Bloom’s Taxonomy: LIII, LIV, LV, LVI
Definition
- LI. Remembering: Exhibit memory of previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and answers.
- LII. Understanding: Demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions and stating main ideas.
- LIII. Applying: Solve problems in new situations by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.
- LIV. Analyzing: Examine and break information into parts by identifying motives or causes. Make inferences and find evidence to support generalizations.
- LV. Evaluating: Present and defend opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas, or quality of work based on a set of criteria.
- LVI. Creating: Compile information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.
Topic Description
This topic provides you with an introduction to the strategic role of human resources within the food processing industry. The content defines what it takes to align human resources with the organization’s business strategy, create a human resources plan, allocate HR resources, conduct workforce planning, develop a succession plan, and monitor the implementation of the HR plan, as well as introduce the cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioural domains related to Educational for Sustainable Development (ESD). As a result, participants will develop an understanding of how to better position human resources as a strategic and influential partner within the company.
Learning Objectives
Before beginning the planning process, it helps to have a clear vision of what you are attempting to develop. This topic will help you to visualize the HR Plan by providing examples of strategic and annual human resources plans for a variety of companies. The company may have a preferred template for creating department plans. In these cases, human resources would apply this template. If the company does not have a template these examples will help human resources to choose the version, they wish to develop. The factors associated with successful human resources planning are consistent with those related to strategic business planning. Understanding and applying these factors will help in creating a strategic, business focused HR plan that demonstrates how the employees of the business will contribute to achieving business results.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Understand the strategic role of human resources.
- P2.Identify the purpose of aligning human resources strategy with business strategy and annual business plans.
- P3.Create HR practices and initiatives clearly linked to business strategy and business needs.
- P4.Develop and display a business mindset.
- P5.Communicate using business language.
- P6.Demonstrate behaviours and actions that earn the respect and endorsement of senior management decision makers.
- P7.Apply key factors to strategic human resources planning
- P8.Use factors that contribute to successful strategic business planning.
- P9.Apply business planning methods when conducting the human resources planning process.
- P10.Overcome challenges in the planning process.
- P11.Examine typical formats for HR plans
- P12.Understand the benefits of developing a formal human resources plan.
- P13.Define and explain key components typically included in an HR plan.
- P14.Examine templates of HR Plans.
- P15.Review completed HR Plans.
The human resources mission statement applies to the people/employees of the company and helps to define the purpose, direction, and application of human resources within the company. This provides direction to the human resources practitioners but also provides employees with an idea of what they can expect in the employer-employee relationship.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Define purpose of a mission statement.
- P2.Understand how to link the human resources mission statement to the company mission statement.
- P3.Compare HR Mission statements aligned with company mission statements.
The steps within the human resources planning process are consistent with a business planning process. The key difference is that the human resources plan cascades from the strategic and annual business plans, and is aligned with other department business plans. This module will review the planning steps and explain how these steps are applied in the planning process.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Conduct internal and external environmental scans.
- P2.Evaluate critical implications based on results of scan.
- P3.Define human resources strategic focus areas.
- P4.Develop long-term objectives and goals.
- P5.Define projects and initiatives based on long-term objectives and goals.
- P6.Cascade projects and initiatives to annual HR Plan.
Human resources is responsible for a number of functional areas related to the people side of the organization. This module will identify and explain these functions.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Explain functional areas typical to human resources responsibilities.
- a.Recruitment and selection
- b.Training and development
- c.Employee relations.
- d.Compensation and benefits.
- e.Performance management.
- f.HRIS.
- g.Organizational development.
- h.Labour relations.
- P2.Define common positions within human resources.
- P3.Review common positions within a human resources department.
This module will present examples of human resources department structures, including positions, within a variety of typical food processing organizations. It is helpful for companies to examine department structures in similar companies when establishing a department structure within their organization.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Compare human resources department structures common to food processing companies.
- a.Family owned
- b.Up to 100 employees
- c.100 – 250 employees
- d.Single location
- e.Multiple locations
- f.Cross provincial
- g.Cross country
- P2.Review key factors for determining human resources requirements and allocating resources.
- a.Size of organization
- b.Location
- c.Authority and responsibility
- d.Job design
- e.Coordination and control
This module will cover the application of key factors to establish the human resources function within your organization. Once the initial structure and positions are identified, as for any other department, the company should consider current HR strategy and plans, and other company changes, to identify enhancements or changes to the existing structure.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Evaluate key factors in relation to your organization.
- P2.Consider changes in key factors and evaluate need to enhance or decrease allocation of HR resources.
- P3.Review examples of HR department structures and choose structure that could be applied.
- P4.Develop HR department structure and allocate required resources.
- P5.Propose structure to senior management including how the structure will contribute to business performance and results.
Workforce planning is the process of auditing, forecasting, and managing labour requirements in relationship to the company’s mission, strategic business goals and anticipated business direction. This topic will help participants to understand and apply the workforce planning process, develop a workforce planning template, and understand their role in applying and managing the process.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Define workforce planning.
- P2.Understand goal of workforce planning and its link to strategic business planning.
- P3.Identify the benefits of workforce planning
- P4.Identify the role of HR, Finance and Operations in the planning process.
- P5.Explain how workforce planning affects HR processes.
- P6.Identify and apply best practices for workforce planning.
- P7.Review workplace planning best practices.
- P8.Evaluate and choose best practices most applicable to their company’s workforce planning process.
Before beginning the workforce planning process, it helps to have a clear vision of what you are attempting to develop. This module will provide examples of workforce templates and completed plans that will assist organizations in identifying the extent of the workforce plan they wish to develop.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Define and explain common elements in a workforce plan.
- P2.Identify source of data included in workforce plan.
- a.Involvement of functional areas in providing and compiling required data.
- P3.Examine templates of workforce plans.
- a.Identify source/s for automated workforce plans.
- P4.Review completed workforce plans.
- P5.Evaluate and choose template(s) most applicable to specific company needs.
To be strategic and clearly linked to business and operational needs, the steps within the workforce planning process are completed following the creation and/or revisions of the human resources plan and other department business plans. This module will review the planning steps, explain the link to HR or business plans, and explain how these steps are applied in the workforce planning process.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Review and apply steps to develop the workforce plan.
- P2.Review HR and business plans for goals and objectives affecting labour force requirements.
- P3.Analyze existing workforce and common strategies used in this step.
- P4.Determine future workforce needs.
- P5.Confirm what with functional areas.
- P6.Identify gaps between current and future workforce needs.
- P7.Identify solutions to narrow the gap(s).
- P8.Project labour budget associated with workforce requirements.
- P9.Use workforce planning tools.
- P10.Develop the plan.
- P11.Define measurements and evaluation criteria to assess plan success.
- P12.Communicate and involve stakeholders to build support for the plan.
Planning without successful implementation will decrease the effectiveness of the plan, decrease the buy-in to the proposed action plan, and approval of the budget to implement the action plan and fulfill labour requirements as they arise. It is also crucial to monitor progress, measure progress against specific milestones and long-term goals, and report on progress in relation to the achievement of business goals.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Identify criteria for successful workforce planning implementation.
- P2.Monitor and measure against milestones.
- P3.Adjust due to unexpected factors within business or external changes.
- P4.Report progress to stakeholders.
- a.Gain acceptance to changes.
Succession planning is a talent management strategy for identifying, assessing, and developing internal talent/employees to ensure individuals with the necessary capabilities are available to accomplish the company’s mission, strategic business goals, and anticipated business direction. An effective and well planned succession planning process can assist in retaining top performers, ensures business continuity as predicted turnover occurs, supports workforce planning, and identifies training and development needs focused on developing the skills required to support the achievement of both the company’s business strategy and business plans. This topic will introduce and describe how to plan, develop, and implement a systematic succession planning process. Understanding the process and how to apply the process in an effective manner will lead to the design of a realistic succession plan that is supported by company stakeholders.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Introduce and define succession planning.
- P2.Explain the benefits of succession planning.
- P3.Understand alignment with organizational strategies and plans
- a.Long-term business objectives
- b.Future focused operational needs
- c.HR Plan and long-term HR strategies and objectives.
- P4.Align HR practices with succession plan
- P5.Explain how succession planning supports workforce planning.
- P6.Examine typical formats for succession plans.
- P7.Define and explain common elements in a succession plan.
- P8.Identify source of data included in succession plan.
- P9.Involvement of functional areas in providing and compiling required data.
- P10.Examine templates of succession plans.
- P11.Review completed succession plans.
- P12.Evaluate and choose template most applicable to specific company needs.
The first step in the succession planning process is to forecast the organizational structure, the positions critical to the organization’s future, when these positions would be added or evolve, and the skill requirements for each critical position. This structure is the base for identifying the gap between where the organization’s current labour force is and where it needs to be in the future.
If a workforce planning process was completed, the forecast of organizational structure and all positions were identified through this process. Succession planning takes the workforce planning process to the next step of identifying key critical positions.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Review organizational business plans and strategies to assess labour force requirements.
- P2.Forecast future organizational structure.
- a.Flag positions critical to the organization’s future.
- b.Identify time horizons when positions are added or evolve to meet business needs.
- P3.Define career paths leading to critical positions.
- P4.Forecast competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities) to successfully perform critical roles.
Focusing on critical positions, the next step is to evaluate the gap between the existing workforce/talent and the workforce/talent required to fulfill future workforce vacancies and/or enhanced competency requirements. The completion of a gap analysis assists the organization in choosing the appropriate strategies to close the gap.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Assess current workforce bench strength – today’s workforce capabilities.
- a.Assessment methods and tools
- P2.Assess future bench strength – evaluate current workforce capabilities to future workforce capabilities.
- a.Assessment methods and tools
- P3.Define gap between current versus future workforce needs.
- P4.Compare key methods for building talent pipeline.
- a.Internal supply – ready now or develop.
- i.Confirm readiness, learning ability, and interest
- b.Source external – recruit.
- a.Internal supply – ready now or develop.
Following the analysis of the current workforce bench strength in relation to what’s required in the future, the succession plan can be designed.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Choose template and design succession plan.
- P2.Integration with HR practices.
- a.Performance management
- b.Training and development
- c.Career development.
- d.Recruitment
- e.Employee engagement and retention
- P3.Implementation considerations and potential issues.
- a.Communication
- b.Employee accountability
- c.Management buy-in and support.
- d.Ongoing review and updates.
Planning without successful implementation will decrease the effectiveness of the strategic HR plan and also the annual plans cascading from the longer-term strategic plan. An ineffective implementation will also reduce management buy-in and support for initiatives identified in the action plans, including approval of the budget to implement the action plan and fulfill labour requirements as they arise. Therefore, it is crucial to involve stakeholders in the design of all HR plans, communicate the plan in business language, monitor and measure progress against specific milestones and long-term goals, and report results in relation to the achievement of business goals.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Understand purpose of monitoring implementation.
- P2.Identify the benefits of monitoring implementation.
- P3.Validate the training strategies:
- a.Effectiveness of the training and answering the needs of the department.
- b.Alignment to the mission and vision of the organization.
- c.Empower the employees to achieve the desired results.
- P4.Measure the performance and its return on investment.
- P5.Monitor and report results
- P6.Compare methods for monitoring progress.
- P7.Identify best practices for reporting results to stakeholders.
- a.Gain acceptance for revisions.
The criteria for successful implementation of HR plans are similar and consistent with criteria for the successful implementation of business plans.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Ensure alignment of HR plans with business plans.
- P2.Involve stakeholders in design of HR plan.
- P3.Confirm assumptions, actions and initiatives that involve commitment, time, budget or approval from management.
- P4.Define and track key metrics.
- P5.Adjust due to unexpected factors within business, operational impact, or external environmental changes.
Continuous improvement has been a key part of personal development and business culture for decades, but it’s a relatively new concept in western culture. The Japanese term for continuous improvement is Kaizen which simply means change for the better. Kaizen techniques and concepts are designed to help individuals and businesses adopt kaizen tools, methodologies, and philosophies to boost productivity, improve resilience, eliminate waste, and reduce their costs.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Define kaizen
- P2.Describe the main four Kaizen Principles:
- a.Visualize – tools that will help you visualize what your change process will look like. …
- b.Measure – Being consistent is key to making improvements.
- c.Improve – The principles of kaizen are split into four categories:
- i.Process
- ii.Product
- iii.People
- iv.Environment.
- d.Repeat – Repeat the process, draw conclusions and optimize for the next cycle.
- P3.Describe methods used for Kaizen implementation.
- P4.Question current practices based on organizational strategies.
- P5.Think small and focus your small wins.
- P6.Encourage participation in a blameless environment within the workforce.
- P7.Don’t seek perfection, rather seek small wins, accumulate and sustain.
- P8.Recognize success, praise, and motivate star performers.
- P9.Choose mind map templates to fit your project needs, and thoroughly follow progress
- P10.Empower the workforce continuous learning
- P11.Use sustainability as a source of innovation to drive new growth at 3 levels (economic, social -emotional and environmental outcomes)
- P12.Describe the continuous improvement of the overall governance of leadership and teams
- P13.Outline the steps involved in attracting, retaining, and growing employees, customers, and suppliers.
- P14.Articulate the impact of sustainability on profitability on organization.
Educational Sustainable Development (ESD) empowers everyone, especially organizations and businesses to make informed decisions in favour of environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society for present and future generations. It aims to provide the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to address sustainable development challenges. This process is strategically important for the organisation to develop skills set and educate the workforce in adopting, implementing and sustaining resource management in the workplace.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Define key competencies for sustainability as described in Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
- P2.Define Systems thinking competency which is the abilities to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty.
- P3.Define anticipatory competency which is the abilities to understand and evaluate multiple futures – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes.
- P4.Outline the definition of normative competency which are the abilities to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate sustainability values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interests and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge, and contradictions.
- P5.Explain strategic competency which are the abilities to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield.
- P6.Define collaboration competency which are the abilities to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving.
- P7.Explain critical thinking competency which is the ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on own one’s values, perceptions and actions; and to take a position in the sustainability discourse.
- P8.Define self-awareness competency which is the ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires.
This module will explain the purpose of implementation Educational for Sustainable Development (EDG) and the resulting benefits for the organization and the stakeholders. There are specific objectives related to (1) cognitive domain (comprise knowledge and thinking skills), (2) socio-emotional domain (includes social skills that enable learners to collaborate, negotiate and communicate to promote the SDGs as well as self-reflection skills, values, attitudes and motivations that enable learners to develop themselves and improve the business) and finally, (3) the behavioural domain which describes action competencies.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1.Raise awareness of the importance of quality education for all, a humanistic and holistic approach to education, Educational for Sustainable Development (ESD) and related approaches.
- P2.Use participatory methods to motivate and empower others to demand and use educational opportunities.
- P3.Recognize the intrinsic value of education and identify their own learning needs in their personal development.
- P4.Outline the importance of their own skills for improving their life, in particular for employment and entrepreneurship.
- P5.Practice/engage personally with ESD.
- P6.Integrate problem-solving competency which is the overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the abovementioned competences.
- P7.Identify cognitive domain learning materials related to your work unit.
- P8.Identify social-emotional domain related to your workforce responsibilities and skills needed in your work unit.
- P9.Identify behavioural domain and action required to optimize the workforce skillset in your work unit.
- a.Examples can be found in the UNSECO website and Canada take-action on agenda 2030 and sustainable development goals.
Links to existing courses
Approved Accredited Training Programs (Academic, Industries, Private Trainer)
Recognition of worker skills = Certification
Evaluation technics / assessment
- Quizzes
- Written tests
- Multiple choice questions
- Self-assessment and reflection
