Learning Through Experience

Introduction

The focus of this paper will be within the HR Director’s position within KapConsulting. This position is a direct report from the generalist managers and reports directly to the VP of Sales and Management and Human Resources. This position has been eye opening as to how the department is ran and the roles and responsibilities within it. It has been rewarding to be able to coach, instruct, and lead a team of interns in this department. There are many course outcomes and professional competencies put into practice within this position.

Required Accomplishments

Accomplishments within this position are important to the continued success of the department. Communication with all of the interns is important and staying organized with all of the information is equally emphasized. Weekly tasks include weekly accomplishment sheets (WAS), time clock corrections (TCC), weekly time and performance updates for the president, weekly payroll sheets, evaluate performance of managers and interns to make sure they are completing required tasks, weekly HR Department and AHOD meetings, and ensuring that new interns are recruited and brought into the internship successfully. Ultimately this position reviews everything that goes on in the department and makes sure the assigned people for the tasks complete them.

Currently Working On

            The HR Director position is currently working within the department to ensure the merger between the recruiting and generalist departments is seamless. This was a seemingly simple transition, however the team struggled with it in terms of training for both departments. It feels as if the team is still divided as far as task ability and knowledge. The leadership of this department needs to make sure everyone is understanding their current roles and responsibilities to ensure the department continues to operate at its best moving forward. This will be an area of interest for this position and will decide how effective the team is moving forward.

            Concurrently with the merger this position is working alongside the business process and training and documentation departments to create folders with consistent information for every new intern that is brought into the program. The attempt is to streamline the process and make it simplified for the new interns to complete the necessary paperwork and hit the ground running within the department they are placed. However this has been an area of concern as well. While progress has been made, the team failed to implement this process before the last group of interns were brought in so it has yet to be tested and evaluated for its potential success.

            Another concern for the HR Director at this time is preparing a folder with the information necessary to continue the job when it is time for a replacement. Upon taking over the position there was no folder for training. One of the tasks that is being worked on within the department is a folder containing all needed training material for replacements. The positions working on this within the HR Department are Generalist Managers, HR Director, and Vice President. Once complete this will be a go to folder for new interns in the position to use as a reference anytime it’s needed. It will be beneficial to the positions and make for an accelerated transition from one to the next.

Addressing Challenges

 Addressing the challenges for the HR Director will be critical. The transition for new interns and the ones taking over the position will consider this information vital and it is of tremendous concern. Ensuring the recruiters understand the generalist side of the function is crucial. Gathering everyone in a meeting room where they can discuss issues openly and without reprise will be beneficial. Going over the training slides will benefit as well. It will allow them to visualize and understand where the tasks are located and what it will take to complete them.

Creating the new folders for the interns coming into the program will ease the tension and burden of the generalists to a degree. This will allow everyone to send an invitation email, attach a link to a folder with their name on it in google drive, and allow them to access the necessary paperwork and training materials without the need for extensive emails and follow up. Simplifying this task will give everyone the ability to focus on what truly matters, the intern, and their initial entry into the program freeing up more time and energy spent dedicated to training and tasks from day one. Capitalizing on the key term Kaizen, which simply means to improve, we can collaborate and determine a better process for this concept. As referenced in, “Thoughts on Kaizen and its Evolution”, the authors discuss how continuous improvement is not simply a task for management but incorporates the workers as well (Barraza, 2011). Capitalizing on the ability of workers and management to create new and innovative ideas helps streamline processes and tasks to eliminate waste and make for a more productive process for everyone. By incorporating this theory into the internship we can continue to evolve and make the onboarding process more productive.

Creating the training folders will ensure the continued success of the interns new to the positions within their roles with little guidance. A folder has already been created for the HR Director role and attaching the proper forms and training documents will ensure a successful transition from one position to another. This work has been started already and will continue to be completed in the near future. To make this task successful it will need to be audited upon completion. Having different sets of eyes on the completed project will ensure everything is in order.

Course Outcomes

            MT490-1

            The first course outcome deals with information management and controls within the organization. It is pertinent for this paper as interns try and organize their thoughts and decisions structure and planning go a long way. Planning for the different challenges this position faces is crucial to its success. Evaluating information management allows the department to critically, step back, take in the process, and determine ways to improve it for everyone. Evaluating the process of building training folders for new interns is simple. Currently the department utilizes the coaching method. While effective this method is not completely efficient. By preparing a folder with all needed documentation and training materials the individual stepping into this role is already a step ahead in the roles and responsibilities of the position. At this point, minimal coaching is necessary to ensure success within the position. 

            MT490-2

            This outcome deals with the process in which information is disseminated and the procedures that lie within. By analyzing the process and procedures in which the organization completes its tasks, one can determine how successful the outcome of the process will be. Within organization learning there is a theory, it suggests that the concept is using past experiences to drive change and direct future activity.  According to Hunte-Cox, organizational learning is the determined by three concepts within it, structure, strategy, and environments (Hunte-Cox, 2004). Analyzing where the organization is currently and where it needs to be is critical for the continued success of it. The process utilized now to bring in new recruits is broken. New interns have expressed the enormity of emails they receive right off the bat. Information overload has been described, and even insanity. By analyzing the current process and understanding the key issues impeding success, the department has created an alternative method, it just needs to be implemented.

Professional Competencies

            PC-1, 1.1 & 1.3

            Teamwork is imperative to the internship and this position. Conducting oneself to include the team in all aspects necessary, portrays skills and demonstrates a leader. Exceptional guidance is available at KapConsulting, starting with Kevin, down to the managers of each department. Teamwork is vital to the continued success of this organization. It’s this ability that allows the interns to get the work done that they have and plan for future improvements. According to a study written by Rolfsen, there are three guiding aspects to autonomous teamwork within an organization (Rolfsen, 2013). These are governance, technical, and normative aspects (Rolfsen, 2013). These aspects are displayed at KapConsulting. Examples are great governance, this could be Kevin, the VP of Sales and HR Lissa Capobianco, and on down the list. These individuals give great guidance and allow the interns the ability to grow and develop. The technical aspect of it includes simply team projects and working together. The normative side of it refers to the 5 stages of group development. The norming stage is where the team members start to resolve their differences and become more comfortable with the other members and start to accept the leader’s position. This concept is prevalent throughout the internship and is an essential part of its success.

            PC-2, 2.1-2.5

            The HR Directors position within the department allows it many methods and opportunities to express ones skills and abilities as a leader. Collaboration and teamwork play a vital role in the ability for others to see the leader for what they truly are capable of and allow others to do. This is critical in accepting the director and allowing them to facilitate goals and accomplish them through the group.

            PC-3, 3.1-3.5

            Engaging with everyone from the internship is essential and determines the success of the individual in the position. Communication is key and understanding how to communicate effectively is a concept that is not overlooked. Whether through email, phone calls, or the creation of documents it is critical for the position to ensure constant and effective communication with everyone. Developing talent within the organization is imperative to continue the success it has had. Working one on one with other individuals capable of handling the work is necessary. 

Conclusion

            Many of the course outcomes and professional competencies apply to this position and this paper. While an individual may be successful simply playing the part and ensuring they complete the necessary work, the individual who masters these competencies and concepts will propel themselves into another category of true leaders. Success is not simply completing the necessary duties but helping others as well as guiding them in the right direction. This concept is not lost on the current HR Director and will continue to shape his success within the department and the organization.

References

Suárez-Barraza, M.,F., Ramis-Pujol, J., & Kerbache, L. (2011). Thoughts on kaizen and its evolution. International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, 2(4), 288-308. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/20401461111189407

Hunte-Cox, D. (2004). Executive succession planning and the organizational learning capacity (Order No. 3111403). Available from ABI/INFORM Complete. (305186382). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/305186382?accountid=34544

Rolfsen, M. (2013). "We put teamwork back on the agenda again and again". Team Performance Management, 19(5), 292-304. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/TPM-12-2012-0045