1. In life what you have been doing?
I have been working as a human resource officer. This job was close to the course I had in college. The Human Resource officer position requires one to have good people skills because he will relate with different kinds of people. The human resource officer makes sure that all activities done by the personnel are in agreement with the goals of the company. Moreover the HR officer provides a bridge of communication between the upper management and the personnel. Lastly the HR officer gives feedback and suggestions on the performance and activities of the personnel. The position was opened because of the need for some changes in the company particularly on the relationship between the management team and the personnel. Before any hiring was done, various individuals from within and outside the organization was interviewed and tested to see if they fit the requirements for the HR officer position. After some time the commendable applicants that includes me was put into few more interviews and tests to sort out the most qualified for the job. In the interview phase before I was hired, strategic selection was used by the HR group of our company wherein they focused on using interactive means.
The hr team of the company gave various types of questions to all applicants and each was given considerable time to provide answer to the questions. The hr team made sure that there was minimal pressure given to the applicants. The questions of the HR team of PCCW focused on gaining the applicant’s background particularly on the educational achievements, the former employers, the birthplace of the applicant and other personal information. The questions of the HR team were focused on determining the work ethic of the applicants, how the applicants deal with all kinds of people in the organization, how does the applicant survive a stressful event and how the applicants handle various situations in the company. The hr team adjusted to every type of answer given by the applicant particularly on how they responded to a situation that happened in the old job. When there were three of us left, we were given practical examination to see who can perform well under various situations. After I was chosen for the position, the management team gave trainings and advices on how the Hr officer position can be done well. During my first few days in the job I tried to do my best in performing my tasks. I tried to mingle with the members of the team and try to create a connection with them. The first few days were not that easy. Some of the team members were aloof and difficult to work with. Some of the team members of the HR group had their own culture. Their culture created some barriers between us. In my first month insubordination and lack of camaraderie were the main issues. I tried to solve it through constant and informal communication with them. At some point I was able to break the barrier and prove that we can work well together. The learning’s I acquired in the job helped me increase my confidence levels. The hr position helped in improving my communication skills with people and my grasp on how management should be used to different types of individuals. This HR position helped me understand the importance of culture to organizations and how culture can alter the strategies used.
2. What have you learnt about yourself through these experiences?
The first major incident as an HR officer involves miscommunication with the team members. This happened after a circular on new policies in coming to work came out and this was misinterpreted by some personnel. This resulted to some personnel refusing to follow the policies. This was resolved through a meeting with the personnel and explaining the need for changes in some of the policies. The second incident as an Hr officer involves the poor management of individual differences. This happened when a policy on uniform was implemented; the new policy offended some people with unique perspectives. To solve the problem, the policy was altered to meet the differences of employees. The incidents as well as the issues in the first few months in the job helped me to learn the true value of planning and communicating with others. Without proper planning and communication I might not able to solve such issues. All experiences helped me to understand how I can handle all types of problems. It gave me a better outlook of myself as a problem solver. The different experiences I have helped me develop a system that will maintain my composure during difficult situations. This system that I developed focused on the proper use of breathing techniques.
It made sure that I will not lose my temper during difficult situations. It made sure that I do not stain my relationship with the team members. As a HR officer I learned decision making and its importance to the firm. Decision making process is done when the group member wants to make new goals, create changes to the current strategies and change something about the project. All of the other groups in our company have this and it is the best way to settle problems within the group. The decision making process must come up with the best result to prevent more problems to come. The decision making process should be done accordingly and with so much care to prevent any personal issues between members of the group. As part of the decision making process one member would give his/her suggestion. This would then be followed by a small discussion on how the suggestion would help in achieving the goals of any project or problem solving endeavors. After all the sides are heard the group will vote to determine if they will follow the suggestion or not. As a HR officer I learned the importance of communication. In the team I belong to communication was a vital aspect. The members of the group made sure that they communicated well with each other to achieve the goals. Each member asked first before taking any measures that will change the outcome of any activity or decision making. The members of the group were free to communicate any issues they have me or the other members of the group. The members of the group allowed for the free flow of ideas and beliefs. The members of the group gave a piece of their mind on a certain part of an activity; this helped in making sure that the group performed above standards. Whenever one wants to say something to the other member of the group they were free to do so, but they were asked to say it in a polite manner. Aside from personal communication other communication techniques like interactive and automated communication systems were used.
3. How have you developed your skills during the practice of management skills module?
Once upon a time there were no managerial sciences. Managers managed according to commonsense based on their day-to-day experience. A few of these managers chose to set down the lessons of their experience on paper in the form of codes, principles and laws of management. They intended these to serve as guidelines or even mandatory instructions for future managers to follow. Then one day social scientists started to investigate managerial behavior and organizations. As a result of their researches they concluded that the codes and principles were inadequate because they did not seem to hold up when subjected to rigorous logical and empirical scrutiny (Thomas 2003). The processes of effective management and organization looked to be much more complex and much more difficult to capture in the form of scientific laws and generalizations than the early management writers had thought Formal concepts and tools were important for people but were not sufficient in themselves to yield effective management. Managerial expertise was best understood as a product of certain personal characteristics and experiences and was developed in specialized form in local contexts (Thomas 2003).
General Managers relied less on formal processes of planning, organizing, motivating and controlling than upon the pursuit of broad-ranging and informally specified agendas of problems and issues which were pursued through extensive networks of organizational contacts rather than through the formal organization structure. One of the best ways that managers can increase the level of motivation among the personnel, team members or subordinates is to be effective leaders. When overall business success is related to leadership qualities and capabilities, it is clear that effective leadership can and does make a difference. Leadership qualities assume great importance in the professional work environment because professionals are highly sensitive to how they are managed. Managers must lead in an environment that is constantly changing. Employee commitment is needed to make change work; consequently the people orientation is always an important part of successful change. Although professionals may be prone to accept change because of their level of education and accomplishment, these same characteristics may actually increase their resistance tendencies (Shell 2003).
The large investment in their own training and skill development will cause high sensitivity to how changes affect individual skill application and career development. Changes that are perceived to impact negatively in these areas are likely to meet strong resistance. Leaders of professionals need particularly strong skills in communication so that needed change is integrated into a future vision of success and growth for both the organization and professional. Additionally, these leaders need to understand the change process and how professionals are likely to react to it. Many managers delve into the subject of organizational change without fully understanding the theory, principles, or the art of the process involved (Shell 2003). They merely attempt, in piecemeal fashion, to copy some general techniques that are reported in the literature, such as work teams, empowerment, visioning, or total quality management. Most often such attempts are disappointing. Frequently the unexpected and unwanted side effects produce results that are the opposite of those intended. Unfortunately, this is often the case when a quick fix is attempted on a complex organizational system (Kanji 2002) The PMS module helped me to have a vision for the company and the subordinates. The vision needs to meet the overall goal but it should not cause discomfort in the organization. PMS module gave me a background on the importance of a vision and what would compose of a good vision. It helped me formulate a vision that is appropriate to the firm’s situation. The PMS module helped in showing the appropriate leadership skills and a leadership styles that I need. The leadership skills and styles meet the needs of the organization. The leadership skills and style that I learned is vital to standardize and maintain my relationship with the team members. It is important that I choose well the styles I intend to use and the skill I will implement in the firm. PMS helped me make the right choice in styles and skills. PMS helped in determining which styles and skills complement the vision of the firm. The PMS course helped me to be ready for all eventualities such as the need for change, emergence of problems, the onset of miscommunication, the effects of personal differences, stressful instances and changing external environment. The eventualities can be internal and external issues that hamper the company’s operations. PMS gave ideas on how to handle the different issues and problems. PMS course provided a framework on how each issue can be solved.
4. How to develop the abovementioned skills?
Today’s organizations must develop and reinforce cultures committed to educating managers and their employees about why and how people differ in the ways they think, communicate, and approach work, which can help all members of the organization develop a healthy respect for diversity and at the same time facilitate mutual understanding. Managers and their employees must learn to communicate effectively with one another if an organization is to take advantage of the skills and abilities of its diverse workforce (Sims 2002). Different managers and employees may differ in their styles of communication, language fluency, and use of words. They may differ in the nonverbal signs they send through facial expression and body language, and in the way they perceive and interpret information. Educating them about different ways to communicate is often a good starting point. Managers and their employees must learn how to be open to different approaches and ways of doing things. This does not mean that they need to suppress their personal styles. Rather, it means that they must not feel threatened by other approaches and perspectives, and they must have the patience and flexibility needed to understand and appreciate diverse perspectives (Sims 2002).
This all begins with the development and reinforcement of the organization’s culture, a culture committed to creating an ethical climate that encourages the understanding and appreciation of diversity. Talk of developing smart workers and workplaces is a subset of the much wider context of talk about the massive changes in the world of work in terms of cultural change, and the need to change workplace cultures. Such talk has become ubiquitous and, often, more or less unthinking. Yet notions like culture are complex and demanding, and efforts to enhance workplace culture will be repaid by giving such key informing concepts the attention they deserve (Gerber & Lankshear 2000). Many workplaces simply do as much skills development as possible, believing that such activity must ultimately yield productive outcomes. Workplace reformers and educators rarely study exemplars in detail, or investigate how collectives actually combine to become effective teams. A crude sporting analogy is widely assumed without understanding that beyond certain skill levels most ‘top shelf’ teams win or lose as a consequence of other cultural variables. Skills development is, in fact, the minimum criterion in establishing the team. Beyond that point, skills development is never the determining factor in the effective life of the team. Moreover, workplace change is often pursued with little understanding of the psychology of collective behavior and motivation, and forgetful of the fact that, whereas many team analogies are based on participants voluntarily partaking in the activity, the team environment in most workplaces is coercive (Gerber & Lankshear 2000).
Likewise, paradigm cases of top performance teams seek out and develop skills based on the requirements and objectives of the team: that is, they have very clearly defined skills requirements and strategies for achieving them that are internal to the team’s existence, composition and raison d’être. In contrast, in the world of workplace change, skills requirements and strategies are often generic, pre-packaged, and elaborated from outside the team. In a highly resource constrained internal environment owner-managers may be more likely to employ individuals who are able to perform effectively and quickly with minimal induction training or additional skills development needs. Loss of any investment made in knowledge and skills development may also be a very real fear among owner-managers in a labor market in which employees may find it more feasible to exit in order to secure career progression rather than achieve this within the firm. The threat may be exacerbated if key individuals have the potential to leave to set up in competition with their former employer. Therefore the assessment of current skill levels is likely to be crucially important; in this scenario questions may be raised about the status accorded subsequent skills development (Beaver & Stewart 2004). To develop the skills in the second question, I need to make sure that I maintain a good relationship with personnel. The relationship with personnel can be both personnel and professional but it must stay within allowable limits. Another thing that I should use to develop skills is to accept ideas from the personnel. To make sure that the company will be managed well, managers like me need to gather all commendable ideas that can be used to make the best decisions. The thing that I can do to improve my skill is manage my stress levels. Stress level management has been a vital factor for the success or failure of firm. Managers like me need to know how to manage their stress and the stress of other people in the organization. Managing stress levels reduce a person’s problem of being too emotional.
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