Improve Personal And Professional Development Skills Information Technology Essay

The purpose of this report is to identify the personal development skill as well as professional development skill to the extent of understanding the ways to get better idea about those and then do a personal audit which finally refers to make a plan for personal development for next year. Every organization has a goal to achieve. To achieve that goal organization identifies its target area where the potential problem may arise and can be solved and the training and workshop required developing the skill of the employee. Among those area Human resources is the most important part. To improve that resources organization attempts various program attributable to improve the professional development skill which could effectively give effort to the organization in line with the achievement of the organizational goal.

Task-1

1.1. METHODS to improve personal and professional development skills

Personal development is the process of improving ones self-knowledge; develop the potentiality of certain areas, building the capability and quality.

As Bob Aubrey said,

“Personal development refers to activities that improve self-knowledge and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and employability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations.”

Professional development is referred to develop the personal and career skills where the person could effectively provide his/her knowledge to the organization.

As described by Speck, M. & Knipe,

“Professional development has been described as intensive and collaborative, ideally incorporating an evaluative stage”

1.2 Differences between counseling and mentoring

Counseling refers to the process of setting by a counselor with a person to help the persons in particular problem or overall development of attitude and behavior. Counseling basically helps an individual to get their problems identified, solve them in pro-active manner and improve their overall skill way better than before. While saying about counseling Gladding Samuel T said,

“Counseling emphasizes growth as well as remediation”.

In an organization counseling helps the employee to identify their problems and solve them. In the organization counseling may deal with its internal skills development like performance appraisal, handling employee grievances, disciplinary procedures, coaching and so on. And deal with external areas such as, conflict resolution, dispute resolution, Mediation, etc.

“Counseling should be looked upon in terms of the amount of direction that the counselor gives the counselee.  This direction ranges from full direction (directive counseling) to no direction (nondirective   counseling)”(source: www.tpub.com)

Directive counseling refers to the process of listening to the proper problem, getting knowledge of the problem of a member; refer the member to potential solving and lastly encouraging the member to solve it. This types of counseling encompasses advice, help to releases emotional activities and thinking. Non-directive counseling refers to; listen to the counselee, help him or her to identify the problem and sort out the proper course of action.

Mentoring is the process and technique of sharing knowledge among the person who is less experienced & knowledgeable. Mentoring is the most effective way to get the employees share their knowledge between who is knowledgeable and not knowledgeable. Mentoring is the ongoing relationship that helps to solve the potential problems which can be more informal and any person can be mentor and mentee where the organization may need not to bring other external mentors at all time.-

 “Mentoring is a process for the informal transmission of knowledge, social capital, and the psychosocial support perceived by the recipient as relevant to work, career, or professional development; mentoring entails informal communication, usually face-to-face and during a sustained period of time, between a person who is perceived to have greater relevant knowledge, wisdom, or experience (the mentor) and a person who is perceived to have less (the mentee)”

(Bozeman, B. and Feeney, M. K., 2007. Toward a useful theory of mentoring: A conceptual analysis and critique.)

Mentoring can be done in the following areas:

â-ºBusiness â-ºExecutive â-ºPerformance â-ºSkills â-ºPersonal

Example:

In an organization there can be various problems that may arise in ongoing business activities. The concerned problems such as the company namely ‘NIKE’ has facing employee motivational factors are not productive to the degree of expectations. Also conflicts in working arena among the employees arising in different level at different times. After identification of this problem NIKE has taken counseling to solve the problem. Again at the stage of mentoring this situational conflict, the company has taken various initiatives which encompass the increasing of new employee.

1.3. Pprofessional development skills in achieving personal or organisation’s goals and objectives

Professional development skill encompasses to all sort of development starting from college to organizations. There is various ways to develop skills.

“There are a variety of approaches to professional development, including consultation, coaching, and communities of practice, lesson study, mentoring, reflective supervision and technical assistance.”(National Professional Development Center on Inclusion.  What do we mean by professional development in the early childhood field?)

Among the various skills three development skills are explained below which gives more accurate to achieve the goals and objectives. These are Leadership skills, Multitasking skills and Coaching. These are explained below:

Leadership skill

Leadership is the process of acquiring free consent by one person of many others where the person influences to the fraternity that followed by. In an organization leadership is as to be the leading by the key person where the goals oriented business is ongoing. The interests of the organization are in common and everyone within the organization follows the leader.

“The use of positive reinforcement is a successful and growing technique used by leaders to motivate and attain desired behaviors from subordinates. Organizations such as Frito-Lay, 3M, Goodrich, Michigan Bell, and Emery Air Freight have all used reinforcement to increase productivity.”(Source: Lussier & Achua, 2010) So, Leadership encompasses those which are attitude, behavior, leading power. In the organization every person requires to attain these as this are present within every department from smaller to larger portion.

Multitasking skill

Multitasking is the ability to do several tasks at a time. In an organization which is comparatively smaller, shows up that one person is doing the different task at a time which required doing.

“Rapidly increasing technology fosters multitasking because it promotes multiple sources of input at a given time. Instead of exchanging old equipment like TV, print, and music, for new equipment such as computers, the Internet, and video games children and teens combine forms of media and continually increase sources of input.”

(Foehr, Ulla, MEDIA MULTITASKING AMONG AMERICAN YOUTH)

Coaching

Coaching refers to developing the ability of a coachee by coah by various activity to improve the quality of coachee.

“Coaching is helping to identify the skills and capabilities that are within the person, and enabling them to use them to the best of their ability – and by that increasing the independence within the individual, and reducing reliance.”

(Rixon, Nick, 2007, UK Coaching Academy CD “Goals and Motivations”)

As described by Eric

“Coaching is a process that enables learning and development to occur and thus performance to improve. To be a successful a Coach requires a knowledge and understanding of process as well as the variety of styles, skills and techniques that are appropriate to the context in which the coaching takes place” (Eric Parsloe, 1999, The Manager as Coach and Mentor. pp 8)

Coaching nowadays is not for only senior managers who could in return fulfill the demand of the organization in achieving the goal. But to that context coaching is now has great demand which also given to the lower hierarchy where staff are also required to do the coaching.

1.4 Time Management: the importance and benefits

Time management is that skill which helps one to enable effective response to the increase of efficiency and productivity. In business organization time management is all the way important from organizing day to day activities to every departments planning arena.

“Time management is a set of principles, practices, skills, tools and systems that help individual to use their time to accomplish what they want.”

(http://www.successconsciousness.com/blog/time-management/importance-of-time-management, accessed on 16.12.2010, 8.00pm)

So, time management in short can be said that the effective use of time personally or business in an effective manner so that every required task are done accurately.

Urgent

Not Urgent

Important

Crying baby Kitchen fire some calls

Exercise Vocation Planning

Not Important

Interruptions Distractions Other Calls

Trivia Busy work Time wasters

Exhibit: Time Management

The importance includes all the way where the idle time increases the cost increase to that level as the organizations are engaged to achieve the goal of maximizing wealth of shareholders and stakeholders.

The key benefits that can be derived by effective time management are reducing business harassment, eliminating of idle time of every staff within the organization and diminishing stress. It also helps to get motivated as such where employees are getting return of their work within time. Such as, employees salary, increment, etc.

1.5 Value of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme to both an organisation and an individual

A Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is an organized learning to a particular subject where professionals get knowledge to the degree of higher efficiency. It helps to concentrate on the particular problem and helps to eliminate and manage that efficiently and orderly.

“CPD is defined as a commitment to structured skills enhancement and personal or professional competence.”

DTI, 2002, Accelerating Change

This helps to acquire the best effort by personally which ultimately gives support to the organization that the persons are engaged into.

As defined by Chartered Institute of Personnel and development in 2000,

“CPD can also be defined as the conscious updating of professional knowledge and the improvement of professional competence throughout a person’s working life. It is a commitment to being professional, keeping up to date and continuously seeking to improve. It is the key to optimizing a person’s career opportunities, both today and for the future.”

CPD value in individual

In personnel development CPD gives the best way to segregate oneself from others so that the person can clarify and understand problems and solve them rapidly. It helps them to be up-to-date while increasing demand can make or arise problems in upcoming status.

CPD value to the organization

The value of CPD to the organization has greater impact as the market are more competitive and grower big than earlier. The ongoing demand to adapt the changes and be skilled within required demand needs to keep the knowledge and upgrading them swiftly so that the organization goals are met.

The values of CPD in an organization like NIKE are given below:

CPD enables staff to adapt the changes that are occurring daily

CPD helps to achieve the organizational goal

CPD Helps to identify and solve in the area that are required to get the accurate outcome from the staff

TASK- 2

2.1 Personal skills audit

Personal development is the process of improving ones self-knowledge; develop the potentiality, identify the weakness and increase the efficiency covering that weakness.

“The purpose of the audit is for you to be able to identify your own existing strengths and skills, and then to find where additional training or courses may fill gaps in your abilities.”

(http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sp2/1-2-2.html , accessed on 15.12.2010, 8.30pm)

The personal skills audit refers to the process of analyzing ones capability and quality of performance.

2.2 The stages of a personal skills audit

Skills audit refers to the process of gathering the information of lacking of individual. The skills audit requires being specific about the consequences and outcome where information will be useful. Also it can be more specific to the specific job task.

The stages in personal skills audit are explained below:

Stage 1- Performing a skill audit

The first stages accomplices the identification of one’s or the job tasks improvement requirement process. Where the SWOT analysis will be carried upon by oneself. There the Strengths, Weakness and Opportunity and Threats will be identified and action plan will be done accordingly.

NEEDS/ABILITY GRID

Needs/Ability Grid describes that A=Chores, B=Confidence, C=Effectiveness, D=Action needed and = Area of Training needed

Exhibit 1: Needs / Ability Grid

The SWOT analysis encompasses:

S-Strengths: Where the person has strength that he believes to be working well.

W-Weakness: Where the person has weakness in completing any task.

O-Opportunities: Where the person has opportunity to establish his/her efficiency.

T-Threats: In which area the person believes to be threat in consideration with the possible inflow of bad result comparing other.

Stage 2- Selecting and writing up an Action plan

After completing the stage 1 the person requires to identify and select the action plan according to the SWOT analysis. Documenting the action plan establishes the completeness of works to be writing up where the thought will be orderly organized. This can be done effectively followed by S.M.A.R.T. procedure.

Stage 3- Documenting the record

Whenever the stage 2 completes then it requires keeping up record of the entire document that are required to be done in process of doing the skills audit. The individuals required to do documents where they have developed their skills and where they have to develop yet.

Skills audit for effective management & leadership

Skills audit are required to be done for the management as they helps one to identify and/or management to identify the existing problem and helps to ensure the effective uses of those personnel problems so that the organization can walk through in a good and efficient manner.

“A skills audit assesses performances, from both a task and process- management perspective. They employ a range of psychometrics which provides a 360° profile of the individual skills base within the organization and an assessment of its relevance to strategic objectives. Analysis of any skills gap is made against identification of organizational change drivers, in order to build direction and relevance into subsequent training and learning programmers.”

(http://www.businesspsychologycentre.com)

Leadership is the most important part of the organization as well as management. While running the business organization needs and important representative to reach to the goal so that everything within the organization can be remain managed.

2.3 The importance of identifying learning style

The importance of identifying learning style are so vast that by this process an organization could easily be able to identify the target area where the potential official has the most weakness and also has another area that they could be easily use that.

“The Kolb Learning-Style Inventory is an assessment tool, developed by David A. Kolb, Ph.D. The tool identifies preferred learning styles, and explores how the different styles influence: Making career choices, Problem-solving, Working in teams, Goal-setting, Resolving conflict, Managing others, Dealing with new situations, Communicating at work, Communicating at home”

(http://www.banffcentre.ca/departments/leadership/assessment_tools/kolb)

Exhibit: Kolb’s learning style

“The Four Learning Styles identified in this assessment are:

Diverging: combines preferences for experiencing and reflecting

Assimilating: combines preferences for reflecting and thinking

Converging: combines preferences for thinking and doing

Accommodating: combines preferences for doing and experiencing”

(http://www.banffcentre.ca/departments/leadership/assessment_tools/kolb)

2.4 Monitoring the effectiveness of my own learning style

The monitoring of the awareness and effectiveness of that learning are the continuous follow up of the existing learning which could help to understand the situation. Following are the key role to monitor the effectiveness of own learning style:

Make strategic goal oriented planning

Identification of key areas to be developed

Using performance evaluation tools

Memorizing frequently

Task-3

3.1 personal development plan

Personal development plan refers to the process of making own more efficient and career oriented.

“Personal Development Planning can be defined as a process that helps you to think about your own learning, performance and/or achievements and to plan for your personal, educational and career development.”

(http://www.lboro.ac.uk/library/skills/Advice/PDP.pdf,)

3.2 Purposes of Personal Development Plan

Personal Development Plan is the most organized way to make better oneself. The purposes of Primary development Plan are as follows:

“The key reason for Personal development Plan is identified here:

Personal development directs your attention to important things.

Personal development increases your capacity.

Personal development connects you with positive people.”

(http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Three-Reasons-Why-Personal-Development-Is-Important/1056612, accessed on 16.12.2010, 7.30pm)

Since, the Personal development Plan is more important so the person needs more concentration on the part to get better result.

3.3 My personal Development Plan for next year

Personal Development Plan is important for every person as it helps to increase the efficiency of any person who carried out the plan. My personal development plan for next year will be as follows:

3.3.1 Identification of the development area (SWOT analysis)

At first it is required to identify the personal development area where my personal weakness, strengths, opportunities and threats to be covered. So at first I will conduct an SWOT analysis. This will be done in various angels where the perfect outcome of the testing will be sorted out.

3.3.2 Object oriented future target

After identification of SWOT analysis where my potentiality and problems will be identified than I will build up an object oriented future to target for the next year. Even though this process involves this year’s activity. And the changes level won’t be so much vast but the initial planning will be helpful for change to target area from the beginning of next year.

3.3.3 Identify resources and gather accordingly, if needed

To accomplish the work I require to be pointed out the resources that are available and after that I will take a control and inventory assessment where any more resources, if required, will be identified and shall be gathered accordingly.

3.3.4 Implementation of the plan and monitoring

After all the process done, now I require to go for implementation where I shall have to monitor after implementation.

Nowadays the job market is so much competitive that one needs to assure that he or she could compete with others to win a job. By assessing personal skills and understanding the growth of the market with Continuous Personnel Development I could get myself developed to the level where competition is expected and will have the potentially to distinguish.

3.3.5 Skill audit

Skills

Level of skills

Low High

Remarks

Managing time & organizing

1 2 3 4 5

Taking decisions and solving problems

1 2 3 4 5

Preparing plan

1 2 3 4 5

Delegating

1 2 3 4 5

Motivating

1 2 3 4 5

Target mapping

1 2 3 4 5

Communicating via written

1 2 3 4 5

Communicating orally

1 2 3 4 5

Coaching

1 2 3 4 5

After investigation of the above area I have identified that the following parts needed to be developed

Managing time & organizing

Communicating via written

Communicating orally

Taking decisions and solving problems

Preparing plan

3.3.6 Development plan with resource and time

Development skills area

Aims

Resources

Time Lag

Managing time & organizing

Continuous develop the time management skill

Work breakdown structure, Gantt Chart

Entire year

Taking decisions and solving problems

Need to try decision in particular situation and possible solution

Try to solve different case study

3 months

Preparing plan

Need to try every work by follow plan

Planning activity

Entire year

Communicating via written

To be an expert writer

Reading newspaper, article, try to follow general written procedures and monitor continuous development

Entire year

Communicating orally

Try to develop professional communication skill for oral communication

Regular listing news

Entire year

conclusion

The business growth level is diversified now. The demand of staff potentiality is increasing more with the diverse requirement. The job market is also becoming more competitive than before which requires more competent staff to accomplish multitasking capability. This intensifies the requirement to be capable of handling various tasks at a time with the expectation of return as required. This at finally requires to get the staff motivated and knowledgeable where employee return will be higher as expected.