5CO01 Assessment
AC 1.1 Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of both a divisional structure and a matrix structure.
Assessment Guideline:
Students will explain differences in, for example, divisional and matrix structures, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each.
A Divisional Structure
Advantages
- Focus on accountability
- Decentralisation of decision-making
- Improved Customer Focus
Disadvantages
- Replication of Resources
- Interference with Communication
- Competition among Divisions
Matrix Structure
Advantages
- A matrix structure facilitates more flexibility and adaptability
- Easiness in using its resources effectively since the employees are allowed to work on numerous projects concurrently
- Improved Communication and cross-functional collaboration and communication among the organisation’s units and teams
Disadvantages
- Complexities and challenges based on the numerous reporting lines and conflicting priorities.
- Power struggles and disputes among project managers and functional managers.
- Upsurge in complexities in management functions
AC 1.2 Analyse the extent to which the organisational strategy in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar) helps to ensure products or services meet customers’ needs
An organisational strategy relates to a plan that showcases how a business will realize its goals.
Netflix is a vast streaming company. The company’s organisational model ensures that all the customers’ products and services are adequately met.
Emphasis on Customer Satisfaction
Decision Making based on Data.
Progressive Innovation.
AC 1.3 Analyse the current impact of interest rates, inflation and one other external factor on your organisation (or one with which you are familiar). Identify organisational priorities arising from your analysis
Interest rates are usually the costs incurred for borrowing money. Rising interest rates significantly affect HSBC, UK’s profitability.
Inflation can be described as a gradual loss of the buying power of consumers. Being in the banking industry, HSBC can be impacted by inflation through lower consumer spending affecting consumer lending and retail banking operations.
Geopolitical risks can be viewed as the risks linked with wars, terrorist activities, and tensions among states that interrupt the normal and peaceful course of international relations. For example, geopolitical risks may increase the market volatility affecting general investor confidence and investment choices.
Organisational priorities
Organisational priorities form the most significant goals and objectives that a firm or an organisation emphasises in a bid to realising its vision.
HSBC may engage in numerous organisational priorities such as exploring new revenue streams like wealth management and investment banking thus lowering the dependency on traditional loaning.
AC 1.4 In February 2024, Peter Cheese, current CEO of CIPD stated, “AI is transforming jobs, careers and workplaces. People professionals have a key role to play in encouraging safe experimentation and rapid learning, so that we can reap the benefits and mitigate the risks.” Assess the extent that AI is, or could be, used in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar) and assess how AI impacts work
- Reskilling and upskilling
- Staff Support and Direction
- Promoting Ethical and Responsible AI Use
- Enhanced customer service through 24/7
AC 2.1 Explain Charles Handy’s model of organisational culture and explain David Rock’s SCARF theory
Charles Handy’s model of organisational culture highlights four major management styles, each with its values.
Power Culture: Power culture is featured by a strong principal authority figure such as a charismatic CEO in the organisation.
Role Culture: Role culture stresses more on not only rules but also processes and job descriptions within the organisation.
Task Culture: Task culture is different in that it concentrates much on the realisation of particular goals and objectives.
Person Culture: Person culture appreciates individual expertise and professional development.
David Rock’s SCARF Model
The SCARF Model was introduced in 2008 by Dr. David Rock and presents a direct psychological theory of motivation that’s easy to remember as inspired by neuroscience.
Status: Status pertains to how individuals distinguish their social standing and acknowledgment within a group or organisation.
Certainty: Certainty can be viewed as the need for predictability and stability in the work environment.
Autonomy: Autonomy is more of the need for control and choice in one’s work.
Relatedness: Relatedness as per Rock’s model relates to the need for social connection and belonging.
Fairness: Fairness can be described as the perception of fair treatment and equitable opportunities in a specific organisation.
AC 2.2 Assess how employee selection or employee development impacts organisational culture and behaviour in your organisation (or one with which you are familiar
Employee selection and development significantly impact an organisation’s culture and behaviour
Selection
The employee selection process seeks to filter, attract, and select individuals whose values, skills, and personalities go hand in hand with the desired organisational culture.
The selection process aims at communicating the organisation’s values and expectations to potential employees.
Again, the selection process has been noted to select persons who express or portray the company’s values.
Development
Development is integral in the reinforcement of an organisation’s cultural values.
The inclusion of leadership development programs has also been found crucial in the cultivation of leaders who hold and propel the organisation’s values.
Development programs are important and relevant in the facilitation of a learning culture in an organisation
AC 2.3 An organisation is planning a change relating to hybrid working. Many employees moved to home working during the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst this approach worked well at the time, the organisation now wants all employees to work at least two days a week on site. Explain how Kotter’s approach to managing change could be used to successfully implement this change
Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model was founded by Dr. John Kotter in 1995 and entails a structured, 8-step process for creating urgency, aligning leadership, and embedding change management into an organisation’s approach.
Create a Sense of Urgency: This step will include stressing the probable advantages of a hybrid like increased employee satisfaction, advanced work-life balance, and increased employee satisfaction.
Building a Guiding Coalition: This phase calls for the organisation to bring together a cross-functional team that contains among others representatives from all units and departments such as management, IT, and HR to be on the frontline of the desired change.
Develop a Vision and Strategy: Organisations that seek to shift to a hybrid working model should formulate an appropriate model fit for the implementation of the new policy.
Communicate the Vision: All communications including the vision and adopted approaches need to be undertaken through numerous channels like email communications and official meetings.
Empower Action: All hindrances that may interfere with the proper execution of the hybrid working model need to be removed immediately.
Generating Short-term Wins: Organisations are encouraged to celebrate early successes attained in the course of implementing hybrid working.
Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change: A continuous monitoring and assessment of the efficiency of the hybrid working model needs to be carried out constantly.
Anchor New Approaches in the Culture: This last phase has featured the incorporation of a hybrid working model into the organisation’s culture and ensuring that it remains sustainable in the long run.
AC 2.4 Using the Kubler-Ross change curve, discuss how change is experienced
Kubler-Ross Change Curve is a unique model that showcases how people react to change
Denial: Denial forms the initial stage in which individuals may resist the idea of change.
Anger: Anger comes as the second stage in the Kubler-Ross Change Curve and is marked by the reality of change dawning on the employees.
Bargaining: The bargaining phase occurs when employees seek to negotiate or bargain with the management to avert or lower the effects of the change.
Depression: The depression phase is featured by the realisation that the change is now happening and the staffs need to accept it.
Acceptance: Acceptance forms the last stage of the Kubler-Ross Change Curve stages that entails employees beginning to accept the change and further adapting to the new reality.
AC 2.5 The CIPD’s Health and wellbeing at work survey 2023 found the percentage of organisations that have a standalone wellbeing strategy has risen from 40% in 2018 to 53% in 2023. Although the percentage has increased, this means that 47% of organisations do not have a standalone wellbeing strategy. Assess the importance of wellbeing at work and assess how good work could impact wellbeing
- Lower Rates of Absenteeism
- Enhanced Employee Retention
- Advanced Employee Engagement
- Good Work Effects on Well-being
- Autonomy
- Positive Work Environment
- Meaningful work
- Work-Life Balance
AC 3.1 Provide a brief overview of the employee lifecycleand discuss people practice roles at the recruitment, development and separation stages of the lifecycle
Recruitment: This is the initial stage of the employee lifecycle that entails attracting and electing qualified candidates for available positions within a particular organisation. During the recruitment stage, people practices are tasked with the role of attracting talent, selecting candidates, and ensuring adherence to the set employment laws and regulations throughout the processes.
Onboarding: This phase entails the incorporation of new hires into an organisation and further assisting them in adjusting to their new roles in the firm.
Development: Development is linked with offering the required prospects for the staff to not only grow but also advance their skills and knowledge through different approaches such as training and mentoring among others. During the development stage, people’s practices ensure that they train, implement performance appraisal, and offer opportunities for career advancement.
Retention: Retention involves the execution of tactics to retain treasured employees and lower employee turnover.
Separation: This is the last stage of the employee lifecycle and entails the management of employee departure from the organisation due to different reasons such as resignations, terminations, and retirements. During this last stage in the employee lifecycle, people practices carry out exit interviews, offer the required support, and guarantee complete compliance with employee terminations and departure.
AC 3.2 Analyse how people practice supports organisational strategy through vertical integration and how people practice supports wider people strategies through horizontal integration
Vertical Integration
Vertical integration entails a business strategy that entails a company or organisation owning and managing more stages of its supply chain.
People practices ought to be directly aligned with the general business strategy.
People practices need to ensure that both the recruitment and selection processes aim at attracting and hiring persons who hold skills, values, or expertise that align with that of the organisation.
Performance management systems also need to be aligned with organisational strategic objectives.
Horizontal Integration
Horizontal integration relates to a business strategy where different companies merge or acquire other firms within the same sector.
Cross-functional collaboration and communication among HR and other units in the organisations like finance.
HR needs to leverage data and analytics to ensure that its decisions are well-informed and showcase the effects of people’s practices on business results.
The HR department cannot work in isolation but needs to engage with other departments to guarantee that people practices work hand in hand with the general business objectives.
AC 3.3 An organisation is planning to introduce a four-day working week. Discuss the processes the people function could use to consult and engage with managers and employees to understand their needs when moving from a five-day to four-day working week
Carry out an intensive assessment
This need can be undertaken through the distribution of comprehensive surveys to collect employee feedback on their preferences for a four-day workweek.
Come up with Focus Groups
Focus groups can be created and conducted with both employees and managers to deliberate more on the probable gains and challenges of a four-day workweek.
Carry out Workshops and Training
Workshops and training can be conducted to understand the principles of a four-day workweek.
Pilot Programs
The discussed four-day workweek can be implemented through a pilot program in which a selected small group of volunteers drawn from different departments can be engaged.
Progressive Communication and Feedback
It is important for the maintenance of open and continuing communication with employees in the course of the four-day workweek.
References
Albrecht, S. L., Green, C. R., & Marty, A. (2021). Meaningful work, job resources, and employee engagement. Sustainability, 13(7), 4045.
CIPD. (2025). Employee Health and Wellbeing. Available https://www.cipd.org/en/views-and-insights/cipd-viewpoint/employee-health-wellbeing/
CIPD. (2025). People Practice. Available https://www.cipd.org/en/the-people-profession/the-profession-map/explore-the-profession-map/core-knowledge/people-practice/
Cummins, A. (2025). The Leadership Route: How Different Approaches to Management Can Shape a Leader. John Wiley & Sons.
McCartney, C., (2024). Selection Methods. CIPD. Available https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/selection-factsheet/
Suff, R., (2024).Wellbeing at Work. CIPD. Available https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/well-being-factsheet/#:~:text=Fostering%20employee%20wellbeing%20is%20good,employee%20engagement%20and%20organisational%20performance.
Young, J., (2024). Organisation Development. CIPD. Available https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/organisational-development-factsheet/