Professional Identity and Practice: Importance of Professional Development in Career Enhancement

This report discusses the importance of professional and personal development in career enhancement, skills needed by employers of IHG for the post of Senior Manager, and different learning theories and approaches used for personal and professional development. It also includes a critical evaluation of personal abilities, skills, and competencies for a job role in the organization, and a development plan to enhance chosen skills and competencies within a specific work context.

Professional Identity
and Practice

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
TASK ..............................................................................................................................................3
Overview of Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts ......................................................................3
Importance of professional and personal development in career enhancement .........................4
Skills needed by employer of IHG for post of Senior Manager ................................................4
A critical evaluation of your own abilities, skills and competences for one of the job roles in
the organisation, using at least two self-evaluation models to undertake an audit of your hard
and soft skills...............................................................................................................................5
A review of the range of different learning theories and approaches used for personal and
professional development. ..........................................................................................................7
Consideration of the best development approaches to enhance your own professional and
personal development..................................................................................................................8
Evaluation of the importance of on-going professional development and the associated
professional skills requirements within a specific organizational context. ................................9
Evaluation of own skills and competences and the most appropriate developmental approach
to develop personal and professional skills for a specific job role.............................................9
Critical evaluation of own skills and competencies to meet the employer expectation of
professional skills required for employment within a specific job role. ..................................10
Task 2 ............................................................................................................................................10
Construct a development plan to enhance your chosen skills and competencies within a
specific work context. ..............................................................................................................10
Provide a detailed development plan that applies underpinning learning and development
theory in a specific work context. ............................................................................................12
Produce a comprehensive development plan that sets out clear and achievable targets,
strategies and outcomes of learning and training within a specific work context.....................12
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................12

REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14
INTRODUCTION
Self evaluation of skills is important in order to grab opportunities in professional career. It is
needed to have relevant skills so that existing employees can achieve professional career
development. The term professional development may be referred as the process of identifying
and acquiring new skills which helps in self growth and development a6t work. It may lead to
change in job and promotion or in simple words doing better in an existing job position. As
pandemic have affected almost every business industry and it becomes complex for business
concerns to operate business due to dynamic and competitive environment. This project report is
based on Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts. I was working as an Associate manager there and
looking for job promotion in existing company. (Avalos-Rivera, 2020) This report will include a
brief overview of company and evaluation of importance and benefits of undertaking
professional development and how it can contribute in career advancement. Further, it will cover
sills needed and learning theories and approaches along with competencies.
TASK
Overview of Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts
IHG is a British Multinational multinational Hospitality company, headquartered in Denham,
England. It is a hospitality based company and was founded in 2003 by Juan Trippe. As per
2021, it have net worth of approximately $2.907 billion. IHG is one of the leading company
working in more than 100 countries in order to deliver true hospitality. It consist of various well
known brand that are loved by millions of consumer across the world. It believes that
international tour and travelling should be alluring. It provides luxury rooms and best customer
experience. It is world's first internation hotel brand and pioneer new destination for decades. It
provides hospitality services to customers in every corner of globe. (Chien, 2019)
Importance of professional and personal development in career enhancement
 Increase Retention – Professional development can be opted by conducted training and
development sessions in order to make employees productive and motivated at work

place. By offering professional development to employees shows that company focus
caring of employee well being and this leads to increased retention. It makes smoother to
attain organisational goals in an effective and efficient manner.
 Builds confidence and credibility- It is needed to fill gaps of employees in which theyr
are lacking. By providing professional development opportunities facilitates in filling
those gaps along with boost confidence at workplace. It also helps in building credibility
as to acquire new set of skills. (Dellaportas and et.al., 2019)
 Makes succession planning easier -By delivering professional development programmes,
it facilitates in training of future leaders at organisation. Rather than recruiting extra staff
from outside, company can focus on promoting employees within organisation so as to
make feel valued part of company. Employees can master their skills by opting training
and development programmes and can shape development of leaders.
 Re-energize staff -By providing professional development programmes, it helps in
breaking up of monotony and allows in re-energize of staff's creativity. It helps staff in
gaining new skills and can take into consideration while translating approach towards
job.
 Improved efficiency – Apart from gaining new skills, it also helps in seeking new
opportunities which they can use in existing career. It leads in increased efficiency of
employees as well as makes them more productive at workplace.
Skills needed by employer of IHG for post of Senior Manager
 Communication skill – In order to become a senior manager at IHG, it is needed to have
effective communication skill so that he can enhance guest experience as it reflects that
manager is listening them and valuing their feedback along with conveying message. It
will help IHG in increased customer loyalty as well as increased business and hotel
becomes more successful. It is needed to have this skill as it allows to communicate with
employees as well as customers in order yo provide better customer service experience.
 Time management skill -Employer of Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts demands to
have better time management skill as it helps in striking rIHGt balance between staff and
work in order to make things and process quicker and efficiently. This skill plays a
crucial role in hospitality industry as in case of it is the responsibility of senior manager
to allocate staff and manage time with other activities so as to make customers satisfied.

It enhances coverall productivity along with providing better customer satisfaction.
Manager can prioritise work and based on that assign duties for effective working.
 Critical thinking skill -It is important to have this skill in order to fill vacant job position
of Senior Manager at Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts. This skill will help company in
solving issues and concerns of both customers and employees. In many situation,
manager encounters with issues and it is needed to analyse cause and find best possible
alternative in order to eliminate negative impact. By having this skill, it will help in
solving customers queries and concerns and takes immediate action so as to solve their
concerns. (Feryok and Askaribigdeli, 2019)
 Conflict resolving skill -This skill is needed to fill vacant job position at Intercontinental
Hotels and Resorts. Many times due to several issues, conflict arise among employees
and lower down productivity. It is needed to resolve conflict or it will negative impact in
their performance. There should be complete harmony among employees so that they can
work as a team rather than individual. It helps company in preventing problems that can
be costly and publicly damaging. It strengthens relationship within organisation by fixing
existing problems. It facilitates in declining friction which damages working relationship
of employees. Employer of Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts demand this skill as it
enables in collaborating better with subordinates and strengthens working relationship.
A critical evaluation of your own abilities, skills and competences for one of the job roles in the
organisation, using at least two self-evaluation models to undertake an audit of your hard
and soft skills
It is very important for the individual to analyse the skills in order to perform the various
activities in the job role. this plays a major role in developing the strategies to be effective. A self
reflection in the won skills and abilities where there are required soft skills and hard skills to
perform the different functions. This can be analysed by using the personal swot analysis which
is discussed below:
Strength weaknesses
 The main strength which I have is that I  The one of the weakness which I have

am able to maintain the good
relationship with my managers and
other employees. I am a person where I
am interested in sharing and exploring
new ides in order to be effective and
efficient while working for a project
and any task.
 The another strength which I have is
that I am able to manage effectively as
I am working since last 2 years with the
intercontinental hotels and resort as a
associate manager. Here I can handle
the all type of functions and activities
in order to achieve the goals and
objectives of the business organisation.
is that I am lacking in the leadership
skill which is very important in order to
achieve higher productivity and also I
need to learn in order to manage the
people.
 Also, there is the lack in the
adaptability to the changing
environment. As the changes in the
structure or procedures makes me
venous and I am unable to perform my
task in an effective and efficient
manner.
Opportunity Threat
 I can identify various opportunities in
order to enhance and develop my skills
as a senior manager within the
intercontinental hotel and resort. It is
very important for me to develop my
skills and abilities to achieve the higher
authority and position.
 I am also able to identify the career
development opportunities with the
intercontinental hotel and resort as
working with the other professionals
and enhancing to develop the personal
traits in order to manage effectively and
efficiently.
 Fear of competition is my major threat.
As, hotel Savoy has many roles which
have professional working so that, I
would not be able to compete them.
 The other threat is that I could not
develop effective strategies and make
decision at the time of complex
situation.

A review of the range of different learning theories and approaches used for personal and
professional development.
It is identified that there are various range of theories and approaches which help in the personal
and professional development of an individual. It is very important for the individual to focus on
different approaches in order to develop the skill, abilities and knowledge in an effective and
efficient manner. It is identified that the learning plays a major role in the development of an
individual which helps in developing career opportunities. The various theories and approaches
which are necessary in order to have the personal and professional development are discussed
below:
Learning theories
 Cognitive theory: This is the theory which is related to the development of an individual
in the increase in the mental thinking of an individual. This is the theory that helps the
individual to think out of the box and have the personal growth. It is sedan that if an
individual adopts this theory and manages the effective working the individual will be
able to think critically and work effectively and efficiently.
 Behaviourism theory- this is the theory where it is identified that it depends on the how
individual is able to think and create their behavior with having of the both internal and
external surroundings. It is identified that behavior is of a individual depends on the
various factors that how much the individual is able to adopt from the environment. It is
very important for an individual to have good behavior in order to perform the task in an
effective and efficient way. (Mellon, 2022)
Learning approaches
 Kolbs learning cycle- This is the model which is based on the learning model which is
being indulge with behavior and also enhancing and exploring the process of gaining
knowledge. This is the learning cycle which includes four steps. The first step involves
the learning which takes place from the past experiences. This helps the individual to

identify the new ideas. This will help in experimentation of the new ideas in an effective
and efficient manner.
 Honey Mumford model- This is the model where the learner demonstrate the different
four stages in order to carry out the learning process. The individual concentrate on being
activist, theorists, pragmatists, reflectors. This is the model where it explains that the
learners practice in order to gain knowledge. (Pierson, Goulding and Campbell-Meier,
2019)
It is identified that the approaches and theories is effective for an individual in order to
improve knowledge and adopt in the large competitive environment. It is very important for the
individual to consider the various approaches for the self development and enhancing the
productivity of achieving success and growth.
Consideration of the best development approaches to enhance your own professional and
personal development.
There are various development approaches which can enhance the personal and
professional development. It is very important for the individual to focus on the different aspects
which will help in enhancing skills in order to achieve success and growth. This is important for
the development in specialisation area. The various approaches are discussed below;
 Positive psychology- this is the most important for an individual in order to gain
competitive advantage. It is very essential that individual has a positive mind set where it
focus on achieving the objectives and goals. A positive attitude will always help in
achieving growth at higher level. The mindset and psychology helps in having a positive
behaviour in the development in personal and professional life.
 Reflective supervision- This is the another approach where my own self reflection and
practices will help me to achieve the more of the success and growth. This will help in a
any sing the different skills in order to develop the day to day activities in an effective
manner.
 Technical assistance- This is the another approach which helps the individual in
analysing the technical terms and offering of the information in the effective and efficient

manner. It is very important for the an individual to improve over the personal and
professional in terns of technical aspect.
Evaluation of the importance of on-going professional development and the associated
professional skills requirements within a specific organizational context.
It is very important that the process of the professional development talked place in order
to improve over the various technical and skill to develop the persona traits of an individual. It is
very important that an individual as professional skills requirement in order to work effectively
and efficiently. this enhancing in better working and achieving the goals and objectives in an
effective and efficient manner. (Steils, Moriarty and Manthorpe, 2021)
Evaluation of own skills and competences and the most appropriate developmental approach to
develop personal and professional skills for a specific job role.
From the above discussion it is identified that the best suitable development approach can
be the positive psychology where the individual will be able to identify the various aspect and
this is the way in which the positive attitude of an individual will help in achieving success and
growth in an effective and efficient manner. The personally traits of an individual in order to
develop personal skills which can be achieve in the job role which is as a senior manager in
hospitality industry.
Critical evaluation of own skills and competencies to meet the employer expectation of
professional skills required for employment within a specific job role.
It is identified that there are various skills required in order to perform the different
activities as a senior manager in the hospitality industry. It is very important to develop
communication skills in order to communicate with the customers and other staff members.
There is the requirement of leadership skill in order to manage the task of subordinates
effectively and efficiently. (Tarpey, 2021)

Task 2
Construct a development plan to enhance your chosen skills and competencies within a specific
work context.
Skills Ratings Targetted
ratings
Development
opportunities
Resources Time
frame
Cooking skills 6 10 The
development of
this cooking
skill can be
taken into
consideration by
identifying eth
different and
current trend in
the food and
beverages
industry which
will help in
analysing the
different aspect
in order to
satisfy the
customers needs
and wants.
There are
various
resources which
will be required
such as the
knowledge of
the expert and
various raw
material in
order to
develop
cooking skill in
an effective and
efficient
manner.
2-3
Months
Leadership
ability
6 10 This is the most
important skill
in order to
develop the
career in the
The theory of
cognitive will
help me to
develop my
critical thinking
3-6
Months

hospitality
industry and
achieve the
higher position
of a senior
manager. It is
very important
to learn how to
tackle the
subordinates and
lead the team in
an effective and
efficient way
ability to
enhance my
thinking ability.
Team work
skills
6 10 These skills are
mainly involve
in Savoy hotel
as they provide
many group task
in events,
conferences to
achieve their
targets. This will
help in
analysing the
team in better
way.
The Kolb's
learning cycle
will help me out
in analysing my
team in better
way. Through
which, I could
analyse my
ideas and
thoughts that
will enhance
my team skills.
5-10
Months

Provide a detailed development plan that applies underpinning learning and development theory
in a specific work context.
From the above development plan it is identified that there are various skills which need
to be development in order to achieve the goals and objectives in an effective and efficient
manner. In context of the work it is very important for an individual to develop various skills
which will enhance in the productivity of an individual. (Walder and et.al., 2022)
Produce a comprehensive development plan that sets out clear and achievable targets, strategies
and outcomes of learning and training within a specific work context
A comprehensive development plan has been made in order to perform the various
activities of the job role in the hospitality industry. There are various skills which can help an
individual to be effective and efficient and plan in order to achieve goals and objectives.
(Willetts and Garvey, 2020)
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that there are various skill required for an
individual to develop in order to achieve the success and growth in own job role. There are
various aspect which need to be considered in order to be effective and efficient. This will help
the individual to develop the personal and professional skills in order to manage the certain
activities. The personal swot analysis can help in identifying the own strength and weakness in
order to be effective learner. It is very important an individual focus on developing the skills in
an effective manner. This will help in career development within the job role in hospitality
industry.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Avalos-Rivera, A.D., 2020. The role of students in the professional identity negotiations of a
Mexican EFL teacher. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 19(5), pp.312-326.
Chien, C.W., 2019. Influence of training on Taiwanese elementary school English teachers’
professional identity construction. Research Papers in Education, 34(4), pp.499-520.
Dellaportas, S and et.al., 2019. Implications of a fragile professional identity on role behavior:
An exploratory case of an accountant fraudster. European accounting review, 28(4),
pp.659-679.
Feryok, A. and Askaribigdeli, R., 2019. A novice TESOL teacher’s professional identity and
evolving commitment. TESOL Journal, 10(4), p.e497.
Mellon, C., 2022. Lost and found: an exploration of the professional identity of primary teachers
during the Covid-19 pandemic. Journal for Multicultural Education.
Pierson, C.M., Goulding, A. and Campbell-Meier, J., 2019. An integrated understanding of
librarian professional identity. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication.
Steils, N., Moriarty, J. and Manthorpe, J., 2021. The clarity and contribution of the hospital
social work role: Observations on its professional identity. Practice, 33(4), pp.271-288.
Suh, E.K. and Owens, S., 2021. Seeking teacher-scholar-activists: A thematic analysis of
postsecondary literacy practitioner professional identity in practice. Teaching English in
the Two Year College, 49(1), pp.55-76.
Tarpey, P., 2021. ‘Dialogue not Decoration’–personal reflections on professional identity and
practice in English teaching. Changing English, 28(4), pp.370-383.
Walder, K and et.al., 2022. Understanding professional identity in occupational therapy: A
scoping review. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 29(3), pp.175-197.
Wang, C and et.al., 2020. Effects of professional identity on turnover intention in China's hotel
employees: The mediating role of employee engagement and job satisfaction. Journal of
Hospitality and Tourism Management, 45, pp.10-22.
Willetts, G. and Garvey, L., 2020. Constructing nurses' professional identity through group
performance. International journal of nursing practice, 26(6), p.e12849.