Portfolio of Evidence Assignment Sample

• Subject Name : Professional development

Professional Development

Activity 1: HR professional is a person who works in the field of human resource management and works as per the standards that are defined by the professional body. HR professional provides services and advice to the people by meeting the required standards of behaviour along with which such people are also required to have expertise in the area of human resource management(CIPD, 2018). The CIPD professional map highlights the key aspects of the behaviour that is required to be held by an HR professional. These include curiosity along with the decision-making thought process of the person. In addition to this, the HR professional must also be a skilled influencer where the individual should have a personality that helps in taking challenges and further acting as a source of motivation.

This way the HR professional is a role model for others (CIPD, 2018). An HR professional provides others with the required guidance and directions so that the team is able to meet the objectives and further ensure the overall organisational success. The HR professional is not just required to comply with the standards as defined by the CIPD but is also required to hold ethical values. Moreover, the HR professional is also required to adopt the code of conduct provided by the organisation.

Activity 2: Group dynamics is defined as the study involved in understanding the process that is followed by people within a group to interact with each other. Group dynamics, therefore, highlights the behavioural as well as the attitudinal features of the group along with the way in which the group is created and also its function, structure and process. Group dynamics is important in both formal as well as informal groups irrespective of the type. It is considered an essential element of the study based to highlight the organisational behaviour and helps the company in gaining information about the development and also the formation of groups. The term group dynamics was coined by a person named Kurt Lewin.

According to Lewin, people when working in a group tend to adopt certain roles and highlight common behaviour develops positive dynamics (Nollet et al., 2017). The group dynamics, therefore, aims to study the impact that such roles and behaviour have on the group members along with its impact upon the group as a whole. The group dynamics further has some of the important elements that include the group membership, interaction, group norms, emergent leadership and also the formal hierarchy. Each of the elements is crucial for the study of the behaviour and further adds to the success of a group.

Group membership is defined as the process that is adopted by a group where each of the individuals is granted membership on the basis of the willingness to cooperate with each other and also the commonality of the interests. There can be instances within the groups where one or more individual hold overlapping of membership in various formal as well as informal groups (Forsyt, 2018). Along with this, it can also arise due to the contacts of the person and the common interest that people tend to share among some of the groups.

Emergent leadership is considered to be a vital element of the group dynamics where during the process adopted by the group for completing certain predetermined objectives and also working together, group members look for some sort of direction and guidance. In such a case, a person within the group with outstanding skills in the area of leadership come forward and thus emerges from the group (Nollet et al., 2017). This is referred to as emergent leadership. The emergent leader is followed and further obeyed by all the other group members that ultimately help the group to reach the results. The leader is further provided with authority by the group members where the leader can take decisions, seek conformity, take action for the betterment of each of the group members and also from the achievement of the group goals and the objectives. The selection of a leader within the group is based on the skills and expertise held by the person to guide and lead others.

Another element of the group dynamics is the formal hierarchy where, in each of the groups, there is some or the other degree of formal organisation. Therefore, each of the groups follows a hierarchy for taking decisions and also for communicating with the members of the group. Each of the group members holds some responsibility and also some authority which leads to the formation of a structured hierarchy that is followed by each of the group members while working with each other (Waller et al., 2016).

Another element of group dynamics is the interaction that people have with each other. In a group, people work with each other in cooperation and try to provide help and advice to others for the achievement of both individual and the group objectives (Gemmrich& Thomson, 2017). This way the process of working together leads to the social interaction within the group where each of the group members interacts with the others at formal and informal levels. Along with this, the interaction can happen in various ego stages including parent, adult and child. Each of the stages depicts different behaviours and set of responses.

Lastly, another element of the group dynamics is the group norms where the working of a group is based on some of the predetermined norms or rules, such norms are based on various traditions, attitudes, and values and also on the belief of the group members (Knight et al., 2016). Each of the group members is required to comply with the norms for the better functioning of the group and further to ensure that the group activities are undertaken smoothly.

Furthermore, conflict resolution is an integral aspect of group dynamics where it aims to resolve various issues and differences that exists within the group members. There are various conflict resolution methods that can be adopted in the context of Human Resource management. Among these, two of the commonly adopted methods include collaboration and reconciliation. Under the collaboration, there is a discussion of the problem and further the team is provided with the best solution. Reconciliation is another method of conflict resolution where each of the party decides to give away some share to interest to reach to the common solution (Klug& Bagrow, 2017).

Activity 3: As a part of a recent project during my internship, the team was required to procure supplies of raw material from various vendors while ensuring that the procurement is done with the defined time and also as per the allocated budget. The whole process required my team to ensure effective planning and thus progress to achieve the group objectives. This way the group decided to make use of a project management technique known as the work breakdown structure. The work breakdown structure according to Rahman et al. (2019) is defined as the hierarchical decomposition of the deliverable oriented tasks for the purpose of the execution of group tasks and objectives.

The group implemented the work breakdown structure where the group leader identified the key activities that would be required for procuring the supplies while considering the deadline and the budget of the project. The activities were then grouped into various heads by the group leader while consulting with each of the group members through an open meeting where feedback was welcomed. This way the group was able to identify the activities and further club the activities into various headings as per the characteristics of each of the activity.

After the identification and grouping of activities, a work breakdown structure was prepared by the group leader where it was a presentation of various tasks in a hierarchical order to meet the group objectives. The work breakdown structure helped the group to understand the way in which the work is to be performed and acted as a point of reference for each of the group members. 

As a part of the group, it is very important for each of the group members to ensure that there is cooperative behaviour towards each other and also towards the achievement of the group objectives. My participation in the project helped me to understand the importance of influencing, persuading and further negotiating with others for the successful completion of the project and also to ensure that there are no hurdles during the progress of the project. In this respect, I took the role of communicating and interacting with various suppliers to gather quotations and make them understand about the requirement of supplies that my group was looking for satisfying the client.

This required me to negotiate the suppliers about the prices and also about the terms and the conditions of the contract. My negotiation skills help me to ensure that the supplies were procured at the best market price while the term and condition regarding the date of delivery and the mode of payment were also suitable to us. There were instances where the suppliers did not agree to the term and conditions put forward by us. In this case, I tried to influence the people by highlighting the advantages that they would gain by entering into a contract with us and the way in which it would help them secure a position in the list of suppliers in our company. I persuaded each of the suppliers in such a manner that they ultimately agreed to the term and conditions which further helped my group to procure the right kind, volume and quality of supplies with the deadline that too at the right price thus falling within the budget.

Activity 4: The CIPD 2018 professional map provides the list of areas that fall into various categories including that of the area of core knowledge, area of specialist knowledge and also core behaviour. This classification is very crucial and further helpful for the assessment of self and thus assists in the development of professional goals and objectives. Through the map, one can ensure the self-assessment of the practice while working on the improvement of key skills that are required to ensure professional success.

Area of Core Knowledge

The CIPD 2018 professional map has listed a number of aspects under the area of core knowledge that includes people practice, culture and behaviour, digital working, change, business acumen and lastly the analytics and creating value. My role during the project in my internship depicts the selected area of core knowledge named the business acumen. I ensured that I possess the required understanding of the group objectives, values, priorities and the purpose before interacting and communicating with the suppliers (CIPD, 2018b). Along with this, I also ensured that I am aware of the existing trends in the market including the market price of the supplies and the general terms and conditions that the other companies operating in our industry are following.

This information about the internal and external business environment helped me to negotiate with the suppliers and further persuade them to deal with us. The selected core area of knowledge- business acumen also covers the understanding of the company's future direction, priorities, purpose and also performance. During my practice in the company, I ensured that I am informed about the internal working of the company along with the changes taking place in the external environment so that I am able o interact and further persuade the employees.

Area of Specialised Knowledge

In addition to this, the CIPD 2018 professional map also highlights the areas of specialised knowledge. The area of specialised knowledge covers various aspects including employee experience, diversity and inclusion. Learning as well as development, people analytics, organisational development and design along with the employee relations. In addition to this, it also covers the aspects of resourcing, reward and talent management (CIPD, 2018c). The self-assessment has helped in the understanding of my personal skill set falling under the scope of specialised knowledge.

As per the self-assessment, my professional behaviour can be linked to that of organisational development and design. As a part of the group, I implemented a systematic approach of behavioural science that helped me in driving the performance of the company and further ensuring a positive work culture. The aspect of organisational development and design as depicted in the CIPD 2018 professional map covers the approach that is used for driving the optimum performance of the company through the application of various principles and concepts of behavioural sciences.

Core Behaviour

The CIPD 2018 professional map has further highlighted the aspect of core behaviour which provides a better understanding of the roles and the responsibility of a professional at work. The core behaviour includes ethical practice, professional courage and influence along with the valuing of people, commercial drive and the insights focused. In addition to this, it also includes working inclusively and passion for learning (Prikshat et al., 2018). The self-assessment has also helped in reflecting the core behaviour depicted during the participation in the group and to achieve the group objectives.

The assessment has illustrated that I hold a commercial drive as my behaviour indicates the customer-focused and business approach. Furthermore, my behaviour also highlights the commitment held for delivering the results while creating value for the company. The commercial drive as a part of the CIPD 2018 professional map under the core behaviours highlights the approach used for interacting with the customers and also the business. This way the map has illustrated the way of creating and delivering the required value to the organisation.

The self-assessment has helped in the determination of the professional needs and also the options that can be used to address the needs. One of my professional needs is to acquire skills in the area of situational decision making. The self-assessment has highlighted that I am weak at taking decisions specifically during specific and difficult situations. The self-assessment has directed towards the need to acquire skills in the area of decision making where the evaluation of various options including simulation activities, playing games that help me enhance situational decision making and solving case studies.

Along with this, the self-assessment has also highlighted a professional need in the area of change that falls under the core knowledge. I need to learn a lot about dealing with change and become better at change management socially considering my future goals to become a successful leader. Change management is an essential part of the leadership that would assist me in handling complex situations that would arise in the team and would help me in reducing resistance to change. In order to address the need, there are a number of options that can be considered including the study of change management theories such as Lewin change management model. Along with this, another option is to pursue a course in handling change.

Furthermore, another professional need that has been highlighted through the self-assessment is professional courage and influence. I need to acquire the courage to speak up and also to influence others. This would again help me in becoming a better leader and motivating others. There are a number of options that I can consider for addressing it and includes reading autobiographies of successful leaders and attending sessions for enhancing my influencing skills.

Professional Development Plan

The above table highlights the professional plan for meeting the professional needs which are discussed as follows:

The first need is the need to add to the situational decision making where it can be undertaken by Simulation activities and through the Case study. This would require me with some resources including complex case studies targeting decision-making skills along with some simulation activities. The evaluation of the options for addressing the need has provided with the selection where the best option is to go through various case studies. This would help in understanding the viewpoint of others and also add to decision making skills in different complex situations.

The next professional need is to acquire change management skills which include two options for addressing the need. These include the study of change management theories and pursuing a course. Along with this, the resources required to meet the need include online course, trainer and change management reading material. Furthermore, the evaluation of the choices has helped in the selection of the best option where both options are good. The study of theory would add to theoretical knowledge while the course will add to practical knowledge.

Another professional need highlighted in the plan is to acquire professional courage and influence. The activities that can be considered to address the need include reading autobiographies of successful leaders and further attending sessions. Some resources would be required to meet the professional need and include autobiographies and contacts and networks. The evaluation has illustrated that both options are good. The study of autobiographies adds to theoretical knowledge while sessions will add to practical knowledge.

References

CIPD (2018a). Explore the new professional map. Retrieved on 21 may 2020<https://peopleprofession.cipd.org/profession-map>

CIPD (2018b). Core knowledge. Retrieved on 21 may 2020<https://peopleprofession.cipd.org/profession-map/core-knowledge>

CIPD (2018c). Core behaviour. Retrieved on 21 may 2020<https://peopleprofession.cipd.org/profession-map/core-behaviours>

Forsyth, D. R. (2018). Group dynamics. United States: Cengage Learning.

Gemmrich, J., & Thomson, J. (2017). Observations of the shape and group dynamics of rogue waves. Geophysical Research Letters, 44(4), 1823-1830.

Klug, M., & Bagrow, J. P. (2016). Understanding the group dynamics and success of teams. Royal Society Open Science, 3(4), 160007.

Knight, A. P., Kennedy, D. M., & McComb, S. A. (2016). Using recurrence analysis to examine group dynamics. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 20(3), 223.

Nollet, J., Beaulieu, M., & Fabbe-Costes, N. (2017). The impact of performance measurement on purchasing group dynamics: The Canadian experience. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 23(1), 17-27.

Prikshat, V., Kumar, S., Nankervis, A., & Khan, M. M. S. (2018). Indian HR competency modelling: Profiling, mapping and an investigation of HRM roles and competencies. The Journal of Developing Areas, 52(4), 269-282.

Rahman, W. A. Z. W. A., Zaki, N. M., & Husain, M. A. (2019). A review of work breakdown structure and man-hours estimation method used in shipbuilding production. International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, 10(1), 1141-1158.

Waller, M. J., Okhuysen, G. A., & Saghafian, M. (2016). Conceptualizing emergent states: A strategy to advance the study of group dynamics. The Academy of Management Annals, 10(1), 561-598.

Remember, at the center of any academic work, lies clarity and evidence. Should you need further assistance, do look up to our Personal and Professional Development Assignment Help