Question
You are required to prepare a report to senior managers at their forthcoming annual meeting. The report needs to:
- Provide evaluation of the concept of evidence-based practice and assess how evidence-based practice approaches can be used to provide insight to support sound decision-making and judgments for people practitioners across a range of people practices and organisational issues. (1.1)
- Provide evaluation of one appropriate analysis tool and one method that might be applied by organisations to recognise and diagnose current and future issues, challenges, and opportunities. (1.2)
- Explain the main principles of critical thinking and describe how these might apply to individual and work colleagues’ ideas to assist objective and rational debate. (1.3)
- Assess a range of different ethical theories and perspectives and explain how understanding of these can be used to inform and influence moral decision-making. (1.4)
- Explain a range of approaches that could be taken by people practitioners to identify possible solutions to a specific issue relating to people practice. (2.3)
- Appraise one approach an organisation can take to measure financial and non-financial performance. (3.1)
- Explain how a variety of people practices add value in an organisation and identify a range of methods that might be used to measure the impact of a range of people practices (3.4)
Solution
Table of Contents
Sources of Evidence Based Data. 3
Assessing Evidence Based Approaches in sound decision making. 4
Main Principles of Critical Thinking. 8
3.1 One approach taken by organisation for measuring financial and non-financial performance. 12
Report Part Two: Data Analysis and Review.. 15
2.1 Interpretation of Analytical data using analysis tools and methods 15
2.2 Reviewing relevant evidence for identifying key insights into a people practice issue. 16
3.3 Key findings for stakeholders from people practice activities and initiatives. 23
Report-Part One
Background
In modern competitive and challenging business environment, adoption of evidence-based practice in making decisions is essential. Through a focus on XXX organisation in KSA, a report to the company director has been developed. This is intended to demonstrate the extent in which evidence-based practice approaches are applicable in informing sound decision-making in area of people practice and business linked issues. This report will highlight the gains, risk management, monetary and non-monetary gains in various people professional decision making.
1.1 Evaluation of Concept of Evidence-Based Practice, Assessing Evidence Based Approaches in sound decision making – range of people practices and organisational issues
Evaluation of the Concept
Being a core value in the 2019 CIPD HR Professional Map, CIPD (2021) identify evidence-based practice as “developing professional opinions supported by strong evidence from diverse sources”. Hence, for success in people practices decision making, evidence-based practice which equally integrate ethics is essential. To achieve this, a set of tools and techniques are applicable in diagnosing, noting on challenging issues and presentation of chances. Further, AIHR (2021) note that by appropriately using “available internal data, research findings and empirical studies and external judgement and real experience, the most appropriate decision is made” (see figure 1);
Figure 1: Evidence Based HR practice
Source: AIHR (2021)
From different sources such as Lemieux et al. (2018); Hollands et al. (2019) and Tindale and Winget (2019) highlight evidence collation from available sources as a core factor of the evidence-based practice.
For a people professional, possession of the skills in figure 2 are important to succeed in evidence-based practice.
Figure 2: Skills for Evidence-Based Practice for People Professionals
Source: CEBMa (2021)
As noted in AIHR (2021), evidence-based practice originated from the area of medicine. In particular, it noted that “medical practitioners began relying on relevant evidence for enhancing their expertise for added certainty in their clinical decision-making”. This has since been applied in other fields such as education, public sector and HR function.
Sources of Evidence Based Data
Scientific Literature– As evidenced in McMackin and Heffernan (2021) this is inclusive of most appropriate published scientific research offering a general information on studies in a particular segment.
Internal Data– As noted in Personnel Today (2014) “organisations can use numbers including productivity, retention and turnover rates”. Qualitatively, by interviewing different parties in an organisation, appropriate data is sourced.
Professional expertise/practitioners– These can include leaders in business, Company executives, management team and consultants to gain appropriate knowledge and information to succeed in various areas.
Stakeholder Values and Concerns– This is critical for ensuring that the evidence is collaborative improving overall perception and its reception (CEBMa, 2021a).
Assessing Evidence Based Approaches in sound decision making
Different approaches are applicable in offering insights for supporting sound decision-making and judgements for the people practitioners in a range of people practices and organisational issues.
An example of people issue in XXX organisation in KSA which required a sound decision making involved the need of reviewing both financial and non-financial rewards to employees after emergence of COVID-19 pandemic. To make decision, data was sourced from internal data from Human Resource Management System (HRMS) and recruiting database used by XXX. Also, qualitative internal data would be sourced by use of focus groups evaluating total reward system pre, during and post COVID-19 pandemic. Further, by engaging professional expertise, market remuneration dynamics would be sourced and impact of the changes to different stakeholders informed by past best practice in review.
For the identified people practice issue, evidence-based approaches applicable to make a sound decision would include;
Rational Model– According to Grau-Moya et al. (2018), the rational approach of decision making “include an assumption that choices made maximise benefits and minimise any costs”. This is by selecting object offering most significant reward with reduced costs. The advantage of this in making the rewards decision issue in XXX organisation include ability for defining problems, noting solution and deciding on its relevance. Any alternative is prioritised with best solution decided. Nevertheless, as noted in Bright Hub (2022), this method is constrained with insufficient information.
Bounded Rationality– According to CIPD (2015), “this is a human decision-making strategy focusing on the most appropriate decision as opposed to best possible decision”. The advantage of this is the capacity to employ experiences from experts, integrate active skills for problems solving and apply it in similar phenomenon.
Individual Vs Group Thinking– As evidenced in Chron (2018) individuals tend to make a prompt decision with a group dominating a set number of making involved in making decisions. The disadvantage of this is its time consuming with individuals escaping their roles. For the XXX issue, a group decision making approach was adopted since the problem with pay was affecting many people in the organisation.
1.2 Analysis tool and one Method Applicable in Organisations for Recognising and Diagnosing today and future issues, challenges and Opportunities
Analysis tool
An analysis tool which can be used is the Porter’s Five Forces (Bruijl, 2018). This is a tool applicable to recognise and diagnose today and future issues, challenges and opportunities. As illustrated in figure 3, the analysis tool identified aspects are applicable in noting on the profits and market dominance of an organisation. For example, considering XXX organisation, the Porter’s 5 forces identify the future issues, challenges and opportunities impacting its operations.
Figure 3: Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis Tool
For XXX organisation, through the adoption of the analysis tool, it is possible to come up with strategies for evidencing the best core forces in specific area of operations and to identify ventured areas of their operations.
Applicable Method
A fishbone diagram can be used as a method for recognising and diagnosing future issues, challenges and opportunities. As noted in Coccia (2018), the tool is used in “visualising for categorising the potential cause of a problem with an intention of identifying a problem root cause”. For instance, in XXX organisation, this tool can be used to identify the root cause of the turnover issue in the current COVID-19 pandemic (see figure 4);
Figure 4: XXX reasons for Turnover
As evidenced in figure 4, the future issues include health and wellbeing of their employees and conflicting work functions. This is with challenges including work stress, reduced costs control, limited adaption and inappropriate consultation. As illustrated in figure 4, the root cause factors have been directly linked with its root cause hence appropriately solving this issue.
1.3 Main Principles of Critical Thinking and Application to Individual and Work Colleagues Ideas to assist Objective and Rationale Debate
As evidenced in CIPD (2019) podcast, critical thinking is identified “as a key skill for the HR and all
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