Professional Development for Strategic Management - Literature review Example

Professional Development for Strategic Management College: Introduction The paper is informed by the need to identify to design sound personal and professional skills needed to achieve strategic management and leadership with respect to Hilton Hotel and Resort. There exist various kinds of skills such as personal and professional and as managers, there is a need to be endowed in both types in order to successfully achieve professional and personal goals and objectives. The assignment is structured in a manner to identifying the firm’s strategic goals and requisite personal and professional skills to achieve the noted strategic company goals. With respect to personal skills, the paper mentions time management based on effective time utilization, analysis of time spent to enhance productivity. In addition, setting SMART objectives, dealing with time wasters, prioritizing work tasks and effective delegation are also captured. Time management will also entail stress management, decision making as well as effective communication (questioning, listening and handling conflict) besides problem solving. On the other hand, Professional skills covers mentoring and counselling to support staff with their learning and development requirement based on coaching skills as well as leadership skills. In addition cases of multitasking through occupational standards in identification of competencies is also captured. Besides, frequent self-development aimed at meeting the requirements laid down by professional bodies such as offering effective presentations, developing in existing and future job roles, studying new skills and knowledge, leading and chairing meetings are integral parts of professional skills. By achieving strategic goals, the researcher focuses on the significance such as ascertaining that staff perform their duties effectively to avail opportunities to meet personal learning requirements to enhance flexibility and adaptability during reactions to changes hence ensuring success of the business. This help create a learning culture and methods though applying conceptual tools to unearth individual own strengths and weaknesses that help develop personal networks, management development as well as continuing Professional Development Programmes. On the same note, the paper uncovers the requited learning frameworks or styles in attaining these goals and examines the skills identified for the validity and reliability. The paper further identifies and outlines the personal development plan that encompasses resources and time frame and budget reports. It is key to note the significance of evaluating the development as well as the progress of the skills based on the ability to employ a number of methods and techniques. The researcher further notes the impacts of the chosen self-study and/ or learning on the achieving the strategic goas of the firm. In essence, Hilton Hotel and Resort forms the major premise upon which the discussion draws the inferences to support the paper as it unfolds based on the clarity of understanding the ideas circumventing around the individual skills. Personal audit evaluating strategic skills needed to meet current and future leadership requirement Boselie et al (2005) recognized the existence of two kinds of skills an individual need to possess in order to support a particular business success. An individual should therefore have both personal skills and professional skill in order to perform an assigned job. For strategic managers, it is important to possess a higher degree of leadership skills within her in order to support the team members in efforts to achieve the set strategic goals). Hilton Hotel and Resort is a team structured firm and managers are driven by the need to achieve the team target through motivating the team members. This can only be achieved when an individual understands and recognize the significance of necessary knowledge endowment besides being experienced so that a strategic manager can find ease in guiding the team. In addition to this, time management skills should always be encompassed in any task and managers must possess such skills so as to ensure that task are performed based on the timeframes given to meet the deadlines as outlined in the strategic plans. In this context, analysis of the Hilton Hotel and Resort reveals several methods and technique applicable for time management. The firm has employed the use of IT knowledge to manage the time based on time framework applied in its all targets in full support to manage time effectively. Bowen and Ostroff (2005:32) views leaders as people who must showcase higher levels of effective listening ability extended to team members as listening help a manger to listen to other viewpoints and support these people. A manager must ensure the existence of a sound motivational framework based on the performance through rewarding people based on creation of an enabling and friendly environment at workplace. Motivation is only workable once there is a higher levels of transparency between managers and other staff members to enhance levels of motivation which is reflected in the increased firm productivity within limited time. Managers should through practice and experience develop personal skills hence developing a personality which is beneficial to working with others. Casco (2006:21) attaches confidence to originate from personality and, therefore, those with good personalities show confident in their duties. Confidence is key personal skills required by managers to take risks hence able to confidently face daunting situations. This help managers develop ways of dealing with difficult customers as well as controlling team members based on their ability to believe in their strengths all of which revolves around confidence. According to Cohn et al (2005 p. 65) that courage is very important feature a leader should possess. A courageous leader leads to an effectiveness in performance of the team. Such a manager is this able to motivate the staff and every organization’s stakeholders. Courage is thus very significant towards the bid to achieve firm’s target based on a manager as a team leader. A manager is thus needed to always be positive as this greatly impacts on the performance of a team. A strategic manager must therefore possess a higher degree of self-efficacy as this help other people below a manger see possibility when faced with every daunting circumstance. Positive manager will make the set targets look positive in the eye of the employees who then develop a positive feeling to undertake the target as well trust about their team members. A manager should therefore positive to pass this to all other team members effectively which is felt in a double digit growth in a firm’s productivity. A manager is required to fully understand the firm’s goals and objective of its team in fulfilling these laid goals and objective (Daniel 2006, p. 41). Guiding others is fully embedded on the degree to which a leader understands and distinguishes between team’s target and the company’s goal. A manager should understand that within the organization, there exist different types of teams associated with particular objectives and thus the manager should look for better ways to harmoniously sum up all the goals from each group to effectively achieve the firm’s target as these various team goals revolves around the set policies of whatever a firm wants to achieve. Understanding the idea about the direction a firm is an integral skill a leader must own towards guiding other team members. Implementation of future and current and development plans a manger must showcase a higher level of leadership skills. With respect to current and future plans, the following table summarizes the development plan against its strictly required skill a manager has to possess. Current and Future development Plan Required Skills by Strategic Managers Increase Employees’ skills and Knowledge Knowledge sharing and Supportive Increase employees’ Relations Management Skills, Listening Skill, and encourage Develop Team Performance Supportive, Courageous , supportive, Time Management Identifying the Required Learning Style Derek et al. (2004 p. 90) recognizes the existence of various kinds of learning styles applicable in developing the personal and professional managers’ skills required. In achieving the strategic goals of a particular firm, a manger must possess both personal and professional skills. A manager should showcase management personal goals and career professional target as each individual in their own creation possess such personal and professional goals which are distinct per individual. For managers working for Hilton Hotel and Resort, several situational decision making arise and hence a manger must at all-time showcase a higher level of being a problem solver. According to Brand (2006 p. 4), a manager is required to deal with customers alongside supporting each employee in achieving the assigned tasks. As Hilton Hotel and Resort is structured in a manner of having each manager attached to a particular branch, the manager controls the branch operations hence dealing with customers and helping the employee is an inevitability. For this reason, it is a mandatory requirement by a manager to possess better skills and knowledge endowments in order to undertake these firm’s roles and functions. The manager needs to ascertain whether there is a match between the firm’s goals and the individual’s goals blending harmoniously without conflicting each other which can be a setback to the company. The following are identified as Hilton Hotel and Resort Goals Long term Goals Short Term Gola Increasing service Quality To increase the standards of Employees through Training Programs Increasing company sales volume and attracting more customers Raising the Satisfaction of customers based on short term strategies- promotions and Discussions To expand the Business Globally Increasing Brand Image via CSR project strategies On the other hand, the identified personal goals and professional goals from the Hilton Hotel and Resort are as shown in the table below Personal Goals Purpose Develop language Skills To increase language skills and Performance To increase Customer-Focused Skills To reward and promote hence increasing leadership qualities To increase Confidence To raise career performance and increased personality As reflected by the tables above, there are three major goals such as increase in confident, increased customer-focused skills as well as language skills development. As noted by Dessler (2008 p, 98), increasing personality is only possible based on manager’s possession of confidence as well as much endowment of leadership skills. Oriented skills on the hand are necessary for development of careers and getting rewards and promotions. A manger that possess such leadership skill with thus provide better service delivery to the customers which lead to increased performance. A manager that has an increased endowment in language skills is attached to increased personality. The following table illustrates the noted company goals and the respective personal skills required to realize them, Goal of the Company Personal Required to Realize the Company goals Increasing Brand Image Being creative and practical Increasing Sales Volume and Customers Hardworking, Cooperative, Realistic, Motivated, Organized and Innovative Increased Service Quality and Customers’ Satisfaction Being Responsible, Alert, Customer-Focused, Accurate, Flexible and Confident As depicted by the above table, achievement of strategic company goals are closely embedded on the possession of effective personal skills. Increasing the company’s goal of service quality and customer’s satisfaction calls for flexibility, accuracy, confidence, customer-focused and responsibility as personal skills. As noted by Durbin (2008 p. 90), increasing sales volume and attracting more customers effectively is embedded on hardworking, innovativeness, organization, Motivation and being a realistic person. On the hand, increasing the brand image is only possible based on being creative as well as practical skills based on a number of learning skills applicable in achieving these goals-skills circumstances. As stated by The Foot and Hook (2002 p. 123), it is possible to develop skills via adult-learning as well as self-learning. To effectively develop personal skills, managers should focus on situational knowing patterns through being observant, able to share knowledge as well as engaging in courses through training programs that develop personality and confidence. Such training enables managers to develop and acquire accuracy, flexibility, realistic, creativity as well as behaviors. Motivational levels can be expanded through programs as well as emphasizing on self-learning. In addition, with the increased technological advancement, managers should install and adopt the use of technologically-supported knowledge and skills generation platforms. This can be achieved through increased employability of internet, social media, blogs and other valuable publications to enhance management and leadership knowledge and skills (Gasparro & Jargon 2012, p. 87). With respect to Hilton Hotel and Resort aforementioned goals, it therefore mandatory that managers possess necessary professional goals that match the specific Company strategic goals (Geslade 2003, p. 54). This can further be illustrated based on the diagram below that matches the Company’s particular strategic goal to personal skills and knowledge required to realize corresponding goals. Company’s Goal Personal skill required Increase Company Brand Image Creative thinking, marketing and sales skills as well as decision making skills Increased sales volume and Customers Risk Taking Skills, Organizational Skills, Marketing and Sales Skills and Negotiating Skills Increasing Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction Listening Skills, Communication Skills, Time Management Skills, Problem Solving Skills and People Management Skills As demonstrated by the above table, increasing sales volume and customers satisfaction calls for effective time management, people management, problem solving, communication and listening. On the other hand, increasing sales volume calls for marketing skills, negotiation skills, organizational skills as well as risk taking skills. Finally, to expand the brand image, a manager must possess marketing, decision making as well as creativity skills. To develop professional skills, there is a need for training programs based on expert knowledge (Gilly et al 2002 p. 54). There is a need by the company to arrange for training programs in order to offer skills development sessions from such vocational trainings to empower managers. These trainings develop company’s department or teamwork and can be internally conducted or outsourced if the company does not own internal experts within the workforce (Gilly et al 2002, p. 54). Manager’s knowledge skills can also be raised by conducting seminars, discussion and forums as well as classroom lectures with respect to the Company’s goal (Harrison & Kessels 2007, p. 4). In addition, online training can as well be adopted because of its effectiveness in case of limited time through the application of the company own portal which allows for delivery of the training programs. The various methods and techniques are noted as available for the Hilton Hotel and Resort which has enable the firm top management to frequently be empowered on the necessary skills and knowledge to drive the company agenda effectively. These learning styles can further explained based on the diagram below; Professional skills and personnel required to achieve strategic goals Learning style Decision making On the job training and tasked based training Communication skills Classroom training and on the job training Marketing and sales skills On the job training and Classroom training People management Seminar and group work Listening skills Self-training Creative Thinking Skills Self-learning and on the job training Innovative Skills Self-learning and Teamwork Confident Personal development programs Flexibility Skills Self-learning and group Work Hardworking Skills Individual Task Motivation Personality Development Programs, Motivational Training and Self-Learning Personal Development Plan Meeting Leadership Development Requirements Personal development plan is key to develop the leadership requirements of the manager based on strategic goal as well as personal goals. Personal development plan encompasses details about personal development and the resources needed to achieve the skills required (Gupta & Sharma 2004 p, 8). The purpose of the plan: To develop Professional and Personal Skills of the Manager Time Frame: Two Years Budget: $1200 Skills Sub-skills method Time frame Budget ($) Resources Management skills Time management, creativity, people management Classroom training , case study, group work 6 months 600 Expert knowledge, classroom, power point, Marketing and sales skills Customer relationships, employee relationships, people management, negotiation Classroom training, on the job training, group tasks 6 months 600 Experts, classroom, training materials Personality development skills Listening, confidence, courage, motivation Self-learning- toast master programs 6 months 500 Experts, training materials Communication skills Language skills, presentation skills Self-learning- toast master programs, on the job training 6 months 500 experts As there are many skills required, it is therefore necessary to classify them to adopt fewer major trainings programs. There are skills that are achievable though self-learning and some through within the company (Kotter & Dan 2002, p. 541). It is noted that those people that employ self-learning perform effectively on respective duties in the post studies jobs hence get future promotion and reward. Management skills encompasses time and people management while marketing skills entails marketing and sales skills and customers handling, employee relationships development. In addition, communication skills covers language and presentation skill and all these skills are linked to managers’ personal goals and professional goals. Limitation of budget is necessary despite need for a number of resources for training programs (Merkle 2012 p. 621) Assessment of the Outcomes of a Personal Development Plan against Personal Work Objectives There is need for the personal development plan outcome to match the personal objective and strategic goals. This can be illustrated in the following table showing the Outcomes of the Plan Skill Sub skills method Out comes Management Time management, creativity, people management Classroom training , case study, group work Better service to their customers Increase the performance Increase the leadership qualities Able to manage the time Marketing and sales Customer relationships, employee relationships, people management, negotiation Classroom training, on the job training, group tasks Better customer service Increase the sales Increase the performance Personality development Listening, confidence, courage, motivation Self-learning- toast master programs Increase the leadership qualities, increase the team performance and individual performance Communication Language and presentation Self-learning- toast master programs, on the job training Increase the employee relations, leadership skill, and customer satisfaction As revealed above, the developed plan is beneficial to both firm and the individual managers. Effective time management increases individual’s productivity levels and hence the performance of the organization (Ryan 2000 p, 4). Management of people develop through teamwork and on the job training and this increases the relationships between employees and customers satisfaction. Marketing and sales raises the customers service delivery hence increased firm’s productivity based on increased sales volume and customers attractions. Developed personality skill increases individual standards since it impacts greatly on individual’s motivational, confidentiality and leadership levels which in turn leads to increased personality (Sheldon & Elliott 1999, p. 98). In addition, personality is effective in directing and managing the company employees towards achieving the strategic goals and hence increased company performance besides increased brand image. Developed communication skills is reflected through customers’ satisfaction hence provision of better services consumers. This supports and increase the employees relations and team performance hence a strategic managers must possess better communication skills to control and manage teams. Evaluating the Impact of Own Learning against the Achievement of Strategic Goals Self-learning should always focus solely on strategic goals and personal goals. Most people are noted to consider personal goals during self-learning (Torrington et al. 2002, p. 87). At Hilton Hotel and Resort, a manager should understand the firm’s strategic goals before planning for personal development plan based on both short and long run company goals as mentioned. To increase the performance of a firm, gaining brand image, increase employee relation and enhance productivity calls for effective matching of professional skills with company goals based on the company’s conduct (Sheldon 1999, p. 78). Personal development plan serves to help manager develop communication, management, personality, and marketing. All these skills are acquired via self-learning based participating in courses, personality development programs and online learning based on blogs, social media and observations (Kotter & Dan 2002, p. 76). Managers therefore should undertake both pre and post-evaluation to gauge the impact of a program. This help the individuals to gauge the impact of self-learning through ascertaining the current endowment levels of personal and professional development (pre-evaluation) and checking the knowledge or enhanced through training program(Post-Evaluation). The table below illustrates the evaluation methods. Skill Sub skills Out comes Evaluation Method management skills Time management, creativity, people management Better service to their customers Increase the performance Increase the leadership qualities Able to manage the time Customer feedback , self-evaluation 360 degree performance evaluation Marketing and sales skills Customer relationships, employee relationships, people management, negotiation Better customer service Increase the sales Increase the performance Customer feedback, number of sales data, employee’s feed back Personality development Listening, confidence, courage, motivation Increase the leadership qualities, increase the team performance and individual performance Self-evaluation, online evaluation, ranking method Communication Language and presentation Increase the employee relations, leadership skill, and customer satisfaction Self-evaluation, 360 degree evaluation, customer fee Reference Allen M and Adair J –The Concise Time Management and Personal Development (Thorogood, 2003) ISBN1854182234. 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