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Networking across the Channel – Study visit to the UK

For centuries already, the United Kingdom has been a pioneer in introducing new approaches into various types of education, employment policies and procedures, employee training and other forms of human capital development. It is no surprise that some of the oldest and the most prominent educational institutions, research institutes and agencies are located precisely in the UK.

However, in order to truly grasp a sense of the long-lasting quality tradition combined with innovative approaches, one has to travel across the Channel and visit some of the UK’s key institutions involved in human resources management and development.

During the preparations for the fi nal study visit offered within the capacity

building project, the project team, having in mind the desire of the benefi ciary to establish direct links with relevant UK interlocutors on the topic of human resources, ensured the services of experts from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the recently-merged HR Service of the London Boroughs of Merton and Sutton, Ofsted - the Offi ce for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills and two independent HR specialists, Stephen Cowburn and Richard Denny.

The programme of the study visit was envisaged to provide the AVETAE delegation, which consisted of 19 people including senior managers and fi ve HR coordinators, with a methodical overview of the HR process; theory, current best-practices and useful tools and methodologies. The overall objective of the study visit was for the delegates to gain a higher level of understanding with respect to the human resources management and human resources development by enabling them to discuss and share ideas with their hosts in a real-life environment. The series of

presentations on the most important theoretical and practical aspects of the HR management and development were delivered by the CIPD, the HR Service of the London Boroughs of Merton and Sutton provided an insight into the practical implementation of the innovative HR function “on the ground” which was followed by presentations “Coaching as a Tool in HR Development” and “Motivation and Leadership in the Public Sector” while the Ofsted with their overview of the HR challenges offered the fi nal input.

The more specifi c objectives of the study visit were intended for the delegates to become more appreciative of the role the CIPD plays in the development of HR qualifi cations and as well as of what type of benefi ts it can offer to its members and the organizations they work for; to comprehend better what is a true value of the performance management and staff development in meeting challenges of the 21st century, to receive fi rst-hand information on how coaching can be used for staff development and performance enhancement, to learn how to develop

Content:1. Networking across the Channel – Study

visit to the UK

2. Successful trainings represent commitment to improvement:

a) Human motivation is based on various levels of human needs

b) Self-actualisation with the assistance of excellent trainers

3. The Art of Organizational Self-Criticism – Performance Management and Performance Appraisal

their leadership skills and motivate others and, having achieved that, how can they support HR management and development in the public sector. Last, but not least, delegates were supposed to be explained in details how Ofsted regulates educational matters in England and how it usually addresses the dares of the future.

The host presenters responded as true professionals and delivered an extremely effective programme of learning which included interactive presentations that required full attention and intensive involvement of all AVETAE delegates. It was precisely the wholehearted participation and commitment on the part of the AVETAE delegates, as well as their enthusiasm in taking full advantage of the learning opportunity, along with the genuine interest of the presenters to transfer their knowledge to their peers from Croatia, that in the end qualifi ed this study visit for an overall excellent rating in terms of meeting expectations and objectives.

In the end it needs to be emphasized that the most valuable outcome of the study visit for the AVETAE managers and their staff was not only in enabling them to get acquainted with a different perspective and new approaches but also in establishing collaborative relationships with their colleagues in the UK and laying foundations for future cooperation on various work related projects.

Successful trainings represent commitment to improvement

Human Motivation is based on various levels of human needs

In our previous newsletter we explained how crucial and signifi cant motivation of staff is in achieving the level of performance that will result in excellent organizational outcomes. We also explained and provided several professional opinions on how important it is to establish a steady exchange of data on the current labour market needs between that market and designers and providers of educational programmes. Now, if you consider all the aforementioned elements and try to draw a simple deduction, you will easily conclude that there is a direct link between motivation and the desire to satisfy certain needs.

Human motivation has been an intriguing research subject for numerous psychologist and philosophers but the theory that has been widely used in the fi eld of marketing, international business, human resources development, etc., is the theory by Abraham Maslow that

was proposed in his paper published in 1943, A Theory of Human Motivation, and fully elaborated later on in his book published in 1954, Motivation and Personality, better known as Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

After only a brief glance at this pyramid it becomes evident that needs based on which crucial trainings for the AVETAE staff have been organized, that is, the needs that were identifi ed with the Training and Learning Needs Analysis for each individual AVETAE staff, belong to the top of the pyramid, to the needs for esteem and self-actualization.

If we go back to the most general training objective, the creation of highly motivated staff who will excel in their performance at all times and in all circumstances, we can again deduct a conclusion that the second round of trainings, since it was organized with an intention to satisfy the highest human needs, has fully met this overall objective.

However, for an organization that is mandated to modernize vocational education and training and adult education system in the country, the

training of staff, and therewith also motivating them, is not a one-time event but needs to become a permanent process that would ensure that all managers and their staff have been provided with up-to-date knowledge and skills needed for them to perform their duties effectively and effi ciently, a process that would continue also beyond the capacity building project.

In order to provide for the continuation of the aforementioned process in the future, a combined approach was adopted which included development of a Performance Appraisal System linked to Job Descriptions and Training Plans. Performance Appraisal is a systematic way of reviewing and assessing performance of an employee during a given period of time and planning for his/her future. It helps to improve staff effectiveness by identifying their strengths and weaknesses by way of addressing specifi c gaps in their knowledge, skills and attitudes and building their individual strengths. By linking the system to AVETAE’s strategic goals, staff will be trained in the skills necessary for the Agency to deliver against its mandate, particularly when a

“cascaded” approach has been adopted in the performance management.

General esteem and self-actualisation needs that were mirrored in the set of very specifi c needs identifi ed in the TLNA analysis were transformed into a thorough training programme refl ecting following priorities:

• First group of training needs, which was marked in red as a high priority, pertained to those competences that were considered very important for the job and in relation to which a signifi cant need for improvement had been determined;

• Second group of needs, which was marked in orange as a medium priority, pertained to those competences that were either very important for the job with some need for improvement or important for the job with signifi cant need for improvement.

• Third group of needs, which was marked in yellow as a lower priority, pertained to competences that were considered important for the job and required some improvement.

In agreement with the benefi ciary, several training topics that could be thematically grouped were merged into a single training event which expedited the scheduling and registration of AVETAE attendees. Almost all trainings, with an exception of Performance Management and Staff Appraisal trainings, which were

delivered by the project key experts in English, were organized and presented in Croatian language by well-established national trainers. Due to the fact that some of the training needs could not be translated into regular training topics, the project team implemented an alternative approach in which the selected trainers became facilitators who, in a series of facilitation workshops, worked with participants on analysing training topics and documenting processes and conclusions in the relevant reports that could be used by the AVETAE as reference documents in the future. Topics that were studied in the format of facilitation workshops were fl exibility (openness to different and new ways of doing things), professionalism (being committed to and capable of performing professional duties by applying high professional standards in your work and treating your peers in a fair manner and with due respect), attention to detail (ability to manage your own work and the work of others, to serve the purpose, to avoid any mistakes and be able to notice details that might affect the quality of work) and focus on results (focus on the desired end result of your work or the work of your work unit, setting goals that are challenging, directing efforts in achieving objectives as well as achieving these objectives or exceeding them).

The remaining part of the comprehensive training programme included the following training events: Communication Skills, Performance Management, Staff Appraisal, Confl ict Resolution, Self-development and Self-confi dence, presentations by the AVETAE personnel on the roles of individual departments in the Agency, Preparation of EU Project Proposals, Oral and Written Communication, Basic and Advanced ICT Skills, Building Collaborative Relationships and Negotiation Skills and Decision Making with Problem Solving. As a result of a high number of registered participants among the AVETAE staff, some of the training events were delivered more than once.

To date, all ratings received after the completion of a particular training event varied between “very good” (4) and “excellent” (5) which eventually defi ned the entire training programme as a successful outcome.

Self-actualisation with the assistance of excellent trainers

As mentioned earlier in the text, the project team’s efforts in delivering the envisaged training programme would have been unsuccessful if they had not been supported by the efforts, skills and extensive knowledge of experienced trainers such as Mrs. Branka Peurača, Mrs. Jasminka Sabol Mužinić and Mrs. Renata Takač Pejnović.

These outstanding women, who have closely cooperated with the project team in designing and delivering the training programme, have been kind enough to provide us with their personal views, professional assessments and guiding messages which are most defi nitely worth sharing with relevant audience in the public, but also private, sector.

Mrs. Branka, who graduated in the fi eld of phonetics and phonology and obtained her Master’s Degree in International Negotiations and Confl ict Resolution from the Fletcher School of Law and

Diplomacy at Tufts University, USA, as a professional trainer with twenty years of experience in designing and delivering training aimed at improvement of communication skills, confl ict resolution, organizational development for various professional groups such as teachers, social workers, members of various associations and local self-government units, police, judges, psychologists, etc., saw the greatest value in the training she provided for the AVETAE in the effort to comply with the needs of the Agency staff as extensively as possible even if these needs were very specifi c and could not be compared with the usual offers made by consultants and companies dealing with human resources development. That also represented the biggest challenge for her as it was not easy to design activities and material that would represent an interesting and erudite impetus for learning with topics such as “Attention to detail” and “Focus on results”. She used an innovative method by way of which the facilitator does not teach or propose solutions but assists participants by addressing series of questions and using other forms of communication skills, to identify, through a structured group work, the main issues of concern related to their work and propose methodical and sustainable solutions alone. If this method is compared to

Branka, Jasminka and Renata

the classical consultancy or training in which “I–know–it-all” teaches people what they should do, we can see that its greatest value lies in its appropriateness for the sustainability of guidelines and recommendations that have been produced through such a process. Mrs. Branka emphasized that every organization has its own qualities and therefore there are no universal solutions that can be mirrored from one organization to another and that people tend to support best those things they have created independently. When asked about best methods of delivering training and encouraging staff development in the Agency, Mrs. Branka stated that she would always recommend the use of facilitation, not only in the process of understanding certain topics but also in the process of planning and designing strategies. She provided an example of an organization in which she performed facilitation on identifying problems related to capacity building and producing a 3-year human resources development plan. Several interviews with key persons provided her with an insight based on which she had designed a two-day long workshop including twenty-fi ve participants who, by holding plenary sessions and sessions in smaller groups, produced and revised the plan proposal. Mrs. Branka stated that she would suggest such a procedure for developing their professional development plans to any agency or public sector body, because such a method provides for a possibility to propose various options, to revise and offer critical feedback.

Mrs. Jasminka Sabol Mužinić, a graduate psychologist who has been a professional facilitator and a coach for eighteen years already, sees the greatest value in delivering confl ict resolution and building collaborative relationships trainings in the strengthening of participants in terms of topics that are quite vivid

and frequently very challenging in the course of work. Appropriate attitude and ability to act wisely in confl icting situations are prerequisites for developing good quality relationships with benefi ciaries, in coordinating work with various stakeholders of the work process and regulating internal communication. In achieving that, contemporary psychological models and knowledge as well as understanding of people should be applied in order to facilitate their behaviour in demanding situations. Sometimes people are not even aware how much knowledge and proper application of that knowledge can assist them. Mrs. Jasminka was pleased that participants were satisfi ed with the training as that was a clear sign that they considered the delivered knowledge applicable and relevant. That has a particular value if one takes into consideration that participants of such trainings are usually dedicated and professional people whose workload can often be a true burden to them. It is precisely through such workshops that were organized as a part of the project training programme that these people can be made aware that a part of the heavy weight they feel ensues from the lack of quality relationships and lack of cooperation. They have the opportunity to learn how to develop better relationships and good quality approach to various matters in a methodical manner through intensive interactions. When people are not concerned about the relationships at work, they tend to concentrate more on the content of their work and perform better. Among the recommendations and proposals that Mrs. Jasminka had in mind when referring to the future staff development activities of the Agency, she singled out the necessity to allocate more time for the implementation of confl ict resolution and building collaborative relationships trainings, that is, to achieve better balance between time spent on training

and time spent for work. According to Mrs. Jasminka, it would be crucial to include managers in this type of training since any working person, especially high-level professionals, should master the skill of building collaborative relationships. However, she strongly suggested that Agency should introduce a standard when organizing trainings that participants are not disturbed or asked to leave the training in order to attend to their daily activities at work. It is very inconvenient if an interruption occurs in the middle of an important discussion or activity. The Agency staff should “walk the talk”, that is, show confi dence in their development by acquiring knowledge, learning and showing with their personal example what a real value of the lifelong learning is. Nowadays is very diffi cult to balance between the growing requirements of work and the work conditions while at the same time continuing with learning. It could well be that the learning process might actually help in the establishment of that balance. A person has to develop, to enhance his/her knowledge, communication; s/he has to have a chance to grow even beyond “the complete person” level.

As a graduate economist with advanced education in leadership, innovation and management of change, as well as experienced trainer, coach and consultant, Mrs. Renata Takač Pejnović, stated that an institution such as the AVETAE is, needs to undergo various forms of education and training on a permanent basis in order to maintain the high quality of professional services it provides. Performance Management related trainings, which she had provided in the second round of trainings organized for the Agency staff, were aimed at gradual and permanent upgrading of performance in achieving organisational objectives. She stated that it gave her a great professional pleasure to participate in the project and

to create quality time for the exchange of experience, opinions, knowledge and ideas for future developments with the relevant Agency staff. It was benefi cial to collect specifi c information from the participants before the commencement of trainings in order to provide tailor-made learning process. However, it was often the case that trainings were adapted to the needs of participants, right on the spot. Even though the participants were employees of an organization which operates within public sector, which greatly depends on the current social and political developments, and their employer has its specifi cs purpose and defi ned objectives, the Agency staff represented a true discovery. It was wonderful to witness how genuinely they believe in the signifi cance of their work and wholeheartedly support the concept of lifelong learning. Mrs. Renata indicated that Agency staff should not forget about their own development; they should use all opportunities for acquiring education and become a promoter and organizer of their own progress. The Agency should not provide services solely to its benefi ciaries and enable them to excel and grow, it should nurture its own structure as well.

The Art of Organizational Self-criticism: Performance Management and Performance Appraisal

Let us start with a simple statement that the goal of performance management and performance appraisal is organizational improvement and employee development. If this is the case than mastering this art of organizational self-criticism, is an essential element in contributing to the overall advancement of a work organization.

Performance management can be best described as a systematic process during which an agency, such as the AVETAE,

involves its employees, individually, but also as members of a particular group, in improving organizational effectiveness in the accomplishment of Agency’s mission and goals.

Employee performance management consists of several elements such as planning of work and setting of expectations, continuous performance monitoring, development of performance capacity, periodical performance appraisal and rewarding value-adding performance.

In an effective organization, work is planned out in advance. The planning of work includes setting performance expectations and goals for groups and individuals in order to channel their efforts towards the achievement of organizational objectives. If employees are involved in the planning process, they will gain a better understanding of the organisational goals, what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and how that can be achieved in the most effective manner.

There are, however, certain regulatory requirements that need to be set in place for planning employees’ performance. These elements and standards of employees’ performance should be measurable, understandable, verifi able, equitable and achievable. Performance plans should be fl exible thus they could be adapted in case objectives or work requirements have been changed. If such plans are used wisely, they represent benefi cial documents which can be thoroughly discussed between a manager and an employee as well as revised on a regular basis.

Every organization that wants to maintain high level of performance, conducts continuous monitoring of assignments and projects. It that way, performance is consistently monitored and on-going feedback is being provided to individual employees or work groups on how

much they have advanced in achieving organisational goals.

The aforementioned regulatory requirements which are used for monitoring performance include regular reviewing of the progress achieved with employees, whereby their performance is compared against the performance elements and standards. By combining regular reviews with continuous monitoring, an organization can fairly easy identify unacceptable performance at any time during the appraisal period and immediately provide necessary assistance or training, rather than wait until the appraisal period has expired and the performance evaluation is due. Therefore, the identifi cation of developmental needs for employees is crucial in contributing to the organizational performance. When employees are provided with training and other forms of developmental opportunities, their performance is better, their job-related skills and competences are strengthened and they can manage well changes they have been faced with in their work place. As a result, the ratings they achieve at the regular performance appraisal events are, as a rule, way above average or even constantly exceeding expectations.

Performance appraisal, or staff appraisal, is a method by which job performance of an employee is evaluated in terms of quality, quantity, cost and time. This is usually done by the line manager or immediate supervisor. It represents a process of obtaining, analysing and recording information on the relative value an employee represents to the organization. Performance appraisal also represents an in-depth analysis of an employee’s recent achievements and failures, personal strengths and weaknesses and his/her suitability for promotion or further training. Performance appraisal is generally aimed at giving employees feedback on their performance, identifying employees training needs,

documenting criteria for the allocation of organizational rewards and creating basis for personnel decisions: salary raise, promotions, disciplinary actions, bonuses, etc. Performance appraisal provides opportunities for organizational analysis and development, facilitates communication between employees and employer and it can also, in a broader sense, contribute to the creation of human resources policies and procedures.

The most common method used for performance appraisal is a numerical or scalar rating system whereby managers score their individual subordinates against a number of predefi ned rating elements that can consist of objectives and various attributes. However, in many organizations nowadays, employees are being assessed also by their peers, subordinates and customers; in some organizations they even perform self-assessment.

Some of the equally popular methods for performance appraisal are:

- Critical Incident Method - identifying and describing specifi c incidents where

employees did something really well or where an improvement is needed in the forthcoming performance period.

- Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales – it is based on making rates on behaviours or sets of indicators to determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of working performance. The form is a mix of the rating scale and critical incident techniques to assess staff performance.

- Management By Objectives (MBO) Method - setting a list of objectives by managers and employees, making assessments on their performance on a regular basis and, as a result of that, making rewards based on the results achieved.

- 360 Degree Performance Appraisal Method – providing confi dential and anonymous employees’ assessments on their colleagues.

- Behavioural Observation Scales – assessing, on regular basis, important tasks that employees have performed during their working time.

Finally, all employees who represent an added value to the organization they work for, should be rewarded for the efforts and achievements, and acknowledged their contributions to the agency’s missions. The fundamental principle of effective management is that behaviour is always affected by its consequences, which can be positive or negative. Good performance, and especially performance that constantly exceeds expectations, should always be recognized and rewarded. Although rewards may take form of a monetary or non-monetary contribution towards the work of an employee and represent a memorable act on the part of the employer, it is surprising how motivating and stimulating a public commendation of one’s achievements, or even a simple “Thank you” note, may be for employees who truly believe that their work is appreciated and recognized by their employer.

Sir Winston Churchill (1874 -1965), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, once provided an excellent description of what represents good performance management:

“It is no use saying “we are doing our best.” You have to succeed in doing what is necessary.”

The Agency staff clearly stated within the TLN analysis what they deem is a necessary and required training for them, thus they would develop even further and contribute even more to achieving Agency’s main objectives. Subsequently, the project team designed a comprehensive training programme and, with the assistance of highly skilled trainers, delivered relevant and benefi cial trainings. As a result, the Agency staff advanced their skills and knowledge in a number of training topics. Using the same deductive method, and going back to Sir Churchill’s words, could we say that we all just did our best or that we have succeeded in doing what is necessary?