Brief description of the content of the module.
This theme assignment is at the end of this course. In fact, it is a practice-oriented assignment in which you test the theoretical knowledge, insight and skills gained against a practice-oriented case. Based on a qualitative analysis of the case organization in particular, you compile a strategy note, in which you pay particular attention to a training plan for the staff and / or for an individual employee (assuming that you are yourself). is asked to analyze the data of the case organization Koninklijke BAM Groep nv and to assess to what extent the organization succeeds in optimizing its Human Resource Management processes, to what extent the organization realizes with regard to aspects of labor and social law and which of those aspects the organization could pay more attention to. Your research results in a tactical / operational training plan. The theme assignment is specified under ‘study activities’ in this study guide.
In this study guide you will find guidelines for working on the theme assignment. In addition to the substantive aspects, you are expected to apply the knowledge and insights gained from the research skills module: • Based on the description from the case organization, you are able to identify and describe the problem. indicate the objective and central question of your research. In doing so, you formulate a number of sub-questions • You draw up a methodical set-up / plan of approach • You analyze the problems of the organization. The problem fits in with one of the competences and associated characteristic professional situations of the unit of study to which this theme assignment is linked. • You draw conclusions and draw up recommendations. • Finally, you complete the implementation process for the case organization, in which you provides products for the case organization. You substantiate your analyzes, conclusions and recommendations from the studied literature in the modules Strategic HRM and HR Analytics.
Assessment The assessment form of the thematic assignment consists of writing a report, which will be assessed by your lecturer. Recommended literature The compulsory and recommended literature of all educational units preceding this thematic assignment, and in particular of the modules Human Resource Management, Administrative Information and Labor and Social Law. Supplement “Guidelines for writing a report or report”, available on Studentenplaza, is actually also a mandatory part. The guidelines support the writing of a research report. In addition: • “Guidelines for writing a report or report”, available on Studentenplaza. The source is in accordance with the methodology of the American Psychological Association (APA), which is also discussed in the study book “What is research?” By Nel Verhoeven. You can find guidelines on various websites with information about the APA method.
Introduction to the subject matter This theme assignment focuses on a detailed assignment related to a real-life case organization. In the study activities section, the theme assignment is described in more detail. General indications: • The analytical (and synthesizing) ability of the consulted teaching material must be demonstrated in the homework assignments. • The student is expected to be self-motivated with regard to searching and processing literature. In the context of the study activities, the learning objectives are worked out per task.
The theme assignment, consisting of two tasks, covers practically all competences used in the modules Human Resource Management and NETHERLANDS Labor and Social Law. As a final result of your activities, you submit a tactical / operational training plan in which you pay particular attention to a training plan for the staff and / or for an individual employee (assuming that you are yourself in a particular position in the case organization.)
Assignment Task 1 = Plan of action.
You will start with a thorough study of the case organization Koninklijke BAM Groep nv, which is available on the internet: bam.nl. And you will read in general the CAO Bouwnijverheid 2012.
Homework assignment to be made Using the information about the organization Royal BAM Group nv, you indicate what the problem is within the case organization. In this theme assignment we give some guidance on what you should investigate. Later in the training we will provide less and less guidance.
In order to maintain its market position and the appreciation by its own staff, it is of great importance for a large builder like BAM that employees can develop themselves in terms of knowledge, insight and skills. Bam Groep nv will have to adopt a strategic position in this and the organization will not be able to do without a tactical training plan. We focus on the Infrastructure division with regard to the functions from the primary process (functions on the construction site, including the middle management level, up to and including the position of main contractor). Aspects that also play a role in this are: costs and the rights and obligations under the collective labor agreement. In your analyzes and assessments you can use information about the training center for construction, which is available on the website bob.nl. (For the sake of completeness: in the tactical training plan you should not pay attention to operational matters such as: who, when, where, number of trainers, etc.) Given the above, the central question of your research could be: How can Royal BAM Group nv realize that the training policy for the Infra division is structured in such a way that employees can make an optimal contribution to the competitive position of the organization at a tactical level?
Specifically: the intention is that you provide an action plan in which a research proposal has been worked out in detail. In the research proposal you pay attention to: • the reason for the research; • the problem description (objective of the research, central question and sub-questions); • research method: how will you answer the central question, which methods, data collection techniques will you use ?; • nature of research: in this case it is a qualitative research: of course provide detailed reasons why it is a qualitative research. You provide a plan of approach / research proposal that covers a maximum of five pages (not including the cover page, table of contents and, for example, bibliography).
Koninklijke BAM Groep N.V. is a successful European construction group, which
operating companies in the two business lines “Construction and Real Estate” and “Infrastructure”,
as well as in Public-private cooperation.
To maintain its market position and the appreciation by its own staff, it is for
a large builder like BAM is of great importance that employees have knowledge, insight and
skills can develop.
To what extent does the organization of BAM Groep N.V. succeed in its Human Resource
Optimize management processes? To what extent does the organization realize this
with regard to labor and social law? Which of those aspects would the
organization can pay more in-depth attention?
In order to answer these kinds of questions, an investigation will have to be carried out.
In the context of this investigation, we are focusing on the Infrastructure division in terms of functions
from the primary process (functions on the construction site, including the middle management level,
up to and including the position of main contractor). Aspects that also play a role in this are:
costs and the rights and obligations under the collective labor agreement.
Before starting the investigation, an action plan will have to be drawn up. In
this report will describe what the central question is with the derived sub-questions.
Then we discuss how we are going to answer the question and what the nature of this is
research is.
2. Problem definition
If we want the employees of the Infrastructure department within Koninklijke Bam Groep N.V.
training so that they can make an optimal contribution to the competitive position of the
organization, we may wonder how we can achieve that, in other words:
How can Royal BAM Group N.V. realize that for the Infrastructure division it
training policy is structured in such a way that employees at a tactical level
make an optimal contribution to the competitive position of the organization?
We can split the central question into the following sub-questions:
1. How can Koninklijke BAM Groep N.V. provide infrastructure employees with more knowledge
teach?
Which courses and courses are we going to let Infra employees follow achieve the desired knowledge, skills, competences and development potential?
How often should the courses be given?
We start with the Infrastructure employees from a social-psychological or business economic perspective
educate perspective?
2. How can Koninklijke BAM Groep N.V. improve the infrastructure employees motivate?
Managers play an important role in motivation, because they have to be employees support. They must have confidence in the craftsmanship and organizational ability of the employee. Hence the question:
How can we teach the manager to give better feedback to their employees so that they perform better and stay motivated?
3. How can we ensure that the knowledge gained after training is not lost?
This includes transfer. BAM must ensure that the
students / course participants can practice within the company and therefore there must also be room for this
be created. We also want to keep the trained Infra employees employed for a long time (“Retention”).
3. Research method
In order to answer the central question, we will conduct a data-driven investigation with the following steps:
Collect data or data
The following sources will be used when collecting the data:
– literature: HRM textbook,
– Internet: website: bob.nl and the CAO on Studentenplaza:
Bam.nlDeCAOBouwnijverheid2012
This step is about collecting information about the case organization, the target group and courses / courses that Infra employees can follow in 2012.
Analysis of the data.
– Analysis of the organization and its Human Resource Management processes (rights and obligations under the collective labor agreement).
– Analysis of the target group: what does the target group look like?
For example:
What functions are there within the Infra group (construction site, middle management, main performer)? We will place the infrastructure functions in the model of Lepak & Shell.
Is there a homogeneous group within the Infrastructure?
Do the Infra employees all have the same needs?
Are they mainly young or experienced employees?
It is important to find out whether the Infra employees are flexible: can they learn and / or are they willing to learn?
– Analysis of training and courses
In doing so, it will be necessary to look at the type of training and courses offered by the infrastructure
employees can currently follow and whether this offer can be optimized. It the offer must not only consist of classic courses.
Is training provided by external training agencies or Vocational Education?
– Analysis of innovative forms of learning or forms that promote the learning process.
For example: formal and informal learning, transfer, social media, e-learning, reflection
meetings.
– Analysis of the literature
The literature contains the important models and theories that will be used in the analysis.
Obtaining insight into the results of the analysis
In step three, we are going to make a clear overview of the data, so that we have one get a better picture of the training policy in 2012. We are going to ask the following questions reply:
Have the HR measures led to a flexible, sustainable, innovative training policy? Is there is employability and employability, job mobility and professionalisation for the employees?
If insufficient attention has been paid to this in the training policy, then this is the case a “gap” between the current and desired training plan. The “gap” must be filled by optimally training the employees. The training plan should follow the lines of the organization, but the emphasis should be mainly on Infrastructure employees
(social-psychological perspective).
Nature of the study
This study is a qualitative study. There must be a training plan be made to better train the employees of the BAM Infrastructure department and this also improves the competitive position. During the investigation is in-depth and obtained detailed information about the organization, the target group and the HR tools used to answer the central question.
The research focuses on the how and why of behaviors, attitudes and experiences.
With “the how” we can think of the following questions:
How can we train the Infra employees?
How can we motivate Infra employees?
How are we going to conduct the research?
With ‘why’ we can ask ourselves the following:
Why is one type of training better than another?
This study is not about numbers and figures, but about a descriptive answer to the central question: How can Koninklijke BAM Groep N.V. achieve this for the division.
The training policy is structured in such a way that employees are on a tactical level make an optimal contribution to the competitive position of the organization?
The result of this research is expressed in words and not in numbers.
Assignment TASK 2 = Concept report
Homework assignment to be made You provide a draft report in which the (possibly adapted) research proposal / action plan from task 1 is extended with the research analysis, conclusions, recommendations and implementation. In the research analysis phase, you pay particular attention to testing the case description against what you have learned. You also write the management summary of the research report in the language English. It is not without reason that you had a business communication English module in the propaedeutic phase.
Assignment Task 3 = Final research report
See the learning objectives of tasks 1 and 2.
Theme assignment to be completed You process your teacher’s feedback on the draft research report. Once you think you have completed a full research report, submit it for review.
