INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPEMENT PLAN - Research Paper Example

Individual Development Plan The objective of the essay is to prepare an Individual Development Plan forthe selected skill one wish to enhance in oneself. For this discourse, one has chosen to discuss honing one’s skill as a team player. The essay would include an analysis of the competencies needed for developing the selected skill. Individual Development Plan Introduction Different characteristics and personality types affect and influence the ability of individuals to relate in a group. Some people are blessed with social skills that enable them to mingle and interact as members of diverse groups with ease and comfort.

Others need to exert extraordinary efforts to develop personal skills in teambuilding and group interaction. One acknowledges and recognized that there are measures that would assist in the development of skills to serve clearly defined goals. In this regard, the objective of the essay is to prepare an Individual Development Plan for the skill of interrelating and interacting effectively in a team. Likewise, the discourse would include an analysis of the competencies needed for developing the selected skill.

Personal Assessment I have always realized that I excel in an environment where I work alone. There is self-actualization in accomplishing tasks and responsibilities that have been clearly defined and appropriately scheduled. Delving into elementary education, I recognized that there are academic endeavors that need to be addressed in groups or teams, of which the expertise of each member is used to the advantage of the whole group. As averred by Martires & Fule (2004), “the need for relationships with other people is one of the strongest of human drives” (97).

As work group develops, each member come to play a different role in the social structure. I could not just impose my likes and desires and expect each member to follow. I believe that by building a cohesive group, our performance, as a group, would improve. Initially, my personal assessment reveals the need to improve on interpersonal skills, leadership, communication, negotiation, and even conflict resolution and decision-making skills need to be improved. Proposed Development Plan The identified competencies and skills need to be developed through constant interrelationships with group members.

The skill of communication, for example, would be enhanced through frequent giving or relaying of verbal messages and being responded to in terms of expected appropriate feedback. In group work, open communication is significant to solicit balanced information from all members who could give innovative suggestions towards group goals. My personal plan is to relay inputs, comments, and suggestions as needed and to ask as frequently as necessary when issues are ambiguous and needs to be clarified.

Concurrent with open communication and interpersonal relationship, is being prepared for negotiation and to resolve conflicts, as they arise. It should be expected that when groups are developed wherein members are composed of diverse people from different cultural orientations, or having different ages, educational backgrounds, gender, and work experiences, among others, the possibilities for conflict increase. I propose to enhance personal skills in conflict resolution and negotiation through research on these topics, through advice from professionals, and through experience.

As Schein (1980) advices, one strategy for conflict prevention is communication among groups (179). Finally, to develop leadership and decision-making skills, there is a need to learn more about leadership theories and applications from management courses or through leadership training by attending seminars and conferences. Decision-making skills could likewise be improved using the same modules, but focusing on the appropriate steps or approaches in decision making. These are relevant concerns that could enhance team building and group cohesiveness.

By assigning a leader in a group, the role of overseeing planning, organizing, directing and controlling the necessary activities would be effectively undertaken. Finally, to enhance skills as a team player, I am aware that there are group methods and techniques that can be utilized to improve performance of the group. We could schedule frequent and regularly defined meetings; brainstorming (as issues deemed it necessary); engage is group dynamics (“a technique in which the group members articulate their actual experiences, emote their feelings, sentiments and emotions on certain aspects, areas or problems with the aid of a facilitator” (Martires & Fule, 2004, 117)).

Van Zelst’s (1992) study showed that being part of a desirable work group can help promote job satisfaction. Employees who were not given the opportunity for close social contact find work unsatisfying. Conclusion The essay was able to achieve its objective of preparing an individual development plan that would enhance teambuilding skills. By detailing the competencies that need to be honed, one is given the proper perspective and direction towards attaining personal and group goals. As interaction and interrelationship with group member increases with personal differences being appropriately addressed through honing of individual skills necessary for the effective performance of the group, one is optimistic that group work and teambuilding would be a rewarding experience.

References Martires, C.R. & Fule, G.S. (2004). Management of Human Behavior in Organizations. National Bookstore, Philippines. Schein, E.H. (1980). Organizational Psychology. Prentice Hall, Engelwood Cliffs, New Jersey. Zelst, V. (1992). “Sociometrically Selected Work Teams.” Personnel Psychology. Vol. 5, Number 3, pp. 175 – 185.