Category: Professional Development

Professional development requirements, which are vital for personal growth, can help improve an organization’s skills and performance. Training opportunities are essential in helping an employee improve their knowledge, which is necessary for achieving this need. According to a Bradfield Group report, training is essential as it imparts the expertise required to an individual. This would be necessary for an organization. The effectiveness of such an individual depends on the level of knowledge gained through training.

Three options could enable an individual to meet this objective. This includes technical assistance within or outside the organization. This would allow an individual to acquire the expertise needed. The needs can also be achieved through consulting other colleagues at the workplace. Other employees help an individual in acquiring new aspects that can help him or her develop talent. This can help an individual to improve his or her competences that are yet to be developed fully. Short-term courses can also benefit an individual because they help him or her acquires the necessary knowledge in weak areas. (Bradfield Group 22).

The personal development plan is outlined below.

Personal development plans are formulated according to the objectives to be achieved personally. Through this, an individual can evaluate his or her qualitative contribution to the organization’s work process. This is important because it is through this that an individual can set time spans. This would enable an individual to achieve objectives regarding personal growth (Bradfield Group 24).

Technical assistance would not help because changes experienced through technology are dynamic and require constant updates. The short-term course will mainly be about an individual’s knowledge regarding legal and labor practices. Due to this, an individual would acquire relevant information relating to current labor policies. This information would equip an individual with techniques of survival in an organization.

Plans regarding labor laws will mainly focus on improving personal knowledge as regards negotiations, job design, and conflict resolution. These areas could allow an individual to learn more about labor laws (Bradfield Group 25).

These skills would be of great help when dealing with issues such as compensation, time management, conflict resolution, and reward system.

There is also a need to rely on the technical team. This team would assist an individual in acquiring vital skills that relate to technology. This will be a continuous process because technology is a fast-paced variable that requires constant learning (Bradfield Group 26).

For an individual to acquire necessary skills concerning labor laws and how they are implemented, it is recommended that he or she should collaborate with trade unions. This means that there are laws that should be observed. Some of these laws are put in place by trade unions. Close interaction with these trade unions would not only enable an individual to understand them but also to appreciate their existence. This would require consultations regarding work policies that are to be enforced in the organization. It would also be necessary to initiate procedures that would raise the awareness of workers as regards technological changes introduced in the firm. Furthermore, their views regarding changes should be reviewed (Bradfield Group 26).

Works Cited

Bradfield Group. Developing Yourself as an Effective HR Practitioner. A world of HR at your fingertips. New York: Bradfield Group, 2012. Print.

Introduction

The idea of unceasing professional development is far from being new, yet innovative solutions for maintaining the process of learning consistent and unceasing are introduced regularly. The observed phenomenon is far from being incidental; on the contrary, the importance of investing in one’s professional development results in a staggering increase in one’s professional potential and competitive advantage in the selected area of expertise.

Moreover, engaging in the professional development causes one to experience the sense of fulfillment asset objectives are achieved, which leads to an increase in motivation, self-esteem, and enthusiasm for further learning (Smith & Dodds 2017). Therefore, as an expert, I need to evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses in light of the recent experience with a group project to define the course for the future progress.

As the exposure to a realistic economic setting and the relevant factors has shown, the acquisition of leadership skills and especially communication-related abilities should be the focus of the personal development plan in the future (Hassan et al. 2017). By studying how theories of leadership, project management, and communication in the workplace are translated into the actual business setting, I will be able to gain critical abilities for encouraging business growth.

These include negotiation skills, the ability to motivate project participants, and the skill to incorporate innovative solutions into the strategies used for problem-solving. In addition, as a project manager and a leader in a business setting, I will have to apply strategies for encouraging cross-disciplinary cooperation in the business environment. Thus, I will reach another milestone of professional development.

Opportunities for Personal Development and Academic Progress

Taking retrospect on the experience of project management mentioned above, one will have to admit that there are numerous areas that I will have to cover in order to attain business excellence. Working in a team to build a coherent project was a priceless experience that has proven the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration and effective communication. In addition, the opportunities for personal and professional growth currently include a change to gain a profound understanding of project management and leadership in business by applying theory to the analysis of business practice accomplished during the project.

The experience gained during the implementation of the project tasks was critical in embracing the idea of project management and essential aspects thereof, such as quality management, time constraints, addressing risks, and similar concerns, was truly priceless (Muller & Turner 2017). However, with a more mature hindsight as a result of the described experience, One will need to apply a theoretical perspective to analyze the outcomes and gain new insights into professional learning.

A brief overview of the effects of project management in question will show that the necessity to connect academic theory to business practice is essential. Although entering the actual business environment may make one feel that the actual challenges are far too distanced from the polished academic description of key economic concerns, the link between theory and practice remains consistent. Locating this link and exploring it to delve into the analysis of b business processes, particularly, the ones related to data management and arrangement of tasks, will allow one to infer crucial conclusions about time management strategies, methods of handling disagreements in the workplace, and approaches to keeping the levels of participants’ motivation high.

Skills for Independent and Group Learning: An Overview

Knowledge acquisition and the application of learned theories to practical problem-solving have helped to build a set of skills of personal learning and group-oriented progress. Among the key advantages that have been gained in the course of the project planning and implementation, one should mention time and information management, as well as the ability to solve complex problems and collaborate in a team. However, the described skills need to be developed further in order to achieve excellence in project management and leadership, thus amplifying the effects of the actions taken in the business context.

Applying the SWOT framework to evaluate the changes that the group project has entailed, one will realize that the ability to adapt is one of the key advantages that can be used to encourage the further professional growth, whereas the lack of focus and absence of planning skills are the critical issues that require further improvements.

As far as communication is concerned, building intercultural communication skills should also be regarded as a key objective in managing projects and business processes successfully. Asa leader, one should be capable of engaging in a cross-cultural dialogue with team members to ensure that every participant understands their task and is aware of their role in a company. As soon as any threat of miscommunication of cultural misconception is eliminated, business processes will take place at the required pace. The described issue is especially important in maangign a supply chain or specific logistics processes in a project due to the need to manage deadlines and transfer information about the tasks and schedules clearly.

Strategies for Improving Employability

The present level of employability within the team is quite high, as the results of our collaborative effort have shown. However, there are ways of improving the employability of the group, in general, and my personal levels thereof, in particular. For this purpose, the application of tools that will boost the levels of professional and personal growth should be seen as the first strategy to consider in the described scenario (Wen & Quiang 2019).

In the case under analysis, tools for promoting professional development and developing the focus on innovation-driven decision-making should be regarded as a priority (Dingsøyr et al. 2017). Since the assessment of personal and group skills has indicated a problem with time and information management, one will have to develop the ability to arrange the work flow and train the skill of working under the pressure of time and demand for increased quality. Therefore, prioritizing tasks, utilizing appropriate innovative tools such as scheduling applications, and integrating advanced communication skills should become the main strategies for improvement.

Another approach that will lead to better employability concerns the focus on innovation-driven performance and the use of continuous learning as the foundation for improving team performance and the leadership process, in general. The proposed framework will incentivize participants for the active professional development and encourage them to use innovative thinking when approaching workplace issues.

Organizational skills such as the ability to manage deadlines, set goals and seek the methods of attaining them, and collaborating with every participant of the project management process will have to be acquired to increase the employability levels and the general quality of performance (Wirtz et al. 2016; Bacon 2016). The described approaches toward increasing the extent of employability will also serve as the foundation for acquiring new competencies that will facilitate further learning, such as the development of skills needed for connecting the described processes into a single one to build a competitive supply chain within a business system.

Presently, there are several factors that boost the levels of my employability in the target market, experience being one of the main characteristics. Due to the presence of certain knowledge of enrollment practices, as well as participation in collaborative projects, my employability can be seen as rather high. However, there are opportunities of increasing the levels of employability even higher by deriving critical insights from the project under analysis and adding another piece of information to my current system of knowledge (Clauss 2016). The information about managing processes on the international level from the perspective of an international business student should also be regarded as an asset since it provides insights into the unique characteristics of the international business arena and the challenges by which it is characterized.

The introduction of tools for enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration will also be the focus of attention in the future since it is expected to increase the value of the team as well as personal potential of each participant, including my skills (Manai & Holmlund 2015; Bynum & Haque 2016). While the notion of the cross-disciplinary cooperation as the platform for building a coherent communication framework and implementing a project has been established, it needs further adjustments to address possible concerns in the management of projects within a workplace environment.

Importance of a Professional Development Programme

The impact that the professional development programme has had on me and the team is truly priceless. Every aspect of the process involving planning, data management, and collaboration was highly informative in terms of the aspects that every participant had to improve in order to advance in business planning and project implementation. The professional development programme has also incentivized all of the team members to engage in the improvement of personal and professional characteristics, specifically, collaboration, negotiation, and the management of conflicts, time, and objectives.

In the grand scheme, the significance of the program rises when considering its effects on the identification of key strengths and weakness is very high. The practice has shown the areas that require further improvements, such as planning, time management, and interdisciplinary communication. Therefore, the current action plan consists of three key steps (Dong et al. 2016; Ramasobana & Fatoki 2018). The first action involves building a platform for lifelong learning of business skills, including motivational leadership and management of time and resources. The objective is to learn to engage in continuous professional development.

The next step will be to explore the idea of innovative management and innovative thinking as the strategies for decision-making and project management in the context of a business setting. The goals associated with this step include maximizing the utility of the organization’s performance and promoting expansion into other markets (Bundy et al. 2016). Finally, creating a leadership approach that will prompt active learning and greater loyalty levels in staff members is the third goal. The specified stage of professional development will incite a positive shift in the personal progress and the professional skills of project participants.

Table 1. SWOT Analysis: Personal Progress.

As the SWOT analysis above has shown, the development of training strategies for building the skills needed for time management, conflict resolution, and planning should be placed at the forefront of the personal development plan (Riol & Thuillier 2015). The acquisition of time management skills will require especially close attention due to the challenges associated with the process. As the analysis of the project outcomes has shown, the issue of meeting the deadlines set in the schedule has become a particularly challenging obstacle to overcome (Smit et al. 2017). To address the described concern, the use of advanced technology, including IT tools, will be needed (Serrador & Turner 2015). For instance, the use of scheduling applications and apps for meeting the set deadline will be required.

Conclusion

The participation in the Professional Development Programme has indicated that there are several areas for me as a future business leader to pay attention to, including communication, leadership, and management issues. The reconsideration of the current approaches toward knowledge acquisition will allow one to introduce oneself to the idea of lifelong learning. Thus, one will receive an impressive impetus for professional growth and personal development. The analysis of strengths and weaknesses has also shown that a different approach toward leadership and management will have to be adopted.

By focusing on motivation of participants as a leader and maximizing the utility of their efforts as a manager, one will become an effective business person and improve the performance of an organization to a considerable extent. Thus, the experience described above was crucial in understanding how professional and personal development processes are intertwined, and how the acquisition of skills in a particular domain requires improving one’s competencies in other areas.

Overall, the assessment of the personal progress and the design of a plan for the future professional development have pointed to the need to establish a people- and innovation-oriented approaches toward business skills development.

By training the ability to focus, I will be able to motivate and engage team members as a leader, while controlling critical processes such as quality management as a manager. The introduction of time and information management tools, in turn, will allow making the planning process smoother and encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration. Overall, the analysis shows that the further goals will include the enhancement of communication strategies and the study of the leadership strategies that align with the strengths identified in the course of the assessment. Thus, a path toward professional and personal progress will be built.

Reference List

Bacon, D 2016, ‘Progress in the legitimacy of business and management education research’, Journal of Management Education, vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 700-704.

Bundy, J, Pfarrer, M, Short, C & Coombs, W 2016, ‘Crises and crisis management: integration, interpretation, and research development’, Journal of Management, vol. 43, no. 6, pp. 1661-1692.

Bynum, W & Haque, T 2016, ‘Risky Business: Psychological Safety and the Risks of Learning Medicine’, Journal of Graduate Medical Education, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 780-782.

Clauss, T 2016, ‘Measuring business model innovation: conceptualization, scale development, and proof of performance’, R&D Management, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 385-403.

Dingsøyr, T, Rolland, K, Moe, N & Seim, E 2017, ‘Coordination in multi-team programmes: An investigation of the group mode in large-scale agile software development’, Procedia Computer Science, vol. 121 pp. 123-128.

Dong, Y, Bartol, K, Zhang, Z & Li, C 2016, ‘Enhancing employee creativity via individual skill development and team knowledge sharing: Influences of dual-focused transformational leadership’, Journal of Organizational Behavior, vol. 38, no. 3, pp. 439-458.

Hassan, M, Bashir, S & Abbas, S 2017, ‘The Impact of Project Managers’ Personality on Project Success in NGOs: The Mediating Role of Transformational Leadership’, Project Management Journal, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 74-87.

Manai, A & Holmlund, M 2015, ‘Self-marketing brand skills for business students’, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 749-762.

Muller, R & Turner, JR 2017, Project-oriented leadership. Routledge, New York, NY.

Ramasobana, M & Fatoki, O 2018, ‘Business attributes and marketing communication strategies of SMEs in South Africa’, Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, vol. 9, no. 6, p. 90.

Riol, H & Thuillier, D 2015, ‘Project management for academic research projects: balancing structure and flexibility’, International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, vol. 7, no. 3, p. 251.

Serrador, P & Turner, R 2015, ‘The relationship between project success and project efficiency’, Project Management Journal, vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 30-39.

Smit, M, Bond-Barnard, T, Steyn, H & Fabris-Rotelli, I 2017, ‘Email communication in project management: a bane or a blessing?’, SA Journal of Information Management, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 1-12.

Smith, B & Dodds, B 2017, Developing managers through project-based learning, Routledge, New York, NY.

Wen, Q & Qiang, M 2019, ‘Project managers’ competences in managing project closing’, Project Management Journal, vol. 50, no. 3, pp. 361-375.

Wirtz, B, Pistoia, A, Ullrich, S & Göttel, V 2016, ‘Business models: origin, development and future research perspectives’, Long Range Planning, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 36-54.

The assessment of personal HR skills with the help of the CPD framework is crucial for an expert willing to master new skills and excel in one’s professional development. The results of the assessment have shown that the areas of expertise that require improvement include communication, conflict management, and employee engagement. The described issues need to be addressed by training communication- and leadership-related skills. Problem-solving and talent management, in turn, seem to be the key strengths that I will need to use more actively.

Personal Development Plan

Table 1. PDP Goals.

Justification

As the professional development map indicates, several aspects of HR management are quite well-developed, the ability to embrace the vast variety of factors affecting staff’s performance being the key one. Therefore, the identified competencies also need to be improved and enhanced to make them the major strengths allowing one to build a team of efficient and highly skilled employees. With the focus on talent management and the consistent dialogue with team members, one will attain impressive success as a project and HR manager.

Reflecting back

This report aims at identifying my current development and subsequent goals to improve my skills and knowledge. Focusing on my professional development, it is also necessary to note its impact on my organization.

The three most important things learned last year

The first issue I learned relates to my ability to establish appropriate relationships in my working environment by constant communication and learning of Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) profession map (“The CIPD Profession Map” par. 1).

The second thing concerns leadership that I learned through teamwork and employee engagement.

The third issue I learned is making adequate and elaborate decisions by being a decisive thinker.

The value-added to the organization/clients/customers over the last 12 months through the professional development

Value added by me to the organization is that I significantly enhanced its organizational culture by offering a range of innovative ideas related to Human Resource (HR) management. In particular, I made relationships between the employees and the employer more open and trustworthy.

The tangible outcomes of the professional development over the last 12 months

As for tangible results of my performance, the job satisfaction of the majority of the employees was increased while fatigue rates were decreased. I consider that these are essential indicators of an effective HR specialist.

Impact of the professional development

The organization, in general, gained from my professional development as the increased job satisfaction, leading to the improved productivity of the overall performance of my company.

Moving forward

Learning and Professional Development Needs

Along with the achievements I accomplished, there are still certain needs to be addressed. My learning needs include the study of effective planning, service and information delivery, and organization development (Martin and Whiting 125). In their turn, my professional needs contain the application of gained knowledge and skills in practice as well as adherence to the strategy of continuous improvement in my working area.

Three main areas or topics to develop in the next 12 months

The first area I want to develop is learning and talent development initiated at different organization levels that is likely to lead to improved motivation of the employees. I will achieve this by conducting various professional surveys and interviews aimed at discovering their strong points.

My second area of development focuses on the design of the organization. The accomplishment of this goal by employing relevant strategies and solutions will contribute to the appropriate execution of objectives set by the organization as well as the implementation of necessary structural changes.

Moreover, I want to improve information and service delivery to managers, staff, and leadership, providing them with timely and reliable information.

The key differences to make to the role/organization/clients/customers in the next 12 months

Broadly speaking, I consider my current role is quite beneficial to my organization. In this regard, I would like to continue to enhance this position by learning and implementing innovative decisions. Focusing on different components of HR performance, including the organization, staff, and customers, it seems appropriate to be curious and collaborative to achieve the best results.

The next review your professional development needs

I plan to review my professional development quarterly to remain an effective and competitive HR expert.

Works Cited

Martin, Malcolm, and Fiona Whiting. Human Resource Practice. 7th ed., Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, 2016.

“The CIPD Profession Map.” CIPD, n.d., Web.

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to establish the concept and importance of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) including knowledge, skills and behavior required to be effective in an HR or L&D role as per the CIPD map. Through researching on currently published articles in magazines, journals and other academic sources, this report describes how to come up with different concept and ways of applying it in the day-to-day running of an organization to meet the needs of its customers effectively.

The concept and importance of CPD

CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. It is mainly concerned with a system of recording physically all the knowledge one has gathered through work experience either formally or informally. CPD is very important as it helps one to keep track of his/her development continuously. Also it acts as a reminder on the things that one have already accomplished, thus making it possible for a people to decide on how far they still want to develop in their careers (Gennard and Judge, 2005).

It also brings out the shortfalls concerning your development path; this allows someone to make the necessary adjustments they need to make to achieve the desired goals in their respective career paths. It helps a person to judge their development path, thus allowing them an opportunity to decide whether to continue with the same career or to change to another career.

Requirements for effectiveness in an HR or L&D role as per CIPD HR Map

Leading and talent development: The people working in this professional area are required to have the following two behaviors among others, which might be deemed necessary. First, they need to be curious in their aspect of work. As a result, they will be able to form a relationship with various employees in the organization, thus enabling them to be able to spot a particular talent in an employee and hence develop it for the benefit of the organization (Gennard and Judge 2005).

Also they need to be self driven to deliver quality services and this can be achieved by having the desire to perform well in their specific tasks or assignments. By doing so they will be able to understand their task better and hence develop in that particular aspect of work.

Strategies, insights and solutions

People working in this professional area need to have the courage to challenge various decisions that are taken within an organization. This will help in having exhaustive debates about decisions that are made in the organization, thus coming up with the correct decision about a specific cases. They are also expected to be decisive thinkers; as they are required to make quick decisions within the organization (Megginson and Whitaker, 2003). They also need to be self-driven to deliver, so that they can be able to come up with strategies, insights and solutions that will sustain the organization for a longer period.

Leading and Managing the Human Resource function

People working in this profession need to be role models as they are charged with the role of heading the human resource of the organization, which holds a higher perspective of them. They also need to be personally credible, in that they need to be people who are sure of what they are doing in regards to leading and managing the human resource function in the organization. Also they need to act as skilled influencers, to be able to communicate the various goals that the organization has set out to achieve, thus influencing the behaviors of employees towards those particular goals.

References

Armstrong, M. (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10^th ed, New York: Kogan Page Publishers.

Briscoe, R. D., Schuler, R. S. and Claus, L. M. (2008). International Human Resource Management. Journal of Management, 19(2), 459.

Gennard, J. and Judge, G. (2005). Employee Relation, 3^rd ed, London: The Institute of Personnel and Development.

Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A. (2005). Human Resource Management at Work: People Management and Development, 3^rd ed, London: The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Megginson, D. and Whitaker, V. (2003). Continuing Professional Development. London: The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Pavlina, S. (2008). Personal development for Smart People: Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth, 1^st ed, New York: Hay House.

Sypher, B. D. (1997). Case studies in organizational communication 2: Perspective on contemporary. Human Communication Research journal, 5, 20.

Summary

Prison X may be regarded as a facility whose performance is substantially affected by inappropriate business strategies that lead to employee dissatisfaction. While multiple changes are required, one of them is the change of the warden’s leadership style, which may cause mass resignation of managers. This paper aims to assess John Trevor’s leadership skills, identify gaps in them, and suggest a professional development learning plan to address them.

Leadership Gap Analysis

While Prison X faces the threat of mass resignation of management-level staff due to its members’ dissatisfaction, according to them, the prison warden’s leadership style is the main factor that caused this situation. John Trevor, the prison warden, is described as apathetic, uninvolved, distant, and cold. In reality, Trevor is a pleasant man who is unaware of his subordinates’ attitudes to his personality and performance. In turn, he strongly appreciates his management team members and their professional skills and contribution to goal achievement, expressing deep concerns in relation to their potential leave that will impact the safety of other employees and the prison in general.

On the basis of team members’ description of John’s leadership style and the man’s individual perceptions, it is possible to assume that the warden executes absentee leadership. This type is characterized by the absence of positive leadership behaviors and involvement with subordinates in particular. In other words, an absentee leader lacks communication with his subordinates. Being psychologically distant from them, he does not articulate corporate missions and goals, does not inspire and motivate them by serving as a role model, and does not provide his feedback on the basis of their results to ensure improvement. Moreover, an absentee leader does not take responsibility for decision-making when a considerable job-related issue arises.

There are two main factors that determine the occurrence of absentee leadership. On the one hand, a person may be psychologically absent from the role of a leader. Being promoted into management that presupposes the use of management skills, this individual enjoys related rewards and privileges, however, he is not ready to take on a leader’s responsibilities, especially in challenging situations, relying on team members’ skills, competencies, and experience. On the other hand, although a person may have a strong desire to be a leader, particular leadership skills require improvement.

While John is a leader who appreciates his subordinates, it is possible to conclude that he has the potential of a leader, however, there are particular gaps in his performance that impact the efficiency of his leadership. The main barrier is a lack of the warden’s emotional intelligence, which may be regarded as a person’s ability to assess his own emotions for its control and the feelings of others for better understanding and efficient interaction and conflict management (Serrat, 2017). Moreover, the inability of John to perceive the feelings of his team members determines the communication gap. In turn, as the warden cannot interact and collaborate with his subordinates in an appropriate way, he cannot make decisions in relation to organizational processes efficiently – thus, he prefers not to involve in them. However, being aware of his role, John aims to demonstrate self-confidence and control over other activities, which is perceived as skepticism that erodes trust. As a result, neither the leader nor his subordinates understand each other. Thus, John’s leadership skills that require substantial improvement include emotional intelligence, communication skills, responsibility, and decision-making to perceive and address his team members’ demands and be involved in organizational processes.

Professional Development Learning Plan

In order to avoid absenteeism and improve the warden’s leadership style to contribute to employees’ satisfaction and ensure staff retention that impact the safety of the facility, particular Leadership Intervention Strategies (LIS) should be applied. The objectives of this intervention may be regarded as the following:

• Enhancement of emotional intelligence to assess the feelings of employees for responsive measures;
• Enhancement of emotional intelligence for personal emotions’ control in order to avoid the misrepresentation of an individual image among team managers;
• Acquisition of communication skills for the articulation of corporate missions and goals, interaction with team members, motivation, and providing feedback;
• Improvement of self-esteem for efficient decision-making and involvement in organizational processes as a competent leader;
• Overcoming the resistance to change in order to successfully apply new leadership skills in practice.

In this case, it is suggested to introduce a six-month LIS program in which John will be involved. During this period, the warden will attend twelve interactive workshops that will be followed by twelve individualized coaching sessions conducted by two mentors. Interactive workshops will presuppose the delivery of theoretical information, while coaching sessions will include practical tasks for the implementation of newly acquired skills. The content of workshops will initially include the theory of leadership, various leadership styles, their advantages and weaknesses, and the assessment of the significance of appropriate leadership for a facility’s performance. As the objectives of the warden’s development refer to the enhancement of emotional intelligence and communication skills, workshops will focus on the major concepts of emotional intelligence, such as empathy, self-assessment, self-regulation, social skills, and motivation, and the essential techniques of its improvement (Serrat, 2017). Subsequently, training will be dedicated to the basic features of successful communication, psychological assessment of people’s types for efficient interaction, and conflict management. Finally, workshops will provide mindful practices that will allow to boost the leader’s self-esteem.

As previously mentioned, workshops will be followed by individualized coaching sessions; these sessions will aim to train the application of leadership skills in practice. In particular, during them, the warden will be suggested to solve particular performance-related issues or provide the most appropriate activities using emotional intelligence, communication skills, and involvement in the organizational process. Along with workshops and sessions, John will have an opportunity to apply his knowledge working with managers and practice the techniques for the improvement of self-esteem during non-office hours.

It goes without saying that operating in a particular manner for a long period of time inevitably leads to the formation of a habit, and changes may initiate a person’s strong resistance to them. Although its occurrence strongly depends on an individual’s character and may be expressed insignificantly, there are several strategies that may help overcome it. First of all, they imply the assessment of the significance and considerable benefits of changes. In the case of John, the development of emotional intelligence, communication skills, and self-esteem will allow him to make his leadership style more efficient and improve his relationship with subordinates. As a result, these changes will prevent mass resignation and contribute to the prison’s safety and security. Moreover, changes may be implemented in small steps in order to minimize the impact of potential resistance. Finally, the leader may ask his employees to help him overcome resistance with their support; it will allow him to demonstrate sincere emotions and strengthen trust.

All in all, the implementation of this LIS plan may be justified by its multiple positive effects on John, his subordinates, and the facility in general. First of all, John will realize the importance of his emotions and the emotions of other people. He will learn to control his expressions in order to demonstrate his openness and friendliness to subordinates. Next, he will learn to communicate with them and listen to them to assess their feelings, needs, and demands – in this case, managers will feel that they are valued. In addition, by being aware of the features of efficient leadership and having improved self-esteem that presupposes self-efficacy, the warden will not be afraid to take responsibility, make decisions, and be involved in work processes controlling them. In this case, his subordinates will not feel overworked and abandoned by their leaders. As a result, after a LIS program, John will have new leadership skills that will allow him to ensure employee retention and substantially improve their relationships.

Leadership Intervention Plan Assessment

The six-month LIS program will be organized in Prison X, where John works while mentors will be invited. Every month, the warden will visit two workshops and two coach sessions, once in two weeks. The program’s efficiency will be evaluated on the basis of three criteria, including employees’ satisfaction level, a facility’s performance, and employees’ retention level. Employees’ satisfaction that will be assessed through corporate surveys and interviews may be regarded as the most important metric as the improvement of leadership skills aims to improve the relationships between the leader and them. In addition, as the LIS program should increase John’s involvement in working processes, it should improve the facility’s performance. In this case, the number of tasks that were substantially completed after the program will be evaluated.

Finally, as the improvement of the leader’s skills should prevent mass resignation, workers’ retention levels will be assessed as well through the number of employees who leave the facility after the program’s implementation. Although there are individual factors that may impact a person’s intention to leave, a prevalent number of managers who decided to stay may indicate the plan’s effectiveness. In addition, the program presupposes particular expenditures, and its ROI should be evaluated as well. Taking into consideration that employee turnover is cost-inefficient as well, it is possible to compare the cost of a program with the cost of turnover for the same period of the last year.

Value of Theoretical Applications

At the same time, the improvement of the leader’s skills may be regarded as an aspect of performance’s general improvement, however, there are other management – and human resources-related changes that should occur. In this case, employees’ resistance to changes may arise, and John’s leadership skills will be efficient to minimize it and foster appreciation and organizational support as well. In general, emotional intelligence may help a leader facilitate the transition and manage others’ emotions involved in it. In particular, it will allow to assess people’s feelings in relation to new conditions. In combination with the evaluation of their individual characteristics, the warden may elaborate the strategies of his subordinates’ persuasion in order to address their concerns and change their opinions in the most efficient way. Moreover, as emotional intelligence helps a leader to control his own emotions, he may impact others’ concerns through his expressions as well. For instance, if John expresses calmness in relation to upcoming changes and confidence in their expediency, his subordinates will have more desire to accept them too.

Moreover, for the efficient minimization of changes, a competent leader should clearly articulate the necessity of these activities. Due to the program, John will be aware of leadership theory, effective leadership styles, and the duties of a competent leader. In addition, his self-esteem will be substantially improved, and he will realize his responsibility. In this case, the warden will undertake all efforts to explain to his team members that changes are inevitable and they will positively contribute to the prison’s performance, safety, and security.

Leadership Intervention Summary

The six-month leadership intervention program for John Trevor, the prison warden, will consist of a series of workshops that will imply the provision of theoretical information related to leadership styles, emotional intelligence, communication, and mindful techniques, and individual coaching sessions that will be organized by invited mentors to practice new skills. On the basis of the analysis of John’s leadership styles, he executes absentee leadership that has a highly negative impact on his subordinates. Thus, due to the program, it is expected that the warden will improve his emotional intelligence, communication skills, and self-esteem, which will help him build solid relationships with his employees on the basis of mutual trust and respect and be involved in organizational processes.

The efficiency of the program is justified by the fact that John will be provided with all necessary theoretical basis that will be immediately applied to practice to ensure effective results. At the same time, the potential challenges of the plan’s implementation may be John’s inability to perceive information in a time-sensitive manner, non-readiness for another leadership style, and resistance to changes if he feels that the facility’s challenges are not caused by his performance. In this case, it is recommended to clearly articulate the significance of changes to John during workshops. In addition, the warden may be suggested to implement changes gradually and ask his subordinates for support explaining to them that he has concerns even if changes are inevitable.

Reference

Serrat, O. (2017). Understanding and developing emotional intelligence. In O. Serrat (Ed.), Knowledge solutions: Tools, methods, and approaches to drive organizational performance (pp. 329-339). Springer.

Introduction

Employability is the capability of an individual to be initially employed, continue being employed and get a new employment when needed. However the definition has to take into account the fact that employability relies on the labour market more than the capacities of each worker.

The classical definition of employability therefore seems to blame the victim for not demonstrating a capacity to handle a job when in actual reality there are only a limited number of jobs available.

On the other hand, an interpretation of the definition of employability might be that given the scarcity of jobs, those who are able to manoeuvre the competition and emerge as the most suitable for the job are deemed to be more employable than the others.

According to Weinert (2001), the development of worker’s employability is dependent on the development prospects of the organization and its environment and the needs of the workers for personal development.

While most of the initiatives and procedures of evaluating skills rest with the employer, a worker is still expected to voluntarily dedicate effort to become suitable.

Organizations have different tools for evaluating a worker’s competencies including, assessment of occupation orientation, competencies portfolios indicating the worker’s knowledge of what she or he can do, skill referentials that indicate the difference of the requirement of a job post and the actual skills possessed by the worker at the given time.

An individual’s employability is affected by the employability of others. When everyone has a degree, then the possession of the degree is only a ticket for the individual to still fit as a candidate for the job. Employability is not only about having the requirements of a given job but also about knowing the chances one has for the job compared to other job seekers.

In view of this dependence of an individual’s employability on the employability of others, then the true definition of employability as defined by Brown, Hesketh & Williams (2002) is the “relative chance of finding and maintaining different kinds of employment”.

Employability in the business environment

Business leaders and politicians remind us that in order to be efficient as a nation we have to be knowledgeable, skilled and have the capabilities that employers seek in the knowledge economy. National governments are no longer able to guarantee job placement in a competitive environment where workers are becoming abundant. A worker’s employability undergoes examination at the hiring moment, during the work contract and at the time of dismissal (Weinert et al. (eds.) 2001).

The more a business is knowledge driven, the higher its dependence on the employability as the sole competitive edge in the market. Employability is a replacement of the bureaucratic career structures that employers used to evaluate their workers. The elimination of bureaucratic career structures makes organizations lean and flat.

As a result, these organizations undergo a number of restructurings that make employees surplus or change the skill mix of different jobs in the organization. It is advisable that employees match their competencies with the requirements of the industry so that they remain employable in their current organization or in other organizations in case they are considered a surplus in their current jobs (Drucker 1993).

The dynamics of the global economy have made the notion of job redundancy extend from semi-skilled and unskilled workers to cover managers and other professionals. According to Drucker (1993), employability is a shift of power in the global capitalism.

People are less motivated to commit to one organization for a lifetime and instead have the energy and entrepreneurial spirit that drives them to explore more opportunities. Organizations that depend on the skills of these workers are there at the mercy of the workers who have the knowledge, skills and insights desired by the organization.

As people move away from long-term company careers, they enjoy more economic freedom. As a result, young workers are able to bypass organizational hierarchies and obtain senior management jobs while still in their thirties.

Although companies put a premium on intellectual capital of important employees to be the drivers of innovation and value additions that gives the company a competitive advantage, the actual organizational environment has a majority of the workers depending on average skills to perform most of their occupational tasks.

In terms of graduate employability, it is worth noting that the influx of graduates in the labour market is constant. Most graduates enter the labour market with heavy debt from student loans and believe that they deserve better payment so as to repay their student debts.

The extent of the belief that the higher your professional qualifications the higher your pay depends on the number of people having the same qualifications who are interested in the same jobs and the number of jobs available. Therefore, the employability of a graduate increases with further education, as long as the competition in the labour market does not increase their qualifications (Brown, Hesketh & Williams 2002).

As individuals, more importantly graduates, increase their employability on certain jobs, they diminish their employability for other jobs. The career choice taken specifies a person’s employability on that field and technically shuts out the person from becoming employable in other fields. Therefore when making a choice of becoming employable in a given field, it is important to note that one is cutting off the options of getting employment in other professions.

A case for personal development

Increasing ones employability in a given field has the effect of reducing one’s employability in the same field but on lower levels where one is seen to be overqualified. Personal development is one of the ways of ensuring that one remains employable.

Employability of an individual is traced to the ability of the individual and their will to modify their qualifications to fit the current demands inside the organization or on the external employment market (Drucker 1993).

In reference to the social theory, employability is an individualization of the worker selection process in an increasing serve economy that encompasses economic, political and social changes (Gonon et al. (eds.) 2008). In personal reference, the understanding of where I am in terms of employability to my professional position of choice gives me an upper hand to position adequately my presentation to fit the employers’ requirements for specific jobs.

Employers want an employee who adapts to the changing state of the organizational environment and refocuses their core competencies to deliver solutions for moving the organization closer to its goals. With the improvement of my personal performance, I am able to demonstrate that I fit this criterion.

My ability to breakdown my obstacles or problems and pinpoint solutions will come in handy for any employer seeking a key skill in tackling dynamic challenges in the organization. I have accomplished a personal analysis of my qualities and can present potential employers with references to where I used the given quality to produce positive change.

This is certain to increase my employability by demonstrating to employers that in addition to the required skill, I have the necessary quality to ensure that work delivery is in accordance to the employer’s expectation and that in case of unforeseen difficulties, I am able to navigate with minimal assistance.

I understand my weaknesses and strength areas of my personality and will only position myself to be appointed for jobs that can fully employ my personality strengths and require little or no skills in areas that I show a personality weakness.

In addition, I will be seeking additional skill training so that I improve on the areas where I am weak so that the weakness does not become a disadvantage in consideration of other people’s employability. By coming up with priorities for personal development in line with my career goals, I feel more confident in my employability.

I understand that with the right skill and quality mix, I stand a chance of negotiating with a potential employer on the compensation of my job such that I will be okay in terms of social status and be able to reap the financial benefits of my employability.

Setting priorities for personal development has given me a morale boost to face the challenge of kick starting my career. I now allocate the importance of each activity I engage in according to its relevancy to my career objective and what the activity adds to my personal development (Verhaar & Smulders 1999).

To sum up, my understanding of the increasing role of knowledge in the creation of wealth by organization and my contribution to an organizational success through my appropriate application of skills and competencies serves as my encouragement to continue in my personal development.

Reference List

Brown, P., Hesketh, A. & Williams, S. 2002, Employability in a knowledge-driven economy, working paper 26, retrieved from web.

Drucker, P. 1993, Post-capitalist society, HarperCollins, London.

Gonon, P., Kraus, K., Oelkers, J. and Stolz, S. (eds.) 2008, Work Education and Employability, Peter Lang, Bern.

Verhaar, C. H. A. & Smulders, H. R. M. 1999, ‘Emplyability in practice’, Journal of European Industrian Training, vol 23, no. 6, pp. 268-274.

Weinert, P., Baukens, M., Bollerot, P. P.-G M. and Walwi, U. (eds.) 2001, Employability: from theory to practice, Trasaction Publishers, New Brunswick, NJ.