Level 3 Foundation Certificate in People Practice
This unit considers the impact of external influences and how the digital and commercial environment shapes businesses and the culture within which they operate. It considers the importance of people’s behaviour on organisational culture and its ability to manage change effectively.
CIPD’s insight
3CO01Business, culture and change in context- Organisational climate and culture (October 2023)
Organisational culture is an important aspect of organisational life and a term that has become a mainstay among business leaders. The work of HR, L&D and OD influences and is influenced by organisational culture because every organisation is made up of human relationships and human interactions. Despite its dominance, the language of culture is often unclear and difficult to define, making it hard to measure. Consequently, real culture change is almost impossible if we fail to pin down what we need to change. Rather than focusing on culture, concentrating on organisational climate – the meaning and behaviour attached to policies, practices and procedures that employees experience – is a much more specific, tangible way to positively influence the workplace. This factsheet explores why organisational culture is a popular but limited construct, and why shifting to changing organisational climate is much more effective for employers.
PESTLE analysis (March 2024)
A PESTLE analysis studies the key external factors (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental) that influence an organisation. It can be used in a range of different scenarios and can guide people professionals and senior managers in strategic decision-making.
Please note that the purpose of this insight is to link you to CIPD’s research and evidence within the subject area, so that you can engage with the latest thinking. It is not provided to replace the study required as part of the learning or as formative assessment material.
Preparation for the Task:
- At the start of your assessment, you are encouraged to plan your work with your assessor, and, where appropriate, agree milestones, so that they can help you monitor your progress.
- Refer to the indicative content in the unit to guide and support your evidence.
- Pay attention to how your evidence is presented.
- Ensure that the evidence generated for this assessment remains your own work.
- . You will also benefit from:
- Completing and acting on formative feedback from your assessor.
- Reflecting on your own experiences of learning opportunities and continuing professional development.
- Reading the CIPD Insight, Fact Sheets and related online materials on these topics.
Task – Written answers
To complete the task, you should provide a written response to each of the nine questions below.
You should relate your answers to your own organisation or an organisation with which you are familiar, ideally one that you have worked for. The same organisation should be used for all nine answers.
To be an effective people practitioner it is important to understand the goals of the business, the products, or services the organisation is selling or providing, the main customers of the organisation and how external factors, including technology impact the organisation’s markets and working methods.
- Examine two key external influences impacting or likely to impact the activities of the organisation that you work for (or an organisation with which you are familiar) (AC 1.1)
- Discuss the main business goal of the organisation that you work for (or an organisation with which you are familiar) and why it is important for that organisation to plan how they will achieve the goal. (AC 1.2)
- Discuss the products and/or services of the organisation that you work for (or an organisation with which you are familiar) and discuss the organisation’s main customers. (AC 1.3)
Technology has transformed workplaces and the people profession.
- Review how file sharing technology and video conferencing can be used to improve working practices and collaboration within the people profession in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar). (AC 1.4)
In 2023, a CIPD podcast asked the following question, ‘Has working remotely killed organisational culture?’ This topic is of interest in many organisations but before considering the impact of remote working on culture, it is important to understand what it meant by the term organisational culture.
- Define organisational culture and explain why it is important to foster an appropriate and effective workplace culture in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar). (AC 2.1)
- Explain how culture is part of a whole system and explain how people professionals’ work and actions could impact elsewhere in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar). (AC 2.2)
According to the CIPD’s Change Management factsheet, one driver of organisational change is economic downturn and challenging trading conditions.
- Explain why it is important that organisational change driven by economic downturn and challenging trading conditions is planned, and effectively managed in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar). (AC 3.1)
- Explain the importance and role that could be played by people professionals in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar) within change driven by economic downturn. (AC 3.2)
- Discuss how organisational change, driven by economic downturn, could impact people in your organisation (or an organisation with which you are familiar) in different ways. (AC 3.3)
- Your evidence must consist of:
- Written answers of approximately 2500 words (refer to CIPD word count policy).
- Assessment Criteria Evidence Checklist
You may find the following checklist helpful to make sure that you have included the required evidence to meet the task. This is not a mandatory requirement as long as it is clear in your submission where the assessment criteria have been met.
| Task – Written answers Assessment criteria | Evidenced Y/N | Evidence reference | |
| 1.1 | Examine the key external influences that impact on business environments. | ||
| 1.2 | Discuss organisational goals and why it is important for organisations to plan. | ||
| 1.3 | Discuss the products and/or services the organisation delivers, including who the main customers are. | ||
| 1.4 | Review the range of technology available within the people profession, including how it can be utilised to improve working practices and collaboration. | ||
| 2.1 | Define workplace culture in organisational settings and the importance of fostering positive approaches towards it. | ||
| 2.2 | Explain how organisations are whole systems, and how work and actions as a people professional could impact elsewhere in the organisation. | ||
| 3.1 | Explain the importance of planning and managing change within the workplace. | ||
| 3.2 | Consider the importance and role that people professionals play within change. | ||
| 3.3 | Discuss how change can impact people in different ways. | ||