Unit 3: Developing Manager: Leadership, Skills, and Development Report

This report, focused on 'Developing Manager' skills, provides a comprehensive analysis of management styles, leadership characteristics, and organizational culture within the context of the tourism industry. It compares the management approaches of Thomas Cook and Cosmos Tours, evaluating communication processes, and organizational culture changes. The report also includes a self-assessment of the author's management skills, a SWOT analysis of their personal strengths and weaknesses, and a discussion of career development needs, objectives, and targets. Furthermore, it explores the practical application of leadership and motivation within a team setting and justifies managerial decisions made to support achievement of goals. The report concludes with a reflection on personal and managerial skills essential for career advancement and the creation of a personal development plan.

UNIT 3 The Developing
Manager

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Compare two organisations to compare different management styles..................................1
1.2 Leadership characteristics within two organisations.............................................................2
1.3 Evaluation of communication processes in Thomas Cook...................................................3
1.4 analyse organisational culture and its changes......................................................................4
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................5
2.1 assessment of management skills performance as a manager...............................................5
2.2 analyse personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.......................................6
2.3 objectives and targets to develop our potential as a prospective manager............................7
Task 3...............................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Lead and motivate a team to achieve an agreed goal or objective........................................8
3.2 justify managerial decisions made to support achievement of agreed goal or objective......9
Task 4...............................................................................................................................................9
4.1 managerial and personal skills to support career development.............................................9
4.2 career and personal development needs, current performance and future needs to produce
development plan......................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Developing management skills is one of the difficult activities many organisations faces
These skills attract candidates, drive their performance and play a key role in maximising
employees. Some developing management skills of a manager; the ability to get work done,
ability to direct attention. (Engen, Kanske and Singer, 2018)
For further explanation on developing management, Thomas Cook Group and Cosmos Tours
will be considered. Thomas Cook is a British Global Tourism Company that has a number of
tour operators as well as airlines established in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and
Scandinavia. Cosmos tours is a UK tour operator with a range of holiday packages for the UK
market.
In this report different management styles, leadership characteristics of any two organisations,
SWOT analysis, set targets as a manager, managerial and personal skills, and personal
development will be going to be explained.
TASK 1
1.1 Compare two organisations to different management styles
Management includes activity of planning, recognising, and organizing work to achieve
objectives. Different situations have different management styles. Most managers have a
common style, but to be effective in multiple situations they switch their style. All management
styles are classified by three major types such as Autocratic, Democratic and Laissez-Faire:
1. Autocratic style: - This management style is the most controlling. Autocratic
style is further categorised in authoritative, persuasive and paternalistic. This style
is adapted by Cosmo tours as managers take all decisions at workplace. Employee
ideas and efforts are not encouraged or essential(Whetten and Cameron, 2014).
Their roles and projects are clearly defined and employees are expected to work
according to these directions. Those who are new, unskilled, as they need
direction and motivation are benefit from this style of management.
2. Democratic style: - Democratic management style consists of managers taking
decisions with the help of employees but for making final decision they are
responsible. Thomas Cook follows this style as workers ideas are encouraged, but
are not necessary. This type of style is flexible with the advantages of various
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perspective involved in decision-making. As workers are given more importance
than managers to take decision. This increases their motivation.
Management styles change by organization, level of management, and even from individual. One
who can adjust their management style to suit different environments and workers is a good
manager.
1.2 Leadership characteristics within two organisations
Becoming a great leader is one of the most effective ways to show your unique value and
dedication as a professional in this dynamical field. These two tourism operators adapt different
leadership characteristics, some of them are mentioned:
 Commitment: - To be successful in the hospitality and tourism industry, a leader must
be committed to ensure customer satisfaction. Both leaders of the organisation i.e.
Thomas Cook and Cosmos Travel follow this feature of leadership as they both keep
customers happy and also make repeat business(Butler, O'Broin, Lee and Senior, 2016)..
 Adaptability: - Adaptable leaders are not afraid of any work. Leaders who can adjust to
changes own great people skills. Versatile hospitality and tourism are ready to handle any
task. Leaders of both the organisations are adaptable in every situation.
 Communication Skills: - Superior in communication skills, results in successful
hospitality enterprise. Leaders in both the organisations follow this skill for successful
hospitality. They communicate effectively both in oral and written way.
 Interpersonal Skills: - Leaders must have top-level interpersonal skills, for success in
hospitality. As the nature of the business organization is to provide the best service to its
customers. This characteristic of leadership is adapted by both the organisations.
 Team oriented: - As a team leader, it is important to develop as an individual in the
tourism industry. Team leader work effectively with everyone in the enterprise, from
employees to managers, clients and guests. Leaders in both organisations are team
oriented. They conduct weekly schedules to staff the hotel or event, and they solve
conflicts between employees.
 Passionate: - To keep tourism industry growing and improving, leaders in hospitality
management must be passionate. Passionateness takes form of excitement, energy,
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kindness that will make a difference for a leader and your clients. Both practice and
commitment are important to become an effective leader. Thomas Cook leaders are more
passionate as compared to the leaders of Cosmos tourism.
1.3 Evaluation of communication processes in Thomas Cook
Communication is highly important to individuals and organisations. Effective
communication leads to the success of the organisation and its achievements. These consider
written, verbal and an understanding of non-verbal communication(Carlos Pinho, Paula
Rodrigues and Dibb, 2014).. Function of communication is the transmission of information from
an individual or group to another. Communication process is successful only when the receiver
understands the information provided by the sender. Both sender and receiver must agree on the
information sent and its meaning.
Thomas cook communication process is as follows:
 Transmitter: - Transmitter role is to send ideas, information, from a person to another or
a group. The form of idea, whether simple or hard, is formed by assumptions based on
the sender's experiences. The ability to exactly predict how a message will affect receiver
in adapting it is key factors in successful communication.
 Encoding: - Encoding of an idea in message is the second step in the communication
process. This means transforming idea into words. In verbal communication, a major
problem in communicating message is that words have different meanings for different
people. In selecting proper symbols, Thomas Cook Tour Operators must be alert to the
receiver's communication skills, attitudes, experiences and taste.
 Channels: - The medium by which the message is transmitted is called channel.
Messages may be conveyed by computer, telephone, cell phone, letter, report, picture,
spoken, fax, Web page, or through any other channel. Anything that disturbs the
transmission of a message while communicating is called noise(Biancamaria,
Lettenmaier and Pavelsky, 2016).
 Decoding message by the receiver: - A person for whom message was intended is called
the receiver. Converting the message from its symbol form into meaning involves
decoding. Receiver successfully decodes the message only when he understands its
meaning. Decoding can be interrupted by the receiver's lack of interest or attention or
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bias against the sender. In an organisation such success is often difficult to achieve
because people does not share the same experiences.
 Feedback: - The verbal and non-verbal communication between the sender and the
receiver creates feedback. Feedback helps the sender to know that the message was
delivered and understood.
1.4 analyse organisational culture and its changes
The organizational culture is the faith of the organisation that are accepted by customer
and shared by employees. The organisational culture is the advantage of the company, it creates
an understanding of the company's opportunities and restrictions. It can also be used to achieve
internal control. The organizational culture is made up of the habits, working beliefs and
organisational values. There are different cultures in the large companies, still the common
characteristics of faith and belief existed in the Thomas Cook management team. The common
beliefs shared by the members in the system are the soul of organization culture. It is a kind of
thought mode which is accepted by each other about the organisation(Carlos Pinho, Paula
Rodrigues and Dibb, 2014). People and groups interact with each other, including partner, clients
and employees In the organisational culture. The power of organizational culture cannot be
neglected, because it motivates employees, attracts clients and boost the cooperation with
partners. This is Thomas Cook company's mission and their organisational culture are perfect,
responsible and passionate. Perfection involves quality, safety and comfort. Responsibility
includes customer care and satisfaction, feasible and innovation. Passionate involves design
essence and lifestyle.
The impact of organisational culture determines the survival or failure of the tourism
company. The critical analysis about its impact on management is based on 4 aspects i.e.
customers, partners, corporal social responsibility and employees. We can admit that the
organizational culture has positive effect on customers(Carlos Pinho, Paula Rodrigues and Dibb,
2014). A strong organisational culture will surely attract the customer and make commitment to
the organisation. Employees are affected by organizational culture i.e. how to do tasks and set
objectives. Only when employees accommodate the organizational culture, they fulfil the job.
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TASK 2
2.1 assessment of management skills performance as a manager
I am working as an Assistant Manager of Clayton Crown Hotel London a brand of
Dalata Hotel Group. As a hotel manager I play a key role in running a hotel efficiently and
therefore I need a number of skills to succeed. I know great customer experience cannot be
improved in a day. As a manager my responsibilities are; plan and coordinate accommodation,
catering and other services, monitor maintenance, supplies, renovations and furnishings, dealing
customer complaints and comments etc.
Assessment of my managerial skills performance in several core areas are as follows:
 Customer Relations: to keep customers and guest happy,
a. I pay close attention to their requirements
b. Review their feedback
c. Spend time resolving issues, contributing a personal touch
d. I use innovative methods to boost the guest experience
e. I am always aware of the latest technology trends in hospitality and use them to make
customer relation.
 Branding and Reputation Management:- the impact of positive or very negative
reviews through online reviews and social media can no longer be ignored. Therefore, as
a hotel manager I pay more attention on online reputation management and branding.
a. I manage hotel's online presence and track reviews of the customers.
b. Respond to every negative review politely.
c. Ensure guest enquiry receive a timely response.
 Excellent Role Model:- as a manager I know that there is direct relationship between
satisfied employees and happy guests. Insulting or disinterested staff behaviours may
cause guests to leave a hotel and never return.
a. I help employees to develop their skills, identify their talent.
b. Create a positive work environment to motivate them.
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 Superior communication and interpersonal skills, especially when handling with speakers
of other languages.
 I have a friendly personality, with a genuine feeling to help and satisfy others.
2.2 analyse personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
The SWOT analysis is a well-known approach. The manager requires investigating the
internal Strengths and Weaknesses of their own, (Bentley, Lambert and Wang, 2017.)and then to
consider the external Opportunities and Threats they are facing.
This personal SWOT analysis will give a short overview of my strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats as a manager in hotel industry:
 Strengths
a. Non-substitutable: as a manager I have understood one thing that people will never stop
travelling completely. Being working in hospitality sector, it is my great strength.
b. Effective communication skills: By communicating effectively with employees, customers,
partners helps to improve the interaction between the organisation. With the help of great
communication skills customer satisfaction level increases which results in organisation profit.
c. Managerial skills: With these skills, I can improve employees development skills and also
motivate them to perform well for the organisation.
d. I can easily make strategical decisions for tough situations as well as can predict upcoming
future threats in Clayton Crown Hotel because of my accurate thinking ability.
 Weaknesses
a. I have high dependency on tourists, which are highly delicate to political events.
b. Tend to be inactive instead of proactive.
c. Due to lack of confidence, I sometimes fail to deal with big organisation.
 Opportunities
a. I believe my ability to interact with different regional customers in different languages is an
opportunity for me to build long term customer relation.
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b. Rapid increase in my various type of skills in hospitality, is an opportunity for me to be a
manager of many bigger hotels.
 Threats
a. Time management skills: due to lack of my time management skills, I could be rejected easily
by any organisation.
b. Due to lack of self confidence in me, I am not able to interact with high level organisations.
This will not allow me to adjust in top level organisation.
2.3 objectives and targets to develop our potential as a prospective manager
As an Assistant Manager of Clayton Crown Hotel, I have many responsibilities to
manage multiple tasks which require my self confidence in every situation. As a manager I have
to develop my potential by setting objectives and targets to achieve my goal.
Developing my own potential:-
 I need to improve my time management skills, as without good time management skills
managers can easily fail to perform their responsibilities. It is very helpful skill to deal
with difficult situations, meeting deadlines, etc. I can follow a schedule that can help me
to adapt changes and therefore I can use the time to get the important things done.
 I should set objectives by planning proper time in realistic way to obtain benefits. This
involves what goals I want to achieve, figure out the end results and take the steps to
completion.
 As a manager I need to prioritise my tasks which will enable me to up to date with all the
latest technologies currently in action.
 Effective authorisation: This will enable me to concentrate on managing, making sure
that the resources are used at the right time, to give time to updating my own tasks.
 I should work to get an adequate understanding that what is necessary to complete a task
with a given time.
 I should use my time effectively to have more control over daily activities.
 I should identify all business risks and make a tactical and strategic plan to resolve the
risks through active management skills.
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Task 3
3.1 Lead and motivate a team to achieve an agreed goal or objective
As a manager of Frankie & Benny's restaurant, and as I want to open a new restaurant in
Stratford, London. I am going to motivate my team members to achieve this goal. Tangible motivation:- when staff is motivated to work as a team, they become productive
and feel independent. Sharing profit is the first tool to use. It is highly motivating that
enables staff to work continuously in business. Every employee knows that the more the
restaurant earns, the higher their salary will be. Reward system:- by creating reward system, it could be a bonus to the best waiter of the
month or it could be a reward to the chef who makes the best dish. Personal training:- I will present a system of mentoring, develop an internship programs
for new employees and attract other specialist from well known organisations. I will
conduct various courses for cooks, waiters and staff, where they can gain new
knowledge. Bonuses:- I will pay regular bonuses for overtime workers, will enhance their positive
effect. I will provide them a sense of security from unfair decisions. Employees will feel
happy and motivated. Staff motivation tips:- I will encourage the work of each employee, which will enable
them to do something new without the fear of failure. Will take their opinions on the
concept of the cuisine.
 Opportunities to grow:- I will provide various tasks to employees, which will create an
opportunity for them to grow.
3.2 justify managerial decisions made to support achievement of agreed goal or objective
Managerial skills are important in leadership and in an organisation, also in decision
making. As a manager before making a decision, will make a strategy containing the rules,
regulations and directions. These regulations will help everyone to decide on a matter quickly.
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They will be inspired to add something new to the process and development of the group. All
they need is a guide and with it, they will feel confident in dealing with issues of the restaurants.
Managerial decision making can make or break an organization.
As a manager, managerial decision making is critical because due to any wrong move can
ruin restaurants working and the staff. There are two decision making strategies i.e. plus-minus-
interesting and the cost benefit method. These strategies involve measuring the advantages and
disadvantages before making any decision. Decision making is one of the most critical
managerial skills because it involves the final executing of a well-thought plan. With such
managerial skills like sound decision making, I will assist my team in achieving its goals. Strategic Planning: To make restaurant run successfully and effectively is my main aim.
For this strategical planning of activities and responsibilities need to be done. To achieve
the agreed goal of the organisation I will develop strategic decision making process
which will lead to effective running of the organisation.
 Enhance employees knowledge: As a manager I will conduct seminars for chefs and
waiters to learn new techniques and methods of working. Arrange meetings and get
together for staff members to polish their relation.
Task 4
4.1 managerial and personal skills to support career development
To support career development plan managerial and personal skills are necessary in
tourism sector. As a manager, it is not easy to manage a group of people. By improving my
personal skills I can manage people in a way I want. When we talk about managerial skills, it
means skill of a manager to maintain high efficiency in the way how employees complete their
everyday tasks. Following skill I will be needed to manage my employees, customers and
technologies:
 Technical skills:- this will provide me knowledge of different techniques to achieve what
I want to achieve. Technical skills are not only for machines, production tools or other
equipment, but also required to increase sales, design different types of packages and
services for different customers. These skills are most important for me.
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 Conceptual skills:- this will improve my ability for more ideal thinking. In such a way I
will be able to predict future of tourism sector. The conceptual skills will help me to look
outside my company. And will make decisions which will satisfy more customers and
overall company's goal.
 Interpersonal managerial skills:- one of the most difficult task as a manger in tourism
sector is to work with different people. Without people, there will not be a necessity for
the existence of management and managers. These skills will allow me to become leader
and motivate employees for better action.
 Time managing skills:- by improving my time management skills, I can gain success in
my career. This skill will enable me to complete each task on time.
 Communication skills:- good communication skills lead to better relationship with the
customers, employees and other team members. Improvement in these skills will enhance
my career.
Career Development Plan
Goal action resources duration
Communication
skills
development
Attending board
meetings and
tourism training
program
Seminars,
meetings, internet
2 months
Up grading
decision making
skills
Will conduct
meetings and
seminars related
to tourism with
members in
Thomas cook
Seminars,
computers
3 months
Leadership skills Study strategic
and motivational
concepts
Internet, books 1 month
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