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Case Study – Grow Management Consultants Overview Grow Management Consultants is a small management consultancy business specialising in l...
Case Study – Grow Management Consultants |
Overview
Grow Management Consultants is a small management consultancy business specialising in leadership development services.
Paul Burn, the Principal Consultant, established the company in 2010 and was a sole operator for a number of years. However, in the last two years, the number of clients has grown, and an increasing number of staff have been employed. Currently the company employs three senior consultants on an annual contract basis. The company also employs a full-time Client Relations Manager and an Administration Officer.
Due to expected continued expansion of the company and therefore staff, the company has recently employed a Human Resources Manager whose primary role in the first instance will be to formalise the human resources functions.
As the new Human Resources Manager for the company, you are responsible for:
· Taking a key role in the development and implementation of generalist HR strategies, policies and projects.
· Identifying, designing and implementing general HR strategies and solutions to achieve agreed outcomes relating to: recruitment and onboarding, performance management, workforce and strategic planning and other generalist HR activities
· Taking ownership of the HR results and outcomes.
· Providing high level, timely and professional advice and communication to the principal consultant and client relations manager
· Contributing to develop and/or enhance policies, procedures and systems to support HR ‘best practice”.
· Providing support and training for new policies and procedures
· Researching best practice with regards to technology, policies and procedures and current legislation.
During an initial briefing with Paul Burns, he advised you that there is an HR policy and procedure but it was developed some time ago and needs to be updated. It’s also been identified that the policy does not refer to the following regulations which needs to be rectified. Fair Work Regulations 2009, Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 and AHRI Code of Ethics. There are no specific standards to be mentioned as Standards are reflected in position descriptions through KPIs.
The objectives of the policy are very basic and need to be expanded upon to include a commitment to ethical conduct and inclusion and diversity. There are very limited procedures and more thought needs to be put into procedures for all stages of the recruitment process.
A code of ethics has recently been developed which is a key piece that needs to be included during induction procedures.
With the growth in the client base, The Principal consultant has identified the need for an Account Officer to join the team. Additionally, as this will be a very busy and crucial role, it’s decided that this role is going to be available as a job share arrangement between two individuals. The position will be shared and offered as a 5-day fortnight role to each candidate. The idea is that this role will take away some of the administration from Paul Burns himself and assist the Client relations manager in the office as well as enable better support to our customers. The Client Relations Manager will be considered as the role’s line manager. Some of the key responsibilities for this position include:
· Daily Bank and Credit Card Reconciliations
· End to end Accounts Payable & Receivable
· Debt Collection
· Assisting in Cashflow Monitoring and Budgeting
· Responding to client queries, via telephone and email correspondence
· General reports to manager
Ideally the candidates should have an accounting degree or at a minimum a diploma or certificate. Being a small team, the business needs someone who can hit the ground running.
Skills required include, Excel of other software package, Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook), Excellent verbal and written communication, Organised and able to meet deadlines.
Strategic Plan
2020 – 2024
Grow Management Consultants |
Welcome
Welcome to the Strategic Plan for Grow Management Consultants.
This document sets out our vision for the next three years and how we hope to achieve it.
We hope you enjoy reading this document.
Paul Burns
CEO
Grow Management Consultants
Executive Summary
Established in 2010, Grow Management Consultants is a management consultancy company specialising in providing services to companies to assist them to improve the leadership performance of their staff. Grow Management Consultancy draws on its up-to-date knowledge and skills in best practice leadership concepts to assist clients with leadership performance
Mission Statement
Grow Management Consultants are committed to promoting individual and organisational leadership excellence. We do this by providing mentoring training, coaching, consultation and program evaluation; offering cutting edge tools, resources and expert advice; sharing best and next practices; leading organizations through the process of creating a leadership culture; and, recognising and celebrating excellence in leadership.
Our values are:
Core values underpinning our activities are:
· Quality
· Innovation
· Respect
· Reliability.
Strategic Priorities
To be well led, high performing, profitable and accountable
· Ensure that all financial operations, performance indicators and results support the strategic policies
· Identify new and expand existing sources of revenue, including establishing a training college to offer accredited training in leadership
· Achieve profits of at least 10% per annum.
Develop services to meet customer needs and aspirations
· Increase range of services offered to include change management and diversity
· Plan for and establish an annual conference, starting in 2021.
· Increase range of e-books commencing with Organisational Change e-book to be published during 2021.
Continue building deeper customer relationships
· Customer-centred practice, with a focus on meeting their total needs for a high quality home
· Strengthen the skills of our people, to better support customers
· Drive innovation to better meet customer demands.
Attract, engage and develop the best staff
· Continuing the drive to a customer centred, high performance workforce and culture
· Strengthening the skills of our people, to better support customer needs
· Empowering innovation and responsiveness to change
· Continuing to enhance the diversity of our workforce.
· Employing additional consultants
· Employing an Account officer to support our office team and provide better service to our customers
· Developing our human resources by implementing a formal human resources framework
· Exploring the use of technology in human resources.
The Management Consulting industry has grown weakly over the past five years. Poor demand from downstream markets constrained industry revenue growth, with financial services and resources firms cutting spending on management consultants due to economic uncertainty and falling commodity prices.
However, businesses using management consultants to introduce new business processes and enhance operating efficiencies have partly offset this trend. Industry operators have also increasingly incorporated analytics into their services, which offer clients greater understanding of their business and clients. Demand for services backed by analytics is expected to contribute to growth of 3.8% in 2020-2021.
Research also shows that there is a need for workers to have strong leadership and management skills to support collaborative management, managing teams for a distance, empowering others and business acumen. Thus the demand for leadership consultancy services is still strong.
Situation Analysis
Strengths | Weaknesses |
· Value and quality · Strong management · Customer loyalty · Friendly organisational culture · Level of available finance for investment | · Brand name not developed as yet · Small organisation |
Opportunities | Threats |
· Leadership skills in demand · Opportunities to offer a range of services | · High level of competition · Economic downturn meaning less spent on consultants · Failing to satisfy clients demands |
Marketing Strategies
Our marketing strategies aim to:
· build our brand
· generate leads now
· help to convert those leads quickly
· form ongoing relationships and referrals.
We plan to develop our market share by:
· Improving our marketing and advertising
· Continually improving the quality of service given to clients
· Maintaining effective communication channels with all stakeholders to ascertain industry requirements and then develop products and manage services accordingly
· Continually improving communication channels with all our stakeholders, ensuring a flow of timely and accurate information to facilitate effective planning and decision making
· Targeting identified growth markets with planned, market appropriate campaigns employing a variety of promotional strategies and advertising mediums
· Offering attractive fee structures to our clients
· Continually improving the skills, knowledge and effectiveness of Grow Management Consultants through our commitment to training and development
· Regularly reviewing the effectiveness of all our operations and making improvements when and where necessary
Operational priorities
· Design and develop a monthly newsletter to send out to all clients (Responsibility: Principal Consultant; Timeline: newsletter to be in operation by September 2021)
· Create a blog page on web site to provide regular latest news (Responsibility: Principal Consultant; Timeline: immediately)
· Employ new full-time Accounts Manager (Responsibility: Principal Consultant/Human Resources Manager; Timeline: Accounts Manager employed by July 2021)
· Offer senior consultants the opportunity to become permanent employees (Responsibility: Human Resources Manager; Timeline: Permanent status finalized by end June 2021, contracts revised)
· Recruit two new senior consultants on a contract basis (Responsibility: Principal Consultant/Human Resources Manager; Timeline: New senior consultants appointed by August 2021)
· Conduct research on the use of social media in human resources recruitment and identify incorporation into human resources practices.
Grow Management Consultants |
Staff Code of Conduct
Purpose
This code aims to guide the conduct of staff in the performance of their duties as an employee of Grow Management Consultants. It is intended to provide practical assistance for staff faced with ethical challenges.
Overview
All staff of Grow Management Consultants are expected to perform the duties associated with their position skilfully, impartially and diligently in order to contribute to the efficient and economic achievement of Grow Management Consultants’ strategic goals.
Staff should be guided in their conduct by the principles established by this code. If there is any doubt as to the applicability of the code, or the appropriate course of action to be taken in certain circumstances, the matter should be discussed with a senior member of staff.
Code
1 Ethical principles
1.1 The fundamental ethical principles on which this code of conduct is based are:
· respect for others
· integrity
· diligence
· economy and efficiency.
2 Respect for others
2.1 All staff are expected to treat others, including other staff and customers, with fairness and respect. This involves:
· courtesy and responsiveness in dealing with others
· being sensitive to and respecting the rights and dignity of others
· making reasonable, fair and consistent decisions
· avoiding behaviour which might reasonably be perceived as harassment, victimization or intimidation
· avoiding discrimination on grounds such as age, race, sex, pregnancy, sexuality, ethnic background, nationality, disability, political conviction, religious belief, or other grounds covered by relevant legislation
· allowing alternative points of view to be expressed and reasonably debated.
3 Integrity
3.1 All Grow Management Consultants staff have an obligation as a citizen and as an employee to observe the laws of the State and the Commonwealth.
3.2 Staff are required to be familiar with, and comply with, all relevant Grow Management Consultants policies, procedures and codes of practices of the organisation.
4 Conflicts of interest
4.1 Staff should be honest in performing their role, and avoid conflicts between their private interests and those of their responsibilities to Grow Management Consultants.
4.2 Conflicts of interest may arise when a staff member is in a situation where personal circumstances are affected by the decisions or duties carried out in their role. A conflict may arise when any of the following are involved:
· financial interests
· personal or sexual relationships
· personal beliefs
· outside employment
· political participation
· use of confidential information
· use of facilities, equipment and resources
· acceptance of gifts or benefits.
4.3 All staff must act responsibly and report any actual or perceived conflicts of interest that arise as part of their role. If there is any question as to whether a conflict exists, staff must discuss the circumstances with management to determine whether a conflict exists. Appropriate strategies will be developed to manage any reported or perceived conflicts of interest.
5 Diligence
5.1 Staff are expected to carry out their duties in a professional, ethical and diligent manner at all times. This means staff must:
· make decisions fairly, impartially and without bias, using the best factual information available
· keep records and documentation to support their decisions
· always aim to achieve the highest possible standard of performance
· continuously develop their knowledge in their professional fields and areas of responsibility. Trainers and assessors must continue developing their vocational competencies to support continuous improvements in the delivery of the services provided by Grow Management Consultants
· exercise best judgment in the interests of Grow Management Consultants
· maintain adequate documentation to support decisions made
· ensure outside interests do not interfere with their ability to meet the responsibilities of their role
· adhere to professional codes of conduct and standards of ethics
· act responsibly when becoming aware of any unethical behaviour or wrong doing by any other person. This may involve a report to a senior member of staff or to external authorities.
6 Economy and efficiency
6.1 Staff should use Grow Management Consultants resources, facilities and intellectual property only for legitimate purposes related to their role with Grow Management Consultants.
6.2 Staff should avoid waste or minimize it where avoidance is not possible.
6.3 Staff should maintain sufficient security and protection of Grow Management Consultants property, facilities, resources and intellectual property.
7 Breach of the code
7.1 This code of conduct is designed to promote and enhance the ethical practice of staff. If any staff member is found to have breached this Code, Grow Management Consultants may decide to take action against them. This may include disciplinary action for misconduct or serious misconduct. Any such action may result in sanctions imposed, including and up to, termination of employment.
8 Legislation
This code of conduct is informed by the following legislation with which all staff must comply.
· Privacy Act 1988
· Copyright Act 1968
· Freedom of Information Act 1982
· Work Health and Safety Act 2011
· Disability Discrimination Act – Education Standards 2005
Grow Management Consultants |
Recruitment, Selection and Induction Policy and Procedures
Purpose
This policy describes the recruitment and onboarding policy and procedures that are used at Grow Management Consultants.
Scope
This policy applies to all staff at Grow Management Consultants.
Legislation, regulations, standards and codes of practice
This policy ensures that the following legislative requirements are met:
· Sex Discrimination Act 1984
· Racial Discrimination Act 1975
· Disability Discrimination Act 1992
· Age Discrimination Act 2004
· Fair Work Act 2009
· Work Health and Safety Act 2011
Objectives
To ensure that recruitment and onboarding processes are reflective of the company’s goals, objectives and values.
Roles and responsibilities
Implementation of the policy is the role of the CEO, Principal Consultants and Human Resources Manager.
Procedures
Identifying a vacancy or deciding to outsource:
· Review the need for the position taking into account strategic and operational plans and budget, as well as current staffing structure and skill levels and foreseeable changes that may impact on staffing requirements.
· It may also be decided that outsourcing is a better option.
Developing a position description:
· Use a relevant template
Recruitment methods:
· Appropriate recruitment methods should be considered. This may depend on the position itself.
Selection:
The responsibility for the final decision in selection processes rests with the Human Resources Manager. The selection panel recommends which applicant should be selected and the Human Resources Manager reviews this information and makes the final decision.
The Human Resources Manager must ensure that:
· the recommendation of the selection panel is consistent with the merit principle (i.e. is clearly based on overall suitability having regard to knowledge, skill, experience and qualification, and potential for future development) and supported by evidence and examples including verification from well-placed referees
· the written explanation of the decision is clear, understandable, and well explained in terms of the merit of the selected applicant with specific reference to work history, experience, previous levels, qualifications, skill.
The Human Resources Manager should ensure that they can be satisfied, based on the information in the report, that the person selected has an appropriate level of experience and skill for the vacancy in question and that the decision is backed up by sufficient evidence, including reports from relevant referees.
The Human Resources Manager should take note of any dissenting views by a panel member and may wish to explore this further before supporting the recommendation for selection.
If the Human Resources Manager has concerns or does not agree with the selection panel’s recommendation, the selection report should be returned to the selection panel explaining the reservations. The selection panel is then required to better explain its reasons for their decision. The Human Resources Manager may instruct the selection panel to seek further and additional evidence to support the appointment of an applicant if required.
When the Human Resources Manager approves the recommendation, they should also review the document summarising the merit of the selected applicant. The report is not to contain adverse information about the selected applicant, and the Human Resources Manager should act as a further safeguard in this sense, and ensure that the report does not include any negative information.
Steps in the process:
· Human Resources department receives applications from candidates.
· Human Resources department advises relevant line manager that applications have been received and provides copies to line manager.
· Human resources department reminds line manager of selection procedures to be followed.
· Line manager shortlists candidates and then meets with Human Resources department to discuss and confirm.
· Human resources department contacts shortlisted candidates to arrange interview.
· Line managers conduct interviews. Human resources department will only be included in the selection panel for senior management appointments.
· Human resources reviews selection panel report and endorses decision or otherwise.
· Successful candidate approached with letter of offer.
· Unsuccessful candidates informed.
Appointments:
· The selected candidate will be forwarded a letter of offer and a contract for signing.
Information needed for Assessment Task 2: Activity 7
Human Resources Selection Report |
To (Delegate): | Human Resources Manager |
From: | Principal Consultant |
Date: | XX 2021 |
Position | |
Job Title: | Accounts Officer job share |
Salary: | $60,000 per annum plus superannuation of 9.5% |
Location: | Head office |
Selection Panel Please list names and positions of all panel members. | |
Chair: | Paul Burn, Principle Consultant |
Member(s): | Helen Skyes, Client Services Manager |
Recommendation | |
That the above described vacancy be filled by: | Maggie Perez and Ben Joseph |
The panel has sighted proof of the applicant’s qualifications. | |
Background | |
Reason for vacancy: | New job |
Date of approval to fill vacancy: | 1 September 2020 |
Date application submission closed: | 16 October 2020 |
Number of applicants received: | 6 |
Additional information | N/A |
Basis for shortlisting Must meet selection criteria. | |
Applicants not given further consideration
Applicant name | Basis for not considering further |
Jamie Palms | No experience in accounts management, degree in accounting only. |
Philip Baird | Working as an Accounts Officer. Appears to be much lower level of work and responsibility. No higher education qualifications. |
Asha Singh | Is an Administration Manager with some financial responsibilities – does not have direct experience in accounts management. |
Applicants shortlisted for further consideration
Four applicants were identified for further consideration and assessment by the panel on the merit principle. That is, overall suitability for this vacancy having regard to work history, education and qualifications, experience in related areas at appropriate levels of responsibility, knowledge, and skill and potential for development as verified by appropriate referees.
Summary of the claims and information gathering about shortlisted applicants:
Applicant’s Name: Mr James Strong |
Notes regarding previous work history, level, experience, education, qualifications: · Bachelor of Accounting. · Previous job was an Accounts Manager for 3 years. · Has just come back from six months break travelling and wants part-time role so he can pursue his other passion which is music. · Has used a wide range of accounting software. · Past work history has required him to have high attention to detail and accuracy. |
Summary of Referee Information: · Absolutely ready and recommended for role. · Excellent computer skills and knowledge of systems and regularly supports team members · Enthusiastic, very good relations with others in the team, and smart and capable · He is a quick learner and has made an effort to constantly upgrade his skills and knowledge |
Applicant Selection Criteria Assessment:
Rating Scale: 3 = Fully Satisfies 2 = Partially Satisfies 1 = Does Not Satisfy (+ and - may be used) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
General Comments: James is keen to progress his career in accounts management. He is very enthusiastic and has good communication skills. |
Applicant’s Name: Ms Maggie Perez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes regarding previous work history, level, experience, education, qualifications: · Notes regarding previous work history, level, experience, education, qualifications: · Diploma of Accounting · Currently working as an Accounts Manager with large corporation but needs to transition to part-time due to family commitments. · Has used a wide range of accounting software. · Past work history has required her to have high attention to detail and accuracy. · Supervises three staff. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary of Referee Information: · Highly recommended for role. · Excellent computer skills and knowledge of systems · Calm manner, high achiever, good team player · Worked with large amounts of data and always accurate · Shows high attention to detail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Applicant Selection Criteria Assessment:
Rating Scale: 3 = Fully Satisfies 2 = Partially Satisfies 1 = Does Not Satisfy (+ and - may be used) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
General Comments: Maggie is clearly experienced. Her calm manner would be a plus in what could be a stressful role. |
Applicant’s Name: Mr Ben Joseph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes regarding previous work history, level, experience, education, qualifications: · Advanced Diploma of Accounting · Currently working as an Accounts Administrator, performing most of the required roles of this position. · Uses wide range of accounting software, including MYOB, Xero, Sage · Supervises one staff member | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary of Referee Information: · Ben is a good worker but sometimes lack initiative · Good knowledge of systems · Communication skills need improvement, as well as overall management skills · Worked with large amounts of data and always accurate · Shows attention to detail | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Applicant Selection Criteria Assessment:
Rating Scale: 3 = Fully Satisfies 2 = Partially Satisfies 1 = Does Not Satisfy (+ and - may be used) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
General Comments: Ben has potential but at this stage does not appear to be ready for the role. |
Comparative discussion and reasons for recommendation
The preferred candidate, Maggie Perez, has high levels of experience working as an Accounts Manager and is currently employed in a large corporation as an Accounts Manager. In total, she has approximately 10 years’ experience in accounts management. She wants a part time role now due to family commitments.
The panel recommends Ms Perez. She has been an excellent performer in her current and previous employment, as verified by two referees. She has demonstrated through her performance that she has the required capabilities and her tertiary qualifications, and her high attention to detail and management skills will be useful to her in the role.
One other applicant, James Strong, has a comparable amount experience as an Accounts Officer and referees verified that he is very capable. The panel has no doubt that he is also suitable and James appears to have the ability to supervise staff. He is also selected for the role.
The other applicant did not have a higher education qualification as per the qualification requirements of the position, although he did have experience in most of the requirements of the position and a high level VET qualification. However, the interview and referee responses showed that he may struggle with managing staff.
Panel recommendation
For the reasons detailed above, and based on her overall suitability having regard to experience, knowledge, skill, qualifications and potential, Maggie Perez and James Strong are regarded as the most suitable applicants and are recommended by the selection panel for the role of Accounts Officer.
All qualifications, certificates and other requirements for the job such as criminal history checks to verify the applicant’s suitability have been sighted by the selection panel.
Signed:
Panel Members
Human Resources Manager approval – Summary of reasons for endorsing/not endorsing panel’s decision
The Human Resources Manager should consider whether the selection process and procedure provided an adequate assessment of the applicants’ suitability, and whether the selection is supportable on the evidence. The response should be outlined below.
Signed:
Human Resources Manager
Date:
Information needed for Assessment Task 2: Activity 8
Induction process feedback |
Client Relations Manager Response
Dear Human Resources Manager
Thanks for the invitation to comment. My experience to date with induction has been positive, I think the checklist is comprehensive. I’ve had staff come to me with follow up questions about their roles but I have been available to answer these so that worked well.
Kind Regards
Client Relations Manager
Senior Consultant Response
Dear Human Resources Manager
Thanks for your email about the induction processes and ideas for improvement. I haven’t had the opportunity to conduct an induction at Grow Management Consultants but did inductions on a regular basis with my previous employer. The induction process with this company was slightly different in that three inductions were conducted during the probationary period for each employee. It was found to be helpful as it provided strengthening of understanding of roles and responsibilities.
Senior Consultant Response
Dear Human Resources Manager
Thanks for your email and the opportunity to contribute.
I think that mentoring of employees is so important so while the initial induction process is important, I think that a mentoring plan should be developed and implemented for at least 12 months.
Thanks, Senior Consultant
Senior Consultant Response
Dear Human Resources Manager
Great to get this opportunity to comment on the induction process.
My experience with induction is that the one-off induction isn’t enough. I’d say that during the first week, the manager should meet with the new employee for an hour each day to go through role and responsibilities and processes. I’d also make sure that a regular training session is conducted with each new employee through their first year.
Thanks and look forward to getting the results of this feedback opportunity.
Cheers Senior Consultant
Induction data report
Employee name: | Maggie Smith |
Commencement of employment: | 3 February 2021 |
Date of first induction: | 5 February 2021 |
Date of second induction: | 29 February 2021 |
Inducting manager: | Paul Burns |
Employee name: | Sandra Singh |
Commencement of employment: | 7 March 2021 |
Date of first induction: | 28 March 2021 |
Date of second induction: | 4 May 2021 |
Inducting manager: | John Simms |
Employee name: | Barry Goldstein |
Commencement of employment: | 2 May 2021 |
Date of first induction: | 16 May |
Date of second induction: | 30 June 2021 |
Inducting manager: | John Simms |
Employee name: | James McKay |
Commencement of employment: | 3 July 2021 |
Date of first induction: | 6 July 2021 |
Date of second induction: | 30 July 2021 |
Inducting manager: | Paul Burns |
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