Report on Personal and Professional Development Plan (IHG)

This report delves into the realm of personal and professional development, focusing on self-managed learning and its impact on lifelong development. It explores various approaches to self-managed learning, evaluates its benefits for both individuals and employers within the context of the Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG). The report includes a self-assessment of current skills and competencies against professional standards, utilizing aptitude tests and SWOT analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Furthermore, it outlines a personal and professional development plan, discussing implementation processes, documenting development activities, and reflecting on learning outcomes. The report also covers interpersonal and transferable skills, along with effective time management strategies and communication techniques for work-based problem-solving.

PERSONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................1
1.1. Evaluation of approaches to self-managed learning............................................................1
1.2. Ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be
encouraged..................................................................................................................................2
1.3. Evaluation of benefits of self-managed learning.................................................................3
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................4
2.1. Evaluation of own current skills and competencies against professional standards and
organisational objectives.............................................................................................................4
2.2. Identification of own development needs and the activities required to meet them............7
2.3. Identification of development opportunities to meet current and future defined needs.......7
2.4. Devising a personal and professional development plan based on identified needs............7
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................8
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................8
3.1. Discussion of processes and activities required to implement the development plan........8
3.2. Undertake and document development activities as planned..............................................9
3.3. Critical reflection on own learning against original aims and objectives set in the
development plan......................................................................................................................10
3.4. Update the development plan based on feedback and evaluation......................................12
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................13
4.1. Selection of solutions to work based problems..................................................................13
4.2. Communication in a variety of styles and appropriate manner at various levels...............14
4.3. Evaluation and use effective time management strategies.................................................14
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................16
APPENDICES...............................................................................................................................18
Appendix 1................................................................................................................................18
Appendix 2................................................................................................................................18

INTRODUCTION
Personal and Professional Development refers to the area of practice, wherein the focus
of an individual is regarding achieving effective and essential improvisation within their
performance in their respective job roles (Wald and et. al., 2015). The report below is based on a
practical, personal self-assessment and development, which covers understanding how self-
managed learning can enhance lifelong development. Moreover, the report also covers
responsibility for own personal and development could be undertaken. In addition to this,
implementation and continuous review of own personal and professional development plan is
also undertaken. Furthermore, the report also demonstrates acquired interpersonal and
transferable skills.
TASK 1
LO 1
1.1. Evaluation of approaches to self-managed learning
Lifelong learning, also known as Continuous Professional Development, refers to a
continuous process of individuals to gain appropriate knowledge, The agenda behind this
improvement is to ensure enhancement in skills as well as experience which provides a person
effective structure in their personal as well as professional career. Furthermore, within a
hospitality organisation like Intercontinental Hotel Group, self-managed learning could
appropriately be effective in context of enhancing the competence of an individual who either are
pursuing or wish to pursue their career as a manager,
For Continuous Professional Development, there are several methods that could be used
appropriately in order to achieve the same. Some of these methods are evaluated below: Online Communities: With rise in digitalisation, one of the best methods through which
Self-managed learning could be acquired, is through online communities. This includes
several interactive virtual conferences, which allows aspiring managers to enhance their
learning by getting knowledge from experts in the same field, along with their effective
participation. The major advantage of this method is that it allows individuals to ensure
real-time training, as well as get spontaneous feedback. However, one inappropriate
aspect related to this method is that it requires effective internet connection, as well as
access to influential training experts to ensure improvement.
1

 Level Specific Training: This method is related to acquiring effective and essential
training regarding the level in which individuals would like to pursue their career from.
For instance, an individual wishing to be manager, would be acquiring appropriate
training related to that level. Advantage with this method for self-managed learning is
that it would allow the person to specifically acquire knowledge that would lead to
improvisation in competence regarding the certain job role. However, its disadvantage is
that it refrains the individual to enhance its knowledge in relation to the wider segments
of the careers within hospitality, which could be disadvantageous for their future.
 Conferences and Meetings: Another method leading to Continuous professional
development is that individuals must indulge in conferences and meetings which would
help them in acquiring knowledge that would enhance their familiarity with the
expectations and general guidelines of the job role. It is very much advantageous as it
would allow individuals to seek advice and guidelines through managers or other
personnels within the hospitality sector, which would further expand their spectrum
towards the job role. However, this method does not contribute in enhancing overall
skills, knowledge and experiences of a person, which is a prime requirement for self-
managed learning and continuous professional development.
1.2. Ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be encouraged
Continuous Professional Development contributes appropriately in lifelong learning,
which develops a lifestyle within an individual to ensure improvisation within their knowledge,
attributes and effective experiences (Vangrieken and et. al., 2017). However, to achieve the
same, there are certain effective ways through this lifelong learning could be encouraged in
personal as well as professional contexts. These ways are discussed below: Enhancing Learning Ownership: One of the most crucial ways through which life long
learning could appropriately be encouraged is through promoting ownership within
learners in context with being responsible for one's own learning. In addition to this, one
appropriate method through which it can be achieved is through engaging learners in self-
directed learning, along with ensuring rewards in case of improvisation within the same.
 Setting up Objectives: Another appropriate method through which lifelong learning could
be encouraged is through setting up continuous objectives to be achieved in a specific
time period. This would keep the motivation in individuals intact, enabling them to
2

appropriately and effectively direct themselves towards gaining more effective
knowledge, which contributes in their personal and professional development.
1.3. Evaluation of benefits of self-managed learning
There are several benefits of self-managed learning for both employers as well as
employees, which are required to be understood in order to implement continuous professional
development in both personal as well as professional context. Benefits to both these elements are
discussed below:
Benefits to Individuals: Gaining Effective Skills: One of the major benefits to individuals in context with self-
managed learning is that they could effectively acquire necessary skills that would allow
them to excel in their job roles, as well as appropriately and effectively gain personal and
professional satisfaction. Managed Speed: Self-managed learning could be appropriate for individuals as they
would not feel any pressure or a strict schedule to manage their learning. This would help
them in regulating their speeds, which would further motivate to learn different aspects
appropriately. Appropriate Access: Another benefit for individuals is that they would be free to access
different sources, which they feel comfortable with. This would make their learning more
flexible, which would keep them encouraged throughout their career (Roberts, 2016).
Benefits to Employers:
For employers within Intercontinental Hotel Group, there are several benefits associated
with self-managed learning that are described below: Reduction in training costs: This benefit of self-managed learning is associated with
reduction in training costs of the company. This is due to self-directed learning which is
being implemented by the individuals within the organisation. With essential knowledge
and competence which is being gained by employees on their own, the firm would be
almost free from the costs related to regular training and development programmes. Improvisation in Culture: Another benefit associated with this type of learning is that it
would allow the firm to build a culture where individuals would consider themselves as
responsible for their learning and development. This would enhance their dedication
towards their job and development of a harmonious and contributing culture.
3

 Productivity Levels: This benefit is related to rise in productivity levels within the
company. Reason for the same is that individuals would be directing their learnings
themselves, hence contributing to their competence within their job roles, which
ultimately leads to rise in productivity levels.
LO 2
2.1. Evaluation of own current skills and competencies against professional standards and
organisational objectives
For an individual who is aspiring to be a restaurant manager within an organisation like
Intercontinental Hotel Group, it is utmost necessary to evaluate current skills and competences
against professional standards and organisational objectives (Ramia and et. al., 2016).
In context with my own performance and competencies, there are several tests which
were undertaken by me, which are described below:
Aptitude Test:
This is quite an effective test, which allows an individual to appropriately assess their
personal as well as professional skills, against the required standards of the hospitality industry.
For a hospitality manager, there are several appropriate standards that are required to be viewed
and understood to analyse competence against it. These standards are described below:
 A hospitality manager must be effective in indulging into appropriate Communication
 They must be able to practice essential Leadership
 A manager within hospitality must be effective in Time Management
 Ethical frame of mind is a must for these individuals
 Hospitality Managers must possess essential and outstanding Analytical and Technical
knowledge
In addition to this, there are certain organisational objectives which are also necessary to
be considered while evaluating own current skills and competence. For instance, the hotel
focuses effectively on developing an ethical framework (Intercontinental Hotels Group:
Strategic Report, 2015). Moreover, another organisational objective which the firm plans to
achieve is to enhance customer retention and build in a loyal and productive force.
For this purpose, I undertook an aptitude tests via Vskills Practice Tests, in order to
evaluate my competence against the set standards and organisational objectives (Vskills Practice
4

Tests: Restaurant Manager, 2019). The test was inclusive of skills and competencies such as
workplace ethics, time management, duties and responsibilities within a restaurant, etc. (Refer to
Appendix 1).
SWOT Analysis:
This is another appropriate framework which is inclusive of identification of several
opportunities and threats, after evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of an individual (Patton,
Parker and Tannehill, 2015). Below is my personal SWOT Analysis which reflects my strengths,
weaknesses, associated opportunities as well as threats:
 Strengths:
There are several areas where I am competent enough to carry out my duties effectively.
Some of the prominent areas are discussed below:
▪ Communication Skills: One of most effective strengths which I possess is
regarding communicating with individuals. I excel in the use of English language
both verbally, as well as in writing. Moreover, I am an active listener and work
towards providing clear an precise information as well as instructions to
employees.
▪ Analytical Skills: Another strength which I possess is related to analysing and
interpreting a situation well, in order to act effectively. For instance, I am quite
effective in managing supplies and handling refrigerated food, to ensure their
freshness and reduce them from being perished.
 Weaknesses:
Apart from my good points, I possess certain weaknesses as well which would enhance
my ineffectiveness in terms of my performance as a restaurant manager (Olsen, 2015). These
factors are discussed below:
▪ Time Management Skills: I fail to appropriately manage my tasks as I don't have
the habit to prioritise them appropriately, taking more time to complete standard
activity.
▪ Ethical Practice: Another weakness is associated with my mind frame in relation
to being ethical. For instance, I sometimes tend to favour my peers in relation to
give an appropriate judgement on a conflict (Núñez Pardo and Téllez Téllez,
2015).
5

▪ Managerial Abilities: Though I am quite effective in managing the supplies and
external activities of the restaurant, my expertise fails when it comes to manage
in-house operations, such as serving customers appropriately, managing the staff,
taking delivering special requests, etc.
▪ Stress Management: This weakness is related to handling work while complex
situations. To elaborate, I fail to function appropriately when the environment
around me is quite stressed. I feel anxiety, pressure and nervousness, which
decreases my competence. Opportunities: There are certain opportunities which I could appropriately acquire in
relation with my current strengths. For instance, my appropriate communication skills
would allow me to deal with customers effectively and understand their needs better,
hence, satisfying the standards of practice as well as organisational objectives. Moreover,
my analytical skills would allow to ensure optimum utilisation of resources, hence,
enhancing the profit margins of the company. Threats: The biggest threat for me in relation with my competencies is that there are
several other individuals who are more competent than me, which requires me to
appropriately and effectively work towards enhancing the skills in order to be effective in
my job role.
Learning Skills Inventory:
There are certain styles of learning, which is adopted by an organisation in terms of
enhancing the scope of learning and to gain knowledge in a better manner (Marlowe and et. al.,
2015). For analysing my learning style, I appropriately adopted VARK Learning Methods as a
tool to identify the learning style which suits me best (The VARK Questionnaire, 2019). There
are several learning styles for an individual, such as Visual, auditory, reading/writing and
kinaesthetic. However, through the questionnaire, I realised that there are multiple styles through
which I could gain appropriate experience from and thus, Multimodal learning style suits me
best.
2.2. Identification of own development needs and the activities required to meet them
In relation with the above assessment of my personal skills and competencies, I realise
that the skills which are required to be developed by me are, Time Management, Ethical Practice,
Managerial Abilities and Stress Management (Markham, Gentile and Graham, 2017). However,
6

the intensity of development varies within these factors. For instance, while overall time
management is required to be developed, I just need to focus on being unbiased within
organisational situation, as far as ethical practice is concerned.
2.3. Identification of development opportunities to meet current and future defined needs
There are several opportunities which could be used by me in order to appropriately
enhance the scope of improvement. For instance, I can undertake training sessions which are
very much helpful for me to enhance my competence in several skills. Moreover, acquisition of
feedbacks from tutors, along with attending educational seminars would offer me an appropriate
opportunity in context with enhancing my competence and help me excel in my role as a
manager (Macià and García, 2016).
2.4. Devising a personal and professional development plan based on identified needs
GOALS ACTIVITIES RESOURCES OBSTACLES SUCCESS
CRITERIA TIME
Time
Management
To enhance my
competence in
relation with
time, I would
tend to
appropriately
undertake
training
sessions with
mock practices.
Complex Time-
related activities
and Time
Measurement
Tools.
Ineffective
tools for
measuring
time.
Better time
management
and
effectiveness
in time-related
activities. 1 Month
Ethical
Practice
To improve in
ethical practice,
I would
undertake
seminars.
Effective
modules of
ethical practice
Insufficient
improvement
methods
Unbiased
Decision
Making and
Ethical
Judgements
2 Months
Managerial
Abilities
I would take
workshops
Effective
Training
Inappropriate
Judgement
Better
management
4 Months
7

wherein each
and every
aspect related
to management
is taught.
Journals Criteria of activities,
teams and
complex tasks
Stress
Management
I would
undertake
therapy to
better deal with
my stress to
ensure complex
decision-
making
Stress related
medications and
treatments.
Too much
inclination
towards
medical
treatment.
Complex
problem-
solving and
effective
decision
making .
6 Months
TASK 2
LO 3
3.1. Discussion of processes and activities required to implement the development plan
There are several processes as well as development which I appropriately utilised in
context with enhancing my competence in relation to improvise my skill (Kyndt and et. al.,
2016). These activities are discussed below: Training Sessions: This is one of the most prominent activities, which would allow me
to enhance my time management skills. Reason for the same is that these sessions contain
creation of situations, along with diagrammatic displays of how best to prioritise tasks,
which allow me to manage my time in a better manner. Seminars: Another activity is seminar, which would allow me to participate in a
discussion related to how to be ethical in terms of conflict management. Moreover,this
would allow me to listen to various individuals belonging to same field, which would
help in better learning the aspects for ethical framework (Korthagen, 2017).
8

 Workshops: This activity would allow me to get educated related to different functions of
managers, which includes tests and apprentices which would help me pursue the
necessary skill set for a restaurant manager. Moreover, it aligns with my learning style as
it would allow me to read, write and ensue effective listening in order to gain knowledge
related to the managerial roles.
 Therapy: In order to reduce my stress, therapy is one appropriate method through which I
could learn how to deal with complex situations. This would be done through listening to
advices of my therapist, seeing videos of other individuals with issues, moreover,
indulging in conversations within support groups, which would allow me to improvise
this issue effectively (Hildebrand, 2018).
3.2. Undertake and document development activities as planned
ACTIVITIES DATE
COMMENCED DATE FINISHED PLACE
Training Sessions 15th February, 2019 14th March, 2019 University
Seminars 20th February, 2019 6th April, 2019 Internship
Workshops 15th March, 2019 10th July, 2019 University
Therapy 8th January, 2019 22nd June, 2019 Clinic
9