Report: Professional Identity and Practice, Marriott International

This report delves into the concept of professional identity, defining it as a social and individual construct within a profession. It analyzes continuous professional development, particularly within Marriott International, exploring its impact on career prospects and the skills and competencies required for various roles. The report examines Marriott's approach to employee development, categorizing skills into leadership, execution, and relationship-building. It highlights the importance of communication, technical skills, and adaptability within the hospitality industry. Furthermore, the report discusses various learning theories such as behaviorist, cognitive, humanistic, and social learning theories and their applications in personal and professional growth. Finally, it proposes the use of a personal development plan as the most appropriate approach for enhancing skills and achieving career goals, offering specific steps like setting goals, finding mentors, and seeking feedback.

Professional Identity
And Practice
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Table Of Contents
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………3
Mariott International continuous professional development………………………………..3
CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………….9
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………….11
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INTRODUCTION
Professional identification can be defined as it is the social identification and have a
profession on the basis of individuality. As profession members, the individual can define
themselves. Professional identity refers to the individual roles, responsibilities, ethical
standards and values which needs to be consistently followed in terms of practice manner so
that it can build a strong professional identity of a person. In this report, the analysis has been
done on the continuous development of professionalism and how it will contribute into the
career prospect of an individual. Also the analysis has been done on the competencies and
skills required by the employer for a particular job role. The research has also been done with
respect to the current skills, abilities and competencies required into a specific job role. For
enhancing the professional and personal skills of a particular job role, the research has been
done to find out the most appropriate approach used for the developmental purpose. The
chosen company is Marriott International which is a very big brand. Within the industry It is
the most powerful portfolio. The company was founded by J.Williard and Alice Mariott.
Through their thirty brands and seven thousand plus properties across one thirty one countries
and territories people are experiencing and expanding their world.
Mariott International continuous professional development
Mariott International is a brand leader which offers the most powerful portfolio in the
industry. It gives people more ways to connect, experience and expand their world by its
thirty brands and seven thousand plus properties across one thirty one countries and
territories . By the number of availability of rooms it is the largest hotel chain in the world.
The company was founded by J. Willard Mariott and his wife Alice Mariott. The company
also operates twenty hotel reservation centres. It is important to have some qualities and skills
for further development in terms of professional development. (Bettini, and et.al., 2017).
Continuous development has been done through engaging with customers and associates
through internal management processes. For achieving the company’s objectives it is
important to provide proper skills and knowledge which has been provided by the company
for the growth of their employees in terms of professional manner.
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Within a specific job-role, the continuous professional development helps in various manner.
Professional development helps in supporting for the development of skills, enhances the
confidence level, improves the knowledge level, contributing towards making the individual
smarter and independent. All these factors contribute in making the strong professional
identity which further leads towards the better and prospective career opportunities for an
individual. (Patrick, and et.al., 2017). By adopting all these qualities and having a long-tem
experience in a particular field then it will give more chances to achieve a higher position in
the organisation at international level. For the further development it is important that the
individual have some particular qualities so that the individual can perform better at the
international level. So there are some qualities and competencies which is required by the
employer within a specific job-role. In Mariott International the skills and competencies are
categorised into three levels and which is correlated with leadership, managing execution,
building relationships. According to different profiles at hotel the expectations of employer is
different. For example important expertise required for managers and supervisors are it
comprised of 15 modules which includes welcoming of guests into Mariott management,
transmit for success, hire the competitive person, training and development of associates,
training for best performance, building the best teams, conducting performance appraisals.
Under the service industry, the basic skill which is required is the pleasing personality and the
words should be used in the professional manner. (Coyle, M., 2017). The employees of the
hotel should have the skill related to the convincing power so that in case of any mis fortune
situation or mis conduct behaviour then they can convince their customers to not leave their
hotel on the urgent basis and also do not give negative feedback on the digital media. Good
communication skills also contribute towards their customers while communicating the
things. Communication skills can win the heart of customers and sometimes by the
misinterpretation customers get angry. The employees of the hotel should have technical
skills so that they can solve the problems of their customers through digital channels.
(Crump, and et.al., 2019). In case of emergency employee should have quality of
spontaneous nature so that they can handle every kind of situation.
Under certain circumstances the employees should have the capability of resolving the
problems with their intelligence and sharp mind.
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The employee should be active in nature, this is also the expectation of employer from their
employees so that no laziness should be there in terms of their work. (Afrianto, A., 2015). He
or she can lead the organisation in every kind of situation if the employee have the leadership
quality. The employer has also expectation that the coming person in our organisation should
be sharp enough in terms of business analytics knowledge. In the business environment the
employee have the opportunity to apply the competencies and potential in case of any
situation arise like in this manner. Within the organisation there are certain kinds of skills and
competencies required by the professional employer from their employees.
In an individual the hotel looks various kinds of qualities. They are also looking for those
kinds of employees who have the quality to not see their job as in the professional manner but
it looks from the perspective of mission also. The company believes in caring for people and
the community that's why they want that particular type of individual for their organisation.
(Wild, P., 2019) They want particular those qualities which is required by the organisation for
a specific role. For a specific job role, their basic need is that they give first priority to their
people, pursue for excellence, welcome for the change, actions are in ethical manner and
serve the world in terms of Mariott International. The essential skills which are required by
managers is in a particular format with respect to the company. It comprised of 15 modules
which includes welcoming of guests into Mariott management, transmit for success, hire the
competitive person, training and development of associates, training for best performance,
building the best teams, conducting performance appraisals, resolving conflicts, business
basics, create experiences, effective and conclusive meetings, goal setting and stress
management (Egbujor, M. I., 2018).If anybody has come for the interview of hotel industry
then they have atleast some experience and knowledge about that particular area. The
individual should have basic knowledge about culinary, rooms operation purchasing that are
essential in order to do their jobs, this is also the expectation of the company. To make the
customer's experience good and also have the quality for changing the bad experience into
good one with their smart quality this is the ability an individual should have in it. Customers
should feel memorable and fulfilling experience.
It is important that the individual should have ability or competency for managing employees
and in terms of planning, marketing and coordinating the hotel services such as catering and
accommodation facilities this is also the expectation from the hotel manager. (Hohenstein, C.
and Lévy-Tödter, M., 2020). They can contribute in achieving the hotel's objectives in a
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successful manner its important that the individual should have particular kind of qualities in
themselves
Within the hotel industry it is important to have some particular qualities which is essential to
get a job in this field. To meet the employer’s expectation it is important that the individual
has some certain kinds of skills is mandatory which is in the terms of soft and hard skills. The
hard skills which is mandatory in the hospitality management are in the following manner:
An individual should have the quality of management of beverage, commercial acumen,
should have sales and marketing skills, should have competency in the operations of hotel
and also have the quality of human resource management. For a successful hospitality
manager it is important to also have some soft skills which are explained in the following
manner:
The individual should have the ability to be successful in soft competencies like the
individual should have the leadership quality and teamwork which is very crucial to adopt for
an individual. (Amalia, L. L., 2019).They should also have the problem-solving attitude,
should have the ability to give coaching and also have the influencing personality.
There are certain skills and approaches are required for the personal and professional growth
in terms of their learning part. These theories include are : Behaviourist approach to learning,
social learning theory, cognitive approach to learning and humanistic approach to learning.
Under behaviourist approach to learning, where learners respond to their stimuli in their
environment. (Hardof-Jaffe, and et.al., 2020). It is the theory which gives an individual
behaves is based on their interaction with the environment. It suggests that behaviours are
influenced by the external forces rather than the internal forces. Popular element of
behaviourism is the positive reinforcement. Next theory is about the cognitive approach to
learning, This theory understands that the learners has been affected by the internal and
external elements. It suggests that internal thoughts and external factors are an important for
cognitive process. Next theory is about the humanistic approach to learning. This theory is
closely related to the constructivism. It is all about the self actualisation. Everyone functions
under the hierarchy of needs. Self-actualisation is at the top of the hierarchy of needs. It’s the
best level where all needs have been satisfied and they are the best possible version of
themselves. And the last theory is about the social learning theory which is a development of
the early behaviourism theory. By observing others, people can learn directly and indirectly.
(Touri, and et.al., 2017). There are three stages into this sequence. First is that attention is
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focused using a model. Second is that through the observation of model’s behaviour, learning
takes place. And the third sequence is about the subject analysis and codes the learning.
These are the approaches and learning theories which has been used for the personal and
professional development. Sometimes there is requirement in the hotel industry to treat the
employees and some particular profile people in a technical manner so that the efficacy and
the main problem can be resolved in a realistic manner.
The most appropriate developmental approach which is required for the enhancement of the
own professional and personal skills for a specific role is that to have a personal development
plan. A personal development plan helps in mapping the road for achieving the goals in the
professional manner and also guides about what skills is required for developing yourself as
an individual. (Brewer, M., 2018). For developing certain kind of skills and competencies its
important to create a development plan so that desired results can be achieved within the
mariott international., First of all set goals then find a mentor, for developing new skills.
(Rodrigues, F. and Mogarro, M. J., 2016). Its a very important decision that who will be the
person responsible for achieving the particular goal when the goal has been set. Seeking
feedback about the strengths and weaknesses is the next step. The work and development
plan has been made according to the monitoring so its very important to review the job
descriptions for position. Certificate can be received in the result oriented manner and en-roll
in an online program.
In the specified field or interest area take regular classes or education courses. It is very
important to take advantage of the training so that applications can be implemented in the
practical environment. Participate in the job shadowing in the last step. The overall
development plan goal can be achieved in this manner with the support of small steps. Skills
and competencies not only learnt by taking particular courses but also can be learnt through
practical environment. It can be developed through regular practice and by working in an
organisation. (Galkienė, A., 2015).When you work on a regular basis then the opportunities
will come directly and indirectly for the purpose of learning something new within an
organisation. Every job teaches about something and also contribute in overall development
of personality by incubating different skills and competencies. Specifying the things is
possible with support of planning in the development plan or within an organisation helps in
learning small things which are not mentioned in development plan. It can only be learnt
through practical and external experience in the open world. It is the path which shows where
need to travel and for how much time period and it can be achieved through practical
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experience within the development plan. It is important to have a development plan but it
somewhere restrict the area and also limit the personality of an individual. Without planning,
the target can't be achieved within the specified period of time and that’s why overall
development plan is important.
When there is continuous development of professionalism in the mariott interational hotel
then the employees become more smarter, active and the nature has become in the proactive
style. Staff can handle their customers in a large number and can handle any crisis situation .
The capability has been developed that they are always ready with the solution of any kind of
problem they have come across. (Han, I., 2019). Professional development not only raises
the confidence level but also gives new opportunities for their further growth. Continuous
professional development infused an individual with different kinds of skills and makes the
personality multi-talented. This kind of personality can handle any type of work of any
department. The merits of awareness regarding the own skills and competencies which is
required for individual development. If the individual has both kinds of skills which are
named as soft and hard skills then the individual get easily fit into the hospitality industry.
Soft skills are those kinds of skills which can handle the teamwork and leadership quality.
The leadership quality is that kind of quality who have a vision to see the organisation on a
higher level and have a target that how to fill the holes of an organisation which creates
hindrance in achieving the objectives of an organisation. Hard skills which makes the
individual in such a manner that the individual can handle the work of any department. These
kind of skills which already have an individual in it then they become easily successful in the
particular field. (Perillo, P., 2017). To have a personal development plan helps in identifying
the strengths and weaknesses of an individual. This kind of plan can help in analysing the
skills which they need to be included in their plan so that it can fulfil the requirement of the
career as well as an individual it uplifts the personality of a person.
According to the employer expectation if the individual does not fulfil the criteria to achieve
the objectives of an organisation then the employer will not think about the prospective career
of that individual in their organisation. If the employer receive continuous negative feedback
about the individual then the employee makes the positive efforts for improving his or her
position, it will comes in the category of null effect. Because of the reason that the employer
already have a mindset about a particular individual in their mind. So it becomes very
difficult to convert this kind of impression in the positive manner. (Bargerstock, L. K., 2016).
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Within a specific job role which needs the similar kind of qualities which can fulfil the daily
tasks. If an individual does not meet out the daily task in the consistent manner then it
becomes difficult for the employer to keep that particular employee in their organisation. So
its important that individual should have professional skills for fulfilling the employer
expectations.
CONCLUSION
In the business world professional identity and practice plays a very important role.
Within the organisation the value of an individual is defined by the values, ethics, attribution
and their work pattern explains about the kind of identity they are holding that’s why
professional identity is important. The individual should be aware about their own skills and
competencies so that they can take proper decision in terms of their career. It is necessary to
always work on their strengths and weaknesses to achieve the overall objectives of the
company which is important for an individual. Professional identity not only creates a
impression like a responsible person but also convert the individual into a strong person. For
developing such kind of personality it is important to have a personal development plan
which helps in achieving the targets in terms of professional and personal manner. This kind
of plan identify about the each and every kind of step they need to consider so that they can
achieve their objectives within a period of time. (Peer, K. S., 2016). Professional identity can
be developed by doing the practice in terms of the skills development and knowledge up
gradation. So it important to do their task in a consistent manner and do it with a positive
approach.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Peer, K. S., 2016. Professional Identity Formation: Considerations for Athletic Training
Education. Athletic Training Education Journal, 11(3), pp.125-126.
Bargerstock, L. K., 2016. Integration of Professional Identity and Christian Religious Identity
in Undergraduate Social Work Students.
Perillo, P., 2017. Training and Professional Identity of Educators and Educationlists. A
question of “Perspectives”. PEDAGOGIA OGGI, 15(2).
Galkienė, A., 2015. Professional identity characteristics of a teacher implementing inclusive
education: pupil and teacher experience. Didaktika-mokykla-visuomenė [elektroninis
išteklius].
Brewer, M., 2018. Development of Professional Identity in Music Therapy: Interviews with
Influential Voices (Doctoral dissertation).
Rodrigues, F. and Mogarro, M. J., 2016. Student teachers’ identity perceptions in the
beginning of professional practice: pre-service versus in-service. SMEC2016 Organising
Committee, p.13.
Touri, and et.al., 2017. Journalism culture and professional identity in transit: Technology,
crisis and opportunity in the Greek media. In Digital technology and journalism (pp. 115-
139). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Hardof-Jaffe, and et.al., 2020. ACCELERATED PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORK SITES. Interdisciplinary Journal of E-
Learning & Learning Objects, 16(1).
Amalia, L. L., 2019. REFLECTIVE PRACTICE AND SELF-IDENTITY AS PARTS OF
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: A SURVEY IN A TERTIARY LEVEL. E-Link
Journal, 6(1), pp.160-163.
Hohenstein, C. and Lévy-Tödter, M., 2020. 10 On International (Medical) Doctors’
Professional Identity in Environment. Multilingual Healthcare: A Global View on
Communicative Challenges, p.235.
Egbujor, M. I., 2018. The relevance of journalism education in Kenya for professional
identity and ethical standards. Globethics. net.
Afrianto, A., 2015. Constructing professional identity through teaching practicum: an
Indonesian case study of pre-service English teachers (Doctoral dissertation, Monash
University).
Crump, and et.al., 2019. Professional identity formation among college premedical students:
a glimpse into the looking glass using a career eulogy reflective exercise. Journal of Regional
Medical Campuses, 2(2).
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Coyle, M., 2017. Pre-Service School Counselor's Perception of Professional Identity
Development During Internship (Doctoral dissertation, The George Washington University).
Patrick, and et.al., 2017, July. Constructing a measure of affect towards professional practice:
What matters for engineers?. In Research in Engineering Education Symposium, Bogotá,
Colombia..
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