Personal Development through Reflective Practice - Essay Example

Task 2: An analysis on the organization: The organizational structure of the company falls under the control of the main strategic director and then 2 people directly working under him. There are officers in the executive management group who have been allocated the task of corporate management of the council and to ensure that they meet on weekly basis to discuss latest events and happenings which might affect the programs of the council and its services. The work of the Cabinet is supported closely by the Officers within the Executive Management Group. The Executive Management Group also meets on a monthly basis with all of the heads of service within the council Senior Management Group to make sure that all of the senior managers within the council have a regular opportunity to keep up to date with the latest changes and/or issues which are taking shape. Their stipulated task and the agenda is to Provide strategic advice to the council, ensuring that the policy objectives of the council are incorporated within the work programmers of services; Lead and/or manage the development of major strategies; Provide information and support to councilors, managers and staff; Manage the performance of the directors and heads of service to enable services to implement the councils policies efficiently and effectively; Oversee the development of working relationships between councilors and staff; Ensure the health of the organization (values, culture, expectations and structures);Provide the lead on corporate and inter-agency initiatives to achieve an integrated approach for issues which fall outside of traditional service delivery mechanisms; Co-ordinate the councils work with partner organizations and to establish working relationships with their representatives; Represent the council in local, regional and national debates and Deal with the resolution of conflict. Children Services – People Directorate Role and Function To deliver education and learning, youth services and assessment, care, support and protection for all children and young people, regardless of whom they are or where they live. The primary agenda of the counsel is to ensue that the children are developed to their full potential and are brought in a stable, safe and a secure environment. The real deal lies in improving upon their educational attainment and to help even the most vulnerable children and young people to groom them and become better individuals in the long run. The Council’s objectives and priorities for Children and Young People Would be to Enabling all children and young people to fulfil their potential, Promoting their safety, care and stability, improving their educational attainment and to enable the most vulnerable children and young people in the Council to develop to their full potential The objectives contribute to the Council’s Sustainable Community Strategy and objectives of: I. Addressing the priority services for children and young people. II. Tackling the adverse impact of alcohol on children and young people. Children Services measures its success against key indicators in the National Indicators. Services are delivered by frontline staff including social workers, family support workers, and education support staff and teaching staff reporting to middles managers and senior managers The real strength of the department lies in the wide pool of staff knowledge working with it. The staff is experienced, committed, consistent, and has the flexibility to change and adapt itself. They are good and accurate with Service self assessment honest, have a deep sound knowledge and understanding of areas for development. Are well resourced with a very responsive senior management team. Service – Potential for a better service which is better able to address the needs of service users, multi-agency working, modernization agenda, commitment and knowledge base. Where weaknesses are concerned Struggling to meet timescales/deadlines due to problematic ICT, Lack of an established staff group, Impact of change on staff, focus on the day job. Historically it’s been a poor practice which will take time to improve. Lack of time to do performance management consistently. Work life is imbalanced. No recognition of strengths, weaknesses and aiming for perfection. Lack of/ poor resources, IT equipment not up to standard. Opportunities Some of the opportunities that can be tapped include: Restructuring – refocus on quality work and an opportunity to look at training and development. Better working with Universal children services and partner agencies. Opportunity to have more influence over service planning and over judiciary. Better financial and business planning within Social Care. Have better links with the Children’s Trust. Opportunity to gain more suitable properties and better IT equipment. Mapping local resources egg. Voluntary sector. Specific services egg. Cared for children. Threats There are various areas of threats. Some of the most prominent ones include: Finance – New Financial Climate in 2010 resulting in a reduction of services, meanwhile there will be increased demand due to the increased Care Population. Stress – Staff Care, lack of recognition and approval for good work. Retention of staff may be affected, uncertainty. Lack of time for staff to reflect upon the change taking place. Risk Management – More complex, possibility of a blame culture, risks are higher during times of change. Loss of touch between the front line and senior managers. Task 3 Managerial role: My managerial role as prescribed in the job description draw is more on the lines of what Henry Fayol has explained in his teachings of managerial decisions. A major aspect of my core activities would provide clear purpose and direction. Inspire trust, respect and shared values, Communicate clearly and succinctly, Develop and support individuals and team members, Resolve problems and conflicts with positive outcomes , Consistently apply strategic thinking and Adapt leadership style to take account of diverse situations. On the change management end, I will have to encourage others to be creative and innovative, Identify opportunities for change and development, Scope, plan and drive change, manage others through the change process and Take account of all stakeholder issues. Where customers are concerned, I will have to develop effective customer relationships, Create customer-driven improvements to products and services, Manage activities to meet customer requirements and Work to improve levels of customer service and satisfaction. At the same time I will have to, Establish information management and communication systems, Provide and use appropriate information to support decision making, Develop and exploit organizational knowledge and skills and Manage complexity to positive effect Similarly, Optimize use of financial and other resources, Increase operational efficiency and effectiveness, Plan and priorities projects and activities and Deliver on time, to budget and to the standard required will be my other key activities. Henri Fayola was aware of the six important activities that lay at the heart of industrial dealings. These were “technical, commercial, financial, security, accounting and managerial”. He worked on each of the aforementioned activities but his work on the “Five Functions of Management” was what directed all the accolades his way. Fayol explained the five basic managerial functions: Planning, Organizing, Commanding, Coordinating and Controlling. According to Fayol, Planning is a process that managers indulge in to select and identify the appropriate goals and actions they wish to pursue. He insisted that the course of actions would incorporate unity, consistency, adaptability and accuracy keeping in perspective the resources in hand. The three steps in the planning process are 1) Deciding which goals the organization intends to pursue. 2) Zeroing down on the course of actions to adopt whilst attaining those goals. 3) Deciding how to allocate organizational resources in achieving those goals. How well manager’s plan determines how effective and efficient the performance level of their organization is, and will be in the long run. Controlling ensures that the managers are doing all they can within their means to ensure that the organization performs at its best. Fayol maintained that manager should evaluate how well their organization is performing while taking action to improve its performance in the process. For instance managers should monitor the performance of individuals, departments, and organization as a whole to see if they are meeting their desired standards. They should have a complete knowledge of the employees working under them. This will inculcate unity and internalize commitment to the organization as a whole. Fayol was also emphatic about co-ordination within the organization. He felt that it is important to strike a balance between the various facets of an organization’s activities. For this reason he proposed weekly conferences under the auspices of departmental heads. The conferences were conducted to resolve issues of common interest. Fayol advocated for leadership as well and called on for articulating a clear vision and energizing and enabling organizational members so they understand the part they play in achieving organizational goals. Leadership depends on the use of power, influence, vision, persuasion and communication skills to coordinate the behaviors of individuals and groups so that their activities and efforts are in complete harmony. It goes unsaid that Fayal’s work holds sway even today and has proven to be a landmark for contemporary management. Modern management works for example that of DAFT have changed the five functions to four which fall i.e. planning, controlling, leading and organizing. Daft based the four functions on his understanding of Fayal’s work. Task 4: I am expecting a major boost in my career through MBA. Given the current world environment, my future aspirations and my majors, I expect MBA to further substantiate my credentials. From the program, I will be given insight into the practices of the business world. My current knowledge will gain more grounds and will broaden the horizons of my thinking capacity. At the same time, I am expecting to take my practical knowledge from my work experience and co-relate it with what I will be taught in the business program. I will try to sort out a link, figure out what is adaptable where and how to improve my performance even more by applying the new things that I will learn practically. I expect to become stronger in the areas of financial management, public management and public relations following this program. MBA is a huge stamp on anyone’s resume. It holds a lot of aura and credit to itself. The program will also help me Demonstrate resilience on achieving personal goals Use appropriate levels of influence and persuasion Apply good professional and ethical practice Develop effective personal network Overall I see a win-win situation following my MBA degree and hope to exploit its advantages to the maxim. How well manager’s plan determines how effective and efficient the performance level of their organization is, and will be in the long run. Controlling ensures that the managers are doing all they can within their means to ensure that the organization performs at its best. Fayol maintained that manager should evaluate how well their organization is performing while taking action to improve its performance in the process. For instance managers should monitor the performance of individuals, departments, and organization as a whole to see if they are meeting their desired standards. They should have a complete knowledge of the employees working under them. This will inculcate unity and internalize commitment to the organization as a whole. Fayol was also emphatic about co-ordination within the organization. He felt that it is important to strike a balance between the various facets of an organization’s activities. For this reason he proposed weekly conferences under the auspices of departmental heads. The conferences were conducted to resolve issues of common interest. Fayol advocated for leadership as well and called on for articulating a clear vision and energizing and enabling organizational members so they understand the part they play in achieving organizational goals. Leadership depends on the use of power, influence, vision, persuasion and communication skills to coordinate the behaviors of individuals and groups so that their activities and efforts are in complete harmony. It goes unsaid that Fayal’s work holds sway even today and has proven to be a landmark for contemporary management. Modern management works for example that of DAFT have changed the five functions to four which fall i.e. planning, controlling, leading and organizing. Sources: Bournemouth University. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2009, from Subject Resources: E-Business and Business Information Systems Web Sites: http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/library/resources/ism_web.html Computer and Information Systems Manager. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2009, from Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos258.htm Executive Information Systems. (n.d.). Retrieved Feb 26th, 2009, from The development and use of Executive Information systems: http://www.chris-kimble.com/Research/Executive-Information-Systems.html MIS links. (n.d.). Retrieved Feb 26, 2009, from http://www.chris-kimble.com/Courses/mis/mis_links.html OBrien. (1999). Management Information Systems- Managing Information Technology. Boston: Irwin Mc-Graw Hill. Read More