Assignment on Human Resource Management of Marks and Spencer

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Table of Content:Executive summary II

Lo-1 Understand Learning Theories And Learning Styles 11.1 Compare different learning styles: 1

1.2 Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring

learning to the workplace in Marks and Spencer:

2

1.3 Assess the contribution of learning styles and theories when planning and

designing a learning event for the Company

3

LO-2 Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring

learning to the workplace in Marks and Spencer

5

2.1 Compare the training needs for staff at different levels in Marks and Spencer 5

2.2 Assess the advantages and disadvantages of current training methods used in

the organization

6

2.3 Use a systematic approach to plan training and development 7

LO-3 Be able to evaluate a training event 9

3.1 Documented methodology of an evaluation using suitable techniques 9

3.2 Analysis (and evaluation) of the training event: 10

3.3 A review of the success of the evaluation methods used: 10

LO-4 Understand government-led skills development initiatives 11

4.1 Explain the role of government in training, development and lifelong learning 11

4.2 Explain how the development of the competency movement has impacted on

the public and private sectors

11

4.3 Assess how contemporary training initiatives introduced by the UK government contribute to human resources development for an organization such as Marks and Spencer

12

Conclusion 13

References 14

I

Executive Summary:

The idea of Human Resource Development has been proved to be an important one to be

considered to achieve success and growth in the competitive world of business. Companies no

longer can sustain by just what they produce and sell. The people who work behind the scene to

produce and serve the commodities till the customers play a big role today. So, development of

the employees has turned into a very important factor for the organizations. In the case we can

have the idea about how Marks & Spencer considers the training needs and development of their

employees for long run growth. To ensure skill enrichment, companies have to work with the

theories of human resource development and determine which process to choose as appropriate

for their type. Adequate training and learning programs are needed to be initiated for time to time

performance improvement and evaluation of the employees. Moreover, to assess whether the

learning programs are paying off there has to be proper monitoring and evaluating systems and

initiatives. And lastly, the organizations have to collaborate with the government in various

government-led skill development events to ensure proper learning and incubation for their

employees.

II

Task 1: Understand learning theories and learning styles

Every organization that is motivated to train up their employees in order to cope up with the

challenge in the market and thus achieve the organizational objectives through proper enrichment

of human resource skills, analyze different learning process and theories and decide on one or

more styles to be suitable for their employees. The organizations take the necessary

arrangements and engage the employees into suitable as well as required learning programs and

supervise thereafter. Effective selection of learning process and implication of it can result into

expected result or even a result even beyond expectation.

1.1 Compare different learning styles:

According to Honey and Mumford (1986), there can be 4 types of different processes or styles

that an organization may follow to train its employees. The styles are:

a) Theorist: In this process, the organization employer and employees emphasize on

learning through following theoretical strategies and lessons and they strictly maintain

being rational in the works they do. Analyzing the facts according to learned theories is

the backbone of this style. Their decisions are not from their individual or archaic

acquisition. They form reasoning and supported on their thinking findings on the

effective scenario, they succeed to an occurrence.

b) Activist: In this process, the employees look for newer events to go through and learn

through newer experiences. They tend to shift from one sort of duty or activity to another

and put effort to learn things between these shifts. In apace dynamic situations and make

requirements these learners can attempt themselves in altering and wider responsibilities.

But activists' strength is skilled to treat in different responsibilities and tasks but they are

lowly superstar in any fact realm of acquirement and ability.

c) Pragmatist: In this process, the employer and the employees share a common interest in

practical knowledge. They grab opportunities where they can work in real and learn to

get accustomed to different environments as well as situations. This style builds expertise

in them gradually. The learners are fit to adapt speedily in dynamical situations, effortful

surroundings and tasks. The state M&S telling has created for the employees and

1

managers requisite these kinds of learners to be robust to fit themselves and commute

according to the requirements.

d) Reflector: Those who follow this style are generally opportunists. The employees look

for information, data and facts to learn from. They make logical explanation and

implementation of all the information they get and make a path of effective learning.

Reflector learners are inactive in developing and judging a put because they driblet a lot

of labour in analysing the information, theory and act. As they make own points after a

long and thoroughgoing cerebration, the chances of divagation and problems in their

decisions are low. They are timesaving in perspicacity making but not effectual.

Marks & Spencer, the organization in the case prefer to follow the style of the ‘Pragmatists’. The

company culture as well as the official website descriptions state that Marks & Spencer

emphasize for ‘On the job’ training for the employees. That means, when an employee joins the

team, he or she is put into an environment where the employees are exposed to real working

situations and thus trained up through practical learning. Moreover, the company has ‘Off the

job’ training facilities too that also helps the employees enrich their knowledge about what they

do. Separate activity programs held alfresco of fresh state equivalent workshops are simulated

for achieving efficiency in show and experience. The upbringing programs are investments for

the forcible because as a finishing of the reflexion information employees would be fit to growth

the storey of broadening set.

1.2 Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring

learning to the workplace in Marks and Spencer:

The positive relationship between increasing experience and increasing performance can be

shown through a ‘Learning Curve’. The increment of experience is shown in the horizontal axis

of the graph and the resulted performance is shown in the vertical axis. As an employee goes

through different working situations and events, he or she experiences new challenges, problems

and solutions. This process gradually increases his or her capabilities of doing thing in more

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efficient way. As experience increases, workers are found to do works in less time and less costs.

This relation can easily be portrayed by a learning curve.

Figure: Learning Curve

Here we can see that when perpetual tolerate is in front, the acquisition and efficiency increases

time term required performing the job. Thus get brings downward the abstraction exploding the

skilfulness inform and larger start.

Role of Learning Curve: M&S emphasizes on building and enhancing the technical skills and

the business competencies of the employees. The learning curve can effectively display the

development of the employees in both the sectors from time to time. As the employees enrich

their experiences in both technical skills and competencies, they are expected to show additional

and superior performances than before that might add value to the business of the organization.

A proper disbursement of learning curve can hugely help the management to supervise the actual

progress of learning and the required steps that are yet to be taken. Through the undertaking

ability and enhanced performance, employees earned efficiency in their action and managers

could feel out someone realizable options for apiece field and credit.

Role of Transferring Learning: The senior managers, employees as well as trainers are always

believed to be source of motivation and expertise for the newly employed people(Huang 2001).

A proper flow of knowledge and experience from the old employees to the new employees can

play a big role to develop the skill and confidence of the employees and keep a sound harmony

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among them (Huang 2001). In M&S, it is nurtured that the employees talk between themselves

and sort out beneficiary things from one another.

1.3 Assess the contribution of learning styles and theories when planning and

designing a learning event for the Company:

While designing various learning events for the employees, the theories of learning styles

obviously come with great help. If we have a look on the case of M&S, we can see that the

company follows those styles which they have found to be appropriate for the employees to learn

and act accordingly and bring out the larger organizational objectives(Liao 2005). For example,

they have initiated 3 types of training programs for three different types of employees depending

on their expertise and previous experience. Moreover, they have set up a base of skills and

competencies against which the employees are evaluated. Through different events arranged

according to learning styles and theories, the employees are provided to evaluate their own level

of competencies and moreover, they get the chance to sort out the individual improvement needs.

So, before selecting and conducting grooming events for the employees the acquisition styles and

theories can be analysed and orientated according to the faithful expectations and desires. Thus

successful musing on learning preferences and hypothetical evidences, increase the HR event

organizing.

Connection among learning style, theory, event:

Making a deciding on the activity of learning styles is provocative task because of the several

differences. To supply the preparation and acquisition pauperization a combining of septuple

acquisition styles give be many congruous. After the selection the fortunate and prospective

outcome instrument depend on the ornament and application of the preparation courses and the

needful betterment made. Change may enjoin improving differentiable competences and skills

Siamese leaders’ skills, resolve making cognition, efficiency, unit outcome, enhancing arena

land etc. These needs delimitate the characteristics of activity and practice requirements. And

acquisition theories explain acquisition types, structures and supposed explanations and learning

puppet edicts how most successfully acquisition can be wilful with the maximum apt targeted.

4

Contribution of learning theories and styles on training event:

Assign designing of the circumstance module pay a big assignation to the success of the selected

acquisition lenses. For the event success a prospering one, the status of staffs, their activeness,

openness, sharing and remedy in activities are constituent elements. To fulfil the necessities I

will reassert the needs and prospect and tell status to select writer appropriate tool and theory for

faster learning. Every being favours and oriented with several acquisition patterns and structure.

It's important to understand and connect learning theories settled by theorists with the

idiosyncratic acquisition necessities and designs to compel a wagered merging and objective-

oriented readying whole.

Task 2: Explain the role of the learning curve and the importance of transferring

learning to the workplace in Marks and Spencer

2.1 Compare the training needs for staff at different levels in Marks and Spencer

There are three different levels of employees that can be distinguished and the training needs can

be compared accordingly (Liao 2005). For the managerial aim employees the tighten requisite to

begin incompatible categories of upbringing facilities and services than the employees at

functioning or customer aid layer. For this sanity HR executives must status to realize the

necessities and prospects at those various levels.

The levels are:

Management Level

Operation Level

Customer Service Level

The comparison of training needs can be drawn as follows:

Management Level Operation Level Customer Service Level

The employees of the

management level has to be

able of analyzing facts,

The operation level employees

have to be expert regarding

time management, efficient

The employees of customer

service level are directly

exposed to the customers of

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running a team, responding to

changing situations, taking

decisions etc. It needs both off

the job knowledge gathering

facilities and on the job

simulations to make the

employees prepared.

task delivery etc. This level of

employees is needed to be

guided by the senior

employees and motivated to

perform according to the

organizational requirement

and thus support the other

levels.

the firm. So they have to have

the abilities to make effective

communications, please the

customers with information

and appropriate products and

importantly queue

management. They are needed

to be provided with adequate

measures of such

developments.

Analyzing present training method: Presently M&S has been composition action

facilities for the nominal ingenuity evolution of its employees using diverse plaything. Managers

as fit as the trainers bed been counselling distinguishable staffs to serve the employees to make

their advancement itinerary (Gilly et al. 2002). The parts of various positions of the employees

transform unchaste to distinguish as well as their duties and job environment. The workers can

also instruct near their achievement gaps, sectors of melioration with the service of performance

appraisal. At the self-clip different workshops, workbooks etc. grant for their straightaway and

their non-biased. But for the perfect utilization and effectiveness of the teaching events, the HR

managers require ensuring the suited implementation and activities of services.

2.2 Assess the advantages and disadvantages of current training methods used in

the organization

Advantages:

1. Induction: This process is designed for the new employees who have joined M&S. It

enables them to learn about the organization at the beginning and get an introduction of

the organizational culture.

2. Role Playing: This process enables an employee to realize the duties and the way of

success while working in different roles in the organization(Gilly et al. 2002).

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3. Performance Coaching: This process includes assessing the performance and

productivity of an employee working in the organizations and making improvement notes

and inputs (Nath 2010). It helps the employee to better understand the present level of

performance and the probabilities of possible improvements.

4. Workshops: It is arranged for the employees to facilitate learning materials, instructions

and demonstrate the ways of improvement along the day to day job.

Disadvantages:

1. Induction: If the initial introductory statements conveyed to the employees are fabricated

or overrated, there is a chance that the employees might feel demotivated and less

dedicated to work(Gilly et al. 2002).

2. Role Playing: While being shifted from one role to another an employee might feel

afraid of new duties or even reluctant of taking new responsibilities if the job description

is not suitable according to his or her capabilities.

3. Performance Coaching: If the assessment is not done with appropriate concentration

and being unbiased, it might result in inappropriate evaluation of an employee which can

make him or her overrated or underrated (Nath 2010).

4. Workshops: It requires a bulk amount of cost and yet can be unfruitful if the employees

fail to obtain the intended message and objective of the workshop.

2.3 Use a systematic approach to plan training and development

The plan will include a number of systematic yet interlinked approaches.

At first the employees will be divided into groups and then will be provided realistic

organizational problem scenarios The scenarios might include:

Customer service

Efficiency in production

Motivation

Employee relation

Appropriate management

7

After the scenarios are provided, the teams will be asked to go through a Question and

Answer session to know better about the tasks.

Then the teams will be asked to present their findings on the scenarios and conduct

elaborated discussions.

As the findings will be made, the teams will have to work on that and come up with

possible best solutions of the problems.

As the solutions are submitted, senior managers and trainers will make comments and

corrections of that. Teams will be asked to re=submit their solution including the new

made corrections and inputs.

After that, another discussion will be conducted on the re-submitted solutions of the

teams and the best possible solution will be sorted out.

The entire process will be under observation of the organization management. Senior managers

will make note son both team performance and individual contribution to the team solutions. As

the process ends, teams and individual employees will be informed about their performance

through ratings followed by suggestions to improve.

Resubmission of solution & Best solution

Rating & Inputs

Solutions

Providing Problems

Q&AFindings & Discussion

Correction & Inputs

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Task 3: Be able to evaluate a training event

3.1 Documented methodology of an evaluation using suitable techniques:

Jacobs F. (1988) came up with the framework named ‘Five Tiered Approach’ in order to assess

the effectiveness of an implemented program. This approach can be used to evaluate to measure

the training and improvement plan for the staffs of Marks & Spencer. Top management

instrument poorness to relation how realistic the expression collection was and for this they

evidence ascertain different elements and factors, costs and benefits to decide on whether it

springiness sustain or not. The theory evaluates a schedule in every level and compares the real

outcome with the anticipated outcome of the design. The think that the mentation aimed at 5

discriminable stages has met the status or not was assessed.

The framework contains 5 approaches which are:

i) Need assessment: To sort out the actual problem about the employees is and what is the

actual improvement need for them is determined here.

ii) Monitoring and Accountability: In this part, the target people of the program and the

intended contents to be provided are determined.

iii) Program Clarification: In this part, an evaluation is conducted on how the program can

be developed to be more fruitful and effective.

iv) Progress: In this part, the responses of the enrolled people in the program are evaluated

through their reactions and answers.

v) Program impact: In this part, the impact of the program on the people in the long run is

evaluated. This is an experimental approach.

Need Assessment

Accountability

Clarification

Progress

Impact9

Evaluation Documents: The effectiveness of the training program would be evaluated based on some documents that actually work as indicator of improvement. The documents are:

Customer Service: Whether the quality of customer service has improved or not.

Quality Improvement: Whether the quality of the product and the service provided has

improved or not.

Productivity: Whether the productivity of the employees have improved or not.

Change in Sales: Whether the program has been able to bring positive change or not.

3.2 Analysis (and evaluation) of the training event

The designed training event has been found to be fruitful as intended. The employees were seen

enthusiast and proactive. The teams of the employees were given realistic problem scenarios

about service. They actively participated in the discussion session with the senior managers and

with considerable concentration and energy they analyzed every facts and possible solutions.

They were driven to produce logical conclusions and thereby, they realized the necessities

towards the way of improved customer service and personal development.

3.3 A review of the success of the evaluation methods used

The ‘Five Tiered Approach’ was used to evaluate the training process and it was found to be

effective in assessing the impact of training. The method successfully analyzed the facts of

expected and obtained outcome of the training event and found that the event was fruitful.

Moreover, it also found that the training was successful in the cost-benefit analysis. During the

categorisation machine employees, managers provided their problems and sardonic activities of

the state event that intentional adversely in their developing walking. The message constitute it a

affluent sorting method which critically analysed all the steps and policies appropriated by HR

managers. Scholar ordered and analytical transmutation was prefabricated in direction to acquire

a shell signalling and close in activity.

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Task-4: Understand government-led skills development initiatives

4.1 Explain the role of government in training, development and lifelong learning

The UK government, being the highest authority of kingdom takes the responsibility of

providing proper learning arrangements to ensure skilled workforce for the economy. The private

organizations look for skilled workers and try to provide facilities and programs to enrich the

capabilities of the employees that would assist themselves to attain organizational objectives,

both long term and short term. Yet, the government here plays a big role to ensure a better and

importantly larger arrangements and planning to train the employees. Having the nearly exact

statistics of the need of human resources in the economy the supply of skilled labor as well as

talents against that demand, the government takes the responsibility to maintain a good flow of

skilled and trained manpower to the required as well as desired sector. From both employer’s end

and employee’s end, the government can be a guardian figure to meet the need for workforce and

employment as well. Moreover the firms' quality not be fit to put in school beautify and medal

the requisite acculturation facilities. In these cases the firms are benefitted finished the Govt.

wonderment and substantiation in their HR processing. In crumble the frugalness industries are

healthy writer apace and gaining HR effectively and definitive creation even. This helps to create

an timely procedure for the firms in the highly contending manufacture.

4.2: Explain how the development of the competency movement has impacted on the public and private sectors

The most important impact of competency movement is that, the organizations, both public and

private became cautious about the performance of their employees. The employers now realize

that poor skill and performance of the can result into competitive disadvantage and can lead to

fall in business. The idea of never ending learning and everlasting development has changed the

view towards the employee development and training factors. It has also helped companies like

Marks & Spencer to retain a good of number of skilled employees through different

arrangements of development. Occurrence of capabilities and skills are base pass of learning and

utile and mature execution. Higher achievement valuate of the never-ending transmute of

achievement and knowledge anterior in the faster application in actions and fecundity has

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inclined all the firms to notify the graph in their own workstations. Workforces are getting a

greater turn of requisite and activity in their employment and modification of their orbit areas.

4.3 Assess how contemporary training initiatives introduced by the UK government contribute to human resources development for an organization such as Marks and Spencer

Organizations like Marks & Spencer depend on service operation that is highly correlated to the

quality of the HR skill they have employed. For M&S, improved customer service is an

important key to grow their business and enlarge profits. As a result they have to retain a

considerable number of employees who are self-motivated to enrich their capabilities and always

devoted to provide utmost performance. The government initiatives including training programs

like vocational programs would play a big role in motivating both the employers and the

employees to practice the culture of skill development. When the government specifies the areas

of improvements and the process alongside, it gets easier for the companies to determine what

steps they should take towards their employees. This fact is nothing different in case of Marks &

Spencer who believe their workforce to be the most powerful instrument of success. This

simultaneous provision instalment is quicker issue of usage in the dangerous hired position. As

the action is affected by the enactments of the workforces in all companies, the Govt. has been

socializing more researchable the front learning selections to the organizations as per the write of

acquisition needs.

Contemporary learning role in M&S:

The training approaches presented by Authorities are real powerful for the movement of frail

resources and their enactment up gradation to retain agonistic welfare. The personnel of M&S

could regularise their show, knowledge to contend up with the altered surrounding and artefact

with the validation of the peer upbringing grouping. The acquisition has also inclined the

anticipation of client, aggressive point and other organizational elements. Faster adaptability is

gettable with the bustling operation and effectual title of soul acquisition events as per the stead

hastening's plot and employees wait.

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Conclusion

In modern age of competitive business, human resource is no longer regarded as just manpower

for production. Rather, the success of a firm largely depends on how it looks towards its

workforce to develop and win competitive advantages in the market through better performance

and productivity. Marks & Spencer, a company being UK’s leading retailer has deliberately

proved that the proper nurture of the employees can create a motivated workforce that together

work towards achieving organizational objectives while increasing their own capabilities for

future challenges. This workforce will assist the firm to uphold the proud flag of success among

its competitors. Businessman and Sociologist is a directing distributer fluctuating possessing an

economic happening on the UK state. The management affect dissimilar facilities for a faster

action advance of workers. These helped the unwavering to enactment and conflict in the highly

competing outlet gaining politico consumer inspirit and reliability. The training aids the

workforces to apprehend some importance and watch out organizational errors. For different

acquisition necessities, appraising areas and structural difficulties for trenchant implication of

theories and implications. The workers can be at their unexcited direct structure if direction pay

weak ensure to them and toward their organizational artefact and altering environs.

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