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EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

Submitted To

Submitted By

Table of Contents

Topic Name Page No.

1.1 Developing a set of own responsibilities and performance objectives 3

1.2 Evaluating own effectiveness against defined objectives 3

1.3 Making recommendations for improvement 3

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

performance

4

2.1 Writing a ‘MEMO’ to all colleagues outlining the solutions 5

2.2 List down the various types and levels of communication using an

organisation of your choice

5

2.3 Identify and explain any three (3) of the effective time-management

strategies

6

3.1 Explaining each of team roles and how they complement each other 7

3.2 Analyse (break down) the concept of team dynamics 8

3.3 Choosing a particular organisation of your choice, put forward/Suggest alternative ways to complete tasks and achieve team goals

11

4.1 Identify and evaluate any tool and method you can use for developing

solutions to ONE of the problems

11

4.2 Develop an appropriate strategy for resolving one of the problems 12

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

chose in 4.2

12

Merit Grade 13

References 14

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1.1 Developing a set of own responsibilities and performance objectives

1.2 Evaluating own effectiveness against defined objectives

1.3 Making recommendations for improvement

Responsibilities and

Performance Objectives

How effective in

meeting the

objectives?

Make Recommendation for

Improvements

Recruiting and selecting employees Recruited 5

persons and 2

persons are

selected.

Reasonably

effective

Concentration only

on HR activities

Knowledge of

updated aspects of

HR

Getting advanced

trainingEstablishing a pool of potential

candidates

Collected a lot

of CVs of

business

graduates

Created a

database of

potential

candidates

Very effective

Formulation of HR policy On the verge of

completing HR

policy for the

company

Fairly effective

Taking interviews of candidates Interviews of 10

candidates have

been taken over

phone.

Satisfactory

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

Just like any other word, there are variations of definitions to describe a concept. Motivation

too has many different definitions, but it is important to focus on those that are related to the

workplace. Understanding exactly what motivation is will help managers decide what actions

to take to encourage their employees. The definition of motivation starts with the root word,

motive. Webster’s Dictionary defines motive as, something that causes a person to act.

Therefore, motivation can be defined as, the act of providing motive that causes someone to

act (Shanks, 24).

With relation to the workplace, Ray Williams, who writes for Psychology Today, defines

motivation as, “predisposition to behave in a purposeful manner to achieve specific, unmet

needs and the will to achieve, and the inner force that drives individuals to accomplish

personal organizational goals”.

Richard Ryan and Edward Deci, from the University of Rochester, agree that motivated

means that the person is moved to do a particular act (Ryan and Edward, 54). The authors

describe motivation as, the “orientation of motivation concerns the underlying attitudes and

goals that give rise to action”.

Some useful motivational techniques are given below:

Understanding Employee Behaviors

Meeting employee lower-level needs

Empowering employee

Understanding Employee Behaviors: Focusing on the specific behavior and making certain

that employee understands the benefits for altering his/her behavior. Making it a positive win-

win.

Meeting employee lower-level needs: Neglecting to address employee's needs will result in

a highly de-motivated employee who will be ineffective and will serve as a de-motivating

conduit for others within the organization.

Empowering employee: By empowering employee management can make sure that

employees are thinking like being evaluated.

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2.1 Writing a ‘MEMO’ to all colleagues outlining the solutions

Falkite

-----------------

--/--/----

To: Staffs of customer service department

From: Customer Service Manager

Subject: Solution finding

Dear employees,

Take my gratitude. I’ve observed some problems in our customer service department for the

past few days. I would like to give some solution in this regard through this memo to all of

the staffs of customer service department. A time schedule has been prepared for all

individuals of customer service department. All are requested to follow the time schedule

from the very next day. If any of the staff finds it difficult to start his/her duty on scheduled

time on a specific day then he/she must have to inform this to me. Same thing goes for any

instant leave. An abridged training session has been arranged for staffs who are engaged in

receiving refunded goods to get them a clear idea of the accurate procedure.

2.2 List down the various types and levels of communication using an organisation of

your choice

Types of communication available in Nestle:

Formal communication: Forms of Formal communication are:

Departmental meetings

Conferences

Telephone calls

Company news bulletins

Special Interviews

Special purpose publications and messages

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Informal Communication: Informal communication includes comments, suggestions etc.

They may be conveyed by a simple glance, gesture, smile or mere silence.

Levels of communication available in Nestle:

Upward communication: Sales Manager writes to the vice presidents and the president.

Downward communication: Sales Manager writes to subordinates. Managers write to

subordinates to give orders, to motivate them to work better, to inform them about policies

and progress towards goals, and to promote goodwill and teamwork.

Lateral communication: Sales Manager writes to same-level coworkers, who often work

together on projects. These coworkers need to solve problems and to coordinate their efforts

(Hurley).

2.3 Identify and explain any three (3) of the effective time-management strategies

Time management is the efficient and effective utilization of an individual/organization’s

time to achieve individual/organizational goals. It is the art of arranging, organizing,

scheduling and budgeting one’s time for the purpose of generating more effective work and

productivity (Sandberg, 2001). According to Obi (2003), time management involves

identifying tasks to be performed, planning and scheduling organizational activities,

prioritizing such activities, allocating time to the tasks according to their degree of

importance in enhancing productivity.

Effective time management strategies

Setting up priorities: According to Akomolafe (2005), the key to effective time

management is to use proactive thinking. It is very essential in time management for one to

identify long term goals, break them down into projects and prioritize activities.

Time scheduling: Good time management involves keeping a schedule of the tasks

and activities that have been important. Keeping a calendar, daily planner or weekly planner

seems to be helpful to stay on the task, however, self-discipline is also required.

Avoid procrastination: Procrastination is the postponement of a task which needs to

be accomplished. It is a chronic habit of illegitimately justifying to oneself that a task does

not, should not or cannot be started now.

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3.1 Explaining each of team roles and how they complement each other

"A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a

common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they are mutually

accountable." (Katzenbach and Smith, 1993)

Role played in a team Explain the role Explain how can they work

together

Plant(er) Solves difficult problems

with original and creative

ideas. Can be poor

communicator and may

ignore the details.

Goals

To assess and confirm

customer needs and

goals, Shapers and

Coordinators are key.

Ideas

Plants and Resource

Investigators best

develop creative ideas

to meet those needs.

Plans

When a team needs

plans,

Monitor/Evaluators

and Specialists are

valuable contributors.

Contacts

If a team must

communicate with

contacts outside the

team, Resource

Resource Investigator Explores new ideas and

possibilities with energy and

with others. Good networker.

Can be too optimistic and

lose energy after the initial

flush.

Shaper Lots of energy and action,

challenging others to move

forwards. Can be insensitive.

Completer/Finisher Reliably sees things through

to the end, ironing out the

wrinkles and ensuring

everything works well. Can

worry too much and not trust

others.

Co-ordinator Respected leader who helps

everyone focus on their task.

Can be seen as excessively

controlling.

Implementer Well-organized and

predictable. Takes basic ideas

and makes them work in

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practice. Can be slow.Investigators and

Team Workers are the

best suited for the job.

Organization

Implementers and

Coordinators excel at

keeping the team

organized and on

track.

Follow Through

Finally, ensuring that

all plans are

completed and quality

control is maintained

should be the

responsibility of

Implementers and

Completer-Finishers.

Monitor/Evaluator Sees the big picture. Thinks

carefully and accurately

about things. May lack

energy or ability to inspire

others.

3.2 Analyse (break down) the concept of team dynamics

Team dynamics refers to the way a group of different individuals works to achieve business

success. A knowledge of team dynamics will help everyone work together to make the best

use of their abilities.

Team dynamics covers areas such as:

The way people communicate with each other,

The way decisions are made,

The type of leadership,

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Whether people work collaboratively, or more as individuals,

The various roles and responsibilities within the team,

The relationship between individual and business goals, and

How the team adapts to change.

Five Issues to be considered in Team Building

Team building exercises are very important in the development of task-oriented teams that

will work together on a complex project for an extended period of time. Experiences

designed to facilitate team development should be focused on some, if not all, of the

following five issues:

1. Interdependence

Each team member's outcomes are determined, at least in part, by the actions of the other

members. The structure of the team task should be such that it requires cooperative

interdependence. Functioning independently of other team members, or competing with

them, will lead to less than optimal outcomes for the entire team. The team building task

should also have a cooperative interdependent structure. Tasks that require the successful

performance of sub tasks by all team members are called divisible and conjunctive tasks. The

team building exercise should be structured such that the team members become aware of,

and experience, their interdependence.

2. Goal Specification

It is very important for team members to have common goals for team achievement; in

addition, team members must communicate clearly about individual goals they may have.

Some team building sessions consist entirely of goal clarification (specification) exercises. A

shared goal is one of the definitional properties of the concept "team". A simple, but useful,

team building exercise is to assign a newly formed team the task of producing a mission and

goals statement.

3. Cohesiveness

Teams are cohesive to the extent that membership in them is positively valued; members are

drawn toward the team. Task oriented teams involve both social cohesiveness and task

cohesiveness. Social cohesiveness refers to the bonds of interpersonal attraction that link

team members. Although a high level of social cohesiveness may make team life more

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pleasant, it is not highly related to team performance. Nevertheless, the patterns of

interpersonal attraction within a team are a very prominent concern. Team building exercises

that have a component of fun or play are useful in encouraging attraction bonds to develop.

Task cohesiveness refers to the way in which skills and abilities of the team members mesh to

allow effective performance. Exercises that require the application of the skills that will be

necessary for completion of the team assignment, but require them in a less demanding

situation, allow the team members to assess one another's talents. Such experiences can lead

to consideration of the next issue, the development of team member's roles and of the norms

that govern role enactment.

4. Roles and Norms

All teams develop a set of roles and norms over time. In task oriented teams, it is essential

that the role structure enables the team to cope effectively with the requirements of the task.

When the task is divisible and conjunctive (i.e., divisible into subtasks), as are most of the

important team tasks, the assignment of roles to members who can perform them effectively

is essential. Active consideration of the role structure can be an important part of a team

building exercise. Task roles may be rotated so that all team members experience, and learn

from, all roles. It is important that the norms governing the assignment of roles is understood

and accepted by team members. Norms are the rules governing the behavior of team

members, and include the rewards for behaving in accordance with these rules (or normative

requirements), as well as the sanctions for norm violations. Norms will develop in a team,

whether or not they are actively discussed. There are common norms that govern most teams;

however, a team building assignment in which those common norms, as well as some that are

specific to a team, are discussed and accepted is useful.

5. Communication

Effective interpersonal communication is vital to the smooth functioning of any task team.

There are many ways of facilitating the learning of effective communication skills. Active

listening exercises, practice in giving and receiving feedback, practice in checking for

comprehension of verbal messages, are all aimed at developing communication skills. It is

also important for a team to develop an effective communication network; who

communicates to whom; is there anybody "out of the loop?" Norms will develop governing

communication. Do those norms encourage everyone to participate, or do they allow one or

two dominant members to claim all the "air time?" Team building exercises can focus on skill

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development, network design, and norms, but even when the exercise is focused on another

issue, communication is happening. Watch it! Shape it! (McNeill, Bellamy & Burrows, 2000)

3.3 Choosing a particular organisation of your choice, put forward/Suggest alternative

ways to complete tasks and achieve team goals

Selection procedure at Asda:

Applications are registered through Asda’s online recruitment system, Asda’s HR team then

shortlist appropriate candidates for interview or an assessment centre. The assessment centre

known as either ‘Asda Reality’ or ‘Asda Magic’ provides an opportunity for candidates to

demonstrate their strengths which align to Asda’s culture, beliefs and way of working. When

recruiting internally, an appraisal is used to help inform the selection process. An appraisal is

where a colleague discusses their performance, skills and development opportunities with

their manager.

Selection process at Asda is comparatively flexible and takes less time. In order to select right

and most appropriate candidate Asda should evaluate each and every recruits very well by

several steps of tests and interviews. This will ensure the goal of organization to engage right

people at right place.

4.1 Identify and evaluate any tool and method you can use for developing solutions to

ONE of the problems

Consultation with colleagues could be very handy for developing solution of this problem

“Some staff members do not report to customer service manager if they are unable to come or

start the shift on-time. Upon investigation you found that a few staff generally contact via

telephone via your store's telephone switch board. You found that the messages are not

communicated to relevant person in charge on time.”

Consultation with colleagues will keep all confusions away from the mind of staff members

and make them clear about what to do to avoid the very problem.

4.2 Develop an appropriate strategy for resolving one of the problems

Compromise and collaboration is an appropriate strategy for the solution of “Some staff

members do not report to customer service manager if they are unable to come or start the

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shift on-time. Upon investigation you found that a few staff generally contact via telephone

via your store's telephone switch board. You found that the messages are not communicated

to relevant person in charge on time.”

Staffs guilt need to be compromised for the very first time before the consultation. After

consultation they will be well aware about their faults and all the staffs should form a

collaboration to reform themselves and find themselves away from punishment.

4.3 Evaluate the potential impact on the business of implementing the strategy chose in

4.2

Impacts on the business of implementing compromise and collaboration strategy are

following:

The general welfare of the organization will benefitted

When differences have been recognized and "aired" and there is a need to move

forward.

Unsatisfied staffs.

When the goals of both parties have equal importance and merit.

There will be quick resolution, even if temporary.

When there are options and the use of bargaining or negotiation will help to reach

mutual agreement.

Secondary or back-up approach or collaboration modes do not work.

Value of maintaining relationships is more important than the tangible outcomes of

the disagreement.

The parties can agree to disagree and live with the decision.

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M1 Strategies for appropriate solution

In order to learn about employability skills I have scanned various journals and

articles available in online and gone through various websites.

M2 Selecting/designing and applying appropriate methods or techniques

Through purely qualitative research from available sources, I was able to complete the

assignments. Primary data would have been helpful, but secondary information

already proves to be sufficient to demonstrate a better understanding of various

employability skills.

M3 Presenting and communicating appropriate findings

The findings in this paper have been presented in a manner that is technical, as

expected from someone taking the course. The technical terms reflect my

understanding of the lectures and how they apply in organizational operations.

REFERENCES

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Akomolfe, C. O. (2005). Principals’ time management abilities in secondary schools in

Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Educational Administration and Planning, 5(1): 58—67.

Hurley The Communication Process: The Flow of Communications at the Organizational Level

Katzenbach, J.R. & Smith, D.K. (1993). The Wisdom of Teams: Creating the High-performance Organization. Boston: Harvard Business School.

McNeill, Bellamy & Burrows, Introduction to Engineering Design, 2000

Obi, E. (2003). Educational planning in contemporary Nigeria. Enugu: Computer Edge Publishers.

Ryan, R., and Edward L. Deci. "Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations: Classic Definitions and New

Directions." Contemporary Educational Psychology 25.1 (2000): 54-67.

Sandberg, J. (2001). Understanding competence at work. Harvard Business Review, (3): 24—28.

Shanks, Nancy H. "Chapter 2." Management and Motivation. Jones and Barlett. 23-35. Print.

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