MGB 370 Personal & Professional Development

Assignment Guidelines Assessment 1
Individual Personal Development Plan

There is a strong link between this assignment and the weekly in-class workshops.  Questionnaires and exercises that we undertake in class can be used as tools in the assignment.  Additionally, the structure of the weekly workshops is specifically designed to assist you with completing Part 1 and Part 2 of your assignment.

OVERVIEW OF THE ASSIGNMENT

An essential capability of successful professionals is their ability to critically evaluate their current skill levels as they relate to the requirements and expectations of their profession.  This assignment is designed to help you begin develop that ability, using a self-evaluation tool to trigger a reflection not only of your own skills but how your strengths and weaknesses might impact on your career progression as an HR professional.

The key activities of Assessment 1 €“ Professional Development Plan are;

Complete the PAMS Self-Assessment tool and have at least three peers also complete an assessment on you, using the PAMS tool (Associate Version).

Reflect on the five personal characteristics covered in class and measured in the PAMS tool
Self Awareness
Managing stress
Problem solving
Communication skills
Self Motivation

Consider the professional implications of your strengths & weaknesses identified in Step 2 in relation to the AHRI Model of Excellence

Use the digital CV application LinkedIn ,develop an on-line profile that reflects your strengths, professional experience and potential.

Assessment 1 Details (2000 words)

Outlined below are a series of steps you may consider taking to fulfill the requirements of Assessment 1.  Contact your tutor, lecturer or unit co-ordinator (in that order) if you have any queries or concerns.

Step 1:  Conduct the PAMS analysis

Part A.  Complete the PAMS instrument.

The Personal Assessment of Management Skills’ instrument is based on the competency model covered in the text.

Note there are two versions of this instrument; the Personal Assessment of Management Skills (BlackBoard/Learning Resources) which YOU complete, and the Assessment of Management Skills €“ Associates Version (BlackBoard/Learning Resources).  This 2nd instrument is to be given to at least three other people who can provide you with an independent assessment of your skills. Choose people who know you and will provide you with realistic and helpful feedback (i.e. will be truthful!).

It is recommended that you choose as associates:

Your manager (if you are in full time or part time employment)

A colleague or subordinate (e.g. another student or coworker), and

A personal acquaintance (e.g. friend, partner).

NB: You can choose more than 3 people if you wish but consider what value they might add over and above the others you have already recruited.

Part B: PAMS Results and Scoring.

A scoring page is provided on page 42 of the text where you can record your assessment of your skills and the assessment of the other people.  There is also Excel spreadsheet on the Blackboard site where you can enter the data to compare your scores and those of your associates to clearly identify your strengths and areas for development (DO NOT change the formulas In this spreadsheet as you will then get incorrect outcomes).  Use the data to create tables and graphs identifying significant differences and similarities.

You must submit with your assignment the completed surveys for yourself and your associates, a hardcopy of the spreadsheet in the appendix of your report, and insert into the body of the report the graphs) and chart(s)  that you prepare for this analysis because these are all required for assessment.

Step 2: Skills and Competency Analysis.

To analyze the feedback you received you should address the following (and any additional areas you consider useful):

Part A:  Consider only these five skill areas:

Self Awareness
Managing stress
Problem solving
Communication skills
Self Motivation [base this element on the activities undertaken in week 3]

Your excel spreadsheet converts the scores (yours and your associates) to a percentage of the maximum possible for each competency area.  Rank order your results, and those of your associates, for each competency area starting with your strengths through to your developmental areas.  For ease of viewing the results you should provide both a table and a graph of your profile. This will give you an indication of your relative strengths and weaknesses.

Discuss and compare your best and worst skill as evaluated by yourself and your associates. Where there is some difference between your perceived skills and the score given to you by your associates take the opportunity to explore these differences and seek to understand the reason for the difference. Use the research to help you understand why differences occur and frameworks, such as the Johari Window, to resolve these differences.

Part B: Consider the professional implications of your strengths and weaknesses in relation to the AHRI Framework.

Under AHRI’s 6 key capabilities (Strategic Architect; Stakeholder Manager; Workforce Designer; Credible Activist; Expert Practitioner; Culture / Change Agent) are a number of specific competences that as an HR practitioner you are expected to possess.  You need to consider the relationship between those specific competencies and your individual abilities.

Do your skills indicate an HR specialization or AHRI capability area that you might tend to be more effective in?

Do your skills indicate an HR specialization or AHRI capability area that you perhaps need more development before pursuing?

Step 3: Develop your LinkedIn digital CV

Create a LinkedIn page and join the Cohort’s private group. Your Linked-In page should reflect your career aspirations, highlight your strengths and clearly, positively highlight your current work experience.

Technical and Layout Issues

We require QUT APA style of referencing (see CiteWrite on the library website for details)

Use of first person (I, me, my) in an assignment such as this is entirely appropriate

Assessments should be written in a business report style, using appropriate headings, such as Introduction and Conclusion. An Executive Summary is not required.

Suggested Report Outline:

1.    Introduction

2.    Analysis of PAMS Results

3.    Professional implications of your strengths & weaknesses in relation to the AHRI Framework and HR Specialisation

4.    LinkedIn Career Portfolio Development

5.    Conclusion

6.    Appendix
PAMS spreadsheets & scores
Linked page screenshots including Social Network Map