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Managing Learning and Talent Development in Organisations

Assessment 1 - Design, Develop a Learning tool to meet an Organisational Need

Assessment 2- Learning Needs Analysis Portfolio

Assessment Overview

Assessment 1 requires you to design, develop and a learning tool to address a learning need you have identified in an organisation of your choice. You can design a completely new learning tool or devise something that can replace an existing training programme or process that will add value to the organisation. The tool will be presented in the form of an academic poster at an on-campus exhibition to be confirmed.

Assessment 2- comprises a case study-based Portfolio, of 3 case studies. The NovaTek case study is supplied, the 2 remaining case studies will be selected and researched by yourself. One must be operating for profit basis in ‘an international context' and the other case study must be based on a ‘not for profit' (charity) organisation.

Assessment 1 - Managing Learning and Talent Development in Organisations

Design of a Learning Tool

You are required to create a new and 'Original Learning Tool' designed to an aid an aspect of Individual or Organisational Management Learning and/or Talent Development. You need to identify a learning need within an organisationa design an original learning tool to meet this need. Once you have developed an idea, you will present your tool on an academic poster. There are several elements to this assignment, these are outlined below.

Instructions to Students - You must complete all of the following sections -

1. Devise a practical learning tool which is original, creative and new to meet an organisational need in an company known to you. You will present your learning tool in the form of an academic poster.

2. You must illustrate a clear purpose and need for the tool. Show what methods/techniques currently exist in this area. Identify and outline the potential problems or barriers you have identified with, what is currently used in terms of methods/ or tools and give reasons why your proposed new tool/method will be superior.

3. Through illustration, produce a reasoned Business Case for the adoption of the tool, in terms of what advantages it will bring the company and any potential risks.

4. A (academic and/ or industry based) summary of contemporary literature. This will provide academic underpinning to your chosen topic or theme. Your summary should ideally be concentrated around contemporary literature (published in the last 10 years). For example, if your tool is concerned with Leadership, then your literature will be based upon Contemporary Leadership.

5. The poster must contain details of how your tool can be evaluated. This will establish/ justifywhether the tool is fit for purpose.

6. You will pilot/ present your tool at a live exhibition at a date to be agreed going forward.

Assessment 2 - Leadership & Development Strategy

Case 1: Leadership Development Issues at NovaTek

When Charles Turner was told, on his fortieth birthday, that he was to be promoted to manager of the Electrical Insulation Materials Sales Department of the big NovaTek Fibre and Textile Company Limited, his happiness was marred by doubts about his own capability for the job.
NovaTek had only started to market its ‘High-Ohm' range of electrical insulation materials two years ago. The High-Ohm products were not easy to sell - their definite technical advantages over competing products were, more or less, cancelled out by higher prices, but their entry in to the market had been very successful. Existing production capacity was already almost fully sold and a big new plant, which would more than double capacity, was under construction and expected to start up in six to nine months' time. Turner was left in no doubt by his sales director that, as manager, he would be expected to lead his small sales force to ensure that sales of High-Ohm products continued to increase. His targets were set so that he was expected to sell most of the extra capacity of the new plant within no more than a year of production commencing.

In addition, he was expected to personally service the "house accounts". Five very large customers who between them accounted for over 25 per cent of all High-Ohm purchases. The biggest of them, Bucks Electrical Cables, was alleged to be extremely awkward to deal with, and Turner's immediate worry was that he would lose this account and 10 per cent of his sales if this customer wasn't happy.This was not his only worry. He wondered how Jim Fisher, who managed the Northern and Scottish Area would react to his appointment. Turner did not know Fisher very well, though his predecessor as sales manager, Frank Watson, had often spoken of him in glowing terms. Fisher was a self-confident man in his late twenties, reputedly very dynamic, highly intelligent and brilliant at selling industrial products. He had achieved remarkable success in running the Northern and Scottish area. 44 per cent of all High-Ohm sales were made there, as against only 28 per cent from the South and Midlands area, which Turner had managed before his promotion. (Remaining sales came from the house accounts and from exports). Turner, in fact, wondered why he, and not Fisher, had been promoted.

A further worry for Turner was the new manufacturing plant. He had always felt that it was going to be too big and he was extremely doubtful that more than a small part of the extra capacity it provided could be rapidly cleared in increased sales.Most of all, Turner doubted his own abilities. He knew that he was thorough, methodical, painstaking and cautious, but these were hardly the qualities essential for leading and managing a sales operation. His caution tended to make him slow and hesitant. He rarely produced new ideas and he disliked making a decision unless he had all the facts and had gone over them several times. He thought he was by nature better suited to keeping an existing successful operation going, and seriously doubted his ability to lead a dynamic pioneering effort.Turner had hoped that he would have a long period of hand over working alongside his predecessor, Watson. In fact, Watson was urgently wanted in the new post to which he had been promoted, and Turner, within a few days of being told of his new appointment, found himself in sole command. The organisational structure he inherited was as follows:

ASSIGNMENT TASK
You will create a portfolio of 3 cases. These may be presented and discussed in any order that you feel is logical and relevant. Critically review and evaluate how and why these case studies are different/ similar. Which specific leadership and development strategies are transferable and can be applied universally and which are unique to the contextual circumstances. Use theoretical underpinning to debate these issues.You are required to undertake a Learning Needs analysis in all 3 organisations.

Case 1 - NovaTek
You need to identify and address the immediate issues facing NovaTek. Specifically, within the sales team, you realise the staff from that department need to be your key priority, followed by a longer -term ongoing management development strategy.

You are required to:-
1. Undertake a Learning Needs Analysis for NovaTek and report your findings with a recommendation plan going forward.

2. Provide 3 year learning and development strategy for Novatek. (Example templates and organization examples are provided)

3. Conduct and Individual learning needs analysis and compile an action plans for the key staff members Turner and Fisher.

These documents should be underpinned by appropriate academic writing to support your propositions.

You are also required to research and present two further cases for comparison purposes only from the literature.

2. Research (or write from your own experience) two successful case studies of 2 multinational/globalorganizationsthat have operated successful Leadership and Management Development Programmes.

a. One operating FOR PROFIT in an INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT. and also

b. One in a NOT FOR PROFIT market in an INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT.

c. Compare and contrast the critical success factors outlined in the cases in your research to that of NovaTek.

Remember you may consider the three cases in any order that you think appropriate i.e you do not have to structure your work or order the cases as they are laid out in this brief.The word limitfor your work is 3,000 words.