Human Resource Development

Tejashree Talpade

1
 Definition of HRD

 A set of systematic and planned activities designed

by an organization to provide its members with the
necessary skills to meet current and future job
demands.

2
 Emergence of HRD

 Employee needs extend beyond the training

classroom
 Includes coaching, group work, and problem solving
 Need for basic employee development
 Need for structured career development

3
 Relationship Between HRM and HRD

 Human resource management (HRM) encompasses

many functions
 Human resource development (HRD) is just one of
the functions within HRM

4
 Primary Functions of HRM

 Human resource planning

 Equal employment opportunity
 Staffing (recruitment and selection)
 Compensation and benefits
 Employee and labor relations
 Health, safety, and security
 Human resource development

5
 Secondary HRM Functions

 Organization and job design

 Performance management/ performance appraisal
systems
 Research and information systems

6
 HRD Functions

 Training and development (T&D)

 Organizational development
 Career development

7
 Training and Development (T&D)

 Training – improving the knowledge, skills and

attitudes of employees for the short-term,
particular to a specific job or task – e.g.,
 Employee orientation
 Skills & technical training
 Coaching
 Counseling

8
 Training and Development (T&D)

 Development – preparing for future responsibilities,

while increasing the capacity to perform at a
current job
 Management training
 Supervisor development

9
 Organizational Development

 The process of improving an organization’s

effectiveness and member’s well-being through the
application of behavioral science concepts

 Focuses on both macro- and micro-levels

 HRD plays the role of a change agent

10
 Career Development

 Ongoing process by which individuals progress

through series of changes until they achieve their
personal level of maximum achievement.
 Career planning
 Career management

11
Learning & Performance

12
 Critical HRD Issues

 Strategic management and HRD

 The supervisor’s role in HRD
 Organizational structure of HRD

13
 Strategic Management & HRD

 Strategic management aims to ensure

organizational effectiveness for the foreseeable
future – e.g., maximizing profits in the next 3 to 5
years
 HRD aims to get managers and workers ready for
new products, procedures, and materials

14
 Supervisor’s Role in HRD

 Implements HRD programs and procedures

 On-the-job training (OJT)
 Coaching/mentoring/counseling
 Career and employee development
 A “front-line participant” in HRD

15
 Organizational Structure of HRD
Departments
 Depends on company size, industry and maturity
 No single structure used
 Depends in large part on how well the HRD
manager becomes an institutional part of the
company – i.e., a revenue contributor, not just a
revenue user

16
 Sample HRD Jobs/Roles

 Executive/Manager
 HR Strategic Advisor
 HR Systems Designer/Developer
 Organization Change Agent
 Organization Design Consultant
 Learning Program Specialist
 Instructor/Facilitator
 Individual Development and Career Counselor
 Performance Consultant (Coach)
 Researcher
17
 HR’s strategic role

 Employees as organisation’s assets

 Driving business strategy
 Spanning organizational functions
 HRD Deliverables:
 Performance
 Capacity Building
 Problem solving/consulting
 Org. change and development

18
 Strategic HRD

 Integration of HRD with strategy formulation and

implementation
 Long-term view of HR policy
 Horizontal integration among HR functions
 Vertical integration with corporate strategy
 SHR as core competitive advantage

19
 Firm Capitals

 Human Capital
 Knowledge, skills, abilities of individuals
 Social Capital
 Relationships in social networks
 Structural, cognitive, relational dimensions
 Intellectual capital
 Knowledge and knowing capability of social
collectivities
 Procedural/declarative; tacit/explicit; individual/social
 Value and Uniqueness of capitals

20
 Multiple Roles for HR (Ulrich, 1997)

Future/Strategic Focus

Mgmt of SHR Mgmt of Trans­
Formation/Change
Processes People
Mgmt of Firm Mgmt of Employee
Infrastructure Contributions

Day­to­day/Operational Focus

21
 Definition of HR Roles

Role/Cell Deliverable/ Metaphor Core Activity

Outcome

Mgmt of SHR Executing corp. Strategic Partner Aligning HR and bus.

strategy Strategy
Mgmt of Firm Building an efficient Administrative Reengineering org.
Infrastructure infrastructure Expert Processes

Mgmt of Employee Increasing employee Employee Champion Providing resources

Contributions commitment and to employees
capability
Mgmt of Organizational Change Agent Managing
Transformation/Cha renewal transformation and
nge change,

22
 Importance of Human Resources

 Human resources are an important part of the

value chain
 They can be unique, and thus a source of core
competence in an organization
 If a core competence is related to HR, then HR can
contribute to competitive advantage

23
 Strategic Analysis of HR: Purpose

 People related strategies may be important to new

strategy (for example, a change in the way the
organization does business)
 In today’s technologically complex business world,
analysis of existing human resources is important in
order to determine what options are available
 The network of people within an organization and
their relationships with people can be an important
part of strategy

24
 HR and Sustainable Competitive Advantage

 In some industries, people are the most important

factor in success
- advertising and creative development
- leisure and tourism
- management consulting
- hospitals and medical professions
 The adaptability of people to changing environments
is an important skill
 “The ability to learn faster than your competitors
may be the only sustainable advantage” – Arie De
Geus, former head of planning at Royal Dutch Shell

25
 Challenges for HRD

 Changing workforce demographics

 Competing in global economy
 Eliminating the skills gap
 Need for lifelong learning
 Need for organizational learning

26
 Competing in the Global Economy

 New technologies
 Need for more skilled and educated workers
 Cultural sensitivity required
 Team involvement
 Problem solving
 Better communications skills

27
 Need for Lifelong Learning

 Organizations change
 Technologies change
 Products change
 Processes change
 PEOPLE must change!!

28
Creating a learning organisation

29
 Need for Organizational Learning

 Organizations must be able to learn, adapt, and

change
 Principles:
 Systems thinking
 Personal mastery
 Mental models
 Shared visions
 Team learning

30
 Creating a Learning Organization

 Senge suggests top managers follow several steps to build in learning:

 Personal Mastery: managers empower employees and allow them to

create and explore.

 Mental Models: challenge employees to find new, better methods to

perform a task.

 Team Learning: is more important than individual learning since most

decisions are made in groups.

 Build a Shared Vision: people share a common mental model of the

firm to evaluate opportunities.

 Systems Thinking: know that actions in one area of the firm impacts all
others.

31
 A Framework for the HRD Process

HRD efforts should use the following four phases

(or stages):
 Needs assessment
 Design
 Implementation
 Evaluation

32
Training & HRD Process Model

33
 Needs Assessment Phase

 Establishing HRD priorities

 Defining specific training and objectives
 Establishing evaluation criteria

34
 Design Phase

 Selecting who delivers program

 Selecting and developing program content
 Scheduling the training program

35
 Implementation Phase

 Implementing or delivering the program

36
 Evaluation Phase

Determining program effectiveness – e.g.,

 Keep or change providers?
 Offer it again?
 What are the true costs?
 Can we do it another way?

37
 Motivation, Reward and
Recognition System Management

38
 Motivation

The force within us that activates our behavior.

It is a function of three distinct components,
Intensity, Direction, and Persistence.

Motivation
Motivation

Intensity Direction Persistence

39
 Motivation - Intensity

Intensity refers to the amount of mental and

physical effort put forth by the person.

Motivation
Motivation

Intensity Direction Persistence

40
 Motivation - Direction

The extent to which an individual determines

and chooses efforts focused on a particular
goal.

Motivation
Motivation

Intensity Direction Persistence

41
 Motivation - Persistence

The extent to which the goal-directed effort is

put forth over time.

Motivation
Motivation

Intensity Direction Persistence

42
 Motivation: Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic

 Intrinsic  Extrinsic
When rewards such as pay
When doing the job is
and formal recognition
inherently motivating
act as motivators

43
 Two Basic Categories of Rewards

Compensation Rewards:
Those given in return for acceptable performance
or effort. They can include nonfinancial
compensation.

Non-Compensation Rewards:
Those beneficial factors related to the work
situation and well-being of each person.

44
 Types of Rewards

Motivation
Intrinsic Extrinsic

Sense of Pay
Accomplishment
Job Promotion
Personal Growth security
Recognition
Opportunities

45
Financial Compensation: Straight Salary

Advantages
- Salaries are simple to administer
- Planned earnings are easy to project.
- Salaries are useful when substantial
development work is required.

Disadvantages
- Salaries offer little incentive for better
performance.
- Salaries represent fixed overhead.

46
 Financial Compensation: Pay for Performance

Reward Systems in most cases should be consistent

with other HR systems.
The Reward System is a key driver of:
 HR Strategy

 Business Strategy

 Organization Culture

47
Need for Consistency with Other HR Systems

Skill-based pay

Training Culture
Overtime
pay rules Merit pay
in
contract Labor
Rewards reinforces
performance
Relations culture
Performance
Management

Employment
Sign-on Bonus
Merit Pay

48
Financial Compensation: Performance Bonuses

Advantages
- Organization can direct emphasis to what it
considers important.
- Bonuses are particularly useful for tying rewards
to accomplishment of objectives.

Disadvantages
- It may be difficult to determine a formula for
calculating bonus achievement if the objective
is expressed in subjective terms.

49
 Non-financial Compensation

Opportunity for Promotion:

 The ability to move up in an organization along

one or more career paths

Sense of Accomplishment:
 The internal sense of satisfaction from

successful performance

50
 Non-financial Compensation

Opportunity for Personal Growth:

 Access to programs that allow for personal
development (e.g., tuition reimbursement,
leadership development seminars)
Recognition:
 The informal or formal acknowledgement of a
desired accomplishment
Job Security:
 A sense of being a desired employee that comes
from consistent exceptional performance

51
 Understanding Reward & Recognition
Definitions:
 A reward is an item or experience with monetary value that
is provided for a desired behavior or performance, often
with accompanying recognition
 Recognition is a positive consequence provided to a person
for a behavior or a result in the form of acknowledgement,
approval or the expression of gratitude
 “Recognition” is more of an activity or an association (a
social or interpersonal activity) while a “Reward” is more of
a thing (Money, Merchandise, Trophy, Travel etc)

52
 Why Reward & Recognise employees
 By valuating and recognizing people, you harness the power
of motivation, which is the single most powerful strategy
used to promote performance and positive behaviors

 Drives Stretch in Performance

 Enhances aspirations and creates Motivation
 Feeling Valued
 Builds Self Esteem and sense of Belonging
 Improves Individual Attitudes

53
Reward is a Right; Recognition is a Gift…..

Rewards at work Recognition

 Direct Financial (pay)  Praise

 Indirect Financial (benefits)  Time
 Work Content (work)  Toys, Trophies & Trinkets
 Careers (development)  Fun, Freedom & Food
 Affiliation (feeling of  Small Money
belonging)  Others
 Study results: Surprisingly,
all 5 types of rewards were
 Common thread – Genuine,
considered equally positive, emotion
important….

* Gerald Ledford Jr. and Peter LeBlanc, World at Work 9, no.3 (Q3 2000):1-11
54
 What is Recognition?

“Recognition is any thought, word, or deed towards making

someone feel appreciated for who they are and recognized
for what they do.” 1

“Recognition can be a strategic tool for shaping behavior and

moving an organization in a desired direction.” 2

“Recognition is something a manager should be doing all the

time—it’s a running dialogue with people.” 3

 “Making Recognition a Daily Event” by Roy Saunderson, Recognition Management Institute
1

2
 “A Culture of Recognition; Building a System to Celebrate Great Performance” by Rhonda 
Sunnarborg, BI Business Improvement Series
 Ron Zemke, Training magazine
3
55
 Why Focus on Recognition?

 Employees identify recognition as one of the most effective

motivators1
 Even small increases in supportive practices are associated

with decreased turnover and increased sales/profitability 2

 Employees who feel that their organization values them are

more likely to value their customers2

 Appreciation and/or praise are among the top three drivers of

employee motivation and engagement across a variety of

industries and companies3
1
 The Conference Board, 1999 HR Executive Review:
   Employee Recognition Programs
2
 Pfeffer 2001 study
3
 Hewitt Associates

56
 Exercise
 You are the HR Manager of an FMCG organisation
which has 400 employees at their HO.
 You have been asked to develop an R&R program
for your organisation to keep employees engaged
and motivation levels high.
 A separate budget would be provided for the R&R
activities.
 You and you team has to design a program and
present it to your leadership team.

57
Diversity @ workplace

59
 What is Diversity?

 In simple terms, diversity is "otherness," or those

human qualities that are different from our own
and outside the groups in which we belong. There
are various qualities that differentiate one
individual from the next.

60
 Elements of Diversity

 Age
 Income
 Gender  Education
 Ethnicity  Marital Status
 Race  Religious Beliefs
 Physical Ability  Geographic Location
 Sexual Orientation  Parental Status
 Physical Characteristics
 Personality Type

61
Diversity:

The uniqueness of all individuals;

includes everyone.

62
 Principles of Diversity Management
 Establish a business strategy for effectively
managing a diverse workforce
 Create a positive work environment
 Promote personal and professional development
 Empower all people to reach their full potential
 Remove barriers that hinder progress
 Ensure equal opportunities and prevent
discrimination

63
Creating an Organization That Can Manage Diversity

 Organizational vision
 Top management commitment
 Auditing and assessment of needs
 Clarity of objectives
 Clear accountability
 Effective communication
 Coordination of activity
 Evaluation

64
 Techniques for Managing Diversity

 Managing diversity training programs

 Core groups
 Multicultural teams
 Senior managers of diversity
 Targeted recruitment and selection programs

65
 Techniques for Managing Diversity

 Compensation and reward programs tied to

achieving diversity goals
 Language training
 Mentoring programs
 Cultural advisory groups
 Corporate social activities that celebrate
diversity

66
 Managing diversity effectively

 Greater range of perspectives, ideas, and

creativity.
 Better problem definition, generation of
alternatives, and decisions.
 Greater potential of developing a high
performance team.
 Greater resilience in dealing with escalating
demands.

67
 Mismanaging diversity

 Disrupts development of trust, constructive

working relationships, arriving at consensus &
agreement.
 Stereotyping of other members and sub grouping
along cultural lines.
 Misunderstanding and disruptive communication.
 Low levels of efficiency, effectiveness &
productivity

68
Unintended Results of Managing Diversity

 Programs that focus on encouraging certain groups

may create feelings of unfairness or exclusion in
others
 Giving preferential treatment to certain groups may
stigmatize their members
 Increasing diversity without recognition and
rewards for the new members can create
organizational tension

69
 Implications for Managers

 Managing a diverse workforce is an important

part of an international manager’s job
 Must understand the impact of diversity and
know how to utilize
 Realize different cultures view diversity
differently and consider impact on manager

71
 Potential Benefits of an Effective Diversity
Management Program

 Improve organizational performance

 Help prevent unlawful discrimination or harassment incidents
 Improve workplace relations
 Build more effective work teams
 Improve organizational problem solving
 Improve customer service
 Enhanced recruitment efforts

72
Making heads count is more important
than counting heads

73
 Possible barriers in the organization that
prevent a more balanced workforce?

 Limiting area of consideration

 Lack of diversity at the senior ranks
 Categorizing people into certain positions
 Always recruiting from same source
 Grooming/developing only one person

74
Strategies for Inclusion

75
 The Value of Mentoring

 Without regard to race, gender, religion,

national origin ….
 Inconvenience yourself to show someone
else the way
 Unleash someone else’s potential

76
 Professional Development

 Identify training and development needs for all

employees
 Utilize Individual Development Plans
 Rotational & Developmental Assignments
 Rotate “acting” supervisor

77
 Diversity management is about full utilization of
people with different backgrounds and
experiences.

 Effective diversity management strategy has a

positive effect on cost reduction, creativity,
problem solving, and organizational flexibility

78
Human Resource Audit

79
 How is Human Resource Analysis Done?

 Human Resource Audit

 Purpose:
 To identify the size, skills and structure surrounding
current employees and
 to identify future human resource needs of the
organization
 Question Answered:
Are the human resources a strength or a
weakness?

80
 The Audit: Principles

 Obtain some basic information on the people and

policies involved in the organization

 Explore in detail the role and contribution of the

human resources management function in the
development of strategy

81
 The Audit: Contents

 People in the Organization

 Role and Contribution of HR strategy

82
 HR Audit: People in the organization

 Employee numbers and turnover  Selection, training and

development
 Organization structure
 Staffing levels
 Structures for controlling the
organization  Capital investment/employee

 Use of special teams, e.g. for  Role of quality and personal service
Innovation in delivering the products or
services
 Level of skills and capabilities
required
 of the organization

 Morale and rewards  Role of professional advice in

delivering the product or service
 Employee and industrial
relations

83
 Role & Contribution of HR Strategy
 Relationship with strategy
 Key characteristics of HR strategy
 Consistency of strategy across different levels
 Responsiveness of HR strategy in leading change in
the organization
 Role of HR strategy in leading change in the
organization
 Monitoring and review of HR strategy
 Time horizon for operation of HR strategy

84
 What the Audit Achieves

 Provides information that is useful in deciding how

feasible a strategy is
 Identifies any human resource “gaps” (human
resources necessary for a proposed strategy minus
the current state of human resources)
 Allows the organization to “benchmark” their
performance against other organizations
(benchmark is a process of comparison)

85
 Human Resources as a CSF

 Critical Success Factor (CSF) = a reason why one

organization is superior to another

 HR can be a CSF if employees have unique skills

86
Coaching and Mentoring

87
 Coaching and Mentoring

 These definitions indicate some overlap and

some differences between Mentoring and
Coaching. Mentoring is often seen as a longer
term process, for example offering support
during a career change such as induction or
becoming a senior manager.

88
 Mentoring

 Mentoring is usually concerned with supporting

practitioners whilst they make a significant career
transition.

 Mentoring in intended to be supportive of the

individual and occurs ‘at need’. Here the emphasis
is on ready and confidential access to a ‘critical
friend’ who can be used as a sounding board and
who offers a free form of advice.

89
 Coaching

 Coaching is normally used to support the process of

reviewing established or emerging practices. It is
focused on innovation, change or specific skills.

 Coaching is conceived as a more structured

learning process aimed at explicit professional
development in an agreed area of performance.

90
Activities involved in mentoring and coaching and their overlap

91
The learner (the personal dimension)

If writers are more aware of their own writing

processes and what helps and hinders their writing then
they are more likely both to become more confident
writers and are able to support others in their writing
too. The same principles apply to leaders and
managers. The Mentor/Coach needs to be aware of the
ways in which Mentees/Coachees can focus on
themselves as learners.

92
 The learning (the transformational dimension)

In Mentoring and Coaching transformation or change comes about

through the learning conversation. The conversation enables the
process of Mentoring/Coaching in which there needs to be an explicit
focus on learning. Dennison and Kirk’s cycle of learning (1990) is
useful for this purpose.

This model can be

applied to developing
leaders and
managers ie:
understanding
themselves before
understanding
others!

93
 What Mentoring and Coaching is not

Mentoring and Coaching is not counseling although

some counseling skills may be used by the
Mentor/Coach. Learning conversations do not focus
on personal problems.

Neither is the learning conversation therapy

although the outcome of the conversation may leave
the person feeling up-lifted and may feel their
emotions have changed. But learning is always the
focus.

94
Competency Modeling

95
 Competency
 It is derived from the Latin word
‘Competere’, which means to be suitable.
 The concept was originally developed in
Psychology denoting Individual’s ability to
respond to demand placed on them by the
environment.
 Any underlying characteristic required
performing a given task, activity, or role
successfully can be considered as
competency.

96
 Competencies defined
 A collection of characteristics (i.e. skills, knowledge
and self-concept, traits, behaviour, motivation, etc.),
that enables us to successfully complete a given task.

Skills Knowledge

Self-concept
(Attitude)

97
 Iceberg Model of Competencies

•Skills = a learned ability

•Knowledge = acquiring
information in a particular field

•Self-Image = attitudes and

values
•Traits = why and how we
behave a certain way
•Motives = what drives us, i.e.,
the need to seek achievement,
power/influence, affliliation

98
 Competencies in the Corporate World

 Communication – without offending others

 Critical Thinking – Seeing the Big picture
 Ethics / Social Responsibility – Ethical behaviour
 Information Technology – creativity optimization
 Interpersonal Diversity – Being non-judgmental
 Leadership
 Managing Change
 Self-managed Learning – self motivated
 Teamwork – collaboration & impact of self
 Technical know-how

100
Emotional Competency Framework

Personal Competence Social Competence

Self Awareness: Empathy:

Knowledge of one’s self- Awareness of others’
concept and values feelings and emotions

Self Regulation: Social Skills:

Management of one’s Adeptness at inducing
impulses and emotions desired responses in others

Motivation:
Self-guidance and direction

* from Working With Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman

101
 Competency Classification

Individual Organisation

Social Behavioural Organisational

Leadership Cultural
Generic competencies

Technical Functional / operational Core competencies

knowledge Corporate competencies
Skill knowledge Distinctive competencies
Threshold competencies

102
 Why use competencies

 Competencies
 help individuals and organisations to improve
their performance and deliver results
 can be quantified and communicated
 can be taught, learned, measured and monitored

103
 Benefits of competency-modeling

 Integrates fragmented management and practices

 Links individual or group performance to strategic
direction
 Helps develop high value activities for the
organisation
 Focusing on what people do, not what they are
 Leads to organisational flexibility and stability
 Leads to competitive advantage
 Is participatory and involving
 Is objective; therefore, can be geared to possible
change in business future and to ensure relevance

104
 Benefits of competency-modeling – HR Delivery

 Matching of Individuals and Jobs

 Employee Selection
 Training and Development
 Professional and Personal Development
 Performance Measurement
 Succession Planning

105
 Who Identifies competencies?
 Competencies can be identified by one of more of the
following category of people:
 Experts
 HR Specialists
 Job analysts
 Psychologists
 Industrial Engineers etc.
in consultation with: Line Managers, Current & Past Role
holders, Supervising Seniors, Reporting and Reviewing
Officers, Internal Customers, Subordinates of the role
holders and Other role set members of the role (those who
have expectations from the role holder and who interact
with him/her).

106
 What Methodology is used?

 The following methods are used in combination for

competency mapping:
 Interviews
 Group work
 Task Forces
 Task Analysis workshops
 Questionnaire
 Use of Job descriptions
 Performance Appraisal Formats etc.

107
 How are they Identified?
 The process of identification is not very complex.
One of the methods is given below:
 1. Simply ask each person who is currently
performing the role to list the tasks to be
performed by him one by one, and identify the
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Skills required to
perform each of these.
 Consolidate the list.
 Present it to a role set group or a special task force
constituted for that role.
 Edit and Finalize.

108
 What Language to Use?
 Use Technical language for technical
competencies. For example: knowledge of
hydraulics.
 Use business language for business competencies.
Example: Knowledge of markets for watch business
or Strategic thinking.
 Use your own language or standard terms for
Behavior competencies. Example: Ability to
Negotiate, Interpersonal sensitivity, Sales
techniques. Too technical and conceptual
knowledge align to the organization and people
may create more problems than help
109
Assessment Centers

110
 Assessment Centre

 Assessment centers typically involve the

participants completing a range of exercises which
simulate the activities carried out in the target
job.

 Various combinations of these exercises and

sometimes other assessment methods like
psychometric testing and interviews are used to
assess particular competencies in individuals.

111
 The theory behind this is that if one wishes to predict
future job performance then the best way of doing
this is to get the individual to carry out a set of tasks
which accurately sample those required in the job and
are as similar to them as possible.

 The particular competencies used will depend upon

the target job but one will often find competencies
such as relating to people; resistance to stress;
planning and organising; motivation; adaptability and
flexibility; problem solving; leadership;
communication; decision making and initiative.

112
 AC Vs DC
Assessment centres usually – Development centres usually –

 have a pass/fail criteria  do not have a pass/fail criteria

 are geared towards filing a job vacancy  are geared towards developing the
 address an immediate organisational need individual
 have fewer assessors and more participants  address a longer term need
 involve line managers as assessors  have a 1:1 ratio of assessor to participant
 have less emphasis placed on self-  do not have line managers as assessors
assessment  have a greater emphasis placed on self-
 focus on what the candidate can do now assessment
 are geared to meet the needs of the  focus on potential
organisation  are geared to meet needs of the individual
 assign the role of judge to assessors as well as the organisation
 place emphasis on selection with little or  assign the role of facilitator to assessors
no developmental feedback and follow up  place emphasis on developmental feedback
 give feedback at a later date and follow up with little or no selection
function
 involve the organisation having control over
the information obtained  give feedback immediately
 have very little pre-centre briefing  involve the individual having control over
the information obtained
 tend to be used with external candidates
 have a substantial pre-centre briefing
 tend to be used with internal candidates

113
 Types of Exercises
Group Discussions
 In these, candidates are brought together as a
committee or project team with one or a number of
items to make a recommendation on. Candidates may
be assigned specific roles to play in the group or it may
be structured in such a way that all the candidates have
the same basic information. With this type of exercise,
and in common with other types of exercise, it is of
great benefit to ensure that you understand and follow
the instructions for the exercise.

114
 Types of Exercises

In Tray
 This type of exercise is normally undertaken by candidates
individually. The materials comprise a bundle of
correspondence and the candidate is placed in the role of
somebody, generally, who assumed a new position or replaced
their predecessor at short notice and have been asked to deal
with their accumulated correspondence. Generally the only
evidence that the assessors have to work with are the
annotations which the candidates have made on the articles of
mail. It is important when undertaking such an exercise to
make sure that the items are not just dealt with, but that
clearly mark on the items any thoughts that you have about
them or any other actions that you would wish to put in train.

115
 Interview Simulations / Role Plays
 In these exercises candidates meet individually with a role player or
resource person.
 Their brief is either to gather information to form a view and make a
decision, or alternatively, to engage in discussion with the resource
person to come to a resolution on an aspect or issue of dispute.
 Typically, candidates will be allowed 15 -30 minutes to prepare for
such a meeting and will be given a short, general brief on the
objective for the meeting.
 In undertaking such an exercise you should consider carefully how you
want to spend the time in the meeting and plan accordingly. Although
the assessment is made mainly on the conduct of the meeting itself,
consideration will also be given to preparatory notes, thus it is useful
for any meeting plan or objectives that you set yourself for the
meeting to be clearly set out in your preparatory notes.

116
 Case Studies / Analysis Exercises

 In this type of exercise the candidate is presented with the

task of making a decision about a particular business case.
They are provided with a large amount of factual
information which is generally ambiguous and, in some
cases, contradictory.
 Candidates generally work independently on such an
exercise and their recommendation or decision is usually to
be communicated in the form of a brief written report
and/or a presentation made to the assessors. As with the
other exercises it is important with this kind of exercise to
ensure that your thought processes are clearly articulated
and available for the scrutiny of the assessors. Of
paramount importance, if the brief requires a decision to
be made, ensure that a decision is made and articulated.

117
 The above is meant as an illustrated list of the types of
exercises that may be encountered in an assessment
centre. Variations and permutations are almost infinite.

 It is, however, worth remembering that there is a large

body of academic research which suggests that the
assessment centre is probably one of the most valid
predictors of performance in a job and, if correctly
structured, is probably one of the fairest and most
objective means of gathering information upon which a
selection decision can be based. From the candidate's
perspective it is important to be natural and to be oneself
when faced with an assessment centre, remembering
always that you can only be assessed on what you have
done and what the assessors can observe

118
 Exercise categorisation

 Level 1: Administrative - suitable for a wide range of roles

including: secretarial and clerical staff, call centre staff,
frontline customer service roles
 Level 2: Graduate - ideal for roles where there is no
requirement for significant organisational experience
 Level 3: First line manager - primarily for new or junior
managers, or managers with little experience of people
management
 Level 4: Middle manager - for experienced managers, including
familiarity with people management
 Level 5: Executive - targeted at senior managers with
significant experience

119
 Design an Assessment Centre

 Design of an assessment centre should reflect:

 the ethos of the organisation
 the actual skills required to carry out the job
 potential sources of recruits
 the extent to which recruitment is devolved to line
managers
 the HR strategy.

120
 Design Criteria

 The essential design criteria should include:

 duration of the centre (one day might be insufficient
for more senior posts)
 location (reality or ideal surroundings and
accessibility for candidates with disabilities)
 number of candidates brought together (five may be
too few for comfort under observation and more than
eight gives problems in sharing the assessed time)
 candidate background and comparability of past
experience
 number, mix, and experience of assessors.
121
 Design Criteria

 Essential and desired skills /competencies to be

matched to the techniques and tasks which test
them
 Group exercises should be as real as possible
 The tasks might need to encourage competitiveness
/collaboration

122
 Observers

 There should be a number of senior observers/selectors

to ensure greater objectivity through a range of views.
 Selectors must be trained to observe, record, classify
and rate behaviour and seek evidence accurately and
objectively against the job description and person
specification.
 Selectors preferably should also have had some training
on interviewing skills and in managing diversity, and
have good listening skills.
 Assessors might also be used to observe and comment
on behaviour although they do not necessarlity take
part in final selection decisions

123
Performance Management

124
 Objective Setting

 An objective is a simple statement of an end result

to be achieved within a specified time frame.
 It should be short, clear and specific.
 It can also be in the form of an activity as it may
not always be possible to quantify the end results.

125
 Why Objective setting ?

 Gives direction to job.

 Helps focus on important job areas.
 Assists review and change in job emphasis.
 Provides a basis for appraisal, counselling and
feedback.
 Increases mutual job understanding with superior.

126
 Objectives

 Are significantly important areas of job.

 When performed well, improves overall results.
 Are maximum payoff job areas.
 Represent the work which account for 80% of
results.

127
 Objectives

 Targets – are specific conditions to be

achieved/indicates how much of what and by when

 Activities – action steps which lead to the end

results / used when targets are not quantifiable /
indicate what by when

128
 Process of goal setting

 What is the job ?

 What are the end results expected ?
 What policies / procedures / work methods are
impeding performance ?
 What changes are needed for better results ?
 How can work assignments be regrouped/altered to
improve schedule ?
 What problems need to be overcome next year ?

129
 Objectives v/s Targets

 Focus on imp. Areas  Measures imp. Results

 Related to job description  Related to objectives
 Signposts
 Direction of work  Milestones/Pathways
 Optimum number 6  Specific condition
 One or more for each
objective

130
 Criteria for objectives

 Observable
 Basis for appraisal
 Jointly evolved
 Extra effort
 Clear/consistent with dept. objective
 Time bound
 Initiative
 Verifiable
 End result- emphasis on
 Satisfying

131
 Objectives should be

 S - Specific
 M - Measurable
 A - Attainable
 R - Relevant
 T - Time-bound

132
 Process

 Establishing specific goals to support stated

purpose.
 Determining the importance of these goals.
 Making plans for action.
 Arriving at performance standards and
measurement criteria.
 Stating anticipated problems.

133
 Process..

 Weighing the resources required to carry out the

planned action.
 Providing for interaction of organization and
individual goals.
 Following up with actual performance
measurement and evaluation.

134
 HRs role in Performance Management

 Delivering time-lines
 Ensuring timely adherence
 Auditing the objectives jointly with line managers
 Ensuring objectives are in line with organisational
goals
 Requesting modification if required

135
Thank you

136
 High Performance Organizations

 High Performance Organizations

 Design  Traditional
Components Organizations  Multi-skilled team players
 People  Narrow expertise  Dispersed
 Decision Systems  Rugged individuals  Open
 Human Resources  Centralized  Realistic job interviews
 Structure  Closed  Continuous learning
 Values & Culture  Standardized selection  Performance-based pay
 Routine training  Enriched jobs
 Job-based pay  Flat, flexible hierarchies
 Narrow, repetitive jobs  Self-contained businesses
 Tall rigid hierarchies  Promote involvement
 Functional departments  Innovation and cooperation
 Promote compliance
 Routine behaviors

137