Learning And Development

Continuous learning and development is required for an individual so that he could manage all his roles and responsibilities in an effective manner while working in the organization. The present study has been described researcher's own aims and objectives along with his ability to meet all the defined objectives. The researcher has taken Thomas Cook for the present study and according to that performance of the travel and tourism organization has been reviewed. Furthermore, effective time management strategies are also discussed. The group plays a crucial role in Thomas Cook and through the aspect; the organization is able to achieve determined goals and objectives.

Develop a set own responsibilities and performance objectives

The present study is emphasizing on Thomas Cook; therefore, according to that specific job title has been taken. For instance- human resource manager of the organization is accountable to manage different work processes as per the delegated roles and responsibilities (Wilton, 2011). I have been working as a human resource assistant in Thomas Cook where I play different sorts of job roles.

• I am accountable to manage all the employees in a motivating manner so that they can contribute in meeting goals and aims of Thomas Cook.
• It is my duty to delegate proper roles and responsibilities to all the supervisors so that they can further communicate the same to their subordinates.
• I am responsible to make decisions related to employees and organizational affairs.
• I am also responsible in managing employee welfare activities so that the value of the business can be encouraged (Williams, 2005). And besides that, it also plays crucial role in retaining potential employees for a longer time period.

Hence, to manage all these roles and responsibilities, I have determined several performance objectives which further also assist me to play all my roles in an effective manner.

• I emphasize on continuous learning and development so that I can learn different things while playing diversified roles.
• At the same time, I continuously observe myself so as to find out the areas that have been developed through learning practices and activities (Trought, 2012).
• I always try to develop communication skills so that I can communicate properly with the employees and clients as well. This assists me to develop the confidence level in myself.

Evaluate own effectiveness against defined objectives

With the help of self-analysis, I realized that I need to develop many things for meeting organizational aims and objectives. Though I have the ability to maintain the standards of the organization; still I should emphasize more on development activities. Working with Thomas Cook has actually helped me to develop a range of skills and abilities and that further contributes in augmenting my competency level. Thus, to consider the same I can specify my abilities and competencies briefly.

• I have the ability to manage a team in motivating manner (Simon Cassidy, 2006)
• I always meet the deadlines of projects by working in a team
• I can manage team goals and objectives
• I am able to communicate properly with other employees

Hence, apart from all these skills and abilities, there are certain areas as well that I should take for more development. Here is the list of all such abilities that are mandatory for me to develop.

• I need to develop leadership skills so that I can provide suitable directions to all the subordinates. This could also assist me to enhance the number of followers. Proper leadership ability is sometimes considered as an appropriate way to build motivation power of workforces (Rosenberg, Heimler and Morote, 2012).
• Furthermore, I should develop a suitable level of interaction between employees and the management of Thomas Cook so that the issue related to communication gap can be avoided.
• Since, I am working as a human resource manager at Thomas Cook; therefore it is essential for me to utilize all the organizational resources in optimum manner.

Make recommendations for improvement

For more development, I should emphasize on increasing my strengths so as to overcome the threats prevailing in my path. I should monitor my abilities and competencies so that accordingly I can undertake different activities for performance management. Instead of managing all the roles and activities, I need to facilitate improvements in my performance so that it could enhance my career opportunities (Mason, Williams and Cranmer, 2009). I should emphasize on varied sorts of training and coaching aspects so as to learn many things related to existing job roles. I can also take accountability to manage complex work processes of Thomas Cook so that this could bring challenging power in myself.

I should develop self-motivation skills so that I can manage others as well and at the same time, this can also assist me to eradicate issues prevailing at Thomas Cook. Self-motivation skills could assist me to manage my roles in a valuable manner and at the same time, it could also help me to get recognition from the top management. I should develop interpersonal skills so that I can work properly within a team (Klein, 2005). Furthermore, I should develop problem solving skills so that I can manage issues related to employees and this could also assist me to become more challenging at the workplace.

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

Motivational techniques can be used for the purpose of improving the quality of performance since that helps the employees to perform the job roles in effective manner. Thomas Cook in the similar manner is required to provide monetary and non monetary benefits to the employees so that employees can work in more productive manner (Lowden and et. al. 2011). Apparently, it has been observed that every organization which provides motivational benefits to the employees get more cooperation in all work processes. Providing monetary benefits to the employees assists the workforces to work in more productive manner and at the same time, this can also assist in improving the quality of work processes. Hence, rewards and incentives can be provided for the same. On the contrary to this, non monetary benefits can also be provided at the same time where management could provide recognition and appreciation to the employees for motivating them towards better productivity (Karp, 2013).

Manager of Thomas Cook can use different motivational techniques to improve the quality of performance and a few are discussed in the below mentioned section:

• Involvement of all the employees in decision making process can improve the morale of employees and this can also encourage them to contribute more in quality processes. Viewpoints of all the concerned people should be engaged in decision making process as this is one of the best method of motivating the workforce.
• Further, monetary and non-monetary benefits should be delivered to the employees so that they can get motivated and as a result, this helps in augmenting the quality of work.
• Quality of work can also be improved if employees are getting towards training for different aspects which can help them to enhance the level of learning. At the same time, quality of work can be accelerated if there exists proper communication between all the employees.
• Proper interaction among the employees can help them to share and communicate things and as a result, together they will be able to contribute in quality aspects.

Develop solutions to work based problems

A company encounters a variety of obstacles during its course of work but those obstacles need to be clearly defined for efficient working of Thomas Cook. The organization is experiencing several problems at the workplace which needs to resolved in adequate manner. Some of the solutions to work based problems are discussed as under:

Effective communication: Communication is the most important element in every company. Thomas cook should focus on the communication process so that there can be a healthy working environment where employees can feel free to communicate with their supervisors and solve their problems for efficient working of the company (Hager and Holland, 2006).

Leadership: Thomas cook is facing problems related to leadership. This issue can be solved by appointing a capable leader with great leadership skills. Good leaders motivates its employees and are great problem solvers. Good leaders communicate the problems of employees and with them every employee is able to express their concerns and opinions freely.

Time management: Just like the financial resources, time resources are also limited and valuable. To accomplish the goals of the company time-management is a must to follow. Time-management skills includes self monitoring, self-control and planning (Guskey, 2000). Without managing time, tasks will not be completed on time and this will lead to inefficiency.

Hence, these are the major solutions that can be adopted at Thomas Cook for the purpose of reducing work based issues. This could also assist in managing organizational productivity and efficacy aspects.

Communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels

The above mentioned solutions needs to be communicated in effective manner so that productivity factor of Thomas Cook can be encouraged. For such purpose, various styles and modes needs to be used. Thomas cook is facing certain issues because of communication gap within the company. This gap can be sorted by using different communication styles like verbal and non-verbal communication (Most Effective Communication Strategies, n.d). Lack of communication in a company leads to inefficient working and unhealthy working environment. Subordinates are aware of their work and what they have to do to achieve the target, when communicated by the managers. Managers can communicate with their superiors (CEO's) verbally such as, a meeting can be conducted or seminars can be held, so that managers are aware of the objectives of the company. Managers after knowing the targets of the company can communicate those with theirs employees by the means of an email, phone call or by conducting a meeting, so that the employees work in the direction which leads to achievement of objectives of the company. Possessing the skills to communicate at all levels makes an employee valuable member of the company (Gravells, 2010). Thus, using the respective styles of communication could assist Thomas Cook to resolve work based issues in meaningful manner.

Organization needs to communicate all the problems and solutions in adequate manner since organizational issues needs to be properly addressed. There must be use of different styles while communicating the things as through that proper message can be transmitted to the concerned parties.

• At managerial level, the organization should consider emails and newsletter so that proper information can be communicated to all the respective persons and this can also showcase professionalism in communication aspects.
• At operational level, problem should be communicated directly so that changes can be done in all the operations.
• At strategic level, conference and meetings can be organized so that each and every aspect should be properly addressed and communicated.

Thus, all the departments have to follow different styles of communication categorizing from verbal to non verbal methods. The use of all such methods can assist in communicate things in appropriate way.

Identify effective time management strategies

Time-management helps in getting things done efficiently and avoiding work load and stress. Thomas cook should set realistic and achievable goals which helps in motivating and time is managed efficiently. Thomas cook should set SMART objectives so as to manage time and work processes simultaneously.

• Setting of goals will help Thomas cook to plan the career direction and staying focused on what is important for the company.
• The second thing which Thomas cook needs to do this prioritizing the work. The tasks which are of great importance for the company should be done first. Companies should not over commit to something that may not be achievable within the time frame (3 Simple Strategies for Better Time Management, 2015).
• Next is to list prioritized tasks so that specific processes can be managed directly. A company should revisit its plan and make the changes accordingly when necessary.
• Managers of Thomas Cook should rank task according to importance or urgency of the plan. If there are some tasks which always end up at the bottom of the pile or there is a workload in a company then, the managers can delegate some work to the employees (Fallows and Steven, 2000).  
• Deadlines should be set for the completion of each task so that at the end of the day there will not be a work overload. Workload should be structured, a task once picked should be completed before picking up another.

Explain the roles people play in a team and how they can work together to achieve shared goals

A team is a association of people who works together for achieving common aims and objectives. Team bonding and proper level of interaction is required chiefly so that accurate outcomes and results can be acquired. In a team, people are significant since they manage work processes by delegating the tasks and responsibilities to each other (Curtis and McKenzie, 2001). Team is a group of culturally diversified employees that helps Thomas Cook to manage different needs and preferences of customers. People in team can achieve shared goals in effective manner if they give importance to team management instead of individual goals and responsibilities.

In order to work effectively in a team, it is vital for employees of Thomas Cook to share things effectively. Along with this, all the team members should be included in decision making process so that they can put forward their valuable suggestions for organizational productivity. Team members should always work in collaborative manner so that complex and critical cases can be resolved (Berghman and Vloeberghs, 2003). It has been seen in many cases that an employee performs better in a team as compared to individual performance. Working in teams could also assist Thomas Cook to make the work processes more flexible which is further effectual in making several modifications in business practice. New and innovative things can be easily adopted at Thomas Cook for more growth and development.

• Every individual has to play prominent roles in the teams so that the overall efficacy of team aspects can be encouraged.  
• Teams at Thomas Cook have been managing all their roles and responsibilities in appropriate manner and this also aids in reaching towards organizational aims and objectives.  
• Each and every individual working in a team has to contribute huge efforts in achieving organizational aims and objectives as individual efforts can augment the value of team building aspects.
• At the same time, it is also vital for Thomas Cook to encourage the efforts of all the individual so that they can contribute more in team building aspects. Team management should always exist at Thomas Cook because through that only, proper interaction can be facilitated in the team.

Analyze team dynamics

Team is the association of group of many people who performs together for organizational productivity and long term sustainability. The chief aspect behind every team is to manage all sorts of work processes with skilled employees. Having teams at Thomas Cook aids in completing work processes in adequate manner and this also reduces the probabilities of uncertainties and issues amid different aspects in the business (Benefield and Joseph, 2010). People in teams are required to show their loyalty level towards each other so that all can commit towards better work management. Apart from this, having teams could also assist Thomas Cook to facilitate monitoring and controlling aspects on each other's activities which further also aids them in identifying the areas of improvements.

Having teams also aids the management to facilitate effective leadership through which suitable direction can be allocated to all the employees regarding achievement of organizational aims and objectives (Andrews and Russell, 2012). Employees together in a team can formulate different types of action plans for diversified work aspects. Teams also assists Thomas Cook to motivate all the employees in effective manner and as a result, goals can be acquired consistently. Nonetheless, Thomas Cook is also able to maintain ethical aspects in the team through communicating the values and norms in entire team.

Suggest alternative ways to complete tasks and achieve team goals

Teams at Thomas Cook could accomplish all the tasks and goals if there exists suffice amount of team interaction and cooperation. The management at Thomas Cook is suggested to include all the employees in decision making process so that the value of organization can be encouraged. At the same time, the organization is also suggested to consider feedbacks and opinions of all the team members for motivating them from several grounds (Alawneh, 2010). There must be appropriate team building exercises so that all the employees can interact with each other properly. Team members are required to be loyal to each other so that they can manage organizational aims and objectives. It is also crucial for the employees to identify roles and responsibilities of team members so that accordingly, outcomes can be generated.

Evaluate tools and methods for developing solutions to problems

It has been observed that Thomas Cook has been facing issues related to labor turnover which needs to be resolved immediately for protecting organizational growth and prosperity. First of all, the problem needs to be defined in suitable manner so that solution can be identified specifically. The management of Thomas Cook is required to analyze the reasons behind the issue. There should be proper discussion among management and the employees so that root cause of the issue can be removed (Karp, 2013). Several problem solving tools and techniques could be adopted for the same; however for that suffice information is required to gather. Hence, requisite strategy can be framed for the same purpose through which the issue of employee turnover can be managed. From many sources, it has been seen that action plan can also be prepared for the same where in leaders and managers of Thomas Cook should construct a strategy for retaining employees in the organization. This would not only improve productivity level but also it will assist Thomas Cook to analyze better solution for the subsequent problem (Williams, 2005).  It has been observed that Decision matrix and process map are the two chief processes that are being used in organizations for resolving contemporary and complex issues.

• The issue related to labor turnover can be reduced if the management has optimum solution for the same. Thomas Cook is required to have proper discussion with all the employees so that the core reason behind the same can be identified.  
• Further, monetary and non-monetary benefits needs to be provided to the employees so that their morale level can be reduced. There must be proper facilities to all the employees so that they can communicate for all the purposes.  
• There should be proper conflict management strategies so that issues related to employees can be solved in adequate manner.  
• Training should be provided to all the staff members so that they can augment their efficacy level and through this they can also boost their competency level.  
• The problem can be resolved if the management is able to show concern towards employee and as a result this helps the management to retain employees for longer span.

Develop an appropriate strategy for resolving a particular problem

• It has discussed in the above section that Thomas Cook has been experiencing issues of labor turnover; therefore to overcome such issue, it is vital for the management to develop specific strategic plan against the problem.
• At the initial stage, team is required to formulate so that they can analyze the reasons through which the issue of employee turnover is increasing (Lowden and et. al. 2011).  
• The management could also organize a session in which employees who are leaving the organization can be called upon and further discussion can be made with them regarding the things that leads them to leave the organization.  
• In team meetings, discussions can be held upon in which all have to decide the actions that could be taken against the issue.  
• Apparently, monetary as well as non monetary both the benefits can be provided to the employees so that they can be retained (Fallows and Steven, 2000). This can be done so as to improve organizational ability and productivity.  
• The management of Thomas Cook is further required to discuss the budget within which benefits and incentives can be provided to the employees.

Evaluate the potential impact on the business of implementing the strategy

In terms of impact, the above mentioned strategy could assist Thomas Cook to reduce the issue of employee turnover up to some extent. However on the other hand, this could enhance expenses of the company due to additional cost on monetary benefits for the employees. The impacts of strategy implementation is discussed here:

• Employees may develop interest to remain in the organization due to opportunity of direct communication with the top management. This could assist them to lay down directly the issues which they are having in the organization.  
• Furthermore, this could generate positive environment at workplace and employees may contribute more in organization's productivity (Myers, 2013).

Conclusion

Summing up the entire case, it can be said that organizational issues can be managed in effective manner if all the team members are able to contribute their efforts. Several work based problems are discussed in the subsequent study and along with that, the methods of communicating the same in organization have also been stated. Labor turnover is the major issue that is being prevailing at Thomas Cook due to varied reasons and amid them, some are briefly discussed in the subsequent research study.

References

• Berghman, L. and Vloeberghs, D., 2003. Towards an effectiveness model of development centres. Journal of Managerial Psychology.
• Curtis, D. and McKenzie, P., 2001. Employability skills for Australian industry: Literature review and framework development. Australian Council for Educational Research.
• Fallows, S. and Steven, C., 2000. Building employability skills into the higher education curriculum: a university-wide initiative. Education+ training.
• Gravells, A., 2010. Delivering Employability Skills in the Lifelong Learning Sector. SAGE.
• Guskey, R. T., 2000. Evaluating Professional Development. Corwin press.

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