A reflection report and action plan
Being an effective manager is one of the many things that individuals admire whether they are in the corporate world, private sector or business world. According to Cook (14) being an effective manager is not an easy task and therefore there are a number of things that one must understand and conform to thereby become an effective manager. At the same time, becoming an effective manager is not a one day affair, it takes time, and it requires knowledge and skills on how to effectively manage both human and other resources in a business. This involves one’s ability to reflect appropriately on the fundamental basics of personal planning and development which leads to the creation of suitable mechanisms that enhance ones effectiveness.
According to Camillus (37) effective managers are good leaders, they are able to understand their group and what it needs to grow to the highest levels of development and achieve maximally. Similarly, the aspect of self confidence plays a crucial role towards making an effective manager. These are among the many crucial aspects that a manager needs to in cooperate in the work so as to enhance their effectiveness (Gurvis, S. (29). It is also crucial for a manager to effectively evaluate themselves and realize what they have been able to achieve as well as plan for their personal development and growth as a way of ensuring that they are able to progress in their capacities.
However, as a learner, I too have to be critical and therefore continuously reflect on my learning. The professional learning process requires that an individual continuously reflects on what they are doing as a way of developing their skills and knowledge in their area of participation. According to Vogt, Leonhardt, Koper & Pennig (28) an individual’s capacity to reflect on action enables him to engage in a process of continuous learning that forms part of the basic learning process. Continuous learning allows individuals at whatever capacity to grow their skills with time. This also ensures that they accumulate a pool of knowledge and therefore attain an above average performance. At the same time, reflection gives an individual the opportunity to accept his responsibility for their own personal growth and development and therefore evaluate the benefits that accrue from ones engagement in an activity. This enables you to decide on the way forward, whether to forge ahead or decide on a different approach on tackling the outstanding issues. This leads to positive growth and therefore goals and objectives can be achieved within shorter periods of time that would actually be the case without evaluation.
In this regard, the module, the effective manager, which has teaching s on the development of individuals to be effective managers, I have been able as a person ti improve my understanding of the complex nature of managerial work in the context of a today’s rapidly changing work environment. The course has also enabled me to comprehend better as it regards the increasing levels of competence and capacity that are required of managers in the market today. As a result therefore, I have a good idea on what the market today requires of a manager because this is simply what every business requires to improve its capital base, increase its share holding and performance. A manager plays a crucial role in every organization and therefore there is need to rely on the services of an effective manager who has the required skills, competence and skills. Flamholtz (96) explains that pursuant to the fast changing nature of the market, increased levels of business competition, increased information and technology and rapidly changing work environment, managers need to be efficient, resourceful, flexible, inventive and continually keep updating with the information and technology that is on offer in the market today. This will equip them with the right managerial tool s that will guarantee them of productivity both personal and business and create a success culture that will guide business to profitability and achievement of high growth rates and hence profitability. This is the resource that most businesses lack and are looking for today.
As it regards Personal Academic Experience (Reflection), considering my past work and experience as a manager in different divisions and capacities as well as a learner, the reflective report has played a crucial role in enhancing my ideas and understanding regarding the aspects surrounding personal organization and management. The reflective report is no doubt an important tool that acted as a guide in guiding me plan and formulate effective personal development skills and management of my activities. This has enabled me become a better planner of my time and activities hence enhance performance and achievement of goals and objectives. All credit in this case goes to the module for the insight and ideas given to me.
Throughout the module therefore I have felt that my being in the University of Hertfordshire’s Business School is a worthy course as this has enabled me gain crucial skills and knowledge that will make me a better person, a better planner and an effective manager. These I have come to understand are crucial skills required in the job market and therefore when such time comes, I will be a better person that will enhance organisational performance. Similarly, as a student in the university, I have been able to work on a number of course work assignments, group presentations and studies that have all worked towards improving my knowledge and understanding regarding the market and management. The skills that I have gained working as a team will play a key role in enhancing teamwork and group leadership skills, this will enable me be able to be a useful individual in the workforce. I will be able to use these skills to create a performing team in the labour market. At the same time, the knowledge and skills gained while studying in this module, skills that will always make, me more productive and fruitful by formulating better mechanisms to solve any business problems.
On the other hand, the studies on personal organisation have also created within me valuable skills on how to organise effectively and develop a high degree of responsibility as it regards proper planning. In this case, the achievement of proper planning and arrangement of individual’s activities are understood as ones that lead to self realization and personal development. Gurvis (27), asserts that once one realizes who they really are and what they want, they are therefore able to move ahead confidently to get it. This has a lot to do with individual responsibility that would ensure that one plans his activities well so as to achieve the desired dreams, goals and objectives. This also involves the organization of time as this is one of the most crucial aspects towards success. The module has taught me proper time management skills which will be important in planning my time in a flexible way.
According to (Drucker, 1970 cited in Anderson, 2009), it has been suggested that most effective managers begin not with their work, but with adequate structuring of their time, critically analyzing where their time really goes. In this case therefore, time management is critical aspects in ensuring that one move towards the right direction hence facilitate the achievement of their goals and objectives. Proper time management also ensures that an individual is able to maximize on the utilization of their time bearing in mind that this is the most crucial resource (Schermerhorn, 56). This leads to proper time management and therefore one can accomplish more that he could have done with the time available. Similarly, it is also important that an individual carries out a comprehensive appraisal of what they have been able to do with their time. This gives you a chance to eliminate activities that waste time and instead concentrate on those activities which are beneficial.
Moreover, the group activities that I have been involved in have taught me wonderful team work and group leadership skills. This I believe are crucial skills that I could not have learnt better else where and I believe that this will be important in carrying out team work task at work as well as being an effective team leader. This has also helped me work on my communication and group interaction skills. This further has developed my organization as well as time keeping skills while undertaking a particular task with a group of individuals.
In most cases, I used to find myself wasting a lot of time before I joined the master’s programme. I used to find it hard to keep appointments because I usually used to keep a heap of activities to take care of yet I never used to manage courtesy of my poor time planning and management skills. However, I now have developed a I have come up with a Day Activities Plan map that will act as a guide to my organization and hence will be able to achieve all set goals by realizing all activities to be done and putting them in a time frame as shown in appendix 2. This will ensure that I productively utilize all the time that I have hence enhance my performance. I wish to go on with this idea even after I graduate and I believe that I will be able to better organize my time hence improve my productivity.
Management
According to Witzel (45) management refers to the coordination and direction of an individuals activities and that of others towards the achievement of stated goals and objectives. This includes the putting together of an organizations resources and people in a bid to meet the stated goals and objectives of the business. Basically management is all about people, planning, control an effective coordination of people and resources as well as time (Kochan & Schmalensee, 39). Every business heavily relies on the management skills in place to achieve its goals and objectives and therefore management plays a crucial role in a business.
Generally, management borrows heavily from the strategy aspect of every organization and therefore it is important that an efficient manager be a strategic one who is able to set goals, plan, set objectives and deploy the right human and financial resources towards the achievement of the stated goals and objectives (Schermerhorn & Chappell, 127). In this regard, the effective management of any organization plays a key role towards the achievement of its goals and objectives and therefore managers play an oversight role in getting things done through others.
In conclusion, the chance to do my masters programme at the University of Hertfordshire’s Business School has been a key one in my life, one that has completely changed my understanding and approach about life. I have gained valuable skills and knowledge which I believe will be phenomenal in my life and career. This can be attributed to the tasks that I have been able to accomplish while I n school, the modules and courses offered and the marvelous company that I had both in teachers and my fellow learners. Through them, I have nurtured and developed proper planning and time management skills that I believe will completely make me a good planner, an efficient manager and a strategist. To this end I believe that my time has been well spent and I wait to go out and change the way organizations are managed and run as well as run my life inn a much better way.
Reference list
Anderson, Susan (2009) Personal Organization. PowerPoint Slides [1MBSP0410] University of Hertfordshire. 19 0ctober, 2008
Camillus, J. C. (1986) Strategic planning and management control: systems for survival and success, Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
Cook, S. (2009) The Effective Manager, Cambridge: IT Governance Ltd,
Flamholtz, E. (1996) Effective management control: theory and practice, New York, NY :Springer Publishing Company
Gurvis, S. (2007), Management Basics: A Practical Guide for Managers, 2ed., Carmel, CA : Adams Media
Kochan, T. A. & Schmalensee, R. (2003) Management: inventing and delivering its future, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press,
Schermerhorn, J. R. (2005) Management, 8th Ed., Hoboken, NJ: Wiley publishing
Schermerhorn, J. R. & Chappell, D. S. (2000) Introducing management
The Wiley/Wall Street journal series, San Francisco, CA: Wiley publishing
Vogt, J., Leonhardt, J., Koper, B. & Pennig, S. (2010) Human factors in safety and business management. Ergonomics.Vol. 53 Issue 2, p149-163.
Witzel, M. (2004) Management: the basics-The Basics Series, Routledge student reference, London: Routledge publishing
APPENDIX 1: My Future Goal plan
In the above future goal plan an illustration is made on what I intend to achieve in the near future with the believe that these skill, knowledge and qualifications that I have gained or I will have will enable me to get a good start when I finally graduate from the University of Hertfordshire (Business School). The goals are both immediate and for the long term engagement that will not only enable me earn a stable and attractive income but also to work closely with the community and give them the skills that they so much need.
