The unit aims to supports organisational and self-awareness in Learners. It provides foundations for a self-critical and reflective approach to personal development to support the Learner when operating at a strategic level. Wider context organisation and environmental factors are also considered as contributors to overall strategic success of the individual and the organisation.

Scenario

Learners may use their own employment context, or that of another organisation with which they are very familiar, to base their assignment. However, in the case that they are not able to do so, please use the below scenario:-

You are a senior manager in a business unit of a medium sized enterprise, with functional management and organisational leadership development responsibilities.

Please select and research an organisation of your choice to identify its vision, strategic goals and objectives, and welfare culture. Provide brief details of your research in a summary of between 200 and 250 words which are in addition to the suggested word counts. Use the results of your research to answer the tasks below.

Task 1: 

Critically evaluate the vision and strategic objectives of your organisation or those of an organisation of your choice.

Critically evaluate the managerial and leadership competencies required to deliver the strategic ambition over the period of the plan.

Demonstrate that you have used one or more attributed skills analysis models from management theory. Present the conclusions of your evaluation, identifying the four most significant skills the organisation needs to enhance in the next year to begin to deliver the strategic direction.

In addition, identify at least three new skills the organisation will be likely to need to enhance in the next 3-5 years to achieve strategic ambitions. Discuss the implications of the skills gaps you have identified.

Guideline word count: 900 – 1,000 words

A.C. 1.1 – Critically analyse the strategic direction of the organisation 

A.C. 1.2 – Critically evaluate the strategic skills required of the leader operating in a complex environment to achieve personal and organisational strategic ambitions 

A.C. 1.3 – Assess the relationship between existing, required and future skills to achieve the strategic ambitions

Task 2:

Research and critically discus how environmental conditions may provide opportunity to support leadership development. Highlight both favourable and adverse environmental conditions. Review smart ways of converting possible constraints, ambiguities and risks to good effect through effective leadership development

Using at least two different analysis frameworks, assess your own leadership skills against those required by the organisation now and in the future, and identify areas for development for the next three years. Determine the methods most appropriate to meet each of these development needs, showing that you understand your personal learning style by the completion of an appropriate analysis exercise.

Describe how and when you plan to meet these development needs over the next three years, and detail the outcomes you hope to achieve as a result of the development plan. Describe at least three actions you have taken to develop your leadership skills in the last six months, and analyse the progress you have made as a result.

You may complete this task by means of a comprehensive personal development plan with SMART objectives and tangible outcomes that has also been reviewed and updated, with the starting point taken as the commencement of your current Qualifi studies.

Guideline word count: 600 – 650 – 450 words

A.C. 2.1 – Critically discuss the opportunities to support leadership development 

A.C. 2.2 – Design a personal development plan to direct leadership development in a complex environment 

A.C. 2.3 – Devise an implementation process to underpin the success of the development plan that can realise substantial changes in leadership style

Task 3. 

Taking the results of the personal development plan you have produced in Task 2, analyse how your development has contributed to the performance of your own function and to the strategic ambitions of the wider organisation. Keep in focus the originally stated strategic human resource objectives.

Evaluate how leadership style has favourably supported or presented adverse leadership conditions, keeping in focus the originally stated human resource objectives of the organisation.

Discuss where the development has made a greater contribution than originally envisaged, and where the contribution has been less than expected, giving reasons for the variances. Review how these variances may be avoided in the future, and how learning may be cascaded to the wider organisation.

Guideline word count: 300 – 350 words

A.C 3.1 – Critically evaluate the achievement of outcomes of the plan against original objectives

A.C. 3.2 – Evaluate the impact of leadership style and the achievement of objectives

Task 4: 

Critically evaluate a broad, high level interpretation of the influence a staff welfare environment can have on the achievement of organisational objectives. Include reference to relevant legal duties and obligations.

Discuss yours or your chosen organisation’s welfare culture. Give practical examples of the commitment to staff welfare and identify any areas for improvement. Keep in focus the previous stated strategic human resource objectives.

Analyse and determine the impact a commitment to staff welfare has on strategic objectives and on organisational values, staff morale and motivation.