HR9516 Human Resource Management Essentials Individual Assignment 1, 2026

HR9516 Individual Assignment 1

PART 1 Recruitment & Selection

Introduction

In today’s digital era, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are projected to displace a significant portion of human jobs, it estimates up to 30% of current roles could be automated by 2030 (Ing & Grossman, 2022). The rapid pace of technological advancement has been shortening the half-life of many skills for years and AI is likely to accelerate this trend even further, leaving workforce planning struggling to adapt (Cantrell et al., 2025). Indeed, 60% of organizations report that skills gaps are impeding their digital transformation efforts, while 72% of CEOs cite talent shortages as a major obstacle to achieving business objectives (Bobek, 2025).

This technological disruption has elevated managing and developing talent to a central issue in Human Resource Management (HRM). This HRM function encompasses systematic processes designed to upgrade employee skills, enhance productivity, facilitate career progression, support succession planning, and ultimately enable individuals to fulfil their potential and assume greater responsibilities.

This paper examines managing and developing talent as a critical HRM topic for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”), a global leader in professional services. It highlights how strategic talent development drives organizational goals amid rapid technological change and front-line managers play a pivotal role in its critical implementation to foster human sustainability and long-term competitive advantage. As these managers design objectives, methods, and assessment frameworks, they must also guide employees in building collaborative, adaptive, and psychologically safe work environments which are essential for thriving in hybrid and AI-augmented workplaces (Gandía et al., 2025).

The paper is structured as follows: First, it outlines the objectives, methods, and assessments of talent management within HRM. Next, it presents Deloitte’s business profile, including an organizational overview and strategic context. Finally, it explores critical implementation by front-line managers through three key dimensions: (1) their role as talent orchestrators, (2) practical methods and assessment strategies, and (3) last, challenges and benefits.

Overview of Objectives, Methods, and Assessments in Managing and Developing Talents

The objective of HRM in managing and developing talent is to upgrade employees’ skills and foster more productive work. This process also fulfills employees’ potential, encouraging them to work both hard and smart, which in turn leads to career progression. As employees advance to more senior roles, they assume greater responsibilities as a key element of HRM’s succession planning (Noe et al., 2016).

To achieve these objectives, employers must invest in various programs, such as training and lectures. Additionally, regarding employee placement, positions are not fixed permanently; instead, HRM implements employee rotation or manages employee turnover as needed. Some employees may also need to pursue advanced courses to meet higher performance indicators (Armstrong & Taylor, 2020).

According to (Devine, 2023), HR conducts assessment tests for individuals with specific approaches including determining ROI and action plan. Employees are evaluated based on completed projects, attendance at capacity-building meetings, or tasks performed beyond their regular scope, all of which contribute to fulfilling the assessment criteria.

Business Profile

 Company Overview :

Deloitte is a brand for independent firm with professional services headquartered in England and Wales, which was founded by William Welch Deloitte in 1845 (Deloitte Global, 2025). Deloitte DTTL is also known as Deloitte Global with their member firm in particular geographic area has their own national laws and separate regulations. Globally, the member firms are distributed to 150 countries (Deloitte US, 2025). In fiscal year 2025, Deloitte reported global revenue of $70.5 billion, reflecting a 5% year-over-year increase and employed approximately 450,000 people worldwide (Dutton & Anderson, 2025).

Strategic Context : 

In the context of HRM, DTTL upholds shared values among colleagues, which are to lead the way, serve with integrity, take care of each other, foster inclusion, and collaborate for measurable impact (Faber, 2025). Recently, DTTL introduced a new program called Extended Workforce Solutions (EWS), launched in June 2025 (PR Newswire, 2025). This program incorporates advice on contingent talent strategy, technology, sourcing, and management to assist clients gain improved visibility into their whole workforce. However, the EWS program has not yet been fully implemented across all member firms. Currently, it is applicable only within the New York office, with recommended solutions planned for global implementation to ensure a smooth transition. At this stage, this HRM analysis study will therefore be based on insights from the Deloitte Human Capital Trends Reports for FY 2023, FY 2024, and FY 2025.​

Critical Implementation by Front-Line Managers

Role of Front-Line Managers:

Front-line managers serve as the critical link between organizational strategy and day-to-day execution. Their role extends beyond supervising tasks in which they are responsible for translating strategic objectives into actionable behaviours, fostering team engagement, and ensuring alignment with organizational culture. In today’s dynamic environment, managers must balance operational efficiency with adaptability, guiding teams through technological disruptions and evolving work models.

The 2025 report, titled “Turning Tensions into Triumphs”, explores how organizations can navigate complex tensions, such as automation versus augmentation, standardization versus personalization, stability versus agility, output versus outcome, control versus empowerment, predictability versus potential, without resorting to binary choices (Alstein et al., 2025). It identifies three critical dimensions for leaders: work (ensuring optimal execution), workforce (accessing and motivating talent amid AI disruption), and organization and culture (creating structures that unlock performance).

Emerging priorities include balancing stability for workers with organizational speed, and closing the experience gap, also redefining the employee value proposition for an AI-driven era. The report underscores that human performance is not a zero-sum game between business and human outcomes, yet success lies in harmonizing both through adaptive strategies and technology-enabled solutions.

How to Implement: Objectives, Methods, and Assessments : 

Implementation begins with clear objectives, such as improving team productivity, enhancing employee engagement, and fostering adaptability. Methods should include structured communication channels, regular feedback loops, and the integration of digital collaboration tools to streamline workflows. Training programs focused on leadership agility, emotional intelligence, and data literacy equip managers to handle evolving challenges. Additionally, embedding microcultures within teams can create localized environments aligned with broader organizational values, promoting inclusivity and innovation.

Assessments should move beyond traditional productivity metrics to incorporate human performance indicators, such as well-being scores, skill development progress, and team cohesion. Leveraging analytics and AI-driven dashboards can provide real-time insights into these metrics, enabling proactive interventions. Real-time evaluations and pulse surveys offer qualitative feedback, ensuring that implementation strategies remain responsive to employee needs (Cantrell et al., 2024). By combining clear goals, adaptive methods, and robust assessments, organizations can empower front-line managers to deliver sustainable performance outcomes (Alstein et al., 2025; Cantrell et al., 2024).

The 2023 report, titled “New Fundamentals for a Boundaryless World”, emphasizes that traditional assumptions about work such as fixed jobs, defined workplaces, and rigid employment models are rapidly dissolving. Organizations and workers must navigate a boundaryless world together, adopting new fundamentals to thrive amid disruption and discontinuity (Brodzik et al., 2023). Several insights from this report that improve talent management implementation in Deloitte are:

1. The focus shifts from predefined job roles to skills, enabling greater flexibility and adaptability.
2. Digital tools and automation should be leveraged, rather than replacing human contributions.
3. The physical workplace is no longer the central hub; instead, it becomes one of many inputs to the work itself, supporting hybrid and virtual models.
4. Companies are urged to prioritize human outcomes, including well-being, equity, and inclusion, alongside business performance.
5. Removing traditional employment distinctions unlocks access to a broader workforce ecosystems.

Why Critical: Challenges and Benefits : 

The criticality of front-line managers lies in their proximity to operational realities and their influence on employee experience. Challenges include role overload, as managers juggle administrative tasks with leadership responsibilities, also skill gaps in areas like digital fluency and change management. Resistance to new technologies or cultural shifts can further complicate implementation. However, the benefits of empowering front-line managers are substantial. Effective managers drive higher engagement, reduce turnover, and enhance organizational agility by fostering trust and collaboration. They serve as conduits for human sustainability initiatives, ensuring that well-being and inclusion are embedded in daily practices. Moreover, their ability to interpret and act on performance data enables organizations to respond swiftly to emerging trends, mitigating risks and capitalizing on opportunities. In essence, front-line managers are the linchpins of transformation, without their active involvement, strategic initiatives risk stagnation. Investing in their development and support not only addresses challenges but also unlocks the full potential of human performance, creating a resilient and future-ready workforce (Alstein et al., 2025; Cantrell et al., 2024).

Conclusion

In an era of rapid technological disruption and AI-driven transformation, managing and developing talent emerge as a cornerstone HRM practice for DTTL to sustain its competitive edge as the world’s largest professional services network. By prioritizing skill upgrading, productivity enhancement, career progression, and succession planning through diverse methods such as training, job rotation, mentoring, and advanced courses, Deloitte not only aligns talent strategies with organizational goals but also fosters human sustainability in a boundaryless, hybrid work environment.

Front-line managers, must critically implement these initiatives by setting adaptive objectives, employing innovative assessments, and navigating tensions between automation and augmentation, stability and agility. Ultimately, investing in talent development through empowered front-line leadership will position Deloitte to thrive amid ongoing disruptions, delivering measurable impact for clients, employees, and society at large.

PART 2: Reflect Using Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle.

Description

Attending the Human Resource Management Essentials lessons taught me key information and introduced me to different HR concepts such as recruitment and selection, how organisations are shaped by HR, and management in performance. HRM Essentials also taught me how companies select, develop, attract talent, and manage their employees.

During lessons I listened well during class, especially during discussions and questionnaires. For the group presentation, I made myself available and useful. I helped my team with needed information and gave my all for the presentation. However, I believe that during class discussions, questionnaires, and with my presentation group, I could have been less shy and spoken more. For the future, I want to become less shy and speak up more so I can contribute more effectively. Additionally, this experience helped me recognise areas of personal growth, which is an important starting point in Gibbs’ reflective cycle as it allows me to clearly identify what happened and what I need to improve moving forward.

Feeling

At the beginning of the HRM Essentials lessons, I felt curious and motivated to learn because HR was a new area for me, learning the basics via YouTube. The lessons has taught me a broader idea of the whole concept of HRM Essentials. As the lessons went on, I felt more confident in understanding the concepts, but I also experienced moments of shyness during class discussions I sometimes felt hesitant to speak up, worrying that my answers might not be correct or that I might not express my thoughts clearly.

During the group presentation, I felt responsible and determined to contribute well, but at the same time slightly nervous. Overall, I felt a mix of confidence in my learning and frustration with myself for not speaking more, which made me more aware of the personal challenges I want to work on.

I also felt a growing sense of awareness about my own learning style. Even though I understood the content well, I often felt internally conflicted wanting to participate more but holding back due to self-consciousness. At times, I felt disappointed in myself for staying quiet, yet hopeful that with practice I could overcome this shyness and engage more confidently in future lessons.

Evaluation

In general, HRM Essentials had valuable learning experiences. One of the positive aspects was I stayed attention and attentive during lessons, completing my activities on time, and supported my group teammates during the presentation. I gave my commitment and my responsibility. My teammates appreciated the information I presented to them and I felt trusted and had a meaningful role for the presentation tasks. Another strength I had was my ability to understand HR concepts. This helped me to go through every lesson smoothly and stress-free. However, there were areas that can be improved. I know my shyness held me back from participating actively during discussions which could have helped me deepen my ideas, feedback, and knowledge. By speaking up more could have helped my communication and understanding skill. Even though I contributed in many other ways, I did not maximise my full potential in learning as my shyness held me back. In the future, I hope I can focus on improving my weaknesses while I understand that this also balanced my strength and weaknesses and helped me see them as well.

Analysis

Reflecting on my experience in the HRM Essentials lessons, I can see clearly why some aspects went well, while others were more challenging. My ability to stay attentive, observant behaviour, allowed me to understand the concepts, and support my group presentation suggests that I have strong comprehension skills and a responsible learning attitude.

However, my shyness and hesitation to participate verbally limited my overall learning. Although I understood the content, I held back from sharing my thoughts due to self-consciousness and fear of being wrong. In HRM, communication is a key skill—HR professionals often lead interviews, conduct numerous trainings, handle employees’ concerns, and facilitate discussions. By not speaking up, I missed opportunities to practise these skills in a safe learning environment. Gibbs’ analysis stage allowed me to understand the deeper reasons behind my behaviour. My shyness did not come from lack of preparation but from a lack of confidence. Recognising this connection helps me see clearly what I need to work on to grow both academically and as a future HR professional.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the HRM Essentials lessons provided me with vital knowledge and practical insights into how HR functions within an organisation, it is crucial. Furthermore, I was able to understand the concepts well and contribute positively to my group presentation, which showed my strengths in teamwork, preparation, and responsibilities. This reflection helped me recognise that improving my confidence and speaking up more will not only enhance my learning experience but also support my future development in HR, where communication and interaction are frequently use on a day to day. Overall, the experience taught me the importance of balancing knowledge with active participation, and it encouraged me to work on overcoming the personal barriers that limit my potential.

Overall, this experience taught me the importance of combining knowledge with active engagement. Furthermore, it encourages me to address personal barriers that limit my potential and reminded me that growth begins with honest reflection. Through this reflective process, I am more aware of the steps I need to take to become more confident, expressive, and professionally prepared for future challenges.

Action Plan

To improve my public speaking skills and manage my shyness, I will take several intentional steps. First, I plan to practise speaking in smaller, low-pressure situations such as contributing at least once during class discussions each week. This will help me build confidence gradually. I also aim to join activities that encourage communication, such as group projects or school clubs where I can speak in front of others in a supportive environment. Furthermore I also intend to practise public speaking at home by rehearsing short presentations, recording myself, or practising in front of a mirror and reviewing the recordings to identify areas for improvement in clarity, tone, and confidence.

To manage my shyness, I will work on controlling my anxiety through simple strategies such as taking long & deep breathing, positive self-talk, and preparing my thoughts before speaking to anyone. With continuous practice with consistency and self-awareness, I believe I can gradually become more confident, by speaking more comfortably, and be better prepared for future HR roles that require strong communication skills.

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