HRM

You are advisor for HRD Solutions (a Human Resource Consultancy) an at present your position is temporary. Your first client organisation would like you to propose some learning venture for their current Human Resource Development (HRD) approach and make recommendations for improvement. The quality of this report will dictate whether your position will be made permanent.
Must use these books
•    O’Toole, S., Ferres, N., & Connell, J. (Eds) (2011). People development- an inside view: Developing individuals, leaders and organisations. Prahran, Vic: The Tilde group.
•    Delahaye, B. (2011). Human Resource Development Managing Learning and Knowledge Capital. (3rd Ed), Prahran, Vic: The Tilde group.
•    Brown, D.R (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organization Development.( 8th ed).Pearson Education

?    Your report must be visually appealing (e.g., use of images, photos, branding…) and not just an essay .
?    Find, select, organise and reference information (it is not acceptable simply to write this report ‘off the top of your head’). You must provide evidence to support your points.
The first step is to select which of the aspects of HRD from this unit that you wish to become the major focus of your assignment. Ultimately you may select any individual topic or combination of topics from the following:  mentoring, action learning, coaching, shadowing & buddying, performance appraisal, organisational learning, team development, workplace learning, corporate academies & universities, succession planning, HRD evaluation, culture change.
The next step is to select the organisation that will be the subject of your report. Ideally it will be an organisation with which you have some connection thus enhancing access – perhaps you currently work there, have previously worked there, know someone who works there,  know the management or proprietors or are simply a regular customer- alternatively you could  merely approach an organisation cold.
You will also need to decide which primary field research components [interviews/questionnaires, focus groups & surveys] you will employ to gather data from your selected organisation. [ Once collected these source documents need to be included in the appendices]
Of course, depending upon the organisation, there may also be lots of publicly available information that may form the basis of secondary research eg  public company reports, company websites, magazine articles, newspaper articles, YouTube videos, Google financials, and books & journal articles that may shed further light on your selected organisation (consider online  – blogs, forums etc.as well ).

There is also a need for a critical approach.  A postgraduate response to a topic question requires your own ‘critical interpretation’ and lecturers look for evidence of “thought” in answering the question, not just a simple rehash and recall of the content area.  It is not sufficient to make statements without justifying them with an argument and supporting them with evidence.  Mere regurgitation of the arguments of other people (often in almost the same words) is not acceptable, although you may, of course, summarise these in order to comment on them. Ask yourself – why am I proposing this? What evidence or precedent indicates that this is the right thing to do in the situation and context? How will it make the right impact and produce relevant outcomes.

The most effective assignments will demonstrate critical analysis of why specific actions fit a particular context. What criteria you used to choose these actions. You need to display your confidence in identifying key issues, and evidence that supports these decisions. The place to start, when beginning work on your assignment, is therefore to take a careful look at the assignment specification and to make sure there is a clear link between what was asked and what you have produced with each action justified.

The quality of training design and how it meets an organisational need.  The text should include the standard requirements of critical thinking, presentation skills, coverage of material, written expression, structure, content, and referencing.
•    The completeness of the Programme trainers manual including the objectives and the quality of the training delivered.   The manual will be assessed to determine if an experienced trainer could use the manual without any other input to deliver the session.  This is the key to a good trainer’s manual.  This is necessary in case the trainer who designed the manual delegates the training, is unavailable or exits the organisation.
Criteria:
•    You should indicate how your proposal meets the strategic learning needs of the organisation, and the rationale that underpins the need for this learning programme.
•    You should indicate clearly the programme outcomes and potential return on investment.
•    You should indicate how the programme will built individual capability, organizational sustainability, cultural change, and system development.
•    You should indicate how your programme will develop individual performance improvement, organizational change and managing capability.
•    You should indicate how the learning will contribute to individual growth, system and cultural development and business benefits.
•    You should indicate how your programme links with other systems within the organization and with partners outside the organization.
•    You should indicate how the learning may contribute to personal development towards AQF frameworks standards.
•    You should indicate what evidence the learners will produce to validate the knowledge and learning they have gained.

F    P    CR    D    HD    ???????

Organisational Development /Training Proposal
Limited layout does not attract the reader                ?        Professional attractive proposal
Obscure context issues with vague outcomes                ?        Explains context, issues and solutions and links to wider systems.
Few objectives at individual, organisational and leadership levels                ?        Strategic objectives at individual, organisational and leadership levels
Indirect links to strategy, broader HRD, sustainability and capability building                ?        Argued links to strategy, broader HRD, sustainability and capability building
Opaque business benefits                ?        Measureable business benefits
No links to AQF or clear evidence of participant competence standards                ?        Networked to AQF or clear evidence of participant competence standards
Little integration of formal and informal learning modes and outcomes                ?        Mix of learning formal and informal modes integrated to culture change
Limited delivery partnerships                ?        Development delivery partnerships
Unconvincing ROI argument                ?        Justified ROI convinces reader
No references are cited.                ?            References are used and meet ECU referencing guidelines.
Training Manual
Cover page is not included or is unprofessional.                ?            Cover page is very professional.
Context and location of session is not provided and timing is vague.                    ?        Context and location of session is clear, and fully timed.
Activity is not justified or rational supplied                ?        Rationale underpins each activity and integrates the approach.
Manual is difficult to use and resources are basic and difficult to locate.                ?            Manual is easy to use and resources are high quality very easy to locate.
Poor learning objectives are provided that mismatch the activities.                ?            Clear learning objectives are outlined and match the activities.
Session plan has limited detail, or does not link clearly to materials.                ?            Session plan is clear, precise. Plan B is included.
A limited range of training methods and resources were employed.                ?            A wide range of training methods and resources were employed.
Little focus on participant motivation or learning styles                ?        Programme draws all participants to learning.
Evaluation
Evaluation Materials are not provided or
Lack validity                    ?            Evaluation Materials are provided that enable evaluation of individuals, the organisational change and leaders.