Using Interpretive Sociology to Explore Workplace Skill and Knowledge by Fearfull - Assignment Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Human Resources Assessment Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Portfolio exercise 1 Step 2a) Theoretical Knowledge: The article by Fearfull explores the use of interpretative sociology in surveying the knowledge and skills of the clerics and their functions in an organization. The article is a study done by the author that reviewed a problem in the research that had been done earlier on that area. The author argues that the problem could have been due to the language that was used because language is central to the way people see reality. In the study, Fearfull uses an interpretative methodology generate new insights into the work, skills and the knowledge of the clerics, and their role in the organizations. b) Applied Knowledge Fearfull states that the application, interpretation, and use of knowledge by the clerics is very important in organizational effectiveness. Training of the clerics help them capture and use the knowledge they hold towards the development of the organization. When there is proper knowledge, there is effective control of the human resources. Understanding of knowledge also helps in the management of the employees such that the workers will be able to know when and why an action should be taken. When the knowledge of the workers is recognized and appreciated, it increases the potential for the worker. The policies that are adopted in the human resource management will find meaning from the workers and the clerics since they have the knowledge to interpret them and will be able to apply. Continuous training of the workers due to the changes in the technology is also important since it will enhance their understanding of those policies that are based on new technology (Guile & Young 1998). c) Ability to Relate Theory to Practice: An example is during the pre industrial revolution where those who were given aircraft training skills did not change their traditional skills. The skills were however meant to guide them throughout their career. The training facilitators were notified that the apprentices were fully equipped and needed no more training, and could execute their duties. However this was not the case to them. It was also notified that the demand changes in the job will not necessitate any other form of training since the one they had received was meant to take them all through. At this time, education was only accessible to a small proportion of people through the intervention of the church. Those others who had education also did limited jobs. With the changes that came with industrial revolution, most of the work in crafts areas was simplified such that it could be done by the less skilled workers at a lower cost, and using machinery. This therefore did not require the craftsmen. Many of the skills that the craftsmen possessed became useless. This situation is an example of social construction of knowledge where the unskilled workers who possessed the knowledge on the use of machinery were at an advantage regardless of the available knowledge which was obtained through training (Fearfull 2005). Portfolio exercise 2 In the article, the author argues that the training, development and education of the employees at all levels in the organization are a vital component in maintaining competitiveness of the organization. He also states that the three are very important in human resource management and development literature. He argues that if the organization is ready to accept the competitiveness in the market, e clear perspective should be given on human resource management which entails training, development and education. These are the key solution to eliminating inefficiencies in the employment relationships and therefore attaining better market outcomes from the competition. The author in his argument gives human resource management of training, development and education. He explains that training is defined as planned and systematic to modify and develop knowledge, skills and attitudes through learning experiences to achieve effective training in a range of activities. Training helps to impart skills that are needed to attend to immediate problems in particular situations. It can also be done when one is still carrying on with the job when the need for training arises. He argues that although the general concepts are introduced during training, they are given limited discussion because that is aimed at reinforcing particular points. His view is that training is usually done for a short time but has more outcomes that education. Training can also be applied to many employees (Garavan 1997). The author states the HRM definition of development as the issue of expanding one’s potential through learning to enable him take up more roles in future. He further says that development incorporates both the reality of the surrounding and the organizational goals, and the inner reality of the emerging self. He finally argues that education is the process that an individual goes through in order to achieve more. It is a process that changes the behaviour of an individual as a result of experience. The key argument in the article is that there exists a difference between the three. The difference is that in training, the focus is on behavioural concepts and that its objectives focus on the present job situation. In education, the objectives are based on the individual and that they differ with the individual and the objectives are not easy to quantify since the leaning priorities are different per individual. On the other hand, development focuses on the future roles and duties, and it is therefore not more precise. The strength of his arguments is based on the focus of the objectives of each of them. The weakness in his argument is on the similarities that exist on training, development and education. Even though the aim of the objectives is different, all of the three are learning processes. There are more common similarities in the three aspects. Portfolio Exercise 3 Relationship between the process of learning and the role of the trainer In learning, it is important that at the beginning of the learning process both the trainer and the leaner have a clear understanding of the intended purpose of the process. The intention of the learning process defines the goals and objectives from which the learning activities will be derived and also act as a measure of the progress of the learning process. In the learning process, it is however very important to keep the learner updated, or also to involve him or her in the process of setting the objectives (Khoon & Jewson 1995). In most cases, the learner is left out by the teacher since the teachers can change their ground rules depending on their convenience whereas the learned will have to fit into the programme of the teacher. They are not informed on whet the teacher want and sometimes they are left in a state of confusion. In learning, some learners go at a slower pace than the others and their rate of understanding is different. In this situation, the learner should choose the method teaching that will be able to incorporate all the learning weaknesses in the learners. There are factors that may affect the participation of learners during the process of learning. The trainer should be aware of these factors so as be able to monitor the participation of the learners. One of these factors is socio cultural factors. These include the socio economic status of the individual and family characteristics. These have the influence on the basic education that one was exposed to. Those from low socio economic status are less likely to be comfortable in class and will more often have disturbances on their participation. They will have many issues disrupting their concentration. The trained should be aware of this so as to give special attention to the learner where necessary. The age of the learner is also another aspect that can hinder the participation of the learner. Younger learners participate better than the older learners. This is because the older ones have more responsibilities in their lives that draw their concentration from the class room. The teacher should therefore consider the age of the learner when deciding on the teaching method to use. The older learners need to be taken at a slower rate to ensure that they understand all the concepts. It is therefore the role of the trainer to understand the issues that affects his learners and also for the learners to fit on the demands of the trainer. Portfolio exercise 4. Introduction Cognitive theory talks about the form and the development of the human intelligence. It was first stated by Jean Piaget and deals with the process by which the human beings obtain knowledge, reform it and utilize it. Behaviourist theory was developed by Ian Pavlov and it explains that the behaviour of an individual is usually influenced by the environment. It explains that human beings behave according to the factors that exist in the environment in which they are based. Use of Cognitive and behaviourist theory in the modern work place Cognitive theory is more relevant to the modern workplace since the theory talks about intelligence. Intelligence is the most essential in today’s work places since with the changes in technology; there is a lot of skills requirement. Changes in technology necessitate the need for acquisition of new skills which will enable the workers of any organization to stand the highly competitive global economy. Behaviourist theory on the other hand explains how the behaviour of an individual is influenced by the environment. In the modern workplace, the behaviour of an individual is dictated by the work demands and the level of knowledge of the individual. To a trainer in the modern workplace, the behaviourist theory does not have much meaning as compared to the cognitive theory of intelligence (Tennant 1997). Human resource management The issue of human resource management is the most sensitive area in any organization. This is because the workers are the ones who determine the performance of any organization. Human resource functions which include training of the workers and proper reward system motivate the workers and therefore enhancing on their efforts towards the success of the organization. When the human resource management offers motivating incentives to the workers, it is a way of expressing the value that is attached to the workers in the organization. They are the most valuable in the organization since they determine the performance while the resources needed are provided. Portfolio exercise 5 Style and Expression Extract 1. The extract does not clearly explain the reason as to why the Skinner’s theory needs to be supplemented. It only states the limitations that exist in the use of the theory. Another thing is that it does not explain the extent to which the Skinner’s is not fulfilling. It does not highlight the areas of the theory that needs to be supplemented. The style used expresses the inadequacy of the theory in human resource development but does not state the areas of HRM that it has fulfilled. The problem with this style is that it can only be used by anyone who has full knowledge of the theory. The only strength in the style is that it is very brief and to the point. It is easy for someone who has full knowledge of the theory. Extract 2. The expression created in this extract is negative in that it concludes how the convergence – divergence debate cannot do not inform on the influences of globalisation. The problem in this paragraph is that globalisation is not mentioned in any way in the explanation given. The statement comes into a conclusion without exploring the influence of globalisation of the human resource management. The statement does relate the issue of divergence to globalisation; it only relates the issue to political, cultural and economic factors. It therefore does not answer the question. However, the only strength in the extract is that it gives a clear explanation of convergence and one will therefore understand what it is. Extract 3. The expression of this statement takes the reader away from the question. It does not talk of anything that is related to the question. The writer gives another story of the situations in the school but does not talk of the effect of these factors to his learning. However, according to his story, the issues of social class, ethnicity and gender are well portrayed in the institution but he does not go ahead to explain how they affected his learning. The strength in the style used in this statement is in the ability of the writer to bring out the setting where the three factors are clearly manifested. This will help the learner to understand the issues properly and understand their influence on learning. Portfolio exercise 6. This summary on the topic Adult Learning from the article Changing Hearts and Minds by Huam Chak Khoon and Nick Jewson. Adult learning has two very important aspects that make it different and more demanding than the other forms of learning. The two aspects are the physical participation of the adult learners and their process participation. Physical participation is the presence in the class while process participation is the level of participation in the class. Among the adult learners, there are those who are described as untrainable. These are those who do not attend the classes, and when they are present, they do not participate in the class discussions. Various studies have been carried out to investigate on the factors that affect the participation of the adult learners. One of the researches states that the attitude of the learner plays a very important to his ability to participate in learning. Some of the adult learners have very low expectations on their success through the learning outcomes. The other factor that affects the participation of the adult learner is the economic status. This affects both the learners of low and high economic status. Both the groups have issues that disturb their minds and hence affecting their participation. Time factor is another issue that was found to affect the participation of the adult learners. Most of the adult learners have families and jobs that they have to attend to. They therefore have to allocate their time to fit all their activities including attending classes. In most cases, when they are in class, they cannot concentrate properly due to the issues awaiting them. The family role is another factor that affects the ability of the adult learners to participate in learning. Most of the adult learners are parents or senior family members who have family responsibilities ahead of them. This makes them unable to concentrate in class due to the disturbances associated with the family roles. Bibliography Garavan, T., (1997), ‘Training, Development, Education and Learning: Different or the Same?’ Journal of European Industrial Training 21(2): 39-50. Fearfull, A., (2005), ‘Using Interpretive Sociology to Explore Workplace Skill and Knowledge’, International Journal of Social Research Methodology 8(2): 137-150. Tennant, M., (1997) ‘Behaviourism’, in Psychology and Adult Learning, pp.94- 106. New York, Routledge. Khoon, H.C. and Jewson, N. (1995) ‘Changing Hearts and Minds: Training Programmes for “Mid-Career” Workers in Singapore’. CLMS Working Paper, No. 7. Leicester, Centre for Labour Market Studies, University of Leicester. Guile, D. and Young, M. (1998) ‘Apprenticeship as a Conceptual Basis for a Social Theory of Learning’, Journal of Vocational Education and Training 50(2): 173-192. Read More