paper brifing- task1U2

Your company has been invited to submit a briefing paper for a regional People Practice event that will share insights and good practice on a range of people practice processes and practices. The topic area that your manager has chosen is â€˜evidence-based practiceâ€™ and has selected you to represent the company by creating the briefing paper for the event.

your paper :

AC 1.1 â€“ An evaluation of the concept of evidence-based practice including how it can be applied to decision-making in people practice. By provide an evaluation of the concept of evidence-based practice and assess how evidence- based practice approaches can be used to support sound decision-making and judgments for people practitioners across a range of people practices and organisational issues.

AC 1.1 is all about evaluating the concept of evidence-based practice, including how it can be applied to decision-making in people practice. So remember, the command verb is evaluate and requires you to make a judgement as to the concept of evidence-based practise. And ideally this would be supported with academic references.

It would be good to start this section with a reference definition of evidence based-practise. For example, the CIPD state that evidence-based practice is about making better decisions, informing action that has been has the desired impact using critical thinking and best available evidence. You could consider how evidence-based practice works within your own organisation, finding examples you can use to support your discussion. The next step in answering this question is to assess. Remember, this means to review the benefits and drawbacks of evidence-based practice approaches.

You should select at least two different evidence-based approaches, such as the benefits and drawbacks of critical thinking as an approach. Or you could consider models of decision-making and assess the effectiveness of this approach to evidence-based practice.

A third approach could be to assess groupthink and polarisation and how effectively it is used in evidence-based practice. Have a look at the course content, which gives you a number of different approaches for consideration. You should discuss how the approaches you have chosen can be used to support sound decision-making judgements in terms of effective analysis of the data or ensuring you’re assessing evidence from a variety of sources. You could look at how judgements are formed based on effective conclusions across a range of people practice and organisational issues.

Consider how does your organisation make decisions? How sound are your decisions? You could consider how decision-making should avoid personal experience or anecdotes, and how it needs to rely on sound evidence. Alternatively, you could consider bias in decision-making and the impact of this in terms of valid and reliable results. You should bring in your own examples relating to people practice. For example, you could focus on learning development as a people practice issue and discuss how effective evidence-based practice can be used when designing a new learning and development programmes, and how you would ensure that decisions are based on evidence.

You could consider the approaches that you could use to design the learning and development programme, which results in sound decisions. You need to apply your discussion of the concept of evidence-based practice and approaches to a range. So, for example, three different people practice and organisational issues. These could be absence trends or identifying staff for downsizing or introducing a new coaching programme. You could think about your own organisation and its people practice and organisational issues, and then evaluate concept-based practice and evidence based on these approaches to resolving these issues.

AC 1.2 â€“ An evaluation of a range of analysis tools and methods including how they can be applied to diagnose organisational issues, challenges, and opportunities.

By evaluate two micro and two macro analysis tools or methods that can be used in people practice to explore an organisation s micro and macro environment, and how those identified might be applied to diagnose future issues, challenges and opportunities

AC 1.2: Evaluate a Range of Analysis Tools and Methods, Including How They can Be Applied to Diagnose Organisational Issues, Challenges and Opportunities. The task asks you to evaluate two micro and two macro analysis tools that can be used in people practice to explore the environment, and how these can be applied to diagnose future issues, challenges and opportunities. Therefore, I would recommend you write this as five separate paragraphs. The first two paragraphs relate to evaluation of two micro analysis tools, and the second two paragraphs relate to the evaluation of two macro analysis tools.

In your final paragraph you could write about how the tools and methods can be applied to diagnose future issues, challenges and opportunities, making sure you cover all three. Remember to include examples from your own organisation and evidence of wider reading and research to inform your answer. Micro environments relate to small forces that affect the company’s ability to serve its customers, whereas macro environments relate to larger forces that affect the micro environment. Therefore, you could use PESTLE analysis or forcefield analysis or Porter’s Five Forces or future state analysis as macro environmental analysis tools.

You could use Ansoff Matrix, fishbone, balanced scorecard or McKinsey 7S to analyse the micro environment. For example, you could use McKinsey 7S and you could discuss how this can be used to identify the effectiveness of the organisation’s people practice, such as learning development policy related to the introduction of a new product or service. So take McKinsey 7S: look at how it can be used in a specific area of people practice and then you could consider how it can be used to diagnose future issues, challenges and opportunities.

And remember, you’ve got to do two micro, two macro. That’s the end of that section.

AC 1.3 â€“ An explanation of the principles of critical thinking including ways to apply these to my own, and others’, ideas.

By explain the principles of critical thinking and give examples of how you apply these yourself when relating to ideas, to assist objective and rationale debate.

AC 1.3 is covered: Explain the Principles of Critical Thinking, Including How They Apply to Your Own and Others’ Ideas. The tasks ask you to explain the principles and give examples of how you apply these to all and other ideas to assist objectives and rational debate. Therefore, I would recommend you write two paragraphs: the first paragraph explaining the principles of critical thinking. For example, the principles of objective, rational thinking or checking the validity of sources, or considering unconscious bias during the process of critical thinking and how these can be used during this process. Ideally, you would include reference definitions in this section.

In the second paragraph, I would include two examples of how personally you apply these principles of critical thinking to yourself, to your own and others ideas. You could consider, for example, comparing your ideas like with like or where you differentiate between fact and opinion or where you ensure you just don’t take the information at face value.

As a people practice professional, you could consider, for example, disciplinary investigations and how you have used the principles of critical thinking to support your’s and other’s ideas. Alternatively, you could consider the introduction of new people practice system and how you have used critical thinking principles during this process. Remember to include examples and evidence of wider reading and research to support your discussion. That is the end of that section.

AC 1.4 â€“ An assessment of how different ethical perspectives can influence decision-making.

By assess at least two different ethical theories and perspectives and explain how an understanding of these can be used to inform and influence effective decision-making.

AC 1.4, is to assess how different ethical perspectives can influence decision-making, the task asks you to assess two different ethical theories and perspectives and explain how an understanding of these can be used to inform and influence effective decision-making.

Therefore, I recommend you write three paragraphs in this section. The first paragraph assessing one ethical theory. You could select utilitarianism as your first theory, for example. Your second paragraph, you could assess altruism as a second example. Then in the third paragraph, you should explain how you can use these different ethical theories to inform and influence effective decision-making. You should use references in this section and bring in examples for your own organisation. For example, paragraph one, you could provide an assessment of at least two of the benefits and drawbacks of utilitarianism as a theory of ethical perspectives.

You could consider a benefit of utilitarianism in the decisions should be evaluated on the basis of their consequences, e.g. what should we do in this situation? A weakness of this could be that it relies on people making consistent decisions. Have a look at the learning content, which can help you complete this section in Week 2. Take in a second theory of ethics, for example, altruism, and assess at least two benefits and drawbacks of this theory as a practice of ethical perspectives.

A benefit of altruism could be that decisions are made unselfishly with the goal of helping others. However, a drawback of altruism in decision-making is that decisions can be made that neglect others’ needs and desires. Therefore, you may need to consider how this impacts people practice.

Your third and final paragraph in this section should explain how your understanding of utilitarianism and altruism can be used to inform and influence effective decision-making. For example, altruism decisions might be made with the best intentions, but may not be based on the best evidence and may be made to satisfy others rather than achieving the goal.

You could consider a manager who makes a decision based on an altruistic ethical principle in relation to capability and performance issues, whereas a different manager makes the decision based on facts. The consequences of this could be significant for the organisation. Try and think of your own examples you can bring into this answer to achieve a high pass.

AC 2.3 â€“ An explanation a range of decision-making processes to identify potential solutions to a specific people practice issue.

By explain a range of decision-making approaches that could be used to identify possible solutions to a specific issue relating to people practice.

AC 2.3, where you are required to explain a range of decision-making approaches that can be used to identify possible solutions to a specific issue relating to people practice. And the task requires you to explain a range, which means at least three of these different techniques. Some of the different decision-making approaches you can consider are: best fit decision-making; future picks and approaches; problem outcome framework approaches; action learning approaches; or De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats.

Have a look at the learning content from Week 3 to help you choose the right decision-making approaches. I would recommend you write three separate paragraphs, one for each of the different approaches. For example, start with Approach 1 and introduce, for example, action learning as your first approach in paragraph one and explain what this is, discuss how it can be used to identify solutions to specific people practice issues.

You might have a people practise issue in terms of managers lacking coaching and skills across the organisation, therefore, you might suggest that action learning is used as part of the decision-making process.

Remember that action learning is where a small group of people come together within the organisation to address challenging and complex issues, to work together to explore and resolve those issues. Therefore, someone from L&D and a couple of managers within the organisation could come together to explore these issues in action learning sets to come up with solutions to how to solve the problem of the managers who lack the coaching skills.

You need to write paragraph two about a second decision-making approach, with specific links to people practice issues. Then a third, final paragraph on a third decision-making approach, again, with reference to people practice issues. You must include examples of people practice issues as you will choose one of these to complete the next task. And that is really important to consider at this point. Whatever you want to take forward here, you will use in the next section of the assignment. So have a look at the next task before you complete this task.

Remember to include evidence of wider reading and research to support your discussion. The people practice issue you have identified in this section you will use in the next section of the report. So do make sure that you review the next section before you complete this section, to make sure that the examples you’ve chosen here are valid and meet the assessment requirements in the next section. That’s the end of that section.

AC 2.2 â€“ A review of relevant evidence to identify key insights into a people practice issue & AC 2.4 – A rationale for my decision, based on evaluation of the benefits, risks, and financial implications of potential solutions.

By as a worked example to illustrate the points made in 2.3, take this same people practice issue, explain the relevant evidence that you have reviewed, and use one or more decision- making tools to determine a recommended course of action, explaining the rationale for that decision and identifying the benefits, risks and financial implications of the suggested solution.

AC 2.2: Review Relevant Evidence to Identify Key Insights Into a People Practice Issue and also AC 2.4 where you have to Provide a Rationale for Your Decision Based on Evaluation of the Benefits, Risks and Financial Implications of Potential Solutions.

So using one of the identified people practice issues you’ve identified in section five of Task 1, you must explain the evidence that you have reviewed. And you need to evidence the use of one or more decision-making tools to determine the recommended course of action, explaining the rationale for that decision and identifying the benefits, risks and financial implications of the suggested solution.

Therefore, to complete this task, you need to review some relevant evidence to help you come up with solutions to solve your problem. If your problem was about coaching skills of managers, you need to review evidence e.g. could be complaints from staff, complaints from customers, observation of managers, managers requests for support. You could also have used to statistical data from within the organisation. Now, this is the only place where you will need to gather your own information and you should include a copy of the evidence you have reviewed, subject to obviously GDPR confidentiality in the appendices of the report.

And this is something your tutor will discuss more with you in the cohort cafÃ©s in terms of how we need this evidence to be presented. So once you’ve collected the evidence, you need to review that evidence and you need to use one or more decision-making tools to come up with some solutions, therefore, you need to include examples of the decision-making tools.

So you collect your evidence, you could then complete a fishbone diagram. So you would create a fishbone diagram based on the evidence you’ve collected and reviewed, and you would include a copy of the fishbone diagram you have created as an appendix in the report. From the use of the decision-making tool, e.g. the fishbone diagram, you need to then summarise the data and recommend a course of action.

So e.g. ‘Recommendation 1.’ Recommendation should be short, snappy and specific. Once you have written at least one recommendation, then you need to explain the rationale for the recommendation you are suggesting. What are the benefits of the recommendation to solving the problem?

You should write this rationale as a separate paragraph and you could consider how your recommendation will solve the problem with managers who, for example, didn’t have those skills. You should also discuss any risks with your recommendations, e.g. the impact on employees. And finally, you need to identify the financial implications. For example, what will the cost of the solution be? So you might have to guesstimate this e.g. the direct costs, but also consider some indirect costs such as lost training time or feasibility of the solution. OK, that’s the end of that section.

AC 3.1 â€“ An appraisal of different ways organisations measure financial and non-financial performance.

By compare and contrast a range of different ways and approaches that are used to measure financial and non-financial performance within organisations.

AC 3.1 where you appraise different ways organisations measure financial and non-financial performance. The command verb is appraise, which is similar to assess, but you need to assess, e.g. the benefits and drawbacks of this approach and then form an opinion. The task requires you to compare and contrast three different ways and approaches that can be used to measure financial and non-financial performance within organisations.

Therefore, I would write three paragraphs in this section: the first two paragraphs will be introducing the different approaches to measuring financial and non-financial information, and we suggest two of each. Such as, for example, looking at cash flow forecast and revenue data for financial performance or review and KPIs and productivity levels as non-financial indicators. The second paragraph, you would be comparing and contrasting these financial approaches. For example, compare and contrast the cash flow forecast with revenue and coming up with your opinion as to the effectiveness of these measures in terms of financial performance.

The third paragraph would compare and contrast your non-financial approaches. So, for example, comparing and contrasting KPIs with productivity levels as the non-financial indicators within the organisation. Remember to include references and examples from your own organisation to enhance your grades in this section

Here are some useful CIPD factsheets and wider reading to support you with your report.

AC 1.1 – Evidence Based approaches

https://allmindtools.com/rational-decision-making-model/

https://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Gr-Int/Group-Decision-Making.html

1.2 Micro and Macro Analysis – adv and disadv

Micro

Fish bone https://www.reliableplant.com/fishbone-diagram-31877

Balanced scorecared https://heartpace.com/blog/post/balanced-scorecard-in-2020-advantages-and-disadvantages

Macro:

PESTLE https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/strategy/organisational-development/pestle-analysis-factsheet#gref

SWOT https://www.managementstudyguide.com/swot-analysis.htm

1.3 – Critical thinking principles to own and others ideas