Personal Management Development - Essay Example

Personal Management Student’s Name Institution Date Personal Management Introduction I look forward to developing several competencies to develop my personal management skills to make me more competitive in my career. In this essay, I will focus on skills development, cross cultural management, quality management and human resource development competencies to develop my management skills farther. In this paper, I will look at the theoretical applications of these theories and how they are going to benefit me in developing my managerial capabilities. This paper will look at specific application of the competencies highlighted above to enable me be more competent in what I do in my managerial pursuits. One of the key things to be looked to be looked at will be opportunities for personal development and how they will be of relevance to my future professional goals. These opportunities will guide me on specific areas of interest I need to work on to acquire the competencies needed to excel in different activities I engage in. Skills Development Event or Critical Incident In an organizational setup, I find it critical to improve personal management skills to be well prepared with the expectations and demands of the industry I work in. I intend to work in the automotive industry because I have always had a passion for cars and other automotive machinery used to perform various tasks. I will focus on the practical application of learning by following various induction processes I am taken through more seriously to make me well equipped to deal with various types of challenges in the industry. I have always been encouraged to pursue a career in this field because automotive processes are used in various manufacturing and engineering processes and they influence many industrial processes. I will also do all I can to study work systems in the organization I choose to work to ensure their objectives are aligned with mine (Ahlstrom & Bruton 2010). There six important functions of management I intend to familiarize with to improve the quality of my skills. Henri Fayol argued that the most important functions of management include forecasting, planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling. I intend to develop these competencies to make me well prepared to perform duties assigned to me by the organization I will be working in. It is also crucial for me to have the necessary abilities to motivate and impact positively on staff working under me to encourage them to improve the manner in which they perform different activities at the workplace. Therefore, this will make me see in a more positive perspective because I will be able to encourage them to align their goals to those set by the organization (Ahlstrom & Bruton 2010). Therefore, I will be able to get positive performance out of them and this will make it easy for me to attain both short term and long term objectives I have set for myself. Reflection Self management is a crucial competency that I need to develop to improve my personal management skills. A personal SWOT analysis will help me understand my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to develop my skills further. I will always rely on various learning procedures to increase my knowledge about important work processes to ensure that I am well oriented to perform different duties assigned to me at the workplace. It will be important to understand the specific skills I need to ensure that I am well prepared to satisfy the expectations of my seniors and those who work under me in the firm. I will be self driven to understand my roles better to ensure I deliver positive results out of various tasks I embark on. An analysis of my strengths will help me take time to understand specific areas of my skills and personality and how they help me perform my duties. For instance, I am very good in planning and execution and this makes me a suitable managerial candidate. I aspire to improve these aspects of my skills to ensure I attain the ambitions I have set for myself in my professional career. I also intent to be more involved in efforts to collaborate with other employees working under me to register positive results out of various pursuits I engage in (McHale 2011). I will also work hard to understand my weaknesses and how they are likely to drag me back from actualizing my true potential. Procrastination is one of my biggest weaknesses and I will work harder to ensure I do not lag behind in my duties due to this weakness. I intend to work hard to find out opportunities that exist in the professional career I have chosen. Since, the automotive industry is driven by a lot of technological innovations, I will always keep updated on important technologies to help me improve the way I perform my duties. I will look forward to working in a company that nurtures and develops talent to make me learn new concepts and skills that are related to my line of work. I will also try to understand the future trends in the industry and how they are likely to impact on the operations of the firm I will be working for (McHale 2011). It will be necessary to understand the direction my firm is taking to find out if it satisfies my future goals and ambitions. In my reflection, I will take time to look at various threats that are related to my line of work and their significance. As a result, I will be able to understand the manner in which I need to perform my duties to make me well prepared to deal with such challenges. Since I intend to work in the automotive industry, new technologies that are introduced may have an impact on my long term career prospects. Another threat I am likely to face in my line of work involves competing interests at the workplace which lead to mistrust and bad blood between workers (De Janasz, Dowd & Schneider 2012). This may have a negative effect on my ability to perform my duties as expected because I cannot succeed in my duties if subordinates working under me do not share my vision. Analysis and Competency Improvement It is necessary that I acquire the necessary skills required for me to excel in different career options I have chosen for myself. A coaching process within the organization I will be working for will help me understand specific skills that I need to have to perform my duties effectively. This will guide me to understand the expectations that have been bestowed on the position I hold and how they can be attained within specific period of time (Rue & Byars 2003). A coaching process will help me rely on the guidance of a mentor who has more experience in the industry to find out what I should and should not do as I pursue my aspirations. As a result, I will be in a position to understand specific improvements I need to initiate in my professional outlook to attain the goals I have set for myself. I will also pursue other organizational learning procedures to improve my skills. I will strive to develop mutually beneficial partnerships with those working under me to learn new ideas about important processes in the organization. As a result, I will be able to acquire practical skills that are vital for my career development and growth in the organization I choose to work in (DuBrin 2003). This will help me understand various value processes that are observed in the firm and how they help it attain its goals within the industry it transacts in. In effect, I will be able to refine the skills I have and acquire other skills from close observation and collaborations with the people I work with in the firm. Cross Cultural Competency Development Event or Critical Incident I grew up in an environment where people from diverse cultural, religious and social backgrounds were able to live side by side in harmony. As a result, I have learnt a lot of ideals and positive values from people who come from different cultural backgrounds from my own. I have come to understand that for any society to progress, people must be willing to embrace their cultural and social differences to move ahead without any restrictions (Holden 2002). I look forward to working in an organization that respects cultural and social diversity because this is the best way through which any firm can strengthen its reputation in the industry it transacts in. Therefore, inter cultural management practices will make it possible for me to understand the expectations of various stakeholders in the organization. I need to have the necessary competencies to understand the backgrounds of those I work with to find out how they make them perform their duties in their respective workstations. I also need to be more aware of my own cultural inclinations and how they affect my judgment, behavior and attitudes in different situations I encounter. Therefore, this will make me aware of the industrial environment I will be working under and the differences in culture that I am likely to experience as I perform my duties (Holden 2002). Since the country has been receiving a lot of expertise from other countries, these professionals are influenced by different cultural and social ideals. I understand that to improve my cross cultural skills, I need to have an open mind to make me well prepared to respond to various professional challenges I am likely to be exposed to. Reflection Cross cultural management has become a crucial component of management development due to globalization. I will work hard to develop my cross cultural skills to make it possible for me to acquire new knowledge from different cultural perspectives. If I improve my knowledge about important cross cultural practices, I will be in a better position to improve my communication skills with various people I meet to develop my skills and competencies. I will also be in a position to develop strong professional relationships with people I work with to help me execute my duties in a proper manner (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner 1998). Cross cultural skills will give me the abilities required to understand the interests of various stakeholders I work with as influenced by their cultural and social backgrounds. In the long term, I will be able to rely on my cross cultural skills to understand the people I work with better. According to Hofstede, cultural backgrounds and inclinations influence the value systems observed by a particular person or a particular group living in a particular society (Hofstede 2001). In essence, people follow specific value systems as prescribed by their cultural codes and morals. I intend to make my mind open to various cultural codes observed by people from different cultural backgrounds to ensure I develop my cross cultural management competency even further. I will be able to take time to understand whether individualistic or collective cultural practices are responsive to the needs of employees I work with in the specific organization I will be working in. This will make me understand how to be flexible in different professional environments I work in to attain positive results. Good cross cultural understanding will make me understand the significance of power and how it is exercised in different professional environments. Therefore, the power distance index as described by Hofstede will make me find out the attitudes of people from various backgrounds to power systems within specific professional environments they are working in (Hofstede 2001). As a result, I will be able to find out the perceptions people from different cultural backgrounds have towards authority and how this affects their performance. I will also in a position to find out the best approach to use to motivate staff working under me to attain positive results out of various tasks they are performing. This will be important for my career progress because I will be in a better position to influence those that I work with positively. Analysis and Competency Improvement My competency improvement process will involve learning about different aspects of cross cultural management which are observed in different countries. As a result, I will need to be exposed to various educational processes to get equipped with knowledge about how to attain important cross cultural management skills. It will be important to find out practices observed in different international business contexts and their impacts in helping a firm attain positive results out of various processes it is involved in (Friedman & Antal 2005). The most dominant business cultures which are observed in the world today are western and eastern cultures which are applied in different corporate environments in different parts of the globe. In my development, I will look at the peculiar attributes of these business cultures and how they influence professionals to come up with judgments on various professional issues. I will also focus on barriers and conflicts which arise due to cultural differences observed by different professionals at the workplace. I will develop my cross cultural competencies further by increasing my knowledge to understand what causes frequent clashes and conflicts between workers from different cultural backgrounds. I will work harder to find out how perceptions of winning, respect for results, time management and loyalty are understood in different cultural contexts and how they impact on the overall performance of employees in a firm. I will also work harder to uncover more knowledge about how perceptions of equality and openness in various management contexts are understood and how they influence working systems in different organizations. This approach will enable me to understand why cross cultural factors determine the level of success a manager gets out of various processes he undertakes (Johnson, Lenartowicz & Apud 2006). Quality Competency Event/ Critical Incident Quality management is a competency that I find very important. I have always been intrigued by the concept of quality management because I do all I can to achieve positive results in different tasks I embark on. Since I aspire to work in the automotive industry, I find it necessary to develop my knowledge in various quality management practices which are observed in various industrial environments. I have a desire to improve understand what quality management competencies entail to ensure I achieve all the objectives I have set (Noronha 2002). In my quest to develop my knowledge on various quality systems, I have realized that it is influenced by a person’s desire and willpower to serve others to ensure all systems run smoothly. Therefore, I have invested my time and resources to develop my management competencies to ensure I understand overall quality management ideals that are important for my career growth. Quality management competency is an important aspect of my professional aspirations because it will influence me to work hand in hand with other people to attain positive outcomes. I desire to work in an organizational environment that has a culture of promoting quality in its operations to serve the needs of its clients better (Noronha 2002). I intend to familiarize myself with different quality management tools that are used to assess and measure the nature of results attained by workers and other stakeholders in different organizational processes. As a result, I will be able to understand how to acclimatize to different organizational cultures observed in various organizations I will be working in. Total quality management competencies will give me more ideas on how to plan and organize different resources within an organization to ensure all stakeholders achieve positive results out of various tasks they are involved in. Reflection Quality management systems determine the level of success a business firm registers out of various processes it is engaged in. In my professional training, I have realized that quality management practices enhance employee empowerment, motivation and safety in different environments they are working in. I will work hard to find out how quality management practices can be embedded in the overall processes of an organization and how beneficial they are to its long term prospects in a particular industry. I will also focus on the quality of my own professional competencies to find out if they are well suited to help me accomplish the long term goals I have set for myself (Hannson & Klefsjo 2003). As a result, I will be in a position to determine improvements I need to follow to ensure I actualize my long term dreams and ambitions through training. Consistency is a valuable aspect of measuring quality in different contexts. Therefore, I intend to learn how to develop a strict routine which will make it possible for me to attain quality outcomes from various work processes I embark on. I will also take note of various roles that I am likely to be given and how they will reflect my overall perceptions regarding quality. I understand that quality management has a lot of opportunities for my personal and professional development (Cameron & Sine 1999). They will help me develop a culture of hard work, focus and consumer satisfaction which will drive me to excel in different professional pursuits I choose to follow. As a result, I will be able to understand the roles I need to perform to satisfy the expectations of all stakeholders in the organization I will be working in. Analysis and Competency Improvement Quality management is an important concept that determines the level of managerial excellence. In light of this, I aspire to acquire more knowledge in quality controls which can be applied in diverse industrial environments to boost success. I will intend to focus on customer satisfaction which is a key component of quality management to understand how customers’ needs and expectations should influence the manner in which a firm carries out its functions. I intend to acquire more knowledge on quality work processes to find out how they can be instituted in an organization to change workers’ attitudes towards work processes (Black & Porter 1996). My learning and development processes will also focus on specific tools which are used in different organizations to measure and analyze results. These tools will influence the manner in which I will observe various quality management processes to boost my own performance. I feel that I need to establish a solid foundation on which my understanding of various quality management processes will be anchored on. Therefore, to make this aspiration realistic, I will look for effective methods which will help me achieve all quality management objectives to find out their impacts on my career. I feel that I need to understand quality international benchmarks that are used to measure quality processes in different industry environments (Anderson & Sohal 1999). Knowledge about different forms of standards and benchmarks observed in a variety of industries will help me understand the concept of continuous improvement and its importance in management. As a result, I will be in a position to focus on consistent quality performance to ensure that I come up with products which satisfy expectations of different people in various organizational contexts. Human Resource Management Competency Event/ Critical Incident In all my years of schooling and interacting with people from different backgrounds, I have come to appreciate the importance of human resource best practices. I always seek to build and develop positive relationships with other people at the workplace and I appreciate the role of human resources in helping people take advantage of their skills and talents. It is an important aspect of managerial development and I am interested in expanding my knowledge on the subject (Griffin & Moorehead 2011). There are different aspects of human resource management I am interested in familiarizing myself with and these include performance management, change management, staffing, talent nurturing, recruitment and selection and labour relations. Therefore, I need to understand how I can increase my knowledge about these human resource concepts to enable me attain positive results out of my management career I aspire to pursue in future. Human resource management competency will have a lot of benefits to my professional development. It will give me the tools I need to undertake various responsibilities more effectively. I am interested in increasing my skills because I hope that they will make me a better negotiator in the organisation I will be working for. I also need to improve my communication and relationship skills to make a good impression on others in different work stations I will be working in. in effect, this knowledge will make me take time to understand other people and what they expect to achieve out of a specific work process (Griffin & Moorehead 2011). It is important to have the required job knowledge to help me execute the roles I will be allocated more effectively. As a result, this will boost my confidence to make me well equipped to handle different challenges that are related to the role I have been assigned. Reflection Job satisfaction and understanding are key aspects of human resource management which influence the type of results a person is likely to obtain in a specific job role. Therefore, I intend to acquire the necessary skills in human resource to understand various concepts and the value they will add to my career in the long term (Robbins & Judge 2012). I hope that I will be able to understand workforce planning, recruitment and other issues which determine the level to which employees undertake various responsibilities within an organisational setting. There are many opportunities which are related to human resource management which I feel I am well positioned to take advantage of. I also feel that I need to undergo a development process that improves my decision making skills to enable me attain good outcomes out of different activities I pursue. If I work on my decision making skills, I will be able to influence other people that I work with positively and this will enable the organisation I work for to attain positive results. I intend to learn about labour issues and how they influence organisational practices in different industry contexts. This knowledge will make me analyse the input of workers in the organisation and their contributions in making various organisational processes move on effectively. This competency will help me acquire important skills related to integrity, problem solving, consultation and process improvements (Chandler & McEvoy 2000). As a result, I will be able to influence change management practices in different organisations due to my strong credibility as a person. Analysis and Competency Improvement Human resource management competency is constantly changing to reflect different business practices that are observed in various industrial contexts. This competency is now intertwined with strategic management, cross cultural practices and knowledge management. Therefore, this shows that there are many rewarding opportunities which are related to this competency which will boost my career prospects in future. I need to develop my administrative knowledge to improve my leadership and resource allocation skills. I also intend to develop my strategic planning and human resource coordination skills (Martocchio 2009). This will make it possible for me to understand how to allocate various responsibilities to my subordinates to ensure they perform roles that conform to their skills and training. Human resource skills will make me understand different influences that determine the corporate cultures observed in various organisations. Therefore, I will be able to understand specific determinants of corporate culture in an organisation and how they determine the level of success attained in various work processes. I will also be able to find out other important factors that determine the manner in which managers and their employees interact within the organisation (Jones & George 2006). In essence, the development of my human resource competency will make me well prepared to handle a myriad of challenges I will be exposed to as I develop my professional career. Conclusion In conclusion, all these competencies will be very beneficial to my long term professional advancement. All these competencies will help me to gain all round training in different aspects of management to make my career more competitive. As a result, I will be able to deal with various challenges that are related to my career more effectively. Skills Development Familiarisation with important management functions. Quality Competency Understand relevance of important quality management principles. Cross –Cultural Be receptive towards diverse cultural practices and new business ideas. Human Resource Improve all areas related to human resource management practices. References Ahlstrom, D & Bruton, GD 2010, International management: strategy and culture in the emerging world, Cengage Learning, Mason. 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