Learning and Development of Human Resource Management - Essay Example

I. List what you think should be included in an induction programme for a new recruit of Disney. Be prepared to discuss what you have included in your list.A. Company orientation1. Disney’s vision and mission statementDisney’s vision and mission is one of the things that should be communicated by the company to the employees in order for the employee to be familiarized with the company’s activities. What the company stands for and what the company aspires to be should be part of the induction programme in order to give the new recruit a sense of the general feel of being working for the company.2. Disney’s values and principles, and policiesa) ValuesThe core values of Disney, that are showcased through its brand and marketing communication should be included in the induction programme.

A new recruit will need to know the values the brand Disney stands for in order for him or her to incorporate these values as he or she interacts through brand touch points.b) PrinciplesAs employees make day-to-day decisions, it is very important that the decisions they will make are based on the Disney’s principles. The company’s principles are a vital inclusion to the induction program for the new recruit, as he or she will also need to make decisions in the future.3. How the job/department fits inIn order to give the new recruit an idea of his or her job’s significance to the bigger picture, the job’s place according to the organizational structure.

The place of the job in fulfilment of a bigger objective, when it is shown will give significance to the individual goal a new recruit has in fulfilment of his or her own job.B. Health, safety and environmentThe company’s policies as regards health, safety and environment should be included in the induction programme. This could include the company’s policy as regards requirements for medical examinations and provisions when employees acquire illnesses.Apart from the health, rules and policies about the company’s work environment should be included.

These rules, especially about safety in using certain equipments should be clearly given to new recruits. Also, serious actions that the management will take when employees violate safety rules which could jeopardize the safety of other employees should be included.1. Emergency procedures and equipmentWhen there are accidents, emergency procedures should be part of the induction programme in order to provide the new recruit knowledge that will aid him or her in times of emergency or accidents within the work environment.

This should also include the appropriate emergency equipment that should be used alongside the procedures in times of accidents in the work place.C. Duties and job requirementsDisney should include in its induction programme the clear set of duties and requirements of the job that the new recruit should fulfil. By making clear the demands of the job, the new recruit will know up to what extend he or she will be expected to perform, and what to perform.Apart from the duties, the number of work hours required for a certain job should also be clearly specified and included in the induction programme.

Because most of the jobs will require lengthier periods, as what happened in Euro Disney, it would do the company better to first give the employees how many hours they are expected to work.D. Compensation scheme and benefitsWhen the employees are informed about their duties as well as how many hours they are expected to work for the company given a certain period, Disney should clearly indicate the compensation scheme and benefits that match these jobs. By clearly indicating how the scheme would work, such as rewarding of bonus pay and where it will be tied to, or provisions for overtime pay, the company can make employees see for themselves if the compensation is matched with the demands of the jobs they should fulfil.E. Training and developmentAnother important part that should be included in the induction programme is elaboration of training and development activities for the company employees.

In the case of Disney, it has to provide training and development not only on the technical aspects of the jobs, but the people aspects as well which include cultural orientation and communications training for new recruits.The cultural orientation will familiarize and train the new recruit about the norms in their immediate cultural environment—the culture that surrounds the vicinity of their workplace. As Disney operates in different parts of the world, it is vital for the company to orient the employees first of what to expect about the culture of the people whom they should be working with—customers, suppliers, other local employees, and how to deal with different norms in case they are assigned to a different geographical region.

Alongside cultural orientation, communications training is also vital. As communication is comprised not only by verbal but also the nonverbal aspects, these should be included in the induction programme. The differences in norms and nonverbal cues can be a major source of conflicts among people, which Disney should address by giving it focus and making the new recruit aware of those matters.II. Tutorial Activity 3A. What relevance does succession planning have for small and medium sized firms?

Succession planning is vital even for small and medium-sized firms as even these smaller enterprises require leadership in order to ensure their financial health and success. Therefore, with any change in leadership or major change in key personnel which may then have impacts on leadership chains within the organisation, effective planning to cope with change is vital.Succession planning will prepare the whole organisation from the changes that are about to occur during succession. As organisation-wide education about the change is implemented, employees with have a smoother time in the workplace which will make them focus more on their current tasks than being put in distress from the threat of uncertainties that the changes will bring, such as organisational restructuring and massive layoffs that could accompany it.B. What are the possible elements which should be put in place in a succession plan?

The succession plan should contain necessary elements that would guarantee a smooth transition from one leadership to the next. This could possibly include the organisational awareness about the need for change in leadership, assessment of the leadership needs as criteria to look for the replacement of the leader, the temporary personnel to take charge of the office of the key person in order for the responsibilities to be met, thus not hampering the organisation’s vital processes and activities, then a transition committee and the plan that will be carried on to inform all the stakeholders of the company.

When a key person leaves, there is a vacuum of power in his or her position, of which when left empty for a long time will create chaos and disorder within the company because of responsibilities that are left and the tasks that are needed to accomplished. Therefore, by ensuring these elements to guarantee the thought of a smooth transition from one leadership to the next, in such a way that the current flow of operations will not be disturbed, the succession plan should contain them. All these elements are points that ensure the transition of one leadership to the next in a less disruptive fashion.C. To what extent should the HR function take on a key role in succession planning?

The Human Resource function should play a major, strategic role in succession planning. As Human Resource concerns the ‘people’ aspect of the organisation, keeping this in a firmer ground and preventing the company from chaos is a major role for HR.Whenever change happens such as change in ownership, distress follows the company as uncertainty sets in. The status quo is threatened by the changes of key personnel or change in ownership, which affects the productivity of the employees. That is why, as like any major changes that occur within the company, effective change management is vital.

Effective change management can be employed by the Human Resource function in order to address succession planning. By releasing the current state of things by getting the whole organisation ready for change, and educating the organisation about the changes that are to take place in the form of various Human Resource activities, then effecting the change gradually, and lastly refreezing the current state of things within the organisation by constantly reinforcing and rewarding employees for adopting it, succession planning can better be handled.

Effective succession planning thru effective change management will make sure that employees will not be distressed about the changes in succession, thus affecting productivity, and affecting the financial health of the organisation as a whole.