Management Assignment: Individual Reflection On HR Business Leadership Skills

Question

Task: Through this management assignment, you will be expected to develop an understanding of theory and practice, and to demonstrate a basic competence in the skills of HR business leadership. You will be required to reflect upon your performance of these skills and identify how you are going to meet your professional development needs in the future. Critical reflective thinking is an important element of HR practice as well as the learning process and it can lead to changes to your practice and an improvement in your performance, both on the MSc in HRM and in the workplace. The CIPD, who accredits this programme expects its students and members to continually develop their practice through reflection and personal development planning. So, we include this in this module. You are expected to reflect on your own experiences and your own personal development throughout the MSc HRM modules. Each of these will have a diverse range of activities and will cater for a variety of different learning styles. You need to consider how you have grown and the extent to which you have developed the following key personal skills

• Problem solving
• Interpersonal skills and teamwork
• Managing conflict
• Communication skills
• Influencing and negotiation
• Presentation skills

You should submit the following:
1. An individual critical analysis of your group’s progress and performance in undertaking the group project and producing the report (1,000 words)

2. An individual learning statement (1,000 words) critically assessing your current skills as an HR professional in the following areas:
a) Problem solving and decision making
b) Interpersonal skills and teamwork
c) Managing conflict
d) Communication skills
e) Influencing and negotiation
f) Presentation skills
3. A personal development plan (PDP) on how you plan to improve your skills in the future in an appendix to your learning statement (no word limit).

Answer

1. An individual critical analysis of your group’s progress and performance in undertaking the group project and producing the report.
In business leadership, there are many skills required, so I would like to mention in this management assignment that while I was doing my postgraduate on this subject, I learned about problem-solving skills along with decision making skills. My professor made me aware that these skills play a crucial role in management. The problem-solving skills are usefulfor identifying the actual cause of the problem and finding an effective solution to it. Kazdin (2017) stated that in the management of specific organisations they have conducted a skill training program for new employees where during this training their mentor mainly focused on building problem-solving skills. In the management of the organisation, many problems take place and many times they did not have enough time to resolve specific problems. So during my postgraduate studies, my professor guided me to resolve problems within a short time. The decision-making skills show how we choose any one option between two alternatives. In management, an HR has to choose between two options. This aspect mitigates depending on HR problem-solving skills. Thabetet al., (2017) argued that the HR of an organisation has to observe every aspect closely while taking a crucial decision on behalf of the organisation, as they make the decision depending on data observed.

Interpersonal skills and teamwork are the most important skills in the corporate sector. The interpersonal skills help us to interact with people in getting jobs and also it helps in the specific workplace. While I was doing my postgraduate program, professors conducted various workshops depending on interpersonal skills, because it will help me in my interview preparations. In the interview room, many management executives will be present and I willhave to interact with them. In this situation, interpersonal skills play a crucial role. Boohoo, Ali and Jahan, (2020) consider that interpersonal skill can be constantly developed by more and more practice along with every person having separate interpersonal skills since childhood.As per demand they need to practice the skills and improve the specific skill. Also, teamwork is the most important aspect in the management sector, because it enables management leaders to complete any specific task within time with good productivity. As per Shmatko and Bilova (2020), teamwork depends on HR behaviour and communication skills. If HR is not able to provide proper information with the specific team then the allocated task will fail and it will affect the brand image of the organisation.

In the practical field, organisation management has worked on various projects, like products or services and during the process of this project, various unpredictable incidents have taken place that are called conflicts. In this situation, the management leader plays a crucial role in managing conflicts. To handle this type of conflict the management leader has to be calm, listen carefully as well as analyse closely the root cause of conflicts. During my postgraduate program, the professor gave me certain tasks that helped me to keep calm during any type of conflict that took place in front of me and helped me to deal with these conflicts at my own level. According to Rahim (2017), the conflicts many times affect the brand image of specific organisations along with it may affect the profitability score of the specific organisation. If the big project had a big team that had to work together on a single task, if any person does wrong then the whole team will suffer and it will create big conflicts. So the manager closely observes every team member to avoid conflicts. Tokakis, Polychroniou and Boustras (2018) argued that conflicts many times take place for technical error, so the management team needs to analyse every technical aspect that is required in the specific project work.

Communication skill is the most important skill that is required in practical life. So during my postgraduate program, I had to submit a large amount of paper on this subject. Communication is a key skill that will help me in my career growth. Communication skills include how to behave in front of my management leader and also the attitude along with speaking skills. Hardjati and Febrianita (2019) observed that communication skills define the perception of employees. While I was doing my postgraduate program on skills for business leadership, my professor gave me an assignment and I had to show my communication skills in this assignment. In the organisation, an employee has to handle a big team, so it is necessary to communicate with team members properly. Many times the HRM department arranges a communication channel that provides communication stability between management leaders and employees. Wahyuni, Masih and Rejeki (2018) argued that many organisations nowadays focus on using AI technology in their operation. This technology helps them to communicate properly with their employees. In the postgraduate program, my professor also introduced us to technologies that will help us in career growth.

In the corporate world, the influencing and negotiation skill is mandatory for a better outcome in the specific field. So many managers of the organisation conduct workshops for freshers. Caputo et al., (2019) consider that while employees had to try to sell a specific product or service they firstly influence the consumer towards the service or product then customer interest will be increased and the company will be able to make a profit from this service or product. Apparently, the company wants to purchase a specific product or service from a specific organisation. They have the ability to negotiate the price rate. The presentation skill defines the whole project within a short time and it influences the client or customer to give specific projects to the organisation along with it helps to sell specific products or services to the clients or customers. At the post-graduation program Skill for Business Leadership, the department head professor gave me a subject and asked me to create a presentation depending on the given subject. According to Shinge and Kotabagi (2020), the organisation management letter can use digital technology to present a good quality presentation in front of clients as well as this approach makes the quality of the presentation rich.

2. An individual learning statement critically assessing your current skills as an HR professional in the following areas:
a) Problem solving and decision making- In an organisation, various problems may arise among the workers. It can be inter-organisational issues, inter-departmental issues, cross-cultural issues etc. In any of the mentioned cases, the HR manager is responsible for solving the problem and maintaining discipline within the organisation. His decision must be free of biases and in favor of all the employees as well as the organisation (Eren and NARLI, 2019). The effective problem-solving skill of an HR manager facilitates identifying, examining, assessing and evaluating problems for all the employees. However, in the modern era, simple problem-solving skill is not enough. Rather, an HR manager must have creative problem-solving abilities. Almost every organisation depends on their respective HR professionals to clear away any administrative blocks on the way towards their achievement. An efficient HR manager is supposed to come up with out of the box solutions to each problem every time. According to me, creative problem solving and decision-making skill makes an HR professional even more effective in his/her job role.

b) Interpersonal skills and teamwork- Interpersonal skills are the behavioural ways and tactics a person uses to interact with or influence any person. Interpersonal skills are extremely necessary for an HR manager to work efficiently with his team. As we all know, rather than imposed responsibilities, a person works better when he feels dedicated to the job from within. This motivation can be provided only by the manager to his workforce. An Hr manager must have a perfect balance of politeness and strictness in his personality (Jon, 2019). Too much friendliness may lead to indiscipline within the organisation whereas, over strictness may lead to a negative and revolting mindset among the workforce. Hence, being an HR manager, my attitude should be such as to bind a team and make them work with their satisfaction. The workforce under me must have smooth formal relations as well as job satisfaction. My team must be happy and comfortable with me to share their problems and get them solved without causing nuisance within the organisation.

c) Managing conflict- - Managing conflicts is one of the basic “must-have” skills of an HR manager. Conflicts arising in the workplace are important to be resolved as soon as possible to avoid wastage of time and make the workers focus on their works. Besides, the HRmanageris also responsible to keep check if the respective roles and responsibilities are clear to every employee. Conflicts within an organisation must not only be solved but should be prevented from arising. Being an HR professional, I must have conflict management skills as a major part of the success of an organisation depends on this (Mohammadi-Khahet al., 2020). Effective conflict management leads to strengthened inter-organisational relations i.e., employer and employees, employees and employees etc. Having a healthy inter-organisational relationship will lead to fluent flow as well as productive work. Employees under me must feel comfortable, worry-free, and motivated within the organisation. It is my responsibility to look after their comfort and solve their problems at their workplace. Thus, I will be a step ahead towards being an efficient HR professional.

d) Communication skills- Communication skills are an utmost requirement for any successful manager. Many important deals of a business depend on the communication skill of the manager. Smooth and frequent communication between the manager and his employees instils the team with the confidence to work with comfort and perform even better. Not only the team but such skills are essential to communicate with other managers, companies and directors as well. The excellent communication skills of the manager can have several benefits for the organisation as well as its employees (Babu and Pushpanathan, 2021). First of all, it builds up team morale. Having regular communication and nurturing with the team will make them realise that they have a support at their workplace. Next, having effective communication within the team will maintain a healthy inter-organisational culture. The flow of information will remain clear and constant. Every employee will be well aware of their roles and responsibilities. Any problems arising will be solved at the very initial stage thereby reducing organisational issues. Overall, the team will come up with better productivity.

e) Influencing and negotiation- Any leader/ manager must be highly influential. He/she must have a charismatic personality to leave a mark on the minds of every person he/she interacts with. However, influence does not always mean getting what we want to be done by others. In the case of managers, influencing means directing the works or roles of each employee towards the goal. A manager must be highly impressive so that employees feel respectful towards him/her rather than being bound to listen to his/her orders. Having negotiating or convincing capabilities are also a part of being influential (Guiliany, Pulido, Cali and Caraballo, 2017). While fixing a deal with other managers or other companies I must be able to negotiate the benefits and charges and convince them well on my point. Here also, influence is important. As mentioned earlier, managers must have a charismatic personality. Hence, while setting deals, other parties must be impressed with my attitude. This is also important for the face of my organisation.

f) Presentation skills- Presentation skills are extremely useful not only for managers but also for any employee at their workplace. First of all, to present something in front of others, one must have complete and in-depth knowledge of the matter himself/herself. Hence it urges one to know more and more about the organisation and its work. It helps to increase one’s network area, improves morale and makes them believe in themselves. Being a manager, I must be clear about my abilities and have faith in myself (Cetin and Eymur, 2017). A well-defined presentation can sort out many organisational issues, make things clear between employees and management, make employees aware of the organisational expectations from them. Also, presentations improve the transparency of the organisational workings among the employees thereby improving their job satisfaction. All these depend on the presentation skills of the manager. The better the skill, the more will be the benefits. Hence, I must improve and sharpen my presentation skills to be a successful HR professional.

Reference list
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Caputo, A., Ayoko, O.B., Amoo, N. and Menke, C., (2019). The relationship between cultural values, cultural intelligence and negotiation styles. Journal of Business Research, 99, pp.23-36. https://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/5732/1/TheRelationshipBetweenCulturalValuesAM-AMOO.pdf

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Appendix:Personal development plan (PDP)
Personal Skills Report