Nelson College: Professional Identity and Practice Unit Report

This report examines professional identity and practice within the context of the hospitality industry, using Holiday Inn as a case study. It begins by discussing the benefits of ongoing professional development for both employers and employees, emphasizing growth, work ethic, productivity, and reputation. The report then demonstrates essential skills and competencies expected by employers, such as dedication, time management, team spirit, problem-solving, and communication skills. It analyzes these skills through SWOT analysis, focusing on an operations manager role. Various learning theories, including behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, humanism, and VAK learning cycles, are explored in relation to their application in the hospitality sector. The report also constructs a professional development plan and concludes with a discussion of a job interview process, including strengths and weaknesses. The report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of professional development, skills, and competencies required in the hospitality industry.

Professional Identity and
Practice
1

Table of Content
Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
P1 Discuss the benefits of ongoing professional development...................................................3
P2 Demonstrate skills and competencies determined by employer.............................................4
P3 Skills and competencies for job role......................................................................................5
P4 Discuss various learning theories...........................................................................................7
P5 Construct a development plan................................................................................................8
P6 Undertake a job interview....................................................................................................10
P7 Determine strength and weakness of an interview process..................................................12
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................13
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................14
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INTRODUCTION
Professional identity consists of abilities of individual by determining their roles, obligations
and other necessary duties that are performed by a company (Andersson and Palm, 2017). In
other words, the qualities and skills of employees are determined by employer so that they could
provide growth and improve the overall effectiveness in a workplace. This report is based on
Holiday Inn which is headquartered in United Kingdom. It is renowned company and has giant
chain of hotels with approximately 1173 hotels spread across the different parts of country (Tan
and et.al., 2017). This report comprises of advantages of ongoing professional development and
varied skills and competencies that are demanded by employer. This report covers several skills,
competencies and various learning theories which is included in it. This report also comprises of
personal development plan and interview process as well as its strength and weaknesses are
covered.
MAIN BODY
P1 Discuss the benefits of ongoing professional development
It is necessary for personnel to develop their skills professionally as it makes them
capable of contributing their level best in an organisation in a fruitful manner (Ashby, Adler and
Herbert, 2016). This enhance the overall productivity and render an excellent growth
opportunity. Continuous professional development is described as the method of monitoring the
overall skills and experience as well as level of knowledge which is gained through learning plus
development. In addition to this, it is document process which assist the firm to direct on goal as
it identifies the need of learning through planning and provide a clear perspective regarding
career. The merits of ongoing professional development are elucidated below:
Benefits in case of employer
Ensures Growth: This professional development would render necessary skills among
their employees which boost the growth of an organisation. This also aids in attainment of targets
within limited time period.
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Strong work ethic: By acquiring excellent skills by employees would help them to stick
towards their work as they felt confident and develop better relations with their managers. This
promote a good environment and this create a positive culture in a workplace. This increase the
level of job satisfaction and aids in retaining them for longer time period.
Improves productivity: Employees sharp their skills and work with great efficiency and
zeal that improve the overall performance and accelerate the productivity. This also allow to
achieve prominent positioning and ensure a greater success in future.
Develop reputation: By rendering professional develop could provide assistance to
company to gain a positive reputation. Employees are most valuable as they reflect the good
things of a firm through seminars and meetings which provide to be advantageous and create a
strong brand awareness.
Benefits for employees
Sharpen their knowledge: Ongoing learning programmes would polish the skills of
employees and make them capable of performing better as they encourage and motivates them
which make a bright and successful future (Bossio and Sacco, 2017). This provide a drastic
growth and help them to face challenges by acquiring advanced skills. This could open doors of
success and cultivate them with necessary skills which make them professionally developed.
Boost the confidence level: Professional courses would provide an opportunity to
subordinates to grow from their current position as they would not feel hesitation and thus
inculcate confidence and determination among them. This provide a rivalry edge and provide a
great path in their career. As they have advanced knowledge level and competency skills that
provide an opportunity to them to become a multi tasker and could managed to work in a
dynamic environment.
Stimulates curiosity: This proves to be more advantageous as acquiring new learning
could build curiosity among various personnel as they explore new and advanced ideas which
help an individual to achieve new heights of success (Svendsen, 2016). As a result, it makes
them feel delighted and happy and boost the job satisfaction level. This could improve the
effectiveness and boost the morale of employees working in an organisation.
P2 Demonstrate skills and competencies determined by employer
Employer has so much expectation from their personnel so it is significant for employees
to possess relevant skills and knowledge plus experience which help them to perform their task
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in an effective manner (Clark, 2018). Although, Holiday Inn is a British owned company which
is situated in United Kingdom as it has very strong presence at a global level due to its excellent
staff and proper hygiene as well as cleanliness which attract the attention of customers across the
globe. Staff should work with honesty and integrity which aids in meeting the expectation of
employers as they are professionally trained which in turn maximise their potential. With
reference to Holiday Inn, the skills and competencies that are acquired by employer are
showcased as follows:
Dedication towards their work: The subordinates of Holiday Inn are stick towards their
work and are highly committed towards their objectives which make them capable of accepting
challenging position and help in meeting expectations of employer.
Time management: Employees of respective firm are timely efficient as the manager fix
a deadline so that they can accomplish the task within limited period of time. This improve the
efficiency as they complete the set target with zeal. Being punctuality and discipline is necessary
as it promote a good culture and thus facilitate smooth operation of a business in case of Holiday
Inn.
Team spirit: this is most important skills of employees as there must be proper dividing
of work amongst them which matches their talent plus skills so that they could with efficiency.
The leader of Holiday Inn follows Esprit De Corps principle which bring a sense of
belongingness and unity among them. Therefore, this promote team spirit which help in
achieving common objectives successfully. This promote a healthy environment and thus
facilitate proper coordination as well as cooperation.
Rendering problem solving skills: The staff of Holiday Inn are properly trained and has
ability to cope up with pressure and also, they promote new and innovative ideas which boost the
growth within the confines of hospitality industry (Erickson and Pinnegar, 2017). They also
emphasise on rendering a best solution to their clients which ensure more growth.
Great communication skills: An employer of Holiday Inn expects that its personnel must
have effective communication skills as it helps in providing relevant details amongst their
customers with more clarity. This eliminates confusion and misunderstandings as subordinates
must have proper understanding of their roles and responsibilities so that they could take
decisions with accuracy.
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P3 Skills and competencies for job role
In order to determine skills as well as competencies, the appropriate role of operation
manager is regarded as most appropriate which is discussed below with the help of theories:
The personal audit programme is valid for this purpose which review the overall performance
and provide relevant solution which in turn improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency in a
workplace (Jeswani, 2016).
Skills Personal audit questionnaire 1 2 3 4 5
Management To make proper planning and make
judicious usage of resources.
*
Computer
knowledge
To have fast typing speed and knowledge
of MS Excel
*
Communication
skills
To have good command in verbal skills *
Ability to deal with
pressure
To provide an effective solution of
problems in a proper time period
*
Leadership skills To provide excellent training and render
a proper advice
*
Score:
1-Very poor; 2-Poor; 3-Adequate; 4-Good; 5-Excellent
On the basis of above table, Varied skills and competencies are evaluated on the basis of
measure of scale in which total is taken as five and score is provided according to skills plus
competencies. In order to determine these skills, the SWOT analysis is prepared which aims to
identify strength and weakness and make excellent use of opportunities. I consider an appropriate
role of operation manager in Holiday Inn which are prescribed as follows with the help of SWOT
analysis:
Strength Weakness
 I have great management skills and has
ability to divide the work in accordance
to talent and skills and also focus on
attainment of goal within respective
 I lack patience when there is excessive
work load which hamper the growth of
a firm.
 Also, I don’t make quick decision-
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time period.
 Makes proper planning and
coordination and make proper
allocation of resources.
making ability which lead to delay in
overall working procedure.
Opportunities Threats
 I have great communication skills
which help me a lot while meeting with
clients and provide them with relevant
details which in turn provide a great
success in future.
 I have appropriate leadership skills
which aids me in directing the
behaviour of subordinates and polish
them with great skills that develop
confidence and create a vast
opportunity for a firm.
 I also have adequate knowledge of MS
Excel so that it can put all necessary
information and data as it saves time.
 I procrastinate the overall working
procedure which lead to delay in
decision and thus affect the overall
performance.
 Lack of writing skills which create
difficulty in sending mails and
messages among the targeted audience.
From the above SWOT analysis, it has been analysed that this provide ma an opportunity
to determine positive and negative aspects so that I could make improvement on it.
P4 Discuss various learning theories
The operation manager of Holiday Inn uses several learning theories are as follows:
Behaviourism: This concept of learning could be acquired through various stimuli and responses
as it provide a universal process which assist firm in determining the overall action (Körkkö.,
Kyrö-Ämmälä and Turunen, 2016). The manager of Holiday Inn should emphasise on
punishment and rewards system which aids in making necessary modification in a business
enterprise.
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Cognitivism: This theory is propounded by Jean Piaget which provides several pathways
to understand the behaviour and responses of individual as it helps in gaining a vast experience
through proper reading and understanding instructions. This assist the operation manager of
respective firm to gain an insight knowledge and provide a drastic experience among their
customers.
Constructivism: This provide a basic understanding among the group of individuals
through their previous experiences and thus provide new details that assist the firm ta facilitate
an effective decision. In addition to this, people in case of Holiday Inn use their own experiences
and make a bright and efficient future.
Humanism: This theory of learning states that people could form a proper network by
maintain best relation with colleagues. The operation manager of Holiday Inn adapts new and
latest technology that provide a fabulous learning opportunity and gain access to new and
modern information by analysing several tools and techniques present in a marketplace.
VAK Learning cycle:
Visual: This assist the operation manager to acquire learning through diagrams and
visualised pictures as it enhances their skills and boost their productivity (Morgan, 2017).
Auditory: This involve the oral communication skills which assist the firm as it aids in
making communication skill plus leadership skills sharp and effective which in turn gain a
rivalry edge.
Kinaesthetic: This provide a tangible and physical experience such as touch, feel,
presence which enhance the overall performance and make the staff capable to maximise the
efficiency.
P5 Construct a development plan
A professional development plan is a written document which is prepared in order to
provide continuous learning experience and develop a best career path and help in accomplishing
targets within limited time period (Pitan, 2017). It consists of various skills and competencies as
it identifies the necessary knowledge that help in meeting requirements of a business in an
effective and efficient manner. In the context of Holiday Inn, the professional development plan
is presented as follows:
Current skills and
competencies used in
Goal for professional Indicate monitoring
and progress with
Determine the
effectiveness of
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personal
development plan
development the help of learning
and development
theory
personal
development plan
Communication skills Short term goal which
is for two months
Behaviourism theory:
this theory is related
to attitude plus
behaviour of
subordinates working
in an organisation.
This provide
assistance to a firm to
determine the ability
of employees so that
their communication
skills could be
improved.
Good communication
skills would assist the
firm to render a
necessary and proper
information among
their clients which
provide an enormous
growth. As a result
this minimise the
chances of conflicts
and disputes over a
marketplace.
Developing strong
team
Medium term goal for
three months
Benchmarking: This
approach renders an
excellent training and
guidance amongst
their employees so
that they could work
with zeal and
potential.
Developing a spirit of
team work in very
necessary in a
workplace as it
promote a positive
environment and thus
aids in attainment of
goal within limited
time period.
Adopting flexibility Long term goals
which is for one year
Social learning
theory: This theory
emphasises on
promoting social
skills as it promotes
corporate social
Flexibility of
personnel would
improve the overall
effectives and
performance of
subordinates as it
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responsibility and
create awareness
among them.
accelerates the
productivity and
inculcate confidence
and determination
among them. They
make an appropriate
change in a workplace
in a dynamic
environment which in
turn maximise the
productivity and
facilitate proper
coordination and
cooperation.
P6 Undertake a job interview
Interview is a two-way process that involve conversation between two parties that is
interviewer and interviewee as the former ask several questions from latter and then finally it
judge their ability and confidence level while answering any questions by interviewee (Plomp,
and et.al., 2016). In other words, it may vary from person to person depending upon the ability
and skills of employees and also it determines the spirit and enthusiasm of employee towards
their work. In the context of Holiday Inn, the role of operation manager is considered as most
appropriate in an organisation as it manage all the internal activities and facilitate smooth
operations of a business. The person specification is described below:
Person Specification
Name of organisation: Holiday Inn
Job title: Operation Manager
Qualification: MBA
Essential criteria:
o Great leadership skills
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o Affluent communication skills
o Render an effective solution
Desired criteria:
o Minimum two year experience
o Interactive personality and ability to cope up with pressure
o Smart and talented
o Quick decision-making ability
Job description: This involve all necessary information related to job and its nature as
well as it provides details regarding the vacant position available for job. The manager of
Holiday Inn would create an awareness regarding the vacant position through advertisement on
social media platforms as well as its respective websites.
Job Description
Name of Company: Holiday Inn
Division: Management
Job title: Operation manager
Location: London, United Kingdom
Summary
The human resource manager of concerned firm is hiring for the post of operation manager that
provide assistance to an organisation to recruit best and potential candidates and take an effective
decision which aids in enhancing the productivity and growth within the confines of hospitality
industry. The applied candidates should possess excellent communication skills and to be patient
and calm so that they could handle work load.
Role of Job
 Conduct decision making ability.
 Positive atmosphere by building team spirit and sense of unity among them.
 Must abide all rule, regulations and policies of company
 Monitoring and tracking overall activities of staff in a workplace.
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Interview questionnaire document: The interview is detailed below which is done to
fill the vacant position of operation manager in case of Holiday Inn. The same is presented as
follows:
Interview Questionnaire:
1) Tell me about yourself.
2) Provide your previous job details?
3) What is your strength and where do you want to see yourself after 4 years?
4) Tell me a situation when you experienced conflict situation and how you deal with it?
5) What are your weaknesses?
P7 Determine strength and weakness of an interview process
With reference to Holiday Inn, the process of interview for post of operation manager is
presented as follows:
Pre interview process: In this, the interviewer would gather all necessary details about an
applicant through various means such as resume, test scores and many more. They provide a
necessary idea regarding an applicant and determine their evaluation by measuring the overall
performance (Spolaôr and Benitti,2017).
Interview phase: After this, the interview through face to face interaction is conducted and
today in a digital era, it could also be conducted through video conferencing and many more.
They determine the overall capability and skills of employees through their behaviour,
confidence, thoughts and evaluations. Also, they make necessary judgments and develop an
impression of candidate as it has been said that first impression is the last impression.
Post interview phase: After conducting interview, the manager would form an impression
and determine the attributes and characteristics of interviewee. The interviewer may try to grab
as much as information regarding a candidate and make a proper judgement and evaluation of it
(Su, Feng and Hsu, 2018). They tend to make final decision in this stage through which they
could hire a potential and best candidate which promotes an effective growth and efficiency in a
workplace.
Strength:
The strength of operation manager is that it has good fluency over English and has great
communication skills which create a systematic working procedure as it aids in accomplishment
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of targets in a short span of time. The manager of concerned firm should have great leadership
skills as it must be influential in nature and have ability to direct the behaviour of personnel.
Weakness:
The weakness of operation manager is that it does not make quick decisions which
possess a greater challenge for them as it led to delay in overall working procedures. In addition
to this, another main weakness is that procrastination in working activities would also affect the
overall procedure of a company and hamper the growth within the confines of hospitality
industry.
CONCLUSION
From the above information, it can be summarised that various skills and competencies of
an individual so as to perform the task more effectively and efficiently. A continuous
development programme is discussed in this report as it provides employees a great learning
opportunity and provide a drastic experience and inculcate confidence and determination among
them. Various types of learning theories such as behaviourism, constructive, cognitivism and
humanism are discussed in this report. The process of job interview along with their strength and
weaknesses is also covered in this as it renders a complete detail about candidate and
qualifications that are possessed by them.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Andersson, C. and Palm, T., 2017. The impact of formative assessment on student achievement:
A study of the effects of changes to classroom practice after a comprehensive
professional development programme. Learning and Instruction. 49. pp.92-102.
Ashby, S.E., Adler, J. and Herbert, L., 2016. An exploratory international study into
occupational therapy students' perceptions of professional identity. Australian
Occupational Therapy Journal. 63(4). pp.233-243.
Bossio, D. and Sacco, V., 2017. From “selfies” to breaking tweets: How journalists negotiate
personal and professional identity on social media. Journalism practice. 11(5). pp.527-
543.
Clark, K.R., 2018. Learning theories: constructivism.
Erickson, L.B. and Pinnegar, S., 2017. Consequences of personal teaching metaphors for teacher
identity and practice. Teachers and Teaching. 23(1). pp.106-122.
Jeswani, S., 2016. Assessment of employability skills among fresh engineering graduates: A
structural equation modeling approach. IUP Journal of Soft Skills. 10(2). p.7.
Körkkö, M., Kyrö-Ämmälä, O. and Turunen, T., 2016. Professional development through
reflection in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 55, pp.198-206.
Morgan, A., 2017. Cultivating critical reflection: educators making sense and meaning of
professional identity and relational dynamics in complex practice. Teaching
education. 28(1). pp.41-55.
Pitan, O.S., 2017. Graduate employees’ generic skills and training needs. Higher Education,
Skills and Work-Based Learning.
Plomp, J., and et.al., 2016. Career competencies and job crafting. Career Development
International.
Spolaôr, N. and Benitti, F.B.V., 2017. Robotics applications grounded in learning theories on
tertiary education: A systematic review. Computers & Education. 112. pp.97-107.
Su, Y., Feng, L. and Hsu, C.H., 2018. What influences teachers’ commitment to a lifelong
professional development programme? Reflections on teachers’
perceptions. International Journal of Lifelong Education. 37(2). pp.184-198.
Svendsen, B., 2016. Teachers’ experience from a school-based collaborative teacher professional
development programme: reported impact on professional development. Teacher
Development. 20(3). pp.313-328.
Tan, C.P., and et.al., 2017. A measure of professional identity development for professional
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