Performance Management Assignment: Employee Development at Salesforce

Question

Task: This performance management assignment task requires you to:
• Collaboratively review performance development needs of individuals and teams
• Plan professional development for individuals and teams that enhances organizational performance

• Develop and implement specialists
• Liaise with training and development specialists
• Recognize workplace achievement by giving feedback, recognition and rewards
• Monitor and improve workplace learning
• Record and report workplace learning outcomes

For an organization you work with or for a simulated business, you will be required to develop and implement required learning plans.

Answer

Introduction
Salesforce, undertaken in this performance management assignment, is customer relationship management Software Company that offers cloud computing, knowledgebase, analytics, CTI integration and case management tool for organizations comprising different departments. The company was founded in 1999 by Marc Benioff and headquartered in San Francisco (Sraders, 2020).The following report deals with identifying the training and development needs of employees at Salesforce and provide them with a necessary plan that can allow them to improve their current performance.

Performance development needs of individuals and teams
As opined by Dong, et.al. (2017), every individual or team is different and have different developmental needs. Each member in a team has different skills, different level of understanding, responsibilities, and objectives. However, it is important for the organizations to identify the specific needs of individuals and implement a one-size fits all approach to make the future decisions more effective. Similarly, Salesforce must develop a tailored approach to make its employees more empowered and they will be able to align their personal objectives with the organization’s objectives. The performance of individuals and teams can be derived from their productivity.

The first step will be to understand the training and development needs of individuals and teams. Salesforce must try to provide their employees with industry training starting with using the software efficiently and handle the client base. The new employees will require a job training to get prepared for the software sales call, negotiating with the clients and managing the data in the software. Personal development will include emotional intelligence training, leadership skills and mental health training (Mattingly&Kraiger, 2019).
The second step of the plan will be to schedule feedback sessions with individuals and with teams. This step will review their current needs on the training program and if it supports their career goals.
The third step will be to set clear expectations, responsibilities, and goals for each employee. The fourth step will be to create personal development plans to retain every team member, identify their training needs, and boost employee engagement.
The next step of the plan will be to conduct a task and work analysis to ensure the given tasks and work is accomplished by team members.
Finally, absence management software can help identify the training needs of employees as well as teams.

Professional development for individuals and teams

Individual Development Learning Plan Template

Goal: Analyzing the developmental needs of individuals working in Salesforce
Objectives: 1. To improve performance at the employee’s present position or a target position 2. Identifying additional knowledge, skills and abilities required to achieve the stated career objectives 3. Evaluating the development, activities and training completed by each employee.
Planning		Learning & Implementation (P Activities)			Evaluation
Needs Assessment Data	Resources	Content	Format/Type	Participant Learning Outcomes (Knowledge, Skills, Beliefs, Practices)	Evaluation	Follow-up
1. Employees need skill building and therefore must use the Training Needs Assessment to gain professional development	Training modules created as per the needs of individual employees	Training based on customer relationships, use of the software, technical assistance	Written and presentations	Improvement in software handling, communication skills	360-degree performance, simulation tests, customer feedback	Follow-up will be done every week
2. The next step will be to improve the On-the-Job training by appointing an experience colleague employee requiring training.	company handbook, Industry and online resources, outreach programs	Training will include learning about company policies, how to respond to customers, Role play scenarios, talk about personal experiences	Written and presentations	Improvement in Communication systems, technology and problem solving	Conducting surveys and gain employee feedback	Every 2 weeks
3. Instructor-led training will be provided to individual.	Active Training sessions will be conducted by using role playing and simulation games to keep employees engaged	Assignments quizzes, role plays, games	Written and virtual	Social learning skills, soft skills, workplace behaviours	One-on-one feedback from employees	Every 2 weeks
4. Coaching will be used as an effective method to retrieve feedback from employees and address their performance problems (Woo, 2017)	Instructors, learning materials	Collect performance data, document their needs and follow-up	Presentations	Just-in-time learning, behavioural shifts in employees, listening skills		Once in a month

Team Development Learning Plan Template

Goal: Analyzing the developmental needs of teams working in Salesforce
Objectives: 1. To set employee development goals 2. To encourage of necessary resources when considering learning opportunities 3. To encourage team working rather than working alone
Planning		Learning & Implementation (P Activities)			Evaluation
Needs Assessment Data	Resources	Content	Format/Type	Participant Learning Outcomes (Knowledge, Skills, Beliefs, Practices)	Evaluation	Follow-up
1. Salesforce will also plan to inculcate team building activities to improve teamwork and identify individual strengths and weaknesses.	Developleadership skills, encourage creativity, strengthen problem solving abilities and strategy skills.	Create workplace-based learning and other opportunities	Written and presentation	leadership skills, creativity and problem-solving skills	Self-assessment tools like Big Five Personality Assessment	Every month
2. Effective work delegation will help focus on adding value to the work done by team members.	Training tool, job descriptions	transfer of responsibility for a task	Written and verbal	Communication skill, time management, trust gain	Questionnaires for self-evaluation	Every month
3. Cross-training between teams will ensure a good succession planning.	Webinars, classrooms, trainers	identify individual needs for their position and then cross-referencing the same with Salesforce’s employee proficiency needs	Presentations	social learning techniques, and eLearning	Training Evaluation Questionnaire	Every 2 months

Learning plans

Topic/Area of focus	Action	Person(s) Responsible	Resources needed Physical and Financial	Completion Date
1. Implementation of the 9-box grid to assess current employee potential and contribution to Salesforce	The grid will be able to identify the specific needs of employees and their key job roles. Accordingly, development and succession planning will be done.	Managers of different teams	360-degree reviews, engagement scores and performance ratings	3 months starting from January 2021.
2. Short-term cross-training process will be conducted to bring skill diversity	The first step will be to identify individual needs for their position and then cross-referencing the same withSalesforce’s employee proficiency needs.Next step will be to conduct small-group forums with the senior management every week.	Customer Support, Sales management and HR Managers	Mentors, External guests, training events, remote-work tools like videoconferencing. Finances for bringing external guests.	For 1^st 2 months starting from February 2021.
3. On-the-job training projects will be applied to develop new skills required for higher-level positions in Salesforce.	Salesforce will apply stretch assignments to prepare for upward mobility.	Senior Management like CEO. Managers of different teams	Physical resources required for training include training materials like lesson plans, videos, presentations, curriculum. A total of $200 will be spent on each group.	The plan will be implemented from March 2021
4. Job Enrichment opportunities by redesigning the jobs of customer support executives	This action will facilitate employees with additional tasks and duties to keep the employees motivated.	HR Managers, managers of customer support team	Physical resources will be employee manuals, job change offer letters.	The change will be implemented from April 2021.
5. Job Rotation of employees within the organization.	A job rotation program will be prepared including customized assignments for employees opting for alternative career paths.	HR Managers, managers of different teams.	The physical resources assignment materials, presentations.	The plan will be implemented for a period of 6 months starting from April 2021.

Liaising with training and development specialists
Salesforce will appoint training and development specialists who are experts in planning, organizing and implementing development programs for employees of any organization.

The Training and Development Specialists will assess the training needs of the employees (Noe&Kodwani,2018).In Salesforce, the training needs of the customer support team will be assessed first as they need adequate training to manage the clients of the organization.
The specialists will conduct surveys, organize meetings with team managers and conduct face-to-face interactions with employees. Once the training needs of employees are identified, an effective training and development plan will be advised. In the case of Salesforce, the customer support representatives will receive training on providing relevant answers to customers which increases the wait time of a prompt response.
Salesforce must investigate this issue as customer services representatives should understand the issues of its customers clearly and provide with relevant solutions. The training and development will include Instructor-led training, coaching and simulation employee training.

Monitor and improve workplace learning
Salesforce will monitor and improve workplace operations by collecting employee feedback. The managers are advised to conduct surveys, hold weekly team meetings, and organize one-on-one meetings with the team members. The team members will be encouraged to participate in open conversation with their managers and value their opinions and viewpoints. The first step to monitor the operative performance will be establishing indicators like performance indicators to know how employees are performing in their current job role. The next step will be to implement operational process improvements to focus on quality of work, costs spent on training and speed of service provided to clients. The Salesforce will be able to monitor the workplace operations. Site operations and customer feedback will be collected to see if the customer service representatives are able to serve them in the desired manner. An open-door policy will be applied to make open communications for employees. New protocols and workflows can be updated and written as a part of the operations manual which needs to be followed by the employees.

Record and report workplace learning outcomes
It is important that the outcomes of workplace learning have been identified which will further allow to create a system for tracking and recording those learning outcomes. Organizations utilize the learning plan as an important tool used to record and report learning outcomes (Awang, et.al.,2019). The information covered in the learning plan will be evaluated and developed by managers of different teams and a report will be prepared for the team or for management. This will not only beneficial for the managers but also for the entire organization to create a review of staff development strategies.

The performance can be recorded in forms of letter from mangers based on the current performance, 360-degree feedback from immediate seniors, updating the CV and creating and achievement funnel.
Reflective practice will be encouraged by the organization to reflect on performance, professional values and client and team interactions (Taipale&Lindström, 2018). This will help to develop communication, negotiation and leadership skills, understanding, self-awareness and professionalism among the employees.
Formal presentations can be prepared which can be presented at departmental meetings to gain feedback on the learning’s.
The recommendations must be recorded. The copies of the presentations must be preserved.

Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be stated that there are many supporting factors for the success and failure of Salesforce. It is the responsibility of organizations to identify the basic training and development needs of its employees in order to provide them with an opportunity to grow within the organization. Salesforce operates in the CRM industry and it needs to consider all the above-mentioned factors before making any decision for its employees.

References
Awang, A. H., MohdSapie, N., Hussain, M. Y., Ishak, S., &MdYusof, R. (2019).

Nurturing innovative employees: effects of organisational learning and work environment. Economic research-Ekonomskaistraživanja, 32(1), 1152-1168.

Dong, Y., Bartol, K. M., Zhang, Z. X., & Li, C. (2017).Enhancing employee creativity via individual skill development and team knowledge sharing: Influences of dual?focused transformational leadership. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(3), 439-458.

Mattingly, V., &Kraiger, K. (2019). Can emotional intelligence be trained? A meta-analytical investigation. Human Resource Management Review, 29(2), 140-155.

Noe, R. A., &Kodwani, A. D. (2018). Employee training and development, 7e.McGraw-Hill Education.

Sraders, A. (2020). What is Salesforce and What Does It Do in 2020?.Retrieved from:

Taipale, T., &Lindström, S. (2018).Engaged in teaching HRM: The quest for critical and reflective practice. ephemera: theory & politics in organization, 18(2).

Woo, H. R. (2017). Exploratory study examining the joint impacts of mentoring and managerial coaching on organizational commitment. Sustainability, 9(2), 181.

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