Evaluation of Leadership Development Plan of Maersk Oil in Qatar The WritePass Journal

Evaluation of Leadership Development Plan of Maersk Oil in Qatar 1.0 Introduction Evaluation of Leadership Development Plan of Maersk Oil in Qatar ). The diverse workforce present in the organization needs to be managed in an efficient and effective manner. The dissertation will try to identify the importance of a leadership development plan, investigate the current practices of the company, evaluate its effectiveness, and identify common obstacles for employee’s leadership development plan at the company. The dissertation will also propose some recommendations based on its findings for creating a viable improvement to the leadership development program. The dissertation will be divided into five chapters. The first chapter will be comprised of the introduction, overview of the research, background, and research objectives. The second chapter will detail the research methodology. The third chapter will present a literature review and theoretical background of the research. Fourth chapter will present the findings and analyze the data. Finally, chapter five will present the results and conclusions of the research. 1.1 Research Objectives Investigate to what extent does the company care for its employees through its leadership development plan Identify the significance of employees leadership development plan Investigate practices of employees leadership development plan Evaluate the effectiveness of employees leadership development Identify most common barriers for employees leadership development plan 1.2 Research Questions What is the employees’ attitude towards the company regarding its transformational leadership development program? Is transformational leadership more efficient than other forms of leadership? How does the transformational leadership benefit the objectives and goals of the company? What is the significance of the transformational leadership development plan for both the company and its employees? To what extent do the employees consider the development plan at the company efficient? What are the common barriers associated with the transformational leadership development plan at the company? 1.3 Rationale for the Current Research Although there is a large array of literature on human resource development, practitioners often come under criticism for doing very little to evaluate the learning and development solutions that have been designed to deliver whereby significant and often scarce resources are allocated blindly in development plans that are considered to be effective (Harisson, 2005). When undergoing financial stress, organizations often downsize human resource development budgets. Human resource development personnel undergo tight scrutiny in justifying their expenditures and are required to prove the effectiveness of their employee development plans. Thus evaluation of employee leadership development plan is a viable solution. The importance of evaluation in further signified as the learning and development theory and practices in the modern day is undergoing a considerable change in order to keep up with new circumstantial requirements. In fact, one of the major changes occurring nowadays and in the upcoming years is the organizational changes driven by ‘higher integration between coaching, organisational development (OD) and performance management’ (CIPD survey, 2010: pg.6). Similarly Sloman (2007) made several important propositions regarding the ongoing change in the employee development practices and approaches (see appendix 1). The shift in the learning and development approach and employee development practices signifies the importance of evaluating the current practices of an organization to see whether they are abreast with the prevailing best practices. Additionally, employee development approaches and practices of the oil and gas rich Middle Eastern countries and the Gulf Nations is an under-researched area in HRM literature. Moreover, the available literature regarding employee development practices generalizes the Middle East and the Arab World rather than addressing individual countries or companies (Harry, 2007). The existing gap in the literature pays way for the current proposed study to evaluate the leadership development plan at Maesrk Oil in Qatar. 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Definition of employee leadership development Employee development plans have been defined as a set of planned efforts by an organization which facilitates the learning and acquaintance of knowledge, specific skills and behaviors for its employees; all of which are essential for them to be successful in their current jobs (Goldstein, 1993). Dotta (2009) defines it as a â€Å"sequence of concurrent activities, initiatives and programs that an organization is involved with to maintain, improve and enhance the skills, capabilities and performance levels of its workforce and other staff members. Employee development plan encapsulates various individual development plans. A leadership development plan goes one step further than this: as well as providing all of the support listed above the employee is also being trained for a management role through the subtle development of the most desirable qualities. According to Department of Defense of USA (2006), an individual employee development plan is a tailored written plan developed by the supervisor and employee outlining the employee’s developmental objectives and the developmental activity for achieving these objectives. The purpose of an employee development plan is to increase the current proficiency, development, and progression of the employee through a systematic development plan. The personal progression of an employee can only be realized if they have been instructed in the transformational leadership qualities which will optimize the business as a whole. Based on aforementioned definitions, several important points can be stated: Employees’ development plan is aimed at enhancing the capabilities and competencies of an organization’s workforce. Employees’ development plan is also crucial for the progression of a career path. Through leadership development it is common for organizations to train and develop their employees to occupy critical positions in future. A transformational leadership development program helps employees to understand the key roles of leadership and develop qualities which will make them an inspirational motivator to their workforce. 2.2 Significance of transformational leadership development In today’s business environment, which is characterized as multi-faced, highly complex, extremely competitive, and dynamic, organizations are required to be very flexible and adaptable in order to survive and succeed. Employee development, a practice that seeks to assist organizations in meeting their business goals through continuous learning and development (Harisson, 2009) is a critical element for achieving that flexibility and adaptability. So much that often human resource development personnel are qualified as ‘agents of change’ (Harisson, 2009). It is only through continuous, effective learning and development of employees that modern day organizations can acquire the essential competencies to adapt to a new conjuncture. Transformational leadership is significant as it not only benefits the leader in question, but also the morale of the employees. Candidates for the development program will be taught the traditional methods of leadership, such as how to ta ke responsibility and effectively manage a team, while also being taught to be motivational, inspirational and influential among their colleagues (Barling, Christie and Hoption). 2.3 Best Practices in Employee Development Plan Numerous studies have recommended several successful approaches towards employee development programs. There is a general consensus among researchers regarding the foremost need for an organization to conduct an analysis of its existing needs and requirements (Jacobs and Jones, 1995; Clegg et al, 2005). According to Jacobs, (1995) an employee development can be rendered meaningless if it does not respond to the organizational needs. Existing needs and requirements can be identified through an effective market analysis, analysis of existing and future labor trends. (Clegg et al, 2005). Since every organization needs to secure its’ future in the business industry it stands to reason that leadership is a high priority in the organizations needs, and transformational leadership can arguably give the best opportunity for employees to grow and develop along with the requirements of the company. Apart from the needs’ assessment, several best practices have been identified by human resource practitioners and researchers. A survey of best practices of 71 companies practicing employee development activities identified three underlying factors important for an effective employee development plan. These are: (1) individual development plans should be developed for key and high potential employees with the ability to become future leaders (2) the individual development plans and practices should be strictly aligned with organizational strategies and goals, with the future of the company in mind and (3) the entire workforce should be facilitated for its progression through the developmental process (Reynolds, 2005). 3.0 Research Methods and Approach 3.1 Research Philosophy Identifying a research philosophy is imperative for designing a viable research method as it determines the manner in which information regarding a research problem/question is collected, evaluated and applied. Researcher have identified mainly three research philosophies namely positivist and interpretivist and realist (Galliers, 1991). A positivist research philosophy perceives reality as a constant phenomenon; something that can be perceived objectively (Levin, 1988). It is a stance of a natural scientist. According to Hirschheim (1985 p.33), â€Å"positivism has a long and rich historical tradition. It is so embedded in our society that knowledge claims not grounded in positivist thoughts are simply dismissed as ascientific and therefore invalid†. Interpretivism, on the other hand, seeks to understand reality from a subjective perception in order to make sense of motives, actions and intentions of those that they study. They emphasize the social construct of the reality (Husserl, 1965). Interpretivists contend that reality and its perceptions can be better understood by placing people in their social contexts (Hussey and Hussey, 1997). Realists believe that the existence of reality is independent of human thoughts, emotions and beliefs. The research philosophy underpinning the proposed research is interpretivism. The research aims to evaluate the employee leadership development plan of Maersk Oil through the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of its employees, managers, and executives; thus it aims to gain subjective insights for evaluation. 3.2 Research Approach and Strategy A research approach can be either deductive or inductive. The premise of a deductive approach is to test a hypothesis, explain casual relationships and enable generalization of a theory. On the other hand, inductive approach focuses upon building a theory by understanding a phenomenon seeking an answer for a question. The approach adopted for the proposed research is inductive, as this study will look to identify the weaknesses or strengths or the current employee development plan at Maersk Oil Qatar, and answer several proposed questions pertaining to its evaluation. The research strategy for this study will be exploratory as it will aim at providing insights and understanding of the nature of the phenomenon under study in new light. Within the exploratory approach, this study will utilize both qualitative and quantitative data. On one hand, statistical analysis will carried out for the survey responses which will be distributed among the employees of a company, whilst interviews will be conducted with some senior officials and employees in order to gain insights regarding the evaluation of the employee development program. It will complement the understanding gained through the data analysis results. 3.3 Data Collection According to Yin (1994), there are five ways of collecting data; these are â€Å"experimental, surveys, archival analysis, history, and case studies†. This research will utilize a survey strategy. According to Kelley et. al, (2003) â€Å"the survey strategy refers to the selection of a relatively large sample of people from a pre-determined population, followed by the collection of data from those individuals. The researcher therefore uses information from a sample of individuals to make some inference about the wider population. For the purpose of evaluating the employee leadership development plan, a questionnaire will be prepared, reviewed, and distributed to a random sample of Maersk Oil Qatar employees and people in leadership roles. Survey strategy will allow the researcher to collect a large amount of data within in short time with minimum costs and efforts (Naresh et.al, 2003). Interviews, the qualitative form of collecting data within survey method will be used concu rrently. Semi-structured interviews will be designed and conducted of several senior officials at the company. References CIPD (2010), ‘Annual Survey Report : Learning and Talent Development’, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, {online} cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/BC060DD1-EEA7-4929-9142-1AD7333F95E7/0/5215_Learning_talent_development_survey_report.pdf (cited on 13th September, 2012) Clegg ,S. et all, 2005: Managing Organizations: An introduction to Theory and Practice. Sage Cohen N., 2002Pressure on AP Moller to Be Open, Australasian Business Intelligence, April 23, Department of Defense of USA (2006) The individual development. {online} usuhs.mil/chr/idp.pdf (cited on 13th September, 2012) Dotta, P.(2009) ‘What Is an Employee Development Plan?’ {online}: ehow.com/about_5161579_employee-development-plan.html (cited on 13th September, 2012) Goldstein I. L., 1993 â€Å"Training in Organizations† (3rd Ed.) Pacific Grove, California: Books Cole Harrison, R. (2005) Learning and development. 4th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Harrison, R. (2009) Learning and development. 5th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Harry. W (2007) Employment Creation and Localization. The crucial human resource issue for GCC. Int Journal of Human Resource Management. Vol. 18, no.1, pp 132-146. Husserl, E. (1965), Phenomenology and the crisis of philosophy, New York: Harper Torchbooks. Hussey, J. Hussey, R. (1997), Business Research: A practical guide for undergraduate and post-graduate students, London: MacMillan Press Ltd Jacob, R L and Jones, M J. (1995) Structures on Job Training- Unleashing Expertise in the Work Place. San Francisco. Berrett Koehler. Kelley, K., Clark, B., Brown, V., and Sitzia, J (2003) Good practice in the conduct and reporting of survey research. Int. Journal for Quality in Health Care. Volume 15,  Issue 3 Pp.  261-266. Levin, D. M. (1988). The opening of vision: Nihilism and the postmodern situation. London: Routledge. LSA Global (2008) ‘Top 10 training best practices for effective learning and development programs’. {online} http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=375846 (cited on 13th September, 2012) Maersk Oil (2012) ‘About Us’ {online} maerskoil.com/ABOUTUS/Pages/AboutUs.aspx (cited on 13th September, 2012) Naresh,M. et.al.,(2003) Methodological issues in cross-cultural marketing research. International Marketing Review. 13 (5) 7-43 Reynolds, S.(2005) Training and development managers share best practices and courseware through LearnShare. Toledo Business Journal. 5(2) 155-163. Sloman, M. (2007) ‘The changing world of the trainer: emerging good practice’, Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Yin, R. K. (1994) Case Study Research. Design and Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.

Biography of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau

Biography of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau Pierre Trudeau had a commanding intellect and was attractive, aloof and arrogant. He had a vision of a united Canada that included both English and French as equals, with a strong federal government, based on a just society. Prime Minister of Canada 1968-79, 1980-84 Highlights as Prime Minister Repatriation of the Constitution (video from CBC Digital Archives)Charter of Rights and FreedomsOfficial Languages Act and bilingualism in CanadaSocial welfare programs expandedIntroduction of multiculturalism policyCanadian content programsAppointed Jeanne Sauvà © the first woman Speaker of the House of Commons in 1980, and then the first woman Governor General of Canada in 1984 Birth: October 18, 1918, in Montreal, Quebec Death: September 28, 2000, in Montreal, Quebec Education: BA - Jean de Brà ©beuf College, LL.L - Università © de Montrà ©al, MA, Political Economy - Harvard University, École des sciences politiques, Paris, London School of Economics Professional Career: Lawyer, university professor, author Political Affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada Riding (Electoral Districts): Mount Royal Early Days of Pierre Trudeau Pierre Trudeau was from a well-to-do family in Montreal. His father was a French-Canadian businessman, His mother was of Scottish ancestry, and although bilingual, spoke English at home. After his formal education, Pierre Trudeau traveled extensively. He returned to Quebec, where he provided support to the unions in the Asbestos Strike. In 1950-51, he worked for a short time in the Privy Council Office in Ottawa. Returning to Montreal, he became co-editor and a dominant influence in the journal Cità © Libre. He used the journal as a platform for his political and economic views on Quebec. In 1961, Trudeau worked as a law professor at the Università © de Montrà ©al. With nationalism and separatism growing in Quebec, Pierre Trudeau argued for a renewed federalism, and he began to consider turning to federal politics. Trudeaus Beginnings in Politics In 1965, Pierre Trudeau, with Quebec labor leader Jean Marchand and newspaper editor Gà ©rard Pelletier, became candidates in the federal election called by Prime Minister Lester Pearson. The Three Wise Men all won seats. Pierre Trudeau became the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and later Justice Minister. As Justice Minister, his reform of divorce laws, and liberalization of laws on abortion, homosexuality and public lotteries, brought him national attention. His strong defense of federalism against nationalist demands in Quebec also attracted interest. Trudeaumania In 1968 Lester Pearson announced he would resign as soon as a new leader could be found, and Pierre Trudeau was persuaded to run. Pearson gave Trudeau the principal seat at the federal-provincial constitutional conference and he got nightly news coverage. The leadership convention was close, but Trudeau won and became prime minister. He immediately called an election. It was the 60s. Canada was just coming out of a year of centennial celebrations and Canadians were upbeat. Trudeau was attractive, athletic and witty and the new Conservative leader Robert Stanfield seemed slow and dull. Trudeau led the Liberals to a majority government. Trudeau Government in the 70s In government, Pierre Trudeau made it clear early on that he would be increasing the francophone presence in Ottawa. Major positions in cabinet and in the Privy Council Office were given to francophones. He also put an emphasis on regional economic development and streamlining the Ottawa bureaucracy. An important new piece of legislation passed in 1969 was the Official Languages Act, which is designed to ensure that the federal government is able to provide services to English- and French-speaking Canadians in the language of their choice. There was a good deal of backlash to the threat of bilingualism in English Canada, some of which remains today, but the Act seems to be doing its job. The biggest challenge was the October Crisis in 1970. British diplomat James Cross and Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte were kidnapped by the Front de Libà ©ration du Quà ©bec (FLQ) terrorist organization. Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act, which cut civil liberties temporarily. Pierre Laporte was killed shortly afterward, but James Cross was freed. Trudeaus government also made attempts to centralize decision-making in Ottawa, which was not very popular. Canada was facing inflation and unemployment pressures, and the government was reduced to a minority in the 1972 election. It continued to govern with the help of the NDP. In 1974 the Liberals were back with a majority. The economy, especially inflation, was still a big problem, and Trudeau introduced mandatory Wage and Price Controls in 1975. In Quebec, Premier Robert Bourassa and the Liberal provincial government had introduced its own Official Language Act, backing off of bilingualism and making the province of Quebec officially unilingual French. In 1976 Renà © Là ©vesque led the Parti Quà ©becois (PQ) to victory. They introduced Bill 101, much stronger French legislation than Bourassas. The federal Liberals narrowly lost the 1979 election to Joe Clark and the Progressive Conservatives. A few months later Pierre Trudeau announced he was resigning as Liberal Party leader. However, just three weeks later, the Progressive Conservatives lost a confidence vote in the House of Commons and an election was called. The Liberals persuaded Pierre Trudeau to stay on as Liberal leader. In early 1980, Pierre Trudeau was back as Prime Minister, with a majority government. Pierre Trudeau and the Constitution Shortly after the 1980 election, Pierre Trudeau was leading the federal Liberals in the campaign to defeat the PQ proposal in the 1980 Quebec Referendum on Sovereignty-Association. When the NO side won, Trudeau felt he owed Quebeckers constitutional change. When the provinces disagreed among themselves about the patriation of the constitution, Trudeau got the backing of the Liberal caucus and told the country that he would act unilaterally. Two years of federal-provincial constitutional wrangling later, he had a compromise and the Constitution Act, 1982 was proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth in Ottawa on April 17, 1982. It guaranteed minority language and education rights and entrenched a charter of rights and freedoms that satisfied nine provinces, with the exception of Quebec. It also included an amending formula and a notwithstanding clause which allowed parliament or a provincial legislature to opt out of specific sections of the charter.