Self Evaluation and Development Plan - Report Example

Self Evaluation and Development Plan Table of Contents Introduction 3 Section 3 Learning style 3 Cross cultural communication 6 Cross Cultural Negotiation 7 Cross cultural team work 7 Cross cultural leadership 8 Section 2 8 SMART Goal Model 9 Conclusion 10 Reference List 11 Introduction Self evaluation is defined as an individual’s own assessment of his performance or progress through a series of steps (Sedikides, 1993). It allows a person to monitor his progress so that he can ensure that he is moving in the right direction. The evaluation process is comprised of three distinct steps, assessment, enhancement and verification. Assessment is self monitoring, followed by enhancing the abilities to cover up the weaknesses and finally reviewing the entire process to ensure that the individual has achieved his desired goal (Quast, 2014). It also allows him to assess the effectiveness of the learning process that he has gone through. The positive result in the evaluation will indicate that the individual has progressed in the desired direction and the learning process has been successful. In this study, I will conduct a self evaluation in order to assess my own attributes skills and abilities and competencies relevant for a career in global management. The discussion will reflect my personal development throughout the process in these areas. It will also include the learning process and managing of cross cultural communication within my group. Section 1 Learning style The Kolb’s learning style has allowed me to have a proper understanding of the learning process. The cycle is comprised of four steps, which are interconnected to each other. The cycle starts with gaining new experience from the external environment (Concrete experience). This is achieved either by involving into a specific set of activities or gaining new information that leads to reinterpretation of the existing knowledge and perception (Kolb and Kolb, 2005). In my situation, I gained new experience in cross cultural interaction. The members in my group belonged to different countries and had different native tongues. I belong from the Chinese culture and quite obviously my fluency in English speaking is not so good, just like rest of the students who are from non English speaking countries. Previously I only used to communicate with the Chinese students, but this group activity allowed to me have a new experience where I could communicate with students from different cultures. Despite of the language barrier we all tried our best to communicate in English and tried to use non-verbal communication to bridge the gaps in our verbal communication. Reflective observation is the second stage of the learning cycle. In this stage an individual creates a new perception from the new experience that he has gained in the first stage. The data gathered from the experience is translated into valid information after sufficient processing. This as a result leads to gaining of new knowledge (Stice, 1987). In my situation, performing a group activity with students of different cultural background allowed me to gain insight about the psychological and behavioural profiles of different cultures. I came to know that different individual react and behave differently in different situation. Thus I need to keep in mind that, any message I transfer may get misinterpreted depending on their cultural trends. The third stage of the cycle is abstract conceptualization, which states that gaining new reflection from the experience makes an individual change his pre defined paradigms and perceptions. This generates new ideas, which he can use in critical problem solving in the near future (Kolb, 1976). In my situation, I have learned that I must be careful in choosing my words and non verbal cues when communicating with someone who belongs to another culture. In this way, I can avoid creating any form of misunderstanding. Different cultures translate non verbal cues in different manner, so a gesture which is welcoming in the Chinese culture may be offensive in another culture. Thus, I need to know about the cultural background of the person with whom I am communicating. The final stage of the cycle is Active Experimentation. In this stage the individual applies his learning into practical use. The process of learning is only complete when he is able to put his gathered knowledge into use by implementing them in real life (Stice, 1987). In my scenario, our group was engaged in a joint activity, where we were asked to build a paper tower. This activity required me to establish a good communication with my colleagues, without which completing the task would be impossible. I implemented all the gathered knowledge from the previous stages of the learning cycle and successfully interacted with them. Not only was I able to clearly convey my message, but at the same time I was also able to successfully interpret theirs. Figure 1: Kolb’s learning cycle Source: (Stice, 1987) Kolb (1976) has explained the learning process based on the learning cycle. He explained that the learning cycle contains two continuums, the north-south axis is the perception continuum and the east-west axis is the Processing continuum. These continuums have been divided into four quadrants. They help us to categorize different learning styles followed by different people. The first quadrant is Diverging (feeling and watching). People who fall into this category prefer to learn by observing and solve problems by using their imagination. The second quadrant is Assimilating (thinking and watching). This learning style is characterized by logical explanation by using sound theories and solving problems by using pre defined logics. The individuals who fall in the third quadrant, Converging (Thinking and Doing), are more attracted towards the technical aspect of a particular task. They prioritize the task at hand rather than inter personal interaction. The fourth and final quadrant is Accommodating (Feeling and Doing). People who fall into this category are characterized by their priority in practical experience rather than on theories. They prefer to learn by following practical examples (Kolb, 1976). Based on the different learning styles, I have realized that I fall in the “Diverging” category. I prefer to learn by observing other people and tend to solve a problem by using my imagination; which allows me to look at a situation from different perspectives. In the group activity I used my observation to learn about different behavioural patterns, which allowed me to establish a successful communication with my colleagues. Figure 2: Kolb’s learning style Source: (Kolb, 1976) Cross cultural communication With the advent of technology and globalization, communication between different cultures has become quite important from the point of view of running a business operation. Running an overseas business or making a business deal with a partner who has a different cultural background requires profound knowledge of different cultural backgrounds (Yaprak, 2008). In future, being a manager of a multinational company I will need to connect to the potential customers of the host country, by designing the marketing communication and redesigning the product line up in such a way that the people can easily relate to them (Jackson, 2007). Without a proper understanding of the cultural background and social trends, I will not be able to find out their preferences and taste for a particular product or a service. In our class activity, I faced the same challenge, where I needed to get a clear idea of the psychological profile of my colleagues before I could communicate with them successfully. By observing them carefully I found out that different students with different cultural background have different mentalities. Hall (1976) mentioned that an efficient communication is the key to a proper cross cultural management. He further added that cultures can be broadly divided in to two categories such as High Context Culture and Low Context Culture. The people who belong to high context culture have high consideration for their nationality, religious customs and beliefs. On the other hand, low context cultures prioritize having a communication based on a formal outlook, by having official records. Thus I can state that based on the types of cultures I should choose my communication process. Cross Cultural Negotiation Negotiation is the most important process in closing a business deal. As a manager I must do my homework on the cultural and psychological profile of my business partner. Some countries prioritize building a close relation between the partners, whereas some prefer to focus on the business deal only. Often times the success of a business deal depends on the mood of the business partner. Depending on the mentality of the partner, I should approach with the proper communication style. Hofstede (Mooij and Hofstede, 2010) mentioned that cultures (American, German, European) which are high on “individualism” are more self centred and look at a business deal from their own profit perspective. On the other hand, cultures low on individualism (Asian, African, etc) are more concerned about other people and prefer to work in collaboration. Depending on this theory I will choose my negotiation based on my business partners’ cultural background and how he prefers to deal a business operation. Cross cultural team work Working in a team with other colleagues belonging to different cultural background posed as a strong challenge to me. During our group activity, the main challenge was to converse in English properly, so that we can understand each other. Although the language barrier created certain misunderstandings in the group, but I was patient with my colleagues and repeated my words aided with non verbal gestures. At first we were having trouble communicating, but in due time it got easier for us to interact. Cross cultural teamwork is vital in case of companies who operate in multiple locations, where employees from different cultures work under one roof (Barker, 2007). Bales (1950) proposed that the group behaviour can be observed based on a coding system called Interactive Process Analysis. This system categorized groups based on task or relationship orientation. The task oriented group suggest that the main objective of the group should be focused on the given tasks only, whereas the relationship oriented group focuses on building a strong relationship among the members of the group. Thus based on this theory I should identify my group and depending on its orientation I should focus either on work or relationship. Cross cultural leadership Being a leader in a multinational company, I will face the challenge of managing employees of different cultural background. I must choose the proper leadership style and interact with my subordinates based on their cultural backgrounds. Hofstede’s model (Mooij and Hofstede, 2010) stated that people who are high on “masculinity” are very competitive in nature and people, who are low on this factor, tend to prefer a secure work environment. Based on their mentality, I will create a competitive environment for staff who likes to take up a challenge and prefer to push their limits. Likewise the employees, who prefer a secure job environment, will be given a friendly atmosphere and less work pressure. In this way I will be able to manage my subordinates and also at the same time motivate them to work harder and more efficiently. Section 2 In the next six months I have planned to improve myself on the ground of cross cultural management. However I have decided that I will focus mainly on cross cultural communication and leadership. For me these two areas need more improvement than the others. Moreover I aspire to be a manager of a multinational company, so I believe that I need to be a good leader who is able to manage his subordinates properly. I will focus on improving my English communication. My colleagues have suggested that if I constantly keep on speaking in English all the time, even with my native friends, then I will improve in very less time. Furthermore I will study Hofstede’s model and learn about the cross cultural differences. The Hofstede’s model will help me to study different cultures by categorizing them by using six dimensions, which are Power Distance, Masculinity, Individualism, Uncertainty Avoidance, Indulgence and Pragmatism. Each culture scores differently in these dimensions, based on these scores I will be able to find out the cultural and social trends of different people. SMART Goal Model Hall (2012) stated that an individual must set his goals in such a way so that it helps him to achieve it much easily and with higher chance of success. He mentioned that the SMART goal setting theory is the most commonly used model to set an individual’s goals. I have designed my own goals based on the SMART goal setting theory in order to learn cross cultural management within next six months. The SMART goal is based on five criteria, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound. Specific: This criteria state that the goals should be mentioned clearly in an unambiguous manner. I have set my goals specifically by breaking it down in to two primary targets. One is to improve my English communication and the other is to learn about different cultural trends and practices which will help me to easily communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds. Measurable: The set goals should be measurable so that the progress can be monitored easily. I have decided to take help of my peers to monitor my English speaking fluency. I will ask my colleagues who have English as their native tongue to judge my fluency and according I will be able to monitor my progress. I will also ask my teachers to help my guide through the learning process of the cultural backgrounds. This will help me to ensure that whether or not I am progressing in the right direction. Achievable: The goals should be set based on the grounds of rationality, so that the individual does not get over optimistic about his achievement. Before finalizing my goals I will make sure by consulting with my teacher that my goals are achievable for me. This as a result will allow me to be confident about my success. Relevant: The goals setting should be based on keeping in mind the final outcome. In my case I have decided that I will learn about the cultural differences by studying the Hofstede’s six dimension model in details. This will allow me to learn about the cultural trends and psychological profile of different countries. At the same time I will also communicate with my colleagues in English despite of my poor fluency, this will gradually improve my English speaking fluency. Time Bound: The goals should be designed in such a way that it can be complete in a desired time frame. Without any time boundary there will no sense of urgency and the individual will tend to procrastinate his activities. I have scheduled my tasks to be completed in six months. I have allocated first two months for English communication, the 2nd and 3rd month for learning the cross cultural differences, the 4th and 5th month for learning about different leadership styles based on the cultural differences and finally the 6th month is allocated for practical implementation of the learning. Conclusion The group activity has helped me to learn about different cultural backgrounds. It has given me confidence to break out of my comfort zone and has driven me to communicate in the English language. I have also learnt about the steps of the learning process which has helped me to focus on my learning style. I can clearly point out my progress in different stages of the cycle. The cross cultural communication is vital for me since I am surrounded by colleagues from different cultural backgrounds. Studying the Hofstede’s model in detail will further boost my understanding of the cultural differences greatly. It has helped me to successfully communicate with a large number of people. The group activity has enabled me to understand how I should work in a group, where every person holds a different perception. The next six years plan will eventually help me to develop my communication skills and I will also learn how to manage people from different cultures. This will help me in my professional career where I will be exposed to people from more diverse cultural background. Reference List Barker, M.C., 2007. Issues in Cross-culturalism in Human Service Organisations. 5th ed. Brisbane: Griffith University. Geert-hofstede, 2014. Culture Compass. [online] Available at: < http://geert-hofstede.com/cultural-survey.html > [Accessed 17 December 2014] Hall, E.T., 1976. Beyond Culture. Oxford, England: Anchor. Hall, R., 2012. SMART Goal Setting Instructions. [online] Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2014] Jackson, T., 2007. International HRM: a cross-cultural approach. 5th ed. Heidelberg, New York: Springer Verlag. Bales, R.F., 1950. Interaction Process Analysis: A Method for the Study of Small Groups. Cambridge: Addison-Wesley. Johnson, R., 2014. 5 Different Types of Leadership Styles. [online] Available at: [Accessed 17 December 2014] Kolb, A.Y. and Kolb, D.A., 2005. Learning Styles and Learning Spaces: Enhancing Experiential Learning in Higher Education. Academy of Management: Learning and Education, 4(2), pp. 193-212. Kolb, D. A., 1976. The Learning Style Inventory: Technical Manual. Boston: McBer & Co. Mooij, M. and Hofstede. G., 2010. The Hofstede model Applications to global branding and advertising strategy and research. International Journal of Advertising, 29(1), pp. 85-110 Quast. L. 2014. Self-Evaluations: The Key To Career Development. [online] Available at: < http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2014/01/13/self-evaluations-the-key-to-career-development/ > [Accessed 17 December 2014] Sedikides, C., 1993. Assessment, Enhancement and Verification determinants of the Self-Evaluation Process, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(2), pp. 317-338. Stice, J. E., 1987. Using Kolbs Learning Cycle to Improve Student Learning. Engineering Education, 77(5). pp. 91-96. Yaprak, A., 2008. Globalization: Strategies to build a great global firm in the new economy. Thunderbird International Business Review, 44 (2), pp. 297–302. Read More