Personal Development and Individual Performance - Essay Example

Individual reflective Diary Introduction This individual reflective diary is a reflection of my personal development and individual performance through this simulation that lasted for 10 weeks. Throughout this time period, there are a number of academic and personal skills that I have learnt and that have significantly increased my knowledge. The theoretical and practical framework together contributed to my development. This reflective report consists of all the skills and developments that I have achieved at the end of this simulation. It also discusses my development plan and value of the knowledge gained. The conclusions that were drawn also have an essential role to play in the success of my personal development. Theories: Belbin team role According to Belbin’s team roles, a team tends to perform at its best when every team member is given a clear role and responsibility (Swailes, 2002, p. 529). Every role is important for the team to achieve success in the overall team objectives and every role equally contributes in the overall team performance. According to Belbin, a team must have nine roles which are essential and necessary for the team to be successful (Fisher, 1996, p. 14). These roles are described in Table1 below. Table 1 Belbins Team Role Model: Team Role Description Character Contribution Implementer The practical organizer of the team. Executes plans and ideas into tasks. Hardworking, realistic professional, down to earth, structured approach. Executes plans and implements strategies. Resource Investigator The person responsible for all the resources that are needed for the fulfillment of the team’s objectives. Communicative, playful, extrovert, opportunist. Brings ideas and opportunities to the team, communicates within the team and with external sources. Plant The creative thinker of the team. Original and innovative. Gives easy solutions to complex problems. Innovative ideas. Monitor The analyst of the team. Thoughtful, sensitive, and critical. Analyses situations and passes judgments based on the strategic analysis. Shaper Ensures that deadlines and goals are fulfilled on time. Passionate, competitive, courageous. Handles conflicts, moves the team forward, overcomes obstacles. Coordinator Coordinates the team by bringing together the members and realizing their individual potentials. Positive, calm, communicative. Creates unity amongst the team members. Completer Finisher Monitors quality and safety at all levels to get to perfection. Perfectionist, accurate. Assesses risk and overcomes barriers to come to perfection. Team worker A focused member who creates a friendly environment. Social, friendly, sensitive. Creates team spirit, cares for every member. Specialist Advises and consults with specialist knowledge of his field. Dedicated, advisor, social. Gives expert knowledge and advice when needed. In this simulation, I played the role of a plant and team worker. My creative ideas and innovative techniques to apply theories have been appreciable and also my nature to work together in a team. Honey and Mumford Every person has a different style of learning and according to Peter Honey and Alan Mumford; there are four learning styles which are the activist, reflector, theorist, and pragmatist. All four are at different learning stages (Jackson, 2002, p. 6). The activist is on the stage of having the experience. He likes experiencing, doing activities, getting involved, and participating energetically. The reflector is on the stage of reviewing the experience. He takes his time to observe, understand, and takes time to take it all in. The theorist is on the stage of concluding from experience as he understands and analyses the concepts and ideas and knows where they fit. The pragmatist is on the stage of planning the next steps as he applies all his learning and participates in the practical problem solving (Mumford, 1995, p. 28). Based on this model, I have been the activist learner who has been eager to gain experience and participate in all kinds of activities in order to learn new things. Kolb learning cycle David Kolb suggested that in order to ensure learning, there must be an acquisition of different concepts which would then be applied to the range of different situations. He believed that new concepts are developed by new experiences (Vince, 1998, p. 304). This theory works through two levels; a cycle of learning of four stages and four different learning styles. This theory is mostly related to the cognitive processes of the learner. 1. The Experimental Learning Cycle. It has four stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. This is explained in Table 2. Table 2 Four Stages Learning Cycle 2. Learning Styles. There are four distinct learning styles which the individual’s choose and can have only one learning style based on their preference (Jackson, 1995, p. 42). i. Diverging: these people observe, watch, and gather information rather than doing. They are sensitive and they look at things from unusual perspectives. These people are better in situations where there are ideas and views required. ii. Assimilating: these learners have a logical approach and they need reasoning for every activity. They understand the concepts and ideas rationally. iii. Converging: these learners learn by watching and observing and apply the concepts efficiently to practical situations. iv. Accommodating: these learners rely on their intuitions rather than logical reasoning. They use new innovative techniques and accept challenges to carry out the strategies and plans. In this simulation, I have been a converging learner as I observed the concepts and ideas and then applied them to practical situations. VAK Learning Model This learning model was given by Neil Fleming focusing on three types styles of learning that people posses (Bosnic, 2013, p. 343). 1. Visual Learners: they learn through visuals, observations, pictures, and have stronger visual skills that allow them to learn through different graphics. 2. Auditory Learners: they learn through listening and are generally good in presenting and listening. 3. Kinesthetic Learners: they learn through doing, moving, and touching. They are energetic and are involved in practical activities rather only seeing or listening. In this simulation, I have been a kinesthetic learner as I learnt through activities and practical implementation. Johari window model The Johari Window is named after Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham. The model was developed in 1955 and focused on the communication between team members to improve understanding and team work. The main ideas were that trust can be built amongst the team when information about self is disclosed, and that feedback from other members can help in learning about one’s own self (Halpern, 2009, p. 10). Through this model, I was able to understand my own strengths and weaknesses with the help of which I improved myself and my relations with the team members. MBTI Theory It is a personality theory which helps an individual to believe that he is unique and has some distinctive qualities and some which they share with other people as well. This theory allows individuals to go through a process of self-awareness which tells them who they are and which skill they posses. Through this theory I was able to realize by inner potentials and skills which helped me to contribute in the team efficiently. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domains This theory was created in 1956 and it promoted the higher forms of learning instead of just learning. The theory focused on analyzing, evaluating, and examining the processes and principles. Through this theory I was able to participate more effectively as I assessed and analyzed the strategic plans and group activities. Conscious and unconscious competence The conscious competence learning model was designed to suggest how skills are mastered and relationships are strengthened. It gives four stages which show the individuals way from their start to the mastery (Evans, 2007, p. 208). 1. Unconscious incompetence: the start where the individual is bad at everything he does. 2. Conscious incompetence: the individual starts to realize and understand what he’s bad at and how it should be improved. 3. Unconscious competence: individual starts overcoming the difficulties and starts the learning process. 4. Conscious competence: at this level the individual has learnt everything and completes all his tasks speedily. Anthony Gregore’s Model This model focused on the different learning styles that are adopted by individuals because they are different. This creates a difficulty in learning because every individual has a different perspective. Our perceptions are what the foundation of our learning becomes. NASSP Learning Style Model This is a style of learning in which learning is rather cognitive as there are factors that would indicate the learning techniques. The three main characteristics are: cognitive which are the individual perceptions, affective which are the motivations of an individual to learn, and physiological which are the environment and activities around the person which influences the learning. Reflection on personal development: Knowledge gained I have learnt many new things from this simulation that I did not know before. I learnt about the financial statements and how to analyze those using different ratios and graphs. I also learnt how to work in a team by being united and cooperative towards one another. In this simulation, I also learnt how to apply different theories of marketing and how to predict future position of products in the market so that they survive. I also learnt how to conduct a comparative analysis between competitors and how to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the company. Skills developed: interpersonal There are many skills that have developed after this simulation. Interpersonal skills include the improved communicative skills, ability to work in teams, and critical thinking skills. I have improved myself in many areas including looking at problems in a wiser way and looking for innovative and simple ways to solve the problems along with communicating well with the team members. Time management I have also learnt considerably how to manage time and how to implement the strategies. Through this simulation, I have learnt how to find solutions to problems and how to assess risks without wasting time. Time management has been a very important factor throughout this simulation and there are different ways to manage it. I have learnt how on individual basis time management can contribute to overall efficiency. Skill gaps: leadership skill Leadership skills require patience, wisdom, knowledge, and many other qualities that impresses the team members and they accept you as a leader. I have learnt many important things about being a leader from my team leader and have tried to adopt some of those positive qualities which would help me in the future. Development plan What do I need/want to learn? What will I do to achieve this? What resources or support will I need? What will my success criteria be? Target dates for review and completion. How have I chosen these dates? Improving Decision Making Skills Having confidence on my abilities and my critical thinking analysis on the basis of which decisions will be made. Ensure looking into all the aspects before making a decision. Self confidence will be needed. Support from colleagues will be needed. Review reports and journals. To make decision in simple as well as tough situations to analyze the ability of effective decision making. To be done by the end of this year before staring my professional life. Effective Problem Solving techniques Understanding the importance and need of solving problems in the business. Solving conflicts and problems at all levels. Books, websites, journals, human resources management theories, support from leader. To be able to solve all kinds of problems that occurs in the business including problems between team members and other major problems. To be done by the end of this year before staring my professional life. Relevance and value This stimulation has led me to learn some of the most basic concepts of working in an organization. Not only has it given me a chance to participate and improve my personal development, but also given me the chance to observe and learn many things about managers, leaders, and the professional environment. This is relevant for my future career and is really valuable as every organization expects workers to work in teams and contribute fully according to the roles given to them. I have learnt how to contribute through my duties in a team and how to manage my own time to improve the efficiency of the group. This will be greatly beneficial for any organization where I go. Conclusion Conclusively, this report has given an insight of how my skills and personal attributes have improved after the simulation. It gives various learning theories and styles of learning from which I have adopted some and applied to my own development. My experience and learning has been evident on every part and it will surely help me to grow as a refined businessman. This business simulation experience did not only improve my theoretical knowledge about business theories and strategic planning but also my practical knowledge about how these theories have to be effectively implemented. This would greatly help me in my future. References Bosnic, Z. 2013. Exploring the relation between learning style models and preferred multimedia types. USA: Computers & Education Evans M. 2007. Fast Change-How to Avoid Getting in the Way of Your Own success. USA: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Fisher, S. 1996. Belbin’s team role theory: for non-managers also? USA: Journal of Managerial Psychology Halpern H. 2009. Supervision and the Johari Window: A Framework for Asking Questions. USA: Education for Primary Care Jackson C. 2002. Predicting Team Performance from a learning process model. USA: Journal of Managerial Psychology Jackson, T. 1995. European management learning: A cross-cultural interpretation of Kolb’s learning cycle. USA: Journal of Management Development Mumford, A. 1995. Putting learning styles to work: an integrated approach. USA: MCB UP Ltd Swailes, S. 2002. The ‘Belbin’ team role inventory: reinterpreting reliability estimates. USA: Journal of Managerial Psychology Vince, R. 1998. Behind and Beyond Kolb’s Learning Cycle. USA: Journal of Management Education Read More