3HRC Understanding Organisations and the Role of HR
CIPD level 3 includes a unit on understanding organisations and the role of HR. Students who already work in HR or aspiring to work in this industry will find this unit useful. Therefore, the assignments in this unit require students to demonstrate both critical and analytical skills and moderate knowledge of the topic. In this unit, students learn about the importance of HR departments in organisations and understand their processes and structures. As a result, the assessment for this unit is based on the primary objectives of the course.
Students must correctly answer the questions in this assignment to complete the unit. Passing or failing a unit is the grading criteria. As part of the assessment, most students are given the option of developing their organisation or identifying one already exists. Alternately, the examiner may choose one organisation and analyse the students’ comprehension of that organisation. Below are some examples of assessment questions.
A new line manager will start work in your company, and you need to prepare a written brief for them. In addition, the manager must get to know the organisation as he prepares to begin his new job.
Question 1: In this section, questions are derived from the first objective of the unit: learning about the purpose and operating environment of an organisation.
- What is the purpose and goal of the organisation?
Learning objectives are to be given by the learner for the company selected. Most organisations communicate their primary goal to all employees or even post it on their website. In your answer, describe the products/services that the company offers. Additionally, learners can elaborate on the company’s vision and mission statements, usually related to the organisation’s goals. In order to achieve an organisation’s goals, its mission and vision statements must be clear.
- Are there products and services offered by the company to its customers?
A learner should be sure to mention all the company’s products (or services) to respond to this question comprehensively. Assuming that the organisation deals with various products, the learner will need to categorise them according to their similarity. For example, the IT company in our example may specialise in supplying computers and software. Additionally, the company may expand into communication technology. For better clarity, the student should differentiate the services from the products (selling computers and accessories differ from providing communication services). You should also mention the target customers and primary market when answering this question.
- Examine the external factors affecting the organisation
The learner must conduct a PESTLE analysis of the identified organisation in order to meet the criterion. A company’s operational environment should take into account political factors. Several external factors can affect an organisation, including social, economic, technological, and legal factors. Students should analyse the external factors influencing the organisation of their choice whilst remaining relevant to that organisation.
The second question pertains to the second objective of the unit. Examiners test students’ knowledge of the structure, function, and culture of an organisation.
- Discuss the predominant structure of the organisation.
A student should know how various organisational structures operate (flatarchy, matrix, functional structure, and divisional structure). Following that, the student should describe the structure employed by the organisation in a second paragraph.
If a flow chart is provided, additional points will be awarded. For an answer to be more comprehensive, students should note the organisation’s structure in each department.
- Identify four organisational functions and their relationship.
In order to meet the criterion for this question, the learner needs to identify four functions within the organisation structure and explain how they work together to achieve organisational goals. An example would be the importance of constant communication within the system to help achieve the goals. It’s essential to consider both the challenges and the advantages of integrating the four functions.
- What is the organisational culture?
In order to demonstrate an understanding of organisational culture, learners should first define it. Next, organisational culture theories are essential for understanding the relationship between the organisation and a particular culture. Additionally, the answer should explain the disadvantages and advantages of the culture in use within the organisation. Finally, students can elaborate on the impact of the company’s culture on its operations to help answer this question.
In the third section, questions deal with HR’s role in the organisation.
- Examine three ways HR contributes to organisational success
The student needs to demonstrate a thorough understanding of HR’s three core functions to answer this question. Organisations rely on HR to train and develop employees, recruit talent, and implement policies and procedures. Therefore, answers should focus on the activities of the chosen organisation. It is also essential that learners relate each function/role to the organisation’s activities is discussed.
- Explain how HR supports line managers
HR’s primary responsibility is to provide support to the whole workforce. In addition to grievance handling procedures, HR can assist line managers with disciplinary issues. Implementing policies and legislation is also the responsibility of the HR department. Companies may incur unnecessary costs and waste time due to tribunals and other court processes when policies and regulations are not followed.
Criteria for Evaluation
Students will be required to write a report of 1500-2500 words (+/- 10%) on all or one of the questions above. Analysing academic concepts, professional practices, and theories critically and informally is crucial for the final report. References should be made using the Harvard style of referencing and a bibliography provided when necessary. The bibliography is excluded from the word count.
