Campus:

Awarding Body: Edexcel

Course: HND
Name of the Subject: Working with and leading people.

Assessor:
Submitted By (Student Name):
Student ID:

Number of words : 4000

Table of Contents
Assessment 1..............................................................................................................................1
Introduction................................................................................................................................1
Task 1.........................................................................................................................................1
1.1

Documentation to select and recruit a new member of staff.......................................1

1.2 The impact of legal, regulatory and ethical considerations to the recruitment and
selection process.....................................................................................................................2
1.2

The selection process...................................................................................................3

1.3

The managers contribution in the selection process...................................................4

Task 2.........................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Skills and attributes needed for leadership.......................................................................4
2.2 The difference between leadership and management.......................................................5
2.3 Leadership styles for different situations..........................................................................6
2.4 Motivating the staff..........................................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
Assessment 2..............................................................................................................................8
Introduction................................................................................................................................8
Task 3.........................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Benefits of team working for an organisation..................................................................8
3.2 Roles of a team leader and a team member in different situations...................................9
3.3 effectiveness of the teams in achieving goals.................................................................10
Task 4.......................................................................................................................................10
4.1 assessments of work performance..................................................................................10
4.2 The development needs of individuals..........................................................................11
4.3 Evaluating the success of the assessment process..........................................................11
Conclusion................................................................................................................................12

References................................................................................................................................13
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................14

Assessment 1
Introduction
In the competitive business environment it is very much vital for the organisations to have an
excellent workforce capable of driving the organisation in the right direction enabling the
organisation to reach its objectives. Actually the human force can be identified as the key of
success for any organisation. So ensuring that the organisation is occupied with a skilled,
committed and a motivated workforce is very much important for the success of any
organisation. Under this assignment the recruitment processes and procedures that will have
to be followed by Unilever in selecting an employee will be discussed and as well the legal
and regulatory impact on the selection and the recruitment process will be analysed in detail.
And as well the leadership and management skills that are required by managers and the
employees will be discussed in detail identifying the different leadership styles that will have
to be used with regard to different situations. The motivational factors for the employees will
also be analysed with regard to the organisation will be discussed in this assignment.

Task 1
1.1 Documentation to select and recruit a new member of staff.
According to Arthur (2012:p.224) recruiting the suitable employees for the organisation is
very much important as that will be the first step in developing a skilled and a motivated staff
for the organisation. And this selection and recruitment process can be identified as a legal
and regulated process where the organisation will have to follow the correct procedures and
documentation in selecting suitable employees. When selecting an employee for the
production department by Unilever, the following areas will have to be concerned with the
management of the organisation.
First of all Unilever will have to identify and analyse the particular job where they will
identify the key tasks and the nature of the job, identifying the key features and the
requirements. The management of Unilever will have to prepare the job description which
will indicate the purpose and the duties of the job. As explained by Quatrani (2003:p.223) the
job description for the above vacancy can be developed as follows.
Job Description.
1

Title of the job : Production Assistant.

Department : Production Department of Soap.
Purpose of the job : To provide assistant to the production manager to perform his

duties.
Objectives : Assist all the production employees to clarify their technical issues as
well as maintaining the machinery and equipment carefully. The production assistant
is expected to report to the production manager regarding any production issue and he

should assist the manager to develop suitable solutions.

Wage/salary : 100$ per month.
Qualifications required : Should have a good knowledge in soap production with
minimum 1 year work experience, educational qualifications regarding the technical
aspects and machinery handling.

The above job description format can be effectively used by Unilever in recruiting a suitable
employee for their vacancy. As per Yeung (2010:p.15) another document that can be
effectively used by Unilever will be the person specification which will indicate the exact
requirements and the skills of the candidate that should be there to perform the duties of the
job well. And Unilever will have to advertise about their vacancy which they can effectively
do through newspaper advertisements as well as by advertising through their website. The
candidates will be required to send a CV in order to apply for the vacancy which will be used
to get an initial idea about the candidates as to whether are suitable for the particular job or
not and the suitable candidates will be called for interviews. At the interview through an
assessment centre the candidates will have to evaluate to identify the most suitable candidate.
An assessment centre refers to a series of interrelated tests and activities that will be carried
out in order to valuate the candidates which will include face to face discussions,
presentations. According to Bulmer (2004:p.328) questionnaires, written tests, self appraisals,
as well as speeches. After analysing and evaluating the candidates Unilever will be able to
recruit the best candidate who will be most suitable to perform the duties of the above job.
1.2 The impact of legal, regulatory and ethical considerations to the recruitment and
selection process.
The recruitment and the selection processes are highly regulated by governments regarding
the rights of individuals and employees and as well the process is subject to various ethical
practices which will have to be considered by Unilever in selecting a suitable candidate. As
explained by Mondy (2008:p.155) the following ethical and the legal requirements will have
to be considered by Unilever in selection.

The selection should be only made depending on the qualifications of the candidate.
The selection and the recruitment processes should be equal and fair by all candidates.
The exact job description should be provided to the candidates at selection where the

candidates should have a clear idea about the job he or she will get selected.
In selecting no discrimination should be done regarding the sex, nationality, origin,

religious or political views.

The organisation should rely only on the relevant job related information.

The selection and the recruitment processes will have to be carried out within the above
frameworks in order to comply with the legal and ethical requirements regarding the selection
and recruitment process.
1.2 The selection process.
As per Bryon (2011:p.48) the selection process will be where the organisation will have to
select suitable candidates out of all the candidates who have applied for the particular job.
Usually this selection process will be carries out through a series of activities where the
candidates will have to face them successfully in order to get selected. In the above scenario
of Unilever, they will have to analyse the applications sent by the candidates in order to
identify the candidates who are with the relevant qualifications that are required for the job.
After identifying the potential candidates they will have to prepare criteria for selecting them
identifying the suitable tests and the interviews. In the above situation a written test to
identify the relevant knowledge, a practical test on his abilities and also a face to face
discussion will be effective in order to evaluate the potential candidates. According to
Aswathappa (2005:p.171) in selecting a suitable candidate the organisation can go through
the referrals where they will be able to identify the past performance of the particular
candidate with the other employers that are there. All these selection processes are commonly
known as an assessment centre which refers to the series of activities that will be carried out
in order to select a suitable candidate for the particular job. By carrying out all these
processes Unilever will be able to identify and select the most suitable candidate who will
have all the qualifications to perform the duties of the job successfully. After the selection the
selected candidate should be informed about the selection and the organisation will have to
carry out a negotiation with him in order to decide on matters such as salary, working hours,
leave and etc.
1.3 The managers contribution in the selection process.
In the selection process the managers will have to be neutral and kind. As explained by Dale
(2003:p.190) the manager should not behave in a manner that the candidates will be afraid of
3

them and they will no be able to properly face the assessment centre processes well. The
managers should use all the proper documentation such as the candidates application, his or
her CV, the job description and as well the person specification in the selection process
interviews which will help the managers to evaluate the candidates and to identify the most
suitable candidates with all the required qualities. And it will be an obligation for the
managers who evaluate the candidates to follow the relevant rules and guidelines with regard
to the selection process where the organisations will always have to comply with the relevant
selection and recruitment rules and regulations. A focused management involvement will help
the organisation to properly carry out the recruitment and selection process that will help the
organisation to get the best qualified employees for their jobs.

Task 2
2.1 Skills and attributes needed for leadership.
As per Cohen (2007:p.124) the leadership of the relevant employees and managers is very
much vital for the success of any organisation. Leadership can be identified as the ability of
the individuals to guide and direct others when they are unaware and not clear as to what
exactly to be done. In that regard the particular managers of the organisation should be able to
guide and direct the employees providing leadership. In guiding and directing others a good
leader should have the people skills where he or she should have the skills to identify and
understand the different situations of individuals and as well the leader should have the skills
to identify the motivations of the different individuals. According to Moyles (2006:p.12) a
leader should have the skills to inspire others and as well he should be able to create a
working environment that will motivate the employees to perform their duties well. And the
trait theories of leadership have clearly explained the attributes that should be there with a a
good leader which can be identified as follows.
Physical Traits A good leader should have the required physical features such as
the height, appearance, built, strength and etc.
Personality Traits A good leader should also have a good personality where he
should have excellent attitudes, novel ideas, values, qualities that will help him to
inspire and work with others guiding and directing them.
Social Traits This refers to how the person interacts with the society, his ability to
develop relationships with others, ability in developing discussions with others and
especially how well he is ready to listen to the views and the ideas of other people.

As explained by Ryan (2012:p.3) apart from the above explained skills and attributes a good
leader should always have an excellent knowledge about the particular field he is working
and also he should have a high level of self confidence which will help him to take up new
ideas and to gain the participation of others in performing his duties. And as well a good
leader should be an analytical person where he should be able to see the multiple impacts of a
given situation or a problem.
2.2 The difference between leadership and management.
In managing the human resources of an organisation it will be vital to identify the difference
between the concepts of leadership and management. Although these these two terms go
together there will be a significant difference between these two terms. As per Northouse
(2009:p.11) management can be identified as the art of getting things done from people
whereas leadership will be guiding and directing people when they are unaware and unclear
as to what exactly to be done. So this clearly indicates a significant difference between these
two terms. Manager's duty will be getting the things done for people where they will not be
that much closer to the employees and people. People may follow their instructions due to
fear or even may be due his or her position and legal title. They will only focus on carrying
out their duties and not anything other than their specific duties.
According to Bertocci (2009:p.74) unlike the managers the leaders will be more close to the
employees and they will always try to direct and guide people when they need help. The
leaders will concern the company goals as their own goals and will get more actively
involved in the company activities. In that regard the leaders will help the organisation to
effectively carry out its activities where the overall efficiency of the organisation will
improve. The leaders will have a high level of understanding about their employees and team
members where they will support them to clarify their doubts helping them to go the extra
mile. And as they will keep searching for the emerging opportunities of the environment that
will help the organisation to get the optimum advantage from those emerging opportunities.
And when a good leader is there in the organisation the whole organisation will be motivated
to perform their duties due to the correct guidance and the confidence level among the
employees also will improve due to that. As explained by Bates (2008:p.7) for managers to
become better leaders within an organisation it will be essential for them to develop all these
qualities in them which will help them to guide and motivate the employees.

2.3 Leadership styles for different situations.

As per Loosemore (2003:p.256) there are different leadership styles that can be adopted by
the managers when handling the different situations that are there within an organisation. As
explained by the situational theories of leadership, the leadership styles cannot be predefined
and they will change according to the given situation. As described by the Kurt Lewin
theories there are three different leadership styles as authoritarian, democratic and laissez
faire. Authoritarian leadership theory explains an authoritative leader where he will give all
the instructions were all the others will have to follow. Democratic leadership style means
that the leader will concern all the views and ideas of others before making the decisions.
And laissez faire leadership style means that the leader will delegate the decision making
tasks to other individuals provided that they processes the relevant knowledge to make the
decisions. So these different leadership styles will have to be adopted by leaders depending
on the different situations. For example when planning something the leadership follow a
democratic leadership style where he should pay attention to all the views and ideas of other
people. As explained by Rahim (2010:p.57) if the decision making is in critical situation an
authoritarian leadership style can be followed by the managers.
2.4 Motivating the staff.
According to Forsyth (2010:p.88) motivation can be identified as an inner drive that will
make people achieve certain objectives. Within an organisation it is very much important for
the managers provide the employees with a working environment that will arouse the
motivation of employees improving the overall efficiency of the organisation. So it is very
much crucial for the managers to identify the factors that will motivate the employees as well
the factors that will lead to demotivation. The Maslows hierarchy identifies the factors that
will motivate individuals as indicated below.

Image 1 Maslows Hierarchy of needs

(Source : http://www.businessballs.com/images/maslow_hierarchy.htm )
As explained by Steinberg (2007:p.22) the Maslow's hierarchy of needs indicates that the
different needs of people that will motivate them according to a hierarchy Once the
individuals fulfil one level of needs they will be motivated to fulfil the next level of needs.
The different levels of needs as identified by Maslow will be as follows.

Physiological needs
Safety needs
Social needs
Esteem needs
Self actualizing needs.

So in motivating the employees of an organisation it will be vital for the managers to identify
the different levels of motivating factors that will motivate them and provide them
accordingly to gain the maximum contribution from them. And Hertzburg explains basically
two types of motivating factors as the Hygiene factors and Motivating factors. As per Blythe
(2005:p.162) the hygiene factors will not particularly motivate the employees but if they are
not there within the organisation such as the salary, work conditions and job security. On the
7

other hand the motivating factors will particularly motivate the employees such as
recognition, bonus, responsibility and work balance. So the managers should ensure that the
hygiene factors are there within the organisation and at the same time they should provide the
employees with the relevant motivating factors that will make them perform better.

Conclusion
Selecting the suitable employees for the organisation will be very much important as that will
ensure that the organsiation is equipped with a skilled and a motivated workforce that will
help the organisation to achieve its objectives. In the selection process, the organisation
should use proper documentation such as the job description and person specification. And
also the selection process should be within the relevant rules and regulations. And when
selected they should be properly guided by the managers who will have to make them
perform their best identifying and providing the factors that will motivate them

Assessment 2
Introduction
Team work is very much vital for the success of the organizational activities. Especially with
regard to carrying out different project team work will be very much vital. This assignment
will identify the importance of teamwork within an organisation and the different skills and
competencies that will have to be there with the relevant team leaders. And the assessment of
work by individuals is very much important in order to identify and evaluate the performance
of individuals. This assignment will also focus on the relevant assessment procedures as well
as on the development requirements of the employees of the organisation.

Task 3
3.1 Benefits of team working for an organisation.
As explained by Robbins (2003:p.216) team work will be very much vital for the
organisation as that will enable the organisation to look in to the different matters as a group
which will help overcome the tough situations as well as to come out with more innovative
creations. Especially teamwork will be required by an organisation when different skills and
capabilities and ideas are required to carry out a particular task and also when a particular

task requires coordination of people team work will be required by an organisation. The team
work will particularly provide the following benefits to an organisation.
Team work leads to better productivity It will be normal for the organisations to face
times of difficulty and where the organisations will face different kinds of obstacles
and situations. In such situations more effectively and innovative solutions can be
obtained through team work which will help the organisation to overcome those
situations with a little input and effort in a short time which will enhance the
productivity of the organisation(Amstrong, 2000:p.75).
Improved problem solving As different individuals will come out with different
kinds of solutions to a given problem the problem solving can be done in a reduced
time.
High creativity many new ideas will come out in team works which will lead to
better creativity.
Improved information flow- When the teams are cohesive and strong all the problems
will be communicated to the relevant managers effectively and quickly which will
help to identify the potential problems and to come out with specific and effective
solutions.
Apart from all the above benefits, team work will particularly motivate the employees to
perform their duties well within the organisation.
3.2 Roles of a team leader and a team member in different situations.
In a high performance team both the members and the leader will have to play an active role
in order to achieve the objectives of the team. As per Pope (2008:p.120) the team leader
should have excellent leadership and management qualities which will help him to manage
the team well guiding and directing the team in the correct direction. The leader should
particularly have a good idea about the activities that will have to be carried out by the team
and as well he should know the relevant processes and procedures that will have to be used in
achieving the objectives of the team. That will help him to guide members when they are
unclear and unaware about their duties. The leader should be an analytical person where he
should be able to identify the different situations and problems of team members where he
should help the members to overcome such situations. And it will be very much important for
the team leader to identify the different factors that will motivate the team members and the
factors that will demotivate the team members in order to provide them with the relevant
factors that will arouse their motivation. That will particularly help the team to improve its
performance achieving its goals. According to Levi (2010:p.248) the team members also
9

should identify their roles and responsibilities within the team that will help them to perform
better in coordination with the other team members. And finally the whole team should be
cohesive in performing their duties.
3.3 effectiveness of the teams in achieving goals.
Teams will always have a formal mission and objectives that should be achieved. According
to Kondalkar (2006:p.321) in achieving its objectives the teams will have to work together
with the coordination of all the members under the guidance and direction of the team leader.
Team work will be required by the organisation when a particular task needs multiple
competencies and as good coordination of people. In that light teams will make people more
cohesive and it will probably motivate the employees to perform their duties well. Especially
when the goals and the objectives are particularly difficult to be achieved then the team will
be more cohesive in order to achieve that goal. Team work can be identified a motivating
factor according to the Hertzburg dual factor theory which will motivate members giving
them recognition within the team. And when different people with different competencies are
there in a team that will improve the problem solving and creativity of the team and
obviously that will lead the team to achieve their objectives within a lesser time than
allocated.

Task 4
4.1 assessments of work performance
Once the employees are recruited it is very much essential for the organisation monitor his or
her performance as that will help the organisation to identify the training requirements for the
employees as well as to identify the employees whose performance is effective and efficient.
As per Sandler (2010:p.35) in assessing the performance of the employees the organisation
will have to carry out appraisals that will identify and evaluate the performance of the
employees. Appraisals can be identified as a method used which will identify the
performance of employees that will help the organisation particularly to identify the situation
of different individuals. The appraisals will be an excellent forum for the employees to
communicate with the management about their difficulties in carrying out the duties and as
well to obtain rewards for their performance and even to get promotions. So in an appraisal
interview the employees as well the managers should participate effectively without making
it just a paper exercise. As explained by Hunt (2005:p.221) from the organisation's point of
view the appraisals will help the organisation to identify the training requirements of the
10

employees, to identify the employees who should be rewarded and even to identify the real
work situations and difficulties that the employees will have to face. So to make the
appraisals effective all the parties should effectively and actively take part in the process
gaining the maximum benefit from the procedure. And as well benchmarking of performance
can be effectively used to compare the performance of different individuals. And the
identified employees should be properly trained and mentoring can be done in order to help
them to improve their performance.
4.2 The development needs of individuals.
All the employees will not have the required exact skills and competencies in order to
perform the duties within the organisation. As per Cartwright (2003:p.54) once they are
allocated work to perform the individuals who are performing well and the individuals whose
performance is weak should be identified to identify the training and development
requirements of individuals. Training can be identified as a formal learning to achieve the
level of skills, knowledge and competencies to perform the duties of the current job. On the
contrary development will be developing their overall capabilities in order to help them to
face the current roles as well as the future roles. Through training and development the
employees will be able to improve their skills, confidence levels, satisfaction that will help
them to perform efficiently. And from the organisation's point of view that will reduce
inefficiencies within the organisation and reduce the employee turnover. The training and
development of the employees can be done using the following different methods.

Job rotation
Job enrichment
Seminars/ Case studies/ workshops
Demonstrations
Business games.

4.3 Evaluating the success of the assessment process.

Once the assessment processes are undertaken it will be vital for the organisation to evaluate
the success of such methods. Basically the employees can be monitored further to identify
whether there's any improvement in their performance after the assessment process. As per
Batten (2008:p.127) their reactions will indicate the success of the process during and after
the process and as well the behaviour of the employees will also indicate the results of the
evaluation processes. And also after some time from the evaluation process feedback can be
obtained from the employees which will indicate whether their concerns are attended,
whether training requirements are provided and as well where the they are rewarded for
11

excellent performance. And even after the training and development programmes the
performance of the employees should be assessed in order to identify the success of the
training and development process undertaken.

Conclusion
Team work will be vital for the organisations when facing difficult situations and as well
when a particular task requires multiple competencies and coordination. For a team to
become effective a proper leader should be heading the team guiding and directing the
members. And it is very much important for an organisation to evaluate the performance of
the employees which will benefit the employees as well as the organisation in many ways.
Proper training and development should be provided to the employees in order to help them
to improve their performance. And finally the success of the assessment processes should be
evaluated in order to identify the weaknesses and the success of the process.

12

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