Description
Project Overview
You will consider ways to approach complex problems for this project. The problem you are faced with is figuring out what skills employees need to succeed in the workplace. To do this, you will complete a skills inventory to break down the problem and write an email response to recommend solutions to your supervisor.
Competency
In this project, you will master the following competency:
Compare problem-solving methods from a variety of fields
Scenario
You work for Firm X, a store brand that targets shoppers under the age of 35. Firm X sells clothes, electronics, home furnishings, and more recently, groceries. With the increasing popularity of online shopping and changing customer habits, new challenges face the business every day. Employees need to learn new skills to thrive in the workplace.
Your supervisor, Maria Gonzalez, would like you to use your problem-solving skills to think about solutions to this complex issue. You’ll need to apply problem-solving methods to identify problems, gather data, and analyze approaches to resolve the issues. She has just sent you this email:
Date: Tue 5/22/2018 9:17 AM
From: Gonzalez, Maria
Subject: Professional Development for All Staff
Attachments: Skills Inventory.docx
Good morning,
As I’m sure you know, our company is thinking about ways to respond to the demands of retail in the twenty-first century. To make sure we can meet those demands, we are considering the skills and abilities that our employees must have. I would like you to take a look at this and give me your thoughts.
I’d like you to start by describing the five most important skills and abilities our employees will need. Take into account our culturally diverse customers and the recent increase in online shopping. Take a look at what other companies are doing, as well as different news articles and studies. I’ve got a few questions about those skills and ways to address training that I’d like you to answer (also attached to this email).
Lastly, please list your thoughts and opinions on what we should do.
Thank you,
Maria Gonzalez
Division Manager
FirmX
“X marks the shop”
A corporate seminar is one option for employees to learn new skills.
Directions
Before getting started, review the email and attachments from Ms. Gonzalez, which outline her expectations for your work.
Skills Inventory
Ms. Gonzalez would like you to identify the five most important skills and abilities that Firm X employees will need. She has asked you to keep in mind the increase in online shopping and the importance of serving the needs of culturally diverse customers.
Start by reading at least three of the articles in the Training Research document in the Supporting Materials section. These articles describe how other retailers identify necessary skills and address skills gaps. Although it is not required, you might want to do more research of your own to support this task. Reach out to a librarian at the Shapiro Library for help or ideas.
Using the information you gathered from your readings, fill out the Skills Inventory document.
Email Response
Using your completed skills inventory as a guide, write an email response (600–800 words) to Ms. Gonzalez. In your email, explain how Firm X should address the problem of making sure employees have the skills necessary for the modern workplace. Then, outline steps that Firm X can take to fix skill gaps in the workforce.
Ms. Gonzalez has also asked you to approach this problem by thinking about your own prior experience learning new skills. Be sure to address the following points:
Compare this problem with your previous problem-solving experiences.
When have you been faced with a similar complex problem before?
How did you approach it?
What was your solution to the problem?
Compare your personal opinions with new information from part two in the Skills Inventory document.
Do your preferences for learning new skills match the strategies that other companies are using? If there is a difference, explain why you think that is.
Examine which parts of the problem are personally relevant.
Which of the five skills are personally relevant to you?
Which would you most like to learn or improve?
Which one would you least like to focus on?
What to Submit
Every project has a deliverable or deliverables, which are the files that must be submitted before your project can be assessed. For this project, you must submit the following:
Skills Inventory
Review the articles provided and do some of your own research. Then, complete the skill inventory.
Email Response
In your email back to Ms. Gonzalez, summarize your findings throughout this process. Write 600–800 words (about 2.5–3.5 pages), and be sure to call out the five skills you think are most important for employees. Break down your process for identifying these skills and training for them.
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Skills Inventory
You must include at least one reference and citation in each of the sections/Part 1, Part 2,
and Part 3 of the skills inventory.
Name:
Part One: Describe five skills that should be addressed.
In this section, list and describe five skills that you think the company should address to solve the skills
gap problem. Be sure to refer to your readings to inform your choices.
Answer the following questions for each of your selected skills:
•
•
Why is this skill important?
What problem does this skill address? For Firm X, what are some potential consequences of not
learning this skill?
Skill 1:
Write your responses in these text boxes.
Skill 2:
Skill 3:
Skill 4:
Skill 5:
Part Two: Explain the different ways that other companies are using data or best practices to address
the problem.
In this section, describe specific ways that other companies are addressing skills gaps, referring to your
readings.
Answer the following questions in your responses:
•
•
What are two different ways we can train employees on this skill?
How are other companies attempting to fill this skill gap?
Skill 1:
Write your responses in these text boxes.
Skill 2:
Skill 3:
Skill 4:
Skill 5:
Part Three: Rank the five skills in order of complexity, explaining reasons why.
In this section, rank the five skills you selected in part one to solve the skills gap problem. List them from
the most difficult to learn and measure to the least difficult. Be sure to refer to your readings to inform
your answers.
Answer the following questions in your response:
•
•
How easy is it to measure this skill?
How long will it take for employees to learn this skill?
Write your responses in this text box.
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