Productive and Rewarding One to One Relationship - Term Paper Example

LEARNING PORTFOLIO Student’s Name Institution Course Tutor Date Learning Portfolio Table of Contents Introduction 3 Self-Development Plan 3 Expectation 3 Elements if effective self-management in the work place 3 Productive and rewarding one to one relationship 4 Effective teamwork 5 Leadership, influence and persuasion 6 Managing oneself in the wider world/business environment 6 Skills Audit 7 Critical Evaluation of Theories 9 Conflict management 9 Tuckman’s Model of team development 10 Conclusion 11 Reference List 12 Appendix 14 Self-Development Plan 14 Skills Audit 15 Introduction Learning portfolio is considered a convincing and adaptable method of recording intellectual growth that involves individual critical reflection and a collaborative process where one conducts self-assessment and refine own educational experience. This criterion of self-assessment and evaluation is majorly employed towards demonstration of experimental learning and progress, career preparation and academic, as well as professional or career advice. In this portfolio, I intend to present self-assessment and evaluation. Whilst attempting to assess and evaluate myself, I intend to present a self-development plan, providing a record of the activities that I have been part of over the past few month as well as my future intents, and personal skills audit. Also, I seek to critically evaluate ways of managing conflict and Tuckman’s Model of Team Development as some of the theories I have managed to apply through my learning experience as well as personal development. Whilst conducting and presenting the self-evaluation, I seek to demonstrate critical understanding of the skills required to manage oneself effectively at work and in other professional context, operate effectively in a variety of team roles involving the management of interpersonal relations in a professional context, effective self- and general leadership. Self-Development Plan Expectation Elements if effective self-management in the work place Self-awareness is defined as consciously knowing about oneself or internal states as well as the interactions or relationships with others (Sutton et al. 2015). I am aware that the effect of self-awareness in individuals’ lives has been debated for quite long between many researchers. However, in line with the humanistic psychologists and psychotherapist, I understand that self-awareness is a feature of personal wellbeing, which is an essential element of self-actualization as Cseh et al. (2013) reports. For example, I believe that self-awareness, especially in a work place, is essential for quality self-management, interrelations and effective leadership. To demonstrate self-management, I carried out self-assessment questionnaire that entailed self-management assisted questions to assess and evaluate the requirements against my awareness or knowledge of interacting with others as well as what is expected of me in a workplace. I learned that effective interrelationship is essential in a workplace for team work as well as efficiently undertaking team roles and task; however one needs to be aware of personal contributions and hindrance towards the effective team participation. Therefore, I intend to improve on my interpersonal skills as well as effective social interaction competencies to promote team development in a workplace. Productive and rewarding one to one relationship The interpersonal relationship that exists in a workplace is always associated with many positive and beneficial outcomes. The structure of tasks and responsibilities involved in most workplace require collaboration and teamwork, since most of the activities in such places are complementary. Due to different people playing different roles, workers always have to interact on a daily basis as they discuss within and without the work specification matters. I believe such interactions are what lead to development of positive and relationships between employees. Personally, I deem unity and collaboration, as well as teamwork, highly essential for improved personal and organisational development, alongside the effective and efficient achievement of individual and corporate goals. To enhance my productive and rewarding one to one relationship, I interacted with my colleagues more often, seeking assistance and clarification whenever deemed necessary. Also, I made sure that I greet the colleague that I happen to meet within the course of the daily routines. Whilst making such attempts to establish good relationship, I endured to demonstrate high level of understanding and avoided prejudice whenever we were discussing any particular issue that touches more than just different social or cultural definitions. Gallois & Giles (2015) explain that quality relationship within a diverse professional setting requires intercultural awareness and competencies. However, I learned that I still need to improve on my intercultural communication skills, especially concerning matters that are social and cultural sensitive. Effective teamwork Some people may argue that putting people of the same social, cultural or gender together in a workplace is a solution to effective teamwork problems. I disagree; a competent workplace requires high levels of diversity, especially in this contemporary society where globalisation has promoted cross-cultural interactions, amongst many others, across the globe. To attain a team of diverse expertise, skills, talents, abilities, awareness, and experience, it is imperative to sort worker across different socio-cultures, besides gender and age characteristics. However, to promote effective teamwork and get actively involved in teamwork activities, I demonstrated the quest to successful teamwork by making individual team member’s progress visible to the whole team. I would acknowledge before the team the contribution and efforts of every team members on the basis of the previously delegated roles. The theory of effective teamwork promotion and motivation argue that effective communication as well as recognition of every member in the team is one of the positive practices that motivate and develop prosocial motivation and effectiveness (Hu & Liden 2014; Salas et al. 2014). However, I seek to maximise my effort in communication skills development since it is also a requirement for effective teamwork, but I think that I still need to perfect it. Leadership, influence and persuasion In management context, it is imperative to understand that quality leadership is one of the fundamentals of effective and competent coordination of parties involved in an organisation towards efficiently achieving the intents of the company. Rijal (2016) argues that effective management requires transformational personal leadership that is influential and persuasive towards employees, clients, con-workers, and employers, amongst others. To demonstrate effective leadership, which is persuasive and influential, I established credibility through actively listening to my team members, understood their bases of arguments and engage in exchange of ideas and views in suggestive ways and compelling evidence. Besides, Hogg (2015) suggests that an influential and persuasive leader should be able to present his claims by compelling evidence and practicable cases. However, the author recommends further that emotional understanding and connection is another significant prerequisite for a good leader. Therefore, I indent to improve on my emotional connection and understanding skills to be able to competently understand and engage my followers actively in tasks and responsibilities towards achieving our goals. Managing oneself in the wider world/business environment The ways through which leaders view their world has the potential supporting the development of quality and informed decision-making. However, it also has the ability to hinder the decisions and choices that managers make. To be able to manage and relate effectively with a large business context, I believe a manger needs to conduct self-assessment and evaluation. Through such activities, the leader can identify his or her qualities, strengths and abilities towards competent management. Also, the manager needs to assess and identify the areas of weakness through which challenges and setbacks can hinder managerial practice and development. It is my belief that a good leader needs to understand the characteristics and components of his or her large environment. Therefore, to manage myself in a large world, I started focusing and practicing on the mechanisms of maximising the positive potentials of my strengths and abilities, as well as my skills, rather than dwelling on my weaknesses. For instance, Kanter (2011) presents the story of the former BP Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tony Hayward, about how he focused on the setbacks of the incident of BP oil platform explosion, putting blames on himself and the suppliers. However, the author reports that Hayward later understood the challenges that the large business world presents to managers and began to develop from the remaining instances of strength, upon seeking public relation (PR) support. I intend to improve my awareness on the potential challenges to which the large business environment subjects managers. This way, I would demonstrate competencies in various methods and criteria of self- and organisational management. Skills Audit Over the past period that I have been actively involved in managerial training and practices, I have developed various skills and abilities that I believe put me in a better position towards effective leadership and management profession. One of the skills I believe to currently possess is performance management skills. Through the management practices of which I have been part in the past few months, which some of them placed me in the leading roles, I have demonstrated the abilities to set clear expectations for every task that I undertook, write and monitor group or team goals, delegating and holding members of the team accountable for various responsibilities towards achieving our goal, and recognise and acknowledge and appreciate, as well as making them aware, of the contribution of the individual member of my team. Through such practices, I believed to have also gained team building skills as well as delegation ones. Another professional skill that I believe to have acquired through my hard work and effortful activities is conflict resolution. I have come to understand that the contemporary society is characterised by diversity in workplaces. Individuals from different sides of the world meet up every day in a workplace to collaboratively achieve a common goal, success. Therefore, high level of intercultural understanding and competency is requirement for managers and leaders to assist in conflict management, since where diversity is a factor, conflict or disagreement is inevitable. I have demonstrated this skill in various instances as I have always intervened neutrally between members of my team to assist in establishing a common ground or point of reference from which both parties can seek understanding of each other. I believe to develop this skill, one need to demonstrate high level listening and understanding capabilities to comprehend the point of difference between the two parties’ arguments. Another area in which I believe to have demonstrated competence is problem solving. Through the many management research and practices, I have demonstrated quite impressive analytical skills towards finding to problems based on the potential causes. Through academic assignments and related activities, I have improved and developed further my ability to conduct research and establish a solution towards addressing specific challenges that face managers and their follower in workplace contexts. Through personal life activities, including social encounters, I have also developed considerable flexibility and adaptability skills. Even though certain stages of academic and professional activities have posed many challenges, I have always adapted flexibly. Therefore, it is my belief that I have developed substantially in a vast range of managerial areas towards a being a competent leader as well as a manager. Critical Evaluation of Theories Conflict management The theory of conflict management explores the idea and knowledge of coping with conflicts in an organisation. Conflict management is described as the process of reducing or eliminating the negative impacts of the conflict whilst maximising its positive impacts (Rahim 2002; Busch 2015). Busch (2015) argues that the theory of conflict management in an organisation holds that the organisational conflicts are inevitable and has the potential of hindering the firm from achieving its goals or objectives. However Rahim (2002), as well as Bush (2015) further explains that quality and competent organisational conflict management can result in improved success potential in the firm; conflict can be used to find solutions during its solution process and maximise its positive impact on the success plans of the company. The primary step to effective organisational conflict management commence with identifying the nature of the conflict. Depending on the cause, conflicts in a workplace assume different types or nature (Rahim 2002; Wallensteen 2015). Conflicts can arise when a party or an individual is required to be responsible for an activity that he, she or they deem incongruent with his, her or their interests or needs. Also, parties that are involved in a demand of a particular resource that is in scarce supply in a manner that neither of the parties can would be satisfied if the resource is shared. Conflicts can also emerge in an organisation following two parties that have partially exclusive preference on certain behaviour regarding their joint performance (Rahim 2002). The criterion towards conflict management require that the management employ organisational learning and effectiveness, needs of the parties involved and ethical practices whilst making decisions (Rahim 2002). It is imperative to adopt the criterion that considers the preference of the stakeholders and ethical outcomes, which possess the potential of promoting learning and effectiveness in the organisation. Therefore, strategies such as minimising affective conflicts at various levels through forcing, collaborating, compromising, or avoiding, amongst others, can be employed. Tuckman’s Model of team development The model holds that leadership style, maturity and ability, as well as relationships, are some of the aspects of a team that develop. According to Natvig & Stark (2016), Tuckman’s Model outlines progression that follows: 1. forming This stage is solely dependent on the leadership ability to provide effective guidance and directions for the team. Therefore, leaders are expected to provide answers to every question that may arise. 2. Storming In this stage, members of the team attempt to establish themselves within the team by vying for various positions depending on how interrelate with other member as well as the leaders. To avoid emotional and relationship distractions, which is common at this stage, the team need to focus on its primary objectives and goals. 3. Norming At this stage, the team settles down and members begin to respond well to facilitations by leaders. This stage should also characterise commitment and unity, as well as fun and social activities, since responsibilities and roles are accepted. 4. Performing At this point, the team is fully aware of their vision and mission. The team does not necessary depend on the directions and supervision by the leaders; members can cooperatively engage in team activities effectively. This stage is where effective delegation of task, alongside its benefits, is evident. Conclusion Learning portfolio is one of the convincing and adaptable methods of recording intellectual growth that involves individual critical reflection and a collaborative process where one conducts self-assessment and refine own educational experience. Though various activities, I have been able to demonstrate a vast range of skills and competencies that I have developed through academic, personal and professional activities. Amongst the many skills that I believe to current possess include: communication skills, which entails effective listening and speaking capabilities; performance management; conflict resolution and management; team building and motivation, and problem solving skills. Some of the theories that I found useful during the managerial activities of which I was part include the Tuckman’s Model of team development and conflict management theory that employs collaboration, forcing, avoiding, and compromising, amongst many others. Reference List Busch, D 2015, Conflict management in organisations, The Willey Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Nationalism, pp. 1-5. Gallois, C & Giles, H 2015, Communication and accommodation theory, International Encyclopaedia of Language and Social Interaction, pp. 1-18. Hog, MA 2015, Constructive leadership across groups: how leaders combat prejudice and conflict between subgroups, In: Shane, RT & Edward, JL (Ed), Advances in group processes (Advances in group processes, Vol. 32), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp. 177-207. Hu, J & Liden, RC 2014, Making a difference in the teamwork: linking team prosocial motivation to team processes and effectiveness, Academic Management Journal, Vol. 58, No. 4, pp. 1102-1127. Kanter, RM 2011, Managing yourself: zoom in, zoom out, Harvard Business Review. Available from https://hbr.org/2011/03/managing-yourself-zoom-in-zoom-out [Accessed May 2017] Natvig, D & Stark, NL 2016, A project team analysis using Tuckman’s Model of small-group development, Journal of Nursing Education, Vol. 55, No. 12, pp. 675-681. Rahim, MA 2002, Towards a theory of managing organisational conflict, The International Journal of Conflict Management, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 206-235. Rijal, S 2016, The influence of transformational leadership and organisational culture on learning organisation: a comparative analysis of the IT sector, Journal of Administration and Business Studies, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 121-129. Salas, E, Thayer, AL, Bedwell, W & Lazara, E 2014, Understanding and improving teamwork in organisations: a scientifically based practical guide, Human Resource Management. Sutton, A, Williams, HM & Alison, CW 2015, A longitudinal, mixed method evaluation of self-awareness training in the workplace, European Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 39, No. 7, pp. 610-627. Wellesteen, P 2015. Understanding conflict resolution (4th Ed). London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Appendix Self-Development Plan Topic Activity What I did What I learned What I intend to do differently Elements of effective self-management in the workplace Research practice Self-assessment and evaluation through questionnaire Self-awareness is essential for effective interrelationship in a workplace Improve in interpersonal skills and engage in emotional relations. Productive and rewarding one to one relationship Consultation and discussion with colleagues I employed listening to their views keenly Listening and understanding others’ viewpoints enhance relationships Identify with emotional arguments to determine their implications Effective teamwork Group research project Recognised and appreciated the efforts and contributions of each member Recognising efforts of and motivation members of a team enhances teamwork Delegate task effectively Leadership, influence and persuasion Group research project Engage the members in a free and open expression of views Suggestive expression of evidenced views, and not authority, promote good leadership Improve on my ability to back up my arguments with evidence Managing oneself in a wider world Work placement Focused on my potentials rather that getting stuck on my weaknesses Maximising the outcomes on potentials and strengths promote clear understanding of quality management Improve my awareness of the potential challenges of the wider world Skills Audit Academic Skills Analytical and Research skills Effective communication skills Evidence Good performance on research projects Well written reports Personal Skills Problem solving skills Effective communication Evidence Research results analyses Effectively leading groups and projects Professional Skills Performance management Conflict resolution and management Team building and motivation Evidence Delegating tasks, supervising, encouraging and influencing team members Read More