Employability and Professional Development

Further, it is also being discussed about the requirement of interpersonal and transferable skills and dynamics of working with others in a team, which require leadership and communication skills. Furthermore, the discussion has been made on the ability to identify and develop problem-solving strategies.

Task 1

1.1 Own Current Skills and Competencies Against Organizational Objectives

The organizational objective of Golden Fleece Recruitment Company is to replace the Small Business Server 2003 with a cutting-edge computer system so that it can fit well with their rapid expansion. For this purpose, the company has recruited me as an IT manager to manage the changes that are to be made in the organization. This has to be done within a given time and budget. To manage such changes, I should first assess my current skills and competencies by the company's objectives. Some of my skills of mine being an IT manager are as follows...

Good Change Agent: The company is planning to bring new technology into an organization. So, for this purpose, changes have to be made. I have the quality of a change agent so I can easily provide counseling sessions to employees of a firm and would encourage them to adopt the change. I am a qualified postgraduate in IT management and thus, I possess the quality of change management because the practical aspect had been taught during the lecture hours, which developed this competency in me.

Conflict Management: While implementing change in an organization, many conflicts may arise. For that purpose, effective management should be done to minimize the level of conflict. I have been qualified from a government institute and many conflicts used to arise for the fulfillment of the demands of student unions. Moreover, I was on a conflict management team at my college, due to which this quality of conflict management evolved in me. Therefore, this will aid in identifying and preventing the conflict.

Team Player: While implementing change in an organization, teams will be made, and being a manager, I possess the quality of a good team player. I can effectively work with the others in a team. The quality has developed in me because, during an MBA course, I used to work in a team for the completion of projects.

1.2 Evaluation of Own Development Needs

According to the organizational objectives and standards, there is a need for more skills inside me to cope with the objectives and goals of an organization. There are some of the development needs which are required by me:

Time-management Skills: For implementing change in Golden Fleece Recruitment Company, time management skills should be perfect for an IT manager. I lack such skills and need to develop this skill so that change can be implemented efficiently.

Delegating Skill: To bring out the change effectively or within a given time limit, the manager should delegate the responsibilities and authority to their subordinates. However, I do not possess this quality and prefer to multitask. But these create chaos and work does not get completed on time. Thus, I should develop this quality.

Self-Motivation Skill: Meet the organizational objective effectively and efficiently; it will take a long process. For this purpose, self-motivation should be required. I have to develop this skill so that while implementing change, I can motivate myself and other employees.

1.3 Personal and Professional Development Plan

After preparing this plan, it can be concluded that a great amount of help will be provided to me. It is because, by following this plan, I could easily develop time-management skills, delegation skills, and self-motivation skills. Therefore, in 8 weeks, these skills can be developed within me. Further, this plan is highly effective because time duration and actions are also included in it, which will motivate me to achieve the success criteria defined. However, it can be concluded that time duration is little so it seems that it cannot be achieved in a given period.

1.4 Reflection on Own Development

After preparing a personal and professional development plan to meet the standards of the company, I can reflect on my competencies and development needs against the objectives set in the former plan. Currently, I can change management and conflict management and am a good team player. However, as per the company's standard, I require the skills of self-motivation, time management, and delegation to accomplish the goal of cutting-edge computer systems. There are various opportunities prevailing in the environment to adopt such needs and to develop myself. I can acquire training sessions to develop the needs or perform actions practically at the workplace so that such development needs can be acquired. But threats are like there is a lack of time and interest to acquire such needs. But this has to be achieved to enhance the career. Development needs have been assigned with a specific timeline so that it can be reviewed in an estimated time frame. Action plans can be formulated and implemented to accomplish the needs of development, which will not only help in achieving the current goals but will also enhance the career opportunities.

Task 2

2.1 Communicating in Variety of Styles

To have effective communication skills among all the employees, the IT manager should communicate the importance of communication and types of communication at all levels so that employees can learn effective communication skills. Managers should communicate that employees should use both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication to make the communication process effective. Verbal form includes oral and written form, and nonverbal includes the use of hand gestures, body language, and facial expressions. If both forms of communication are used together, then communication can be effectively done. After communicating with others, employees should wait for the response from the other side and listen to it properly. This will help in having effective communication between two individuals or groups of people. As per the position of employees, formal or informal types of communication should be done. Managers at each level should give and take feedback to and from colleagues so that the effectiveness of communication can be checked.

Managers of the IT department should communicate at levels of management about the importance of communication, various types of communication, and guidelines for making the communication process effective. These can be done by using a medium of IT such as emails, chats, video conferencing, etc. and accordingly, information can be passed on various levels. At senior management, this information can be communicated by using email and video conferencing in an assertive style. In middle management, the information can be communicated through email and formal meetings by using an assertive communication style in which the information about effective communication can be transmitted by using PowerPoint presentation. At a lower level, information about effective communication can be provided by calling team meetings and through games and quizzes, this information can be effectively communicated. IT managers can use assertive or any kind of communication style to communicate with them.

2.2 Time-Management Strategies

Golden Fleece Recruitment Company is planning to replace their Small Business Server 2003 with a cutting-edge computer system. To bring about change effectively, an IT manager should have the skill of time management. For this purpose, sometimes management strategies have been discussed below...

1. Prioritization: The IT manager should prioritize the work and tasks according to the importance of all tasks. To prioritize, the manager should first divide the workload into several parts and then need to decide part which is of more importance. This will help the manager in prioritizing the work and tasks. If prioritization is done, then the most important task will be focused first and the least important task will not hinder the work performance.

2. Planning: The IT manager should plan the objectives to be set so that proper objectives can be determined and set according to the priorities of the task to be performed. Managers should also take separate time to do planning about the objectives. This will help in setting accurate goals and thus, tasks can be performed according to the set objective. For this purpose, planning is highly required and it is the most important element of time management.

3. Setting Work Objectives: After prioritizing the work or task, objectives should be set for each task so that the manager would be able to work according to the set objective. This will aid the management in reaching the goal effectively if objectives are attached to each task.

4. Organization: Every task should be organized to manage and save time. The organized task will help the manager to do the most important task first and then the other task.

5. Keeping Appointments: The IT manager should make and keep appointments so that unnecessary work would not be hindered in between while doing the most important task of implementation. If appointments are given for those works, then it will be done according to their allotted time only.

6. Estimation of Deadline: The IT manager should estimate the reliable deadline for every task so that it would get completed within the given timeline. This will help the manager to complete the task as per the scheduled time. This will help in doing effective time management of workload.

7. Delegation: To develop time-management skills, the manager should learn the skill of delegating authority, responsibilities, and work. If proper delegation is done, then the manager can effectively focus on the major task, which will help in completing the assigned work within a given time limit.

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8. Avoid Multi-Tasking: To implement effective time-management strategies, managers should avoid doing multi-tasking work. This will create chaos and the manager will not be able to concentrate on any single task. This will hinder the success of an organization in meeting its set goals and objectives. These are some of the time-management strategies that can be adopted by IT managers to successfully implement the new technology and to bring about changes effectively.

Task 3

3.1 Team roles

In Golden Fleece Recruitment Company, management has set an objective of changing the system with advanced technology to meet their rapid expansion. For that purpose, the IT manager has to make a team of IT department so that the goals of the company can be achieved effectively and efficiently. To make the team, the roles of team members have to be identified and according to their roles or characteristics, a team of diverse roles has to be made. According to Belbin's team roles theory, nine roles of team members can be identified and accordingly, the team can be made. Nine roles of Belbin's theory are as follows:

1. Shaper: They provide the necessary drive to ensure that the team keeps moving. These people challenge the team to improve because they are dynamic and stimulate the people. They find the approaches to overcome problems. However, these people may offend other team members and get aggressive to get things done.

2. Implementer: These members of a team get the work done as well as convert the ideas and concepts of team members into practical actions. They are reliable, practical, and efficient. But these people may be inflexible and respond slowly.

3. Completer: They see that the tasks are completed thoroughly. They also place attention on the smallest thing and ensure that errors or omissions do not happen. But these people do not delegate the work to others and desire to complete every task on their own.

4. Coordinator: Such people act as team leaders and coordinate the work and team to accomplish the team's shared goals. They can be seen as manipulative and sometimes offload their share of work as well.

5. Team Worker: Provides support to the team members and ensures that team members are working effectively. They are highly cooperative and listen to every member of the team. But they might hesitate to make unpopular decisions.

6. Resource Investigator: These people are innovators, enthusiastic, and curious. They often explore opportunities and negotiate with others by contacting people and making available the resources for the team. These people might forget to follow the lead.

7. Plant: They are the creative innovators who often come up with new ideas and approaches. These people solve problems creatively. But they prefer to work apart from the team and are poor communicators.

8. Monitor-Evaluator: They analyze the ideas and concepts of other team members by weighing the pros and cons before making any decision. But they are very good critics and do slow decision-making.

9. Specialist: Special knowledge has been possessed by these people who are needed to complete the job. They are a self-starter and dedicated to the work. But they contribute on a narrow front.

After analyzing these roles among employees, a team of diverse people with different roles can be made. This will make the team dynamic that can survive in a competitive and changing environment, and this will help the IT manager to achieve goals most effectively.

3.2 Alternative Ways to Complete the Task to Achieve the Team Goals

IT managers can achieve organizational goals by accomplishing the team's goals. There are many ways through which team goals can be achieved. Some of the ways are discussed as follows...

Selection of Team Members: The IT manager should identify the specialist's roles among people, their skills, and their approach towards performing the job. The manager should identify the roles of the team or group and allocate the tasks to the team members as per their roles. This is how team members can be selected and a team can be built.

Team Development: After making a team of IT employees, the manager should focus on team building and need to make the employees loyal to the team. Managers should make the employees committed to shared belief. Accordingly, the manager should monitor and evaluate their performance. If any gaps are found, then training needs to be imparted to make the team members capable.

Setting Objectives: By setting objectives for a team, the manager can motivate the team members toward the achievement of team goals or objectives. Managers can delegate the responsibility to team members and allow them to become innovative. If objectives are set, then consistency can be maintained in teamwork, and this will help the manager to achieve the team goals.

Leadership: By making a team leader among the team members or if the manager itself becomes the team leader, then monitoring the team performance can be done. Through monitoring, evaluation can be done and if any gaps are found, then proper training should be provided for performing work and accomplishing tasks effectively.

Through these alternative ways, tasks can be completed and team goals can be achieved. The IT manager has to take the initiative and need to motivate the team towards the achievement of goals.
It can be concluded that for achieving the team goals, members should be deliberately selected after analysis of each employee. Further, the development of the team should be done by providing proper motivation so that team goals can be achieved. Along with that, objectives should be set so that team members get a clear direction for the fulfillment of team goals. Apart from this, leadership should be supportive so that team goals will be achieved more easily.

Task 4

4.1 Tools and Methods for Reconciliation

There are various tools and methods used for solving work-based problems. IT managers can choose either of them to resolve the problem that they encounter at the time of implementing the change. Some of the methods are listed below...

Brainstorming: One of the tools used to resolve any issue is having a brainstorming session. This tool is used for analyzing and evaluating the problem that arise during the implementation of changes in an organization. At this session, the IT manager, experts, and other management team may sit together and discuss in-depth. After that, they evaluate every element which can aid in resolving the problem.

Flow Charting: In this method, any problem from start to end is listed. After that, the origin of the issue can be evaluated from where such a problem has arisen. The benefit of this method is that the root cause of the problem can be assessed. This has been proven to be one of the best tools for evaluating and solving problems. IT manager can list down the existing problems and then analysis can be done so that the root cause of the issue can be identified and it can be prevented from the root itself.

Means-End Analysis: This is also one of the methods which are used for solving the problem. In this method, the current and future state of a problem is given and then an action plan is chosen to reduce the difference between the two. The action plan will be chosen to reduce the difference between the two states. Designed action will be formulated on the current state to produce a new state and then this process is recursively applied to this new and future state.

Through these methods or tools, any kind of work-based problem can be solved by the IT manager of Golden Fleece Recruitment Company so that without any hindrance, the goals of the organization can be attained.

4.2 Strategy for Resolving the Problem

The IT department was facing the problem of time management. The work and tasks were not completed within the given time. Thus, this was the biggest problem for the IT department and the company as well. To resolve such problems, various strategies have been suggested so that goals can be achieved within a given time limit. Some of the strategies are as follows:

Proper Communication: the IT manager has to communicate properly about the problem to every employee so that they would get knowledge about the problem's occurrence. If the issue arises due to the mistake of any employee, then by getting information, the employee can resolve it at his end only.

Training and Development: The company is facing the problem of time management. Thus, to develop the skill of effective time management among employees of the IT department, the manager can provide training sessions to the people so that they can adopt such skills and problems can be resolved. manager may provide on-the-job training so that time can be saved and employees may get the learning while performing their jobs effectively.

Hiring Experts: Management may hire experts in time management skills and can provide counseling sessions for the employees so that they may learn the skill of time management. Through this, employees will get the learning and they can implement this learning at the time of performance. These strategies can be employed in an organization by the employees so that the problem of time management can be solved.

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4.3 Evaluation of the Potential Impact of Strategies

Strategies for problem solving have been designed but before implementing these strategies, evaluation of potential impact should be done so that negative impacts can be prevented before occurring. These strategies can be evaluated by testing whether they will solve the problem of time management or not. Objectives or desired standards should be set against each strategy so that actual output after implementation can be measured with the desired standard. This will enable the manager to find out variations between actual and desired output. This will also help the manager assess the potential impact on a company after the implementation of strategies. There are both positive and negative impacts on the firm, which have been discussed as follows:.

Positive Impact

If these strategies are implemented, then the time-management problem can be solved. Because communicating the problem at all levels may solve half of the existing problems. Along with that, if communication is done properly, then the root cause of the problem can be identified. Providing on-the-job training to all the employees will save time and cost, and employees may learn while performing their job. If experts are hired, then they can develop excellent skills among employees.

Negative Impact

These strategies will also hurt the company because hiring experts to provide counseling will cost heavy expenditure and this will also consume a lot of time of employees. It may lead to delays in work. On-the-job training might create chaos and employees will get confused. In addition, due to this, other problems may arise while resolving one issue. If the problem is not properly communicated, then this will create a negative impression in the minds of employees, and this may turn into an increase in employee turnover and employee absenteeism.

Conclusion

After preparing this project report on employability and professional development, it has been concluded that soft skills are essentially required being a manager to bring efficiency to employees' work. To survive in this globalized and competitive world, an individual must possess such skills so that existing opportunities can be grabbed. If a person already possesses such skills, then it becomes easier for the company to hire self-motivated candidates. In this report, the IT manager of Golden Fleece Recruitment Company possesses some soft skills and as per the organizational objectives, the manager has found the development needs and has made plans for developing personal as well as professional standards. To implement the changes in an organization effectively, the IT manager has to communicate well with all levels of management and employees. For efficient working and for achieving the shared team goals, time management skills have been adopted by the manager so that tasks would get completed on time and also in an efficient manner. The problem of time-management skills has been resolved by adopting various strategies and the evaluation of those strategies has been done to forecast the impacts of those strategies.

References

• Andrews, G. and Russell, M., 2012. Employability skills development: strategy, evaluation, and impact. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning.
• Bailly, F. and Léné, A., 2013. The personification of the service labor process and the rise of soft skills: a French case study. Employee Relations.
• Cassidy-Rice, J., 2014. NLP promotes personal development and professional success. Process gives the edge to both companies and individuals. Human Resource Management International Digest.
• Jackling, B. and Natoli, R., 2015. Employability skills of international accounting graduates: Internship providers' perspectives. Education + Training.

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