involves the team members to identify the easiest way to achieve the goal. After identifying suitable way, the team leader has promised the workforce to achieve the goal. After that the team leader has implemented the delegated way to finish the job part by part.  It helps to achieve the goal in short time. Therefore, team leader has implemented the correct time management strategy to manage the job in an easy way in time. After that the team leader has influenced the employees for taking rest. After that the team leader has used information technology to understand the performance of the employees and starting new project.

Task 3

3.1 Explain the roles people play in a team and how they can work together to achieve shared goals

The diverse roles that play vibrant in any organization have been listed below:

Action-Oriented Roles

These are based on action oriented performance where a project would be attained with the implementation of the following roles:

• Shaper: The initial stage where a project would be analyzed and a format would be drawn in order to initiate the same. The role need to be dynamic and challenging enough to handle any project with a mentality of thriving even during the toughest pressure. Infact they are the person who can overcome obstacle without any kind of obstacles. But the commonest weakness found in this role is that they offends the feelings of people most of the time and are prone to the different types of provocation.
• Implementer: This remains one of the most disciplined, efficient as well as reliable role who can turn ideas into a practical action. But what they lack is flexibility in terms of working and might act slow towards newer possibilities.
• Completer Finisher: This remains the last role for the action oriented performance and therefore they need to be patient and tolerable enough to search out any kinds of errors or omissions. Since this role needs to deliver the project henceforth they are serious enough towards producing the right kind of job and completing such at the right time meeting the deadline.

People Oriented Role

• Coordinator: These role needs to be matured enough to be confident enough in whatever they are doing. About the mission and vision of a company they need to be clear enough about what the company wants and accordingly make implication of the various methods and procedures within their organization. Chairman usually plays the role of a coordinator where their main weakness being manipulative where they always try to offload their own work to some other employees.
• Team Worker: As the name implies the team worker are needed mild as well as diplomatic person with a cooperative attitude and need to be a good listener as well. These are the people who will actually be commencing a good team within the organization for handling a project. This designation will be the main motivator to its workforce for successfully implementing any assignments on time.
• Resource Investigator: They are the extrovert, communicative and enthusiastic people who need to have a calibre of exploring opportunities in every way. Moreover these are the people who need to develop contacts for a company. But the weakness of these people commonly found is that they often lose interest and enthusiasm if a project runs for too long.

Cerebral Roles

This is the integral pivotal role played by any company.

• Plant: They need to be the most unorthodox, imaginative as well as creative people with a calibre of solving any difficult issues at any point of time. But generally they lack the power of communication (Bridgstock 2011, p.10).
• Monitor Evaluator: Sober, strategic and discerning are the qualities which a monitor evaluator is needed to possess along with an additional quality of making right decision.
• Specialist: These are the single-minded people who with their dedication is needed to provide skill and knowledge while delivering any projects.

3.2 Analyse team dynamics (Bruce Tuckman)

The team Dynamics includes stages that have been mentioned below:

(Figure 3: Stages of Team Development)
The famous Psychologist, Bruce Tuckman, cam out first with his much appreciated phase saying-

• Forming: This is the initial stage where all the team members are needed to be polite enough about their work as well as need to be positive about its execution. But at times, the members may come up being anxious since they are unable in completely understanding about the performance which their team is needed to do. Being a leader, the person who will be handling the project is needed to play a dominant role since for the team members, responsibilities and roles does not remains clear always.
• Storming: The next step is storming where every members will be pushing against their boundaries for establishing successfully in its first stage. This stage begins when a conflict is raised between the members.
• Norming: Now it is the third stage where people will be starting in resolving any issues related to their project. Here they need to appreciate all the strengths of their colleagues and put enough respect towards the authority who is performing as their leader.
• Performing: Here the hard work ultimatelty counts without the slightest friction being held in terms of achieving a goal.
• Adjourning: Several team will be eventually reach this.

3.3 Suggest alternative ways to complete tasks and achieve team goals

The organizational design can be said as a methodology which is put in a step-by-step method and identifies the dysfunctional aspects of some procedures, work flow, systems and structure (Kelleret al. 2011, p.5).
The steps that are attained in terms of completion of task as well as achieving team goals are mentioned below:

Figure 4: Work Specialization in Organization
 

• Framing: It comes as the very initial step for attaining any project. Here in this department the employees frame the entire project exploring a rough idea about the same.
• Siding: In this step, the department will actually be fabricating step by step from the rough plan.
• Painting: Now the project has got a shape on which the employees will now be colouring with implication of ornamenting so as to make the entire thing presentable in front of its users.
• Inspection: As a project is done it needs to be inspected well so that the final product does not contain any fault within it.
• Shipping: Finally when the entire project is ready to be presented to the client, it will commence its shipping process so that the customer can have its final view.

The Delegations for Dos and Don’ts in terms of Work Specialization in Organization

Dos	DONTs
Constantly the team is needed to be updated about the key priorities of the organization so that they can get a view about the significance of every step they will be attaining	The employees are unable to read the mind of their leader
Try to clear all the expectations by giving specification regarding the total effort and time is needed to attain some specific project	Being a leader, the person never feel guilty in providing his team members ‘drive-by-delegation’
All kinds of support is needed to be provided to the team members so that they can produce the best ever outcome	Never underestimate the total time needed for performing any task
Make the team aware about the different brainstorming procedures so that they don’t find it necessary to take action regarding such	Never try to micromanage
Try to be patient always	Try to always delegate your abilities of activities
About the authority of the team try to be informed everytime	Avoid estimating the capabilities of the team

Decentralization

The Advantages

• The senior management can freely focus on organization strategies
• Because of the presence of local expertise, decisions can be taken quickly
• Motivation is always better because of the increased career and training path
• Flexibility as well as responsibility is fastened because of smaller command chain

The Disadvantages

• Mostly the senior manager might loss control from themselves that can have the worst effect over the project
• Decisions are not up to the mark because of lack of goal congruence
• Cost of training can be expensive

(Figure 5: Outsourcing)
 

Task 4

4.1 Evaluate tools and methods for developing solutions to problems

The procedure follows a eight step procedure where first the problem gets evaluated. The different instructions are read and after understanding what the particular project is demanding the project is delivered to the team leader for its completion. As the team gets the assignment, readily they find the different things which are needed to be fulfilled and accordingly start gathering information regarding the same.

As all the information get summed up, the team engages in identifying the manifold solution which will ultimately take them toward achieving the goal. For this they break the entire assignment into parts so as to find the right solution against its each parts. From the many solution, the ultimate solution will be taken out which will finally give the critical result of the project.

Next after solution identification, they will be taking action by implementing the right application against each problem. With the examination of the result finally the complete project will be taken for test and review for any problems.

For problem resolving the appropriate stages include:

1. Problem Finding: This remains the very initial step where after receiving of the project its various problems will be taken out and a structure will be chalked so as to draw the project successfully
2. Fact Finding: This comes the next step where a rigorous research will be attained
3. Problem Definition: All the problems will be first get identified and then each will have its own definition
4. Idea Finding: To initiate the project its various ideas will be found out in how to start the project
5. Selection: Next it will be selection of the steps with which the project will bet attempted
6. Planning: Then a complete planning will commence the beginning of the project
7. Sell Idea: Next it will be selling the idea
8. Action: Finally the project will make its beginning by having its proper actions implemented at the right position

Figure 7: Appropriate strategy for resolving a particular problem
 

4.3 Evaluate the potential impact on the business of implementing the strategy.

The strategy implementations as adopted by the departments are:

HR and Organization Development Factors

The development factors as adopted by the Human Resource of the organization include:

• Making of a capable organization
• Designing of strategies which will be of supportive reward systems
• Creating of strategies that needs to be enough supportive in terms of supporting the corporate culture
• Exercising of strategic leadershipfor the best ever outcome

System Factor

This will be including

• It will be making a direct link to that of the strategy
• Establishment of strategies that will be supporting the procedures and policies (Wibrow,  2011)
• For getting a continuous improvement instituting all the best commitments as well as practices
• Installation of systems of information for supporting the execution of strategies

The figure has been provided below:

Figure 8: Implementation of Strategies
 

Conclusion

The report is all about development of responsibilities and objectives of performance while working in an organization. An organization functions strictly with team work where mentality of continuing as a team is primarily required. Therefore the report have outlined the various ways with which an employee can develop themselves with evaluation of effectiveness against some defined objectives following methods like SWOT analysis and others. While working in a team, an employee is also required motivation with which they can focus on what they will be producing. Thus some techniques have been mentioned here.

Reference

Books

Lowden, K., Hall, S., Elliot, D. and Lewin, J., 2011. Employers’ perceptions of the employability skills of new graduates. London: Edge Foundation
Yuzainee, M.Y., Zaharim, A. and Omar, M.Z., 2011, April.Employability skills for an entry-level engineer as seen by Malaysian employers.In 2011 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON) (pp. 80-85).
Blom, A. and Saeki, H., 2011. Employability and skill set of newly graduated engineers in India. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper Series,

Journals

Wilton, N., 2011. Do employability skills really matter in the UK graduate labour market? The case of business and management graduates. Work, Employment & Society, 25(1), pp.85-100.
Baumann, M., Ionescu, I. and Chau, N., 2011.Psychological quality of life and its association with academic employability skills among newly-registered students from three European faculties. BMC psychiatry, 11(1), p.1.
Hinchliffe, G.W. and Jolly, A., 2011. Graduate identity and employability. British Educational Research Journal, 37(4), pp.563-584.
Fatima Warraich, N. and Ameen, K., 2011. Employability skills of LIS graduates in Pakistan: needs and expectations. Library Management, 32(3), pp.209-224.
Bridgstock, R., 2011. Skills for creative industries graduate success. Education+ Training, 53(1), pp.9-26.