Advantages of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for HR Professionals

This essay explores the advantages of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for HR professionals. It discusses how CPD helps in refining skills, increasing productivity, boosting confidence, and enhancing career growth. It also highlights the importance of CPD in organizations and its impact on employee satisfaction and organizational development. The essay concludes with the scope for improvement in future CPD programs.

Human Resource Management
Name of the Student:
Student ID:
Author Note:

Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................3
Reflective summary:..................................................................................................................4
Activity 1....................................................................................................................................8
Activity 2..................................................................................................................................10
Activity 3..................................................................................................................................11
Activity 4..................................................................................................................................12
Conclusion:..............................................................................................................................14
References................................................................................................................................15

Introduction:
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a term used for describing the various
learning activities. It is a process used for tracking and for documenting the knowledge,
experience and skills that an individual gains in their workplace during the initial training. It
is a record about what an individual learn, experience and then what he applied. It is also
used as portfolio and the physical folder and in this folder, the professional gives
documentation about their development. With the help of CPD, the HR professionals are
enhancing and developing their capabilities (Snell, Morris and Bohlander, 2015). Now
learning become more proactive and conscious rather than reactive and passive only because
of CPD. CPD combines various methodologies of learning which include conferences,
training workshops, e-learning programmes and events all these are focused for improving an
individual. This essay has been written after participating in a CPD program and aims to
explore the advantages that it offers to professionals who take up this program.

Reflective summary:
With the help of CPD, I refined my personal skills as well as my intellect. As we all know
how in today’s world good skills are required in every job. Therefore, for a good job it is
required to have a good knowledge about CPD. CPD fills gaps in my skills and knowledge
and with the help of these knowledge or skills I become more efficient and productive. CPD
demonstrates all the professional status with the help of IMI register for the customer and the
employer. In today’s era how much the good knowledge and skills are important in a
company as we all know. According to MacDougall et al. (2015), organizations choose only
those individuals who have good knowledge and skills.
CPD not only builds confidence as well credibility in me but also makes me different from
other peoples. With the help of CPD I achieved my career goal. I experienced that CPD
enhances my loyalty and confidence. It also increases competency in me and in result I
become more effective and productive in my workplace. In my workplace, it boosts
motivation and morale in all the employees. I keep my all knowledge and skills up to date
with the help of CPD. Knowledge regarding CPD helped me in giving best services to my
customers. Still I am developing the knowledge base and skill – set and it is possible only
because of CPD. Apart from these, my business partners are also getting best values and
benefits from my performance and my work. CPD extends understanding and knowledge
about new fields in me which became benefit for my current job role.
CPD maintained, enhanced and developed the understanding, skills and knowledge in me.
With the help of this knowledge, now I am delivering the best professional services to my
clients, customers and to those who are professionally engaged in the organization. CPD
enhances my capabilities and thus in result now I became the asset in our organization.
Continuous Professional Development ensures that I and my knowledge stay up to date and
relevant all the times during current industrial affairs. Now I am very much aware about the
different trends and the direction in my profession and now I am very much comfortable in
resolving all the issues in my organization. CPD develops new skills in me and also fills all
the skills and knowledge gaps in me. Moreover, it also helps me in understanding the theory
about all the practical application. According to me, I believed that the CPD is one of the
essential aspects for the individual’s career and it is also important for us to take this very
seriously.

CPD addressed all the needs that are set in my CPD requirements.CPD filled all the skill
gaps and knowledge competencies in me and in our organization. Nowadays the value of
CPD has been increased because in most of the organization professionals used CPD
activities for the development of the organization.In most of the job’s market, the continuous
professional development is much required. With the help of CPD, I advance my knowledge
and because of this, my productivity has also increased in our organization.Only because of
CPD programs now I become more efficient in my workplace. Now various companies are
offering me job with the attractive salary because I have gained more knowledge and skills
only because of CPD. As we all know that the CPD (Continuing Professional development) is
one of the essential components for the business strategy. Apart from these, CPD is also
significant for the company growth and for the employee satisfaction.
Most of the professionals are now using CPD and with the help of CPD, professionals are
developing and enhancing their skills and the knowledge. In our organization, the staff
members are now developing their skills with the help of the CPD. moreover, it also enhance
my performances in my workplace. In my workplace, CPD has created work satisfaction as
well as it does also enhance our staff morale. Only because of CPD, I not only enhance my
performance but also I got a better position in my workplace even I got a promotion also.In
many organizations, Continuing Professionals Development (CPD) advances the potential in
the individuals which is very beneficial for themand in result they brought growth in the
organization. In our organization, professionals used CPD only for the growth of employees
and for the organization. Offering CPD is a effective way for boosting the morale in our
workplace. Furthermore, it also enhanced the retention rates in the organization (Belcourt and
McBey, 2016). According to me, I feel that CPD is one of the effective ways for bringing
growth in the organization.
CPD is very significant for me because it ensures me to become competent in the
organization. Moreover, it is also an ongoing process which continues throughout our
professional’s career.CPD programs increased the public confidence in the professionals. It
also contributes good quality of life, improved protection, economy and sustainability
property and the environment. Apart from these, CPD mostly applied on practice areas and
in risky area. If some individuals want good career than for him/her, it is important to try
some CPD online course such as Risk Management, Environment, finance and the Project
Management. All these are the best CPD courses which is easily available on net. Only
because of these courses, I have secured my career and it also helps me in refining some of

my skills. These courses are applicable for all the sectors. Continuing Professional
Development (CPD) assists me in achieving the organizational objectives. As stated by
Petrick (2017), most of the peoples are gaining the significant knowledge and the skills with
the help of CPD which are required for performing effective in the workplace. For achieving
goal in a business it is required for me to be good skilled.
In UK, more than 1000 institutes and professional bodies are there who used CPD for the
development of their institute (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). Continuing Professional
Development is a practical, methodical and structured approach of learning which is helping
all the employers in developing all the skills and knowledge in their institutions for
maintaining the competitive and sustainable advantage. Some of the organizations are using
CPD in their training program and in their development plan. As per Bratton and Gold
(2017), CPD process also helps the individual in managing their own development during the
ongoing process.
CPD programs are important for an organization because it not only improves the business
productivity, efficiency and the performance but it also helped in gaining the competitive
edge. Moreover, it also increases generic skills in an employee which include key
competencies and employability skills such as problem solving, communication and team
work. Organizational development such as fostering of values and shared attitudes and
change management is only possible with the help of CPD. It is must required for the
succession planning and the talent management. Moreover, it is also essential for the career
development of an employee (Nel et al. 2014).
As per my view, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is a means through which
different members from the professional associations improve, broaden and maintain their
skills and knowledge and developed their qualities in their professional lives. It also helped
me in maintaining the competencies in my workplace. CPD plan can be measured through
improved and new levels of competencies in the workplace. Various CPD programs have
increased the level of competencies in our organization.With the help of the CPD, most of the
employees are advancing their skills and their technical skills. Only because of CPD
standards, the employers are now able to meet their business objectives and it also help in
satisfying the professional and personal goals of an employees. Apart from these, CPD
provides a development resource to all the employees in the workplace and it also provides
lots of benefits to the organization for developing their workforce.

In order to understand about my progress, I conducted a personal SWOT analysis:
S (strength):`
With the help of CPD, I have gained good knowledge in technical skills. Apart from these, I
also enhance my skills and the knowledge. Moreover, I also refined my intellect and the
skills.
W (Weakness):
In our organization, I only gained knowledge regarding Human Resource. Few risky areas are
still there in our organization which I want to develop my knowledge. Still in me some skills
are left where I need to enhance my knowledge.
O (Opportunities):
As because I have good knowledge in technical skills,in future I hope I will get good
opportunities. Still I am getting numerous opportunities in management filed and its possible
only with the help of CPD.
T (threat):
Already I completed my CPD course. But still there are some people who are having more
knowledge and skills than me. All these individuals are the main threat for me.
Scope for improvement in Future
After completing my CPD, I am looking forward to a more prosperous career. I believe that
the skills of human resource management and personal growth that I have acquired from this
training program will be very beneficial for my growth as a professional as well as a person.
However, the process of learning is ever continuous and hence, I aim to continue to learn
about the latest progress in the field. This will help me grow and take the graph of my career
upwards.
In future, the aim is to learn about the technical aspects of the industry. I have realized that
one of the most important things that I can learn is about the technical aspects of the field.
This will help me to become a better manager not only for the people that I will work with in
my future but also for the systems that I will use in future to ease my work. I think it will be a
great thing if CPD courses can also integrate the studies about the technical tools available

for HR development and management that professionals can use in order to efficiently
perform operations and manage the employees of the company working with in future.
In my opinion, one of the biggest advantages of having CPD training is that apart from
helping a professional learn about the latest areas of development and improvement that are
available for HR professionals, it also allows them to have a more innovative and adaptive
attitude about the future. It allows them to understand about the methods and theories that
they can use in order to perform better. Further, it also trains them to learn about the different
aspects of the field and the numerous challenges that they are likely to face in future.
However, it can also help them in order to develop an understanding about the possible
opportunities that they have in future and make them prepared for the same (Snell, Morris
and Bohlander, 2015).
In my opinion, the CPD program should not only be limited to the management of people but
also focus on developing technologies and similar tools that can be used by HR professionals.
The program should also include workshops about the human psychology and include special
classes on body language and face reading. This can be very helpful for HR professionals as
it can help them understand the various types of human beings and the way they can manage
the conversations with each one of them. This can also direct the trainees to the right method
of handling difficult projects and deal with people who are not easy to please.
Finally, CPD has allowed me, along with a number of other professionals, to understand the
possibilities that lie ahead in the field of HR development and management and the various
processes and methods that can help them to promote personal and professional growth.
According to Bailey et al. (2018), the value that this course holds these days is unmatched
and opens a number of possibilities and offers multiple opportunities to the people who take
up this course. In my opinion, this course is mandatory for all HR professionals as it has the
power to shape their career and offer them a number of new opportunities and scope for
growth and development on a personal and professional level.
Activity 1
HR professionals are the people who are leading an organisation. This person helps in the
organisational development and provides strategic management practices for the employees
in loaded to increase the efficiency of the employees. Hence, it helps the organisation to
achieve the desired goal of the organisation. The prime role of the human resource is to

provide career planning and helps in its development process. If the career planning is
making focusing the CIPD map, it helps to reach the highest peak of the success (CIPD
Asia. 2018). The responsibility of the HR manager is divided into three sectors, namely,
staffing, defining the work and employee compensation and providing benefits. Especially
the purpose of the HR is to maximize the business of the organisation by enhancing
productivity and profitability and accomplishing effectively of the employees. The main roles
of human resource managers are-
 Analysing and designing job
 Recruitment and selection of the employees
 Training and development practices
 Managing performance of the employees
 Maintaining labour relation as well as managerial relation
There are some essential characteristics which should be present in the HR manager-
 Transparency
 Trustworthiness
 Purpose oriented
 Technology savvy
 Adaptability
 Versatility
 Solution oriented

Figure 1: Characters of the HR manager
(Source: Snell et al. 2015)
Activity 2
Group dynamics is the process of behaviours and the psychological process occurs within the
group. In HR practices group dynamics indicates the interaction forces between the members
of the group who belong to different social conditions. According to Tuckman's theory, there
are five stages for developing group dynamics, namely-
Forming- this stage is full old uncertainty and confusion, likewise, the goal of the
organisation has not established due to a different goal of the group.
Storming- in this stage, the group has faced the highest amount of conflicts as the members
of the groups often fight with each other for grabbing individual power.
Norming- this stage is differentiated by the identification of individual feelings and shared
their personal experiences.
Performing- this stage occurs when the group become mature and meet the feelings of
continuity.
HRMANAGERCHARACTERTRANSPARENCYADAPTABILITYVERSATILITYSOLUTIONORIENTEDTECHNOLOGYSAVVYPURPOSEORIENTED

Adjourning – all groups do not experience this developmental stage as it is characterised by
the dispersion of the groups.
Conflicts resolution is a necessary action to resolve the conflicts among the groups within the
organisation in order to enhance unity. It will help to increase the productivity of the
organisation. In this study, two strategies have been discussed related to conflict resolution-
Compromising and collaboration – compromising strategy helps to give up some
requirements of both parties for establishing a solution which will be accepted by all. On the
other hand, collaboration strategy is providing some idea by multiple people in order to find
out an acceptable solution.
Accommodating and avoiding – accommodating strategy is a necessary factor which
provides opposite solution against the want of the employees. On the other hand avoiding
strategy helps to avoid the conflicts situation as the avoider thoughts that the problem will be
solved without any interference.
Activity 3
According to me project management techniques are essential for making a framework for
the project. Some essential techniques of project management are as follows-
 Traditional project management
This kind of management includes simple techniques which are more acceptable to monitors
the entire process.
 Waterfall project management
This technique is associated with the traditional project management process. It helps the
team member to rely on each other decision and helps each other and apparently, builds a
team which will help to get more information and opportunity.
In the problem-solving process it is important to follow some techniques-
 Identifying issues
 Analysing the interest of every employee
 Evaluating the alternative solutions
 Selecting the suitable option

 Taking enough time for selecting the option
 Monitoring the acceptable option and prepare the documents of agreements.
Project management tools like grant chart, logic network help individual more
concentrated in the topic and it provides a unity and helps to build a team. On the other
hand, the problem-solving techniques help to reduce the negotiation and influenced the
employees and make the project best in comparison to the other project towards the
employees.
Activity 4
According to me, I need to develop my skills and knowledge in order to increase m
professional knowledge and time management skills and enhance self-confidence.

Goal and
Objectives to
develop myself
Type
of
Target
(Short/
Long)
Expected
Outcomes
Date of
Review
Initial
Strategy
(Last 6
Months)
Further
strategy
required
(For Next 6
Months)
Learni
ng
Resour
ces
Learning
Timeframe
To develop
technical
knowledge and
skills
Long
Term
I need to
learn more
regarding
the new
technology
related to
my field
30/11/20
18
I tried to
learn a
thing by
studying.
I need to
attain
seminars and
workshop
and apply the
learned skills
in practical
life
Online
videos
and
books,
worksh
op
2/6/2019
To become
more punctual
and confident
long-
term
Need to set
up a routine
and fix a
deadline for
finishing
the work
and meet
new people
20/11/20
18
Need to
follow the
routine
and need
to talk
with new
people
Increase the
assertiveness
23/7/2019
According to the plan I realised that I will be able to improve my skills and knowledge which
will be helpful for my future. On the other hand, time management skills and self-confidence
is the essential facto which will be helpful for professional life.

Conclusion:
Based on this project, it could be understood that the CPD is one of the effective tools for
enhancing the knowledge and skills in an individual. Moreover, most of the companies are
now using CPD for maintaining the competencies in their organization. In Various job sector,
CPD is playing a significantly role. With the help of CPD, most of the employee has
increased productivity in their organization. In this project, I have also mentioned about the
CPD programs which are helping the HR professionals. Moreover, in this project, I have
discussed my personal SWOT analysis for knowing about my progress. Further, the project
focuses on the future prospects that are offered by CPD and the scope of improvement that is
available both in the course as well as in my personal growth as a professional. The essay has
prese4nted a very detailed account of the possibilities and new areas that an HR professional
can achieve after completing this course.

References
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human resource management
practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Bailey, C., Mankin, D., Kelliher, C. and Garavan, T., 2018. Strategic human resource
management. Oxford University Press.
Belcourt, M. and McBey, K.J., 2016. Strategic human resources planning. Nelson Education.
Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
MacDougall, A.E., Bagdasarov, Z., Johnson, J.F. and Mumford, M.D., 2015. Managing
workplace ethics: An extended conceptualization of ethical sensemaking and the facilitative
role of human resources. In Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management (pp.
121-189). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Nel, P.S., Werner, A., Botha, C., Du Plessies, A., Mey, M., Ngalo, O., Poisat, P. and Van
Hoek, L., 2014. Human resources management. Oxford University Press Southern Africa.
Petrick, J., 2017. Total quality in managing human resources. Routledge.
Snell, S., Morris, S. and Bohlander, G.W., 2015. Managing human resources. Nelson
Education.
CIPD Asia. (2018). Profession Map for HR and L&D | CIPD Asia. [online]
Available at: https://www.cipd.asia/learn-develop-connect/career-
management/cipd-profession-map [Accessed 5 Dec. 2018].