People Management and Reflective Practice: An Essay Analysis

This essay delves into the critical aspects of people management and reflective practice within a work environment. It emphasizes the importance of understanding employee needs and fostering a positive atmosphere to enhance job satisfaction and productivity. The essay explores various strategies for effective people management, including self-assessment and the integration of employee feedback. Furthermore, it provides a reflective analysis of the significance of these concepts in the author's own work life, highlighting the impact of reflective practice on professional development and team dynamics. The essay concludes by underscoring the vital role of people management in organizational success, emphasizing the need for employers to prioritize employee satisfaction and create conditions conducive to seamless work processes. The essay is supported by relevant references and research findings.

Running head: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
People Management and Reflective Practice
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
Introduction
Employment is one of the main requirements in the life of an individual. It signifies the
ability of a person to change the living standard of himself and herself with the money that is
earned as a result of being employed1. However, employment simply does not mean the
transaction of monetary resources from the employers to the employees. It depends much on the
atmosphere of the work place and also upon how effectively the different managers are able to
keep the employees happy and satisfied. As a result of this, the factor of people management
plays a significant role within the work place of the employees. There are different strategies that
can be adopted in order to keep the employees content in their place of work2. This essay tries to
understand the importance of the aspect of people management and how it impacts the work life
of the employees to a considerable degree. Furthermore, the essay shows a reflective analysis of
the significance of this idea within my own work life. The essay concludes with the importance
of such people management within the work environment of the people.
Concept of People Management
The aspect of people management refers to the ability of an individual to be able to
understand the different requirements of the concerned people and to ensure that such
requirements are met in an effective manner3. This understanding usually develops as a result of
the feedback which are received from different people. In other words, the managers try to
introduce a particular frame work of work functioning within the concerned employees. In the
1 Noe, Raymond A., John R. Hollenbeck, Barry Gerhart, and Patrick M. Wright. Human resource management:
Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2017.
2 Shields, John, Michelle Brown, Sarah Kaine, Catherine Dolle-Samuel, Andrea North-Samardzic, Peter McLean,
Robyn Johns, Patrick O'Leary, Jack Robinson, and Geoff Plimmer. Managing employee performance & reward:
Concepts, practices, strategies. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
3 Campbell, John D., and James V. Reyes-Picknell. Uptime: Strategies for excellence in maintenance management.
Productivity Press, 2015.

2PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
process of such introduction of a frame work, the employers should be able to put themselves in
the place of the employees and understand their emotions and feelings while trying to work
under such an atmosphere. This requires the managers to be able to explore their activities,
examine their behavior while dealing with the people and also appraising themselves while
trying to motivate the employees to work in an efficient manner4. The aspect of people
management is therefore considered to be important from this respect. It enables the employers
to understand the employees to a great extent, thereby reducing any potential threat to the level
of productivity that might arise as a result of the dissatisfaction of the employees.
Idea of Reflective Practice
The aspect of reflective practice has been defined by many different authors due to its
importance. Reflective practice is defined to be the internal practice of a human being which
enables the development of the person in the daily activities that are undertaken by him and her5.
The main aim of reflective practice thus can be understood is to aid in the internal development
of the individual so that the surrounding environment can be developed consequently. In this
manner, the aspect of reflective practice is quite important for a work place as it aids in the
learning process of the concerned managers and the employers which further leads to the
development of the interrelation among the employers and the employees. This follows from the
fact that the employers can critically analyze their situation by themselves in an effective manner
after receiving the respective feedback from their employees. The employees are kept happy in
4 Brueller, Nir N., Abraham Carmeli, and Gideon D. Markman. "Linking merger and acquisition strategies to
postmerger integration: a configurational perspective of human resource management." Journal of Management 44,
no. 5 (2018): 1793-1818.
5 Gunasekaran, Angappa, Nachiappan Subramanian, and Yahaya Yusuf. "Strategies and practices for inclusive
manufacturing: twenty-first-century sustainable manufacturing competitiveness." (2018): 490-493.

3PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
turn, as they realize that their feedbacks have been taken in to consideration and are being
diligently worked upon6.
Importance of Reflective Practice
Reflective practice proved to be important to develop my level of professionalism. In the
attempt to understand the framework provided by Kolb, it can be seen that for the effective
implementation for the reflective practice it is first important to take in to consideration the
different feedbacks and opinions provided by the other concerned individuals7. This initially
proved to be a great challenge for me. I was not able to come to terms with the fact that the
feedback provided by the other people had to be implemented in such a manner that it would
bring about a change in my personality itself. In this regard, I found it difficult to imbibe
opinions for quite a considerable period of time. Gradually, the people working around me
started to be dissatisfied with my work ability8. The expected level of production started to
decline at a rapid rate at this hampered by work ability and the success rate. As a result, I found it
was necessary to have a self-assessment so that the needed changes can be brought about in order
to boost the level of production. I explored the different activities undertaken by me and tried to
analyze the feedbacks provided by the other people. I then attempted to implement these changes
in the work process and found out that the happiness of the other concerning individuals
increased to a significant extent. They were kept satisfied and consequently, they started to
increase the level of production in an incremental manner. In this regard, I observed that people
management is significantly important in the context of managing a work place.
6 American Diabetes Association. "1. Strategies for improving care." Diabetes care 39, no. Supplement 1 (2016): S6-
S12.
7 Canton, Lucien G. Emergency management: Concepts and strategies for effective programs. Wiley, 2019.
8 Williams, Chuck. Effective management. Cengage Learning, 2015.

4PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
My own reflection
This proved to be important in the context of the work that my team was required to
indulge in. Our team was required to create an assignment in the field of understanding of the
employees and this understanding was developed as a result of the feedback that was received
from the tutor in how our work was progressing9. The self-assessment that followed after
receiving such feedback enabled our team members to understand what the various places were
where we lacked and therefore could not perform in an effective manner. The usage of the
learning logs and the Gibbs Reflective Cycle supported me to bring about important changes
within myself so that the work atmosphere could be kept friendly and comfortable for the
working of my team mates10. The ability of each individual to carry out an activity of self-
assessment is considered to be important due to the fact that the environment of a work place
depends on the capability of the people to work in a cohesive manner11. This aids in the increase
of the effectiveness of the working of the organization by boosting the process of production.
In this process, I have learnt to constantly question my direction and motives while trying
to make other people work for me. I try to ensure that the advices I give are aligned with the
interest of those who are working alongside me. The necessary aim is to realize that without the
employees the managers do not have the ability to ensure the growth of their organization12.
Employees constitute one of the most important elements for the growth of a business. They are
9 Kearney, Richard. Public sector performance: management, motivation, and measurement. Routledge, 2018.
10 Bohlmann, Clarissa, Jeroen van den Bosch, and Hannes Zacher. "The relative importance of employee green
behavior for overall job performance ratings: A policy‐capturing study." Corporate Social Responsibility and
Environmental Management 25, no. 5 (2018): 1002-1008.
11 Nie, Youyan, Bee Leng Chua, Alexander Seeshing Yeung, Richard M. Ryan, and Wai Yen Chan. "The
importance of autonomy support and the mediating role of work motivation for well‐being: Testing self‐
determination theory in a Chinese work organisation." International Journal of Psychology 50, no. 4 (2015): 245-
255.
12 Christensen, Robert K., Laurie Paarlberg, and James L. Perry. "Public service motivation research: Lessons for
practice." Public Administration Review 77, no. 4 (2017): 529-542.

5PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
the ones who undertake the important work of production. The increase in the level of production
ensures that the sales volume of the organization rises. This in turn leads to the rise in the profit
margin of the organization, ensuring the growth and development of the business. This important
factor was needed to be understood by me and for this, I had imbibed the process of self-
assessment within my team members. All of them were required to evaluate their personality and
behavior from the various feedbacks that were received from the tutor and from the other people
who were involved in the work place. This enabled my team mates to resolve all the existing
problems to the extent that everyone was able to work in a harmonious and synchronous manner.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be observed that the development of a personal log is quite
important for the reflective practice that is needed. In this respect, there is a need on the part of
the different employers around the various business organizations to engage in a self-evaluative
practice whereby they are able to understand that development in their personality is needed to
keep the employers satisfied. This becomes essential for employees as it is their hard work which
is needed for the efficient growth in the process of production. For every human being, the factor
of employment is necessary as it provides them with the much needed monetary means. This in
turn enables them to increase their standard of living. The satisfaction of the material wants of
the people if the most important requirement for the individuals. The more they have access to
materials of the life, the more their standard of living increases. As a result, the employers should
understand that being employed is a necessity for both of them. In this manner, it is important
that the employers are able to encourage proper conditions in the work atmosphere so that the
work can be done in a seamless manner. This can be done with the help of people management.

6PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
People management allows the employers to be considerate and more modest towards the
working of the employees and ensure their much needed satisfaction.
References:
American Diabetes Association. "1. Strategies for improving care." Diabetes care 39, no.
Supplement 1 (2016): S6-S12.
Bohlmann, Clarissa, Jeroen van den Bosch, and Hannes Zacher. "The relative importance of
employee green behavior for overall job performance ratings: A policy‐capturing
study." Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 25, no. 5 (2018): 1002-
1008.
Brueller, Nir N., Abraham Carmeli, and Gideon D. Markman. "Linking merger and acquisition
strategies to postmerger integration: a configurational perspective of human resource
management." Journal of Management 44, no. 5 (2018): 1793-1818.
Campbell, John D., and James V. Reyes-Picknell. Uptime: Strategies for excellence in
maintenance management. Productivity Press, 2015.
Canton, Lucien G. Emergency management: Concepts and strategies for effective programs.
Wiley, 2019.
Christensen, Robert K., Laurie Paarlberg, and James L. Perry. "Public service motivation
research: Lessons for practice." Public Administration Review 77, no. 4 (2017): 529-542.
Gunasekaran, Angappa, Nachiappan Subramanian, and Yahaya Yusuf. "Strategies and practices
for inclusive manufacturing: twenty-first-century sustainable manufacturing competitiveness."
(2018): 490-493.

7PEOPLE MANAGEMENT AND REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
Kearney, Richard. Public sector performance: management, motivation, and measurement.
Routledge, 2018.
Nie, Youyan, Bee Leng Chua, Alexander Seeshing Yeung, Richard M. Ryan, and Wai Yen
Chan. "The importance of autonomy support and the mediating role of work motivation for well‐
being: Testing self‐determination theory in a Chinese work organisation." International Journal
of Psychology 50, no. 4 (2015): 245-255.
Noe, Raymond A., John R. Hollenbeck, Barry Gerhart, and Patrick M. Wright. Human resource
management: Gaining a competitive advantage. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2017.
Shields, John, Michelle Brown, Sarah Kaine, Catherine Dolle-Samuel, Andrea North-Samardzic,
Peter McLean, Robyn Johns, Patrick O'Leary, Jack Robinson, and Geoff Plimmer. Managing
employee performance & reward: Concepts, practices, strategies. Cambridge University Press,
2015.
Williams, Chuck. Effective management. Cengage Learning, 2015.