Analysis of the People and Talent Management Strategies of NHS

People management is an important aspect of contemporary modern day organizations. Effective people management can lead to the success of organizations. On the contrary, ineffective people management can lead to various challenges within an organization. With the diversity and changes in modern-day workplaces, leaders are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that they constantly enhance their people management skills to successfully lead their employees (Knies and Leisink,2014).

Effective people management entails tasks such as employee training, administration, communication, motivation, benefits, wellness, safety, organizational development, performance management, hiring, and compensation. Carrying out all these tasks is often the most difficult job of a manager. For a leader to be considered effective, therefore, they need to possess good communication skills.

Good communication skill entails the ability of a leader to get along with employees, ability to persuade, ability to clarify and make subordinates listen to their ideas (Barrow and Mosley, 2011). Also, flexibility is an important skill. Flexibility of a leader means their ability to adjust to changing circumstances at the workplace quickly. This requires leaders to understand that subordinates may have multiple ways of completing a task and focus on the results rather than on the means. Other key people management skills include the ability to listen, ability to lead effectively, and problem-solving skills, honesty, and empathy (Sling, 2018). This portfolio will present a review of the NHS case study, focusing on leadership and management, training and development, and Talent management strategic management people areas.

Leadership and management

The assumption of a new management position within an organization does not automatically make an individual a leader. This, therefore, means that leaders and managers possess some distinctive features moistly based on their people management approach and personality. Based on the findings of the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations, leadership development is one of the most dominant challenges in modern organizations(Sharma, 2015). This, therefore, means that modern organizations are unable to flourish and because of lack of the right leadership. For an organization to remain competitive, management functions such as hiring and retention of the right employees are integral. On the same note, there is a need to provide employees with the necessary support at all times. Bad leadership and management may largely affect the morale of employees and prevent employees from optimizing their potential. Ineffective leadership and management may, therefore, lead to failed organizations (Sharma, 2015).

Internal or external factors may determine the Organization's leadership and management. Some of the internal factors that affect leadership and management in an organization are the leadership style and personality of the leader, individual needs, and the operating environment. On the contrary, external factors that may affect the leadership in an organization include legislation, changes in technology, level of completion in the industry, and prevailing economic conditions (Al-Sawai, 2013).

Poor leadership is one of the challenges ailing the National Health Service (NHS). An effective leader builds morale at the workplace, guides, and motivates employees. Based on the NHS case study, clear signs of ineffective leadership are quite evident. Notably, the lack of morale among permanent employees is a clear sign of failed leadership. The over-reliance on the agency is the root cause of low employee morale. Possible overreliance on agency work may create a feeling of job insecurity and overall uncertainty about the future of the organization (Ham et al., 2011) Low morale at the organization may also be attributed by the fact that permanent employees poorly paid and treated unfavorably compared to agency workforce. Preferential treatment of the agency workforce is also a sign of poor leadership at the organization. Generally, leaders are also responsible for maintaining a workplace environment that enhances the productivity and emotional well-being of their employees (Mosadeghrad and Ferdosi, 2013).

A tense working environment is, however, the characteristic of the National Health Service. Employees are made to work in a stressful environment, which is the contributing factor of high levels of burnout and stress among clinical staff. The success or failure of a leader may also be attributed to their preferred leadership model, trait, and behavior (Mosadeghrad and Ferdosi, 2013). Based on the analysis of the NHS Case study, it is evident that an autocratic approach is used. This is demonstrated by the fact that permanent employees are expected to perform roles left over by agency employees despite their poor remuneration. The presence of inflated targets increased workloads, and lack of appropriate pay also depicts the use of a non-democratic leadership approach.

Leadership training and development would play a major role in changing this trend. Through leadership training, leaders at the organization will be instilled with the desirable skills that will make them able to adopt desirable leadership models such as transformative and participative leadership styles. It will also play a major role in the improvement of the leader’s awareness of their impact on employee and the organization’s performance (Lunenburg,2011).

Training and Development

Training and development are important areas linked to employee’s performance. Training is a program centered on equipping employees with specific knowledge and skills to improve their performance in their immediate roles. In other words, training is the methods used to equip employees with the skills needed to carry out their duties effectively. Training also serves the purpose of improving the current job performance of employees. On the other hand; development is future-oriented and more expansive. In particular, it aims at equipping employees with skills needed for their growth and future performances as contrasted with current roles (Aguinis and Kraiger, 2009).

To start with, there are four theories of training and development, namely the theory of social learning, the theory of experimental learning, the theory of learning types, and reinforcement theory. According to the experimental theory of learning, the needs and wants of the learner are the key priorities. This type of learning enhances the knowledge and the learning power of an individual. The personal involvement of the learner makes it possible for the learners to evaluate themselves to understand how learning affects their attitude. According to the theory of social learning however, direct reinforcement or programs focused on enhancing skills cannot resolve all learning needs and types because some social elements which cannot be taught. Based on the experimental theory of learning, social elements can only be learned by the learners from their surroundings through observational learning (Francis, 2013).

According to this theory, therefore, negative behaviors such as discrimination against permanent employees may affect them negatively. Therefore, the surroundings and the environment of an organization need to be in such a way that employees learn from them. Any negativities may emerge as negative lessons, which may affect the behavior and conduct of employees at the present or in future leadership roles (Niazi, 2011). Thirdly, the theory of learning types as coined by Gagne focuses on the learning of intellectual skills. He opined that these skills are rarely found in people. On the same note, he categorized learning into five categories, including motor skills, cognitive strategies, attitudes, verbal information, and intellectual skills. The theory of learning types may also be quite applicable to the NHS workplace. Intellectual skills may play a major role in enhancing the ability of managers and employees to perform mental tasks.

Also, different employees may have different attitudes towards their work or fellow employees (Costen and Salazar,2011). Learning-centered on attitudes may aid in the awareness of the impact of an individual’s attitudes on their behavior towards others and overall performance. Likewise, Cognitive skills are important for both subordinates and their leaders. They would play a major role in enhancing their ability to solve problems, remember, plan, understand, prioritize, and read with ease. Finally, the theory of reinforcement stresses the importance of positive result or outcome on the repetition of a behavior (Francis, 2013). Employees are, therefore, likely to repeat actions, which are connected to positive outcomes or results. Reinforcement could also be applied to the NHS to facilitate improved outcomes and performance.

Based on the analysis of the cases study, it is evident that there is a need for training and development across all levels. For employees, there is a need to equip with the skills needed to improve performance and work under pressure. Besides, they also need to be equipped with stress management skills to enhance their ability to manage stress. They also need to be developed into better future managers. For leaders at the organization, there is a need to train them on best management practices to improve workplace productivity and facilitate positive outcomes for employees.

Talent Management

Talent management is the commitment by an organization to recruit and hire best talents in the market, retain and develop them. It is a strategy used by organizations to retain the most skilled employees among their workforce. Also, talent management helps organizations to compete favorably with other employers in the attraction of top talent in the market (Nilsson and Ellström, 2012). The commitment by NHS to discover and develop talent from ward to board demonstrates an understating by the organization of the integral role of talent management in strategic management, the future success of the organization and in increasing the commitment and morale of the employees. However, the retention of employees is based on several factors. These factors include health and wellness of employees work schedule flexibility, recognition, and rewards, personal development, compensation, management and leadership team, work-life balance, onboarding, and training (Lore, 2017).

Talent management comes with multiple benefits for organizations and individuals. Talent management makes it possible to ascertain the strengths and skills of different individuals in the workplace. Through this, it becomes to have the right person at the right job. Being at the right job does’ not only improve the productivity of an employee but also that of an organization (Collings and Mellahi,2009). Also, talent management leads to the retention of top talents. Retention of top talents is important to the leadership and growth of an organization. It leads to better competitiveness of an organization within the industry. Talent management is also reflected like leadership within an organization (Orlova, Afonin, and Voronin, 2015). Effective leadership leads to better hiring decisions.

Through career development, employers are also able to understand their aspirations, desires, interests, likes, dislikes, abilities, and strengths. This leads to better people management. Finally, talent management leads to better decisions on professional development. When organizations become aware of who their high potential employees are, it becomes easier to invest in their professional development (Juneja, 2015).

The HR and management of NHS have a special role to play in achieving the talent management outcomes within the organization. Based on the case study, the organization stands at a risk of losing some of its best employees due to ineffective talent management (Farndale, Scullio, and Sparrow, 2010). HR has the responsibility of creating and rolling out talent management programs within different sections of the organizations. The management, on the other hand, needs to provide the necessary support and financial resources needed for successful implementation of talent management programs(Al Ariss, Cascio, and Paauwe,2014). Besides implementing talent management strategies, the HR should work on increasing efficiency of its recruitment processes to enhance the ability of NHS to hire some of the best talents in the market (Salas et al., 2012).

In conclusion, the pressure mounting on NHS can be attributed to inefficiencies in three core functions of talent management, leadership and management, and training and development. Inefficiencies in these functions have been a major cause of over-reliance on agency work, deflating morale among permanent employees and burnout and stress. Poor leadership is one of the main issues at NHS.

This is supported by the presence of symptoms such as lack of motivation and low morale among members of staff. Leaders are tasked with the responsibility of maintaining high morale and motivation among their employees. Training and development is also a key function in successful organizations. Training and development are not effectively carried out at the organization. The inability of employees to manage stress decline in morale as well as leadership inefficiencies support this argument. Therefore, a need to invest in training and development within the organization exists.

Finally, talent management is a key aspect of successful organizations. Some of the advantages of effective talent management include better hiring decisions, attraction, and retention of top talents and better decisions on professional development. Based on the leadership challenges at the organization, it can be argued that the talent management function is not being carried out a required. There is, therefore, a need for the organization to invest in talent management.