Self-Managed Learning and Development: A Case Study of Thomas Cook

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments. This report details a personal and professional development plan for a Thomas Cook employee.

Personal and Professional Development
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
LO 1.................................................................................................................................................4
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................8
LO 3...............................................................................................................................................12
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................15
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................18
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................19
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Introduction
In the existing time, the level of competition that reigns in every business sector all across the
world is extremely high, which in turn has resulted in the different companies seeking candidates
with specialised sets of skills along with expertise, so that they will be capable carrying out the
activities effectively required by their job roles. In order to achieve required skills and expertise,
that is necessary in a certain field of work, the candidates will require developing personally as
well as professionally. This can be procured by acquiring the essential knowledge along with the
necessary efficiency concurrently through the assistance of producing a Personal and
Professional Development Plan. This study will explore the personal as well as professional
development requirements of the assistant manager of the United Kingdom based Tour Operator
named Thomas Cook Group Plc. The merger of Thomas Cook AG and My Travel Group Plc
formed this particular company. Originally, the organisation was founded in the year 1841 by
Thomas Cook himself, and currently is headquartered in the city of London (Thomascook.com,
2019).
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LO 1
1.1 Evaluate approaches to self-managed learning.
The concept of self-managed learning can be defined as a process used by many individuals for
improving own personal and professional competencies, skills, as well as capability in order to
become proficient and effective in terms of carrying out the activities required by their job roles
(Cunningham, 2017). In the past, this concept has been successful is assisting individuals with
enhancing their attitude, confidence, body language, and others.
Strengths of self-managed learning
 It will assist the assistant manager of the Thomas Cook Group Plc to acquire a consistent
feeling of development which in will help the same person to become advanced in the job
role.
 It will help with increasing job satisfaction
 This will support the assistant manager to boost self-confidence due to the capability of
achieving new skills (Sithole et al., 2017).
 It will also help the assistant manager to work more effectively in collaborative tasks.
 Through this process the assistant manager can concentrate on own issues and acquire a
constructive feedback.
 This will help the concerned individual to set the targets by identification of own
weaknesses.
Weaknesses of self-managed learning
 In this process, everything is manages by self, thus there is no one to rectify the mistakes. As
a result, the assistant manger can not be certain regarding the accuracy of the path being
followed.
 Following this process regularly can result in one becoming lazy, which will finally lead to
becoming unsocial (Muhammad and Abdulrahman, 2015).
 In addition to that, the assistant manager will require being extra careful and organised in
order to carry out the process of self-managed learning systematically
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Different styles of self-managed learning
Seminars and Conferences
Self-managed Learning through the assistance of seminars and conferences is one of the most
popular approaches. These programmes will provide the assistant manager the scope of
enhancing own personal along with professional requirements. This technique or approach is
helpful for the other staffs of the Thomas Cook Group Plc as well. In these programmes different
individuals share information about their success, which can assist people such as the assistant
manager to gain knowledge.
Internet
The internet is the most utilised style or approach of self-managed learning all across the globe
for being easily accessible. This style can help the assistant manager of the concerned company
to gather required information, which in turn will assist wild developing skills and expertise.
Kolb’s learning cycle
Figure 1: Kolb’s learning Cycle
(Source: Nwlink.com, 2019)
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 Concrete experience (feeling): This is can referred to learning form particular experiences of
individuals and relating to them, for instance, through seminars and conferences Reflective observation (watching): In this phase, it is suggested that one must observe prior
to coming to a judgement, by viewing the surroundings through diverse perspectives (Konak
et al., 2014). Abstract conceptualization (thinking): This can be referred to as logical analysis of concepts
acting on intellectual comprehension of a condition Active experimentation (doing): this can be referred to the capability of influencing other
people to complete a task , for instance the managers and the leaders
Learning style of the Assistant Manager
The learning style of approach selected by the assistant manager of the Thomas Cook Group Plc
is the internet, for its easy accessibility.
1.2 Propose ways in which lifelong learning in personal and professional contexts could be
encouraged.
 Lifelong learning can be encouraged though allowing the individuals to self-direct their
learning
 Another method of supporting the process is through implementation of casual learning
check-ins
 It can also be encouraged by making the learning objectives as significant as performance
objectives
 Lifelong learning can also be encouraged through creating scopes for social learning
 The concept can be supported by identifying learning as an accomplishment
1.3 Evaluate the benefits of self-managed learning to the individual and organisation.
 Benefits to the Assistant Manager
Self-managed learning has been beneficial for the assistant manager of the Thomas Cook Group
Plc. It has been helpful for the concerned person in acquiring a number of diverse skills and
competencies. Moreover, the flexible nature of the method has assisted the individual to learn in
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between the working hours in a comfortable manner. Additionally, this concept is also feasibly
accessible to the same person, which is can be considered as another benefit.
 Benefits to Thomas Cook Group Plc
This concept has assisted the concerned business in various manners. It has assisted the company
in decreeing the training and development costs and providing the workforce with the
information regarding the culture and the values of the organisation. This will result in formation
of a disciplined and obedient workforce. Moreover, self-managed learning will assist Thomas
Cook Group Plc to enhance is productivity.
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LO 2
2.1 Evaluate your own current skills and competencies against professional standards and
against organisational objectives.
My existing skills along with the competencies are evaluated as follows:
 Time and Self-Management Skills: I am capable of organising my time effectively and I
maintain a journal to keep track of my time. I am never late for a meeting or appointments. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills: I am able to implement different types of
processes for examining an issue that assists me to break it down, and I produce the outcome
that is expected of me. Oral and Written Communication Skills: I am an active listener and thus I respond
accordingly. This also assists me with developing follow up questions, which I ask people
after they are finished speaking. In written communication skills, I can plan and organise data
effectively, provide relevant sources to the content. Information Literacy Skills: I can use different types of sources to gather information and
am capable of producing useful and understandable notes.
2.2 Identify your own development needs and the activities required to meet them.
My own development requirements and the activities needed to address them are discussed as
follows:
 Time and Self- Management Skills: I waste time when I face difficulty regarding a work.
This can be developed by asking my senior associates for help. I will also require assessing
the factors that distract me in order to manage time effectively. This can be done through
self-managed learning. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills: I need to develop my ability to find different
solutions to a single issue, which can be done by assessing the roots of the problems. I will
also require improving my ability to coordinate with others for solving a problem through
self-managed learning.
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 Oral and Written Communication Skills: I need to develop my ability to speak about ideas
and new concepts by attending the different training programmes held at Thomas Cook
Group Plc. Information Literacy Skills: I can develop structure a document properly and produce
grammatically correct contents through self-managed learning. Numeracy Skills: I can enhance my capability of interpreting graphs and tables along with
the numerical skills through self-managed learning.
2.3 Identify development opportunities to meet your current and future defined needs.
The Thomas Cook Group Plc conducts training programmes for the development of its
workforce both personally and professionally, in order to increase its productivity and maximise
the profitability. These training programmes are executed for proving guidance regarding various
kinds of skills, such as oral and written communication skills, time-management skills, and
problem solving skills. I can attend these for improving my requirements in terms of the above-
mentioned skills. This will not only address my current requirements but also cater my future
needs. Apart from that, I can develop my critical thinking skills by being more observant and
considering the motive behind an action. Additionally, I have the opportunity of developing my
information literacy and numeracy skills through the assistance of internet by self-managed
learning.
2.4 Devise a personal and professional development plan based on identified needs.
Founded on the assessed areas, which need improvement, I have produced a Personal and
Professional Development Plan that will help me to achieve the necessary skills and
competencies, required for carrying out the activities as an assistant manager in the Thomas
Cook Group Plc.
Specific Measureable Achievable Realistic Time Bound
Time and Self-
Management
Skills
This can be
measure by
assessing how
effectively I can
manage myself
These skills can
be enhanced
through self-
managed
Following this
process has been
beneficial for my
senior associates
One Month to
Two Months
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and time learning
Critical
Thinking and
Problem Solving
Skills
This can be
measured by
evaluating how
effectively I can
analyse the
nature of an
issue and how
fast I can solve it
These skills can
be improved
through self-
managed
learning
Carrying out
these activities
have been
helpful to my
senior managers
Two Months to
Three Months
Communication
skills
This can be
measured by
observing how
efficiently I am
being able to
communicate
both orally and
through writing
These skills can
be developed by
attending the
training
programmes
held at Thomas
Cook group Plc
Following this
process has been
beneficial for my
senior associates
Two Months to
Three Months
Information
Literacy Skills
This can be
measured by
assessing how
efficiently I am
being able to
comprehend and
produce
important
information
These skills can
be improved
though self-
managed
learning with the
help of the
internet
Carrying out
these activities
have been
helpful to my
senior managers
Two Months to
Three Months
Numeracy Skills This can be
measure by
evaluating how
effective I am
being able to
This skills can
be enhanced
though self-
managed
learning with the
Following this
process has been
beneficial for my
senior associates
One Month to
Two Months
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interpret data
from statistics
and graphs
assistance of the
internet
Table 1: Personal and Professional Development Plan
(Source: Created by the learner)
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LO 3
3.1 Discuss the processes and activities required to implement the development plan.
I can implement the development plan by applying different activities and processes for each
objective. I will develop a To-Do list in which I will specify the tasks are having more
importance. I can keep a pocket dairy, where I can note down the works that have started. I will
follow a timetable based on which my tasks will be accomplished. By using a planner, I will be
able to manage my tasks and required information. The first activity I should focus on
implementing the development plan for improving critical thinking skill is practicing active
listening. If my seniors are delivering some information on organisational issues, I need to listen
to them attentively. Through this process, I can develop a questioning mind. I will do continuous
research on every aspect so that I can analyse things logically and critically. I need to identify
some problem-solving game activities so that the practice of solving issues will be continued.
The activity required to improve communication skill is joining online communication classless
and attaining assessments. Working as per the deadline and developing new skills, I can
implement the plan developed by me.
3.2 Undertake and document development activities as planned.
I have given my highest efforts to work as per the developmental activities planned before.
Firstly, I made a habit of preparing a timetable for each day’s activities. I started following the
task mentioned in that timetable. I started conducting in-depth research on things I come across
every day to develop my critical-thinking skill. While participating in different training sessions,
I started questioning to my trainers. In order to build an effective problem-solving skill, I was
solving puzzles and attending mind games. I attended online communication courses whenever I
was getting free time. I was appearing online grammar tests and tracking my scores in regular
interval. I went through many authentic articles, where I identified some strategies to improve
different skills. I was practicing calculating numerical problems and interpreted them regularly.
I learnt the use of charts, graphs and other statistical tools from the experts of Thomas Cook.
3.3 Reflect critically on your learning against original aims and objectives set in the
development plan.
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