Self Managed Learning

Question: Describe these following terms 1. Self-managed Learning and Benefits 2. Evaluation of Competencies and Skills 3. Activities as per Development Plan 4. Critical Learning on Development Plan 5. Work based Problems and Life-long Learning Answer: Introduction The paper will be aimed at examining self-managed learning in a broader perspective, which would be useful for the well-being of one-self. I am a part of the sales and finance team atNike, where I have experienced self-managed learning. 1. Self-managed Learning and Benefits Formerly, training and others teaching were implemented in organizations to make the individuals learn about new things and work. Therefore, today, in this fast moving era, organizations are inclined towards self-managed learning in order to maintain efficiency within them. Self-managed learning is basically a lifelong learning process and approach which benefits the organization as well as the individuals. Through this approach, individuals are able to carry their career development growth in an efficient manner. It also relates to the learning of behavior as well as cultural understanding and that too with self-understanding (Allen Adair, 2003). The different approaches to self-managed learning are as follows; Seminars Conferences Social networks Internet Interpersonal networks and communication These approaches enable an individual to learn on continuous basis, which helps them in personal as well as professional understanding. Figure 1: Self-managed Learning Through these approaches an individual is able to interact with different people and organizations, which assist them in learning new ways to accomplish tasks. Moreover, meeting different personalities and interacting with various cultures would eventually enable in individual to get facilitated in an effective manner. In fact today, self-managed learning would enable an individual to get facilitated in various ways. Through these approaches they will be able to provide benefit to their organization too. However, individuals should highly focus on the idea of self-managed learning approach in order to deal with the combination of working environments. Moreover, a good self-learned approach is where an individual remains active and proactive to seek learning and implementing that learning, effectively to accomplish various tasks. In this case, the mentioned approaches are considered to be highly essential. Organizations are subjected to facilitate the overall purpose and mission of the company (Allen Adair, 2003). In this regard employees are required to contribute explicitly, in order to enable the organization to accomplish their tasks. In this case it is highly essential to develop oneself in order to complement the organization on a better pace. Learning from experience is how an individual gain new knowledge, skills or experience and reflect on it to apply in future practice. Doubtlessly, I have obtained many valuable experiences and reflected on the lessons I have learnt throughout this unit, hoping to carry it with me in my future undertakings. Through this I and other employees will be able to deal with better contributions to the organization. I have been developing myself on regular basis, on personal and professional level, so that I am able to deal with organizational goals effectively. Figure 2: Self-managed Learning New and modified environmental regulations will continue to impact the organization I work in and its products and business. Organizations often are approached by several other states with attractive incentives to change locations for which it is essential to learn a plenty of things in order to gain mutual benefits through that learning. Through the involvement of social media and internet access self-learning becomes pretty much convenient comparatively to inbound learning or training. Self-managed learning actually helps the individuals to learn with willingness and without taking out separate time (Megginson Whitaker, 2007). However, it requires a determination and level of acceptance to help themselves to cope up with the changing trends in the industry, self-learning not only, helps individuals professionally but personally too. Hence, self-learning should be taken seriously being at any level in the organization. This will help them in being a part of active learners, helping them in various unique ways. My job description and work responsibilities at the organization I work in. At Nike I have to look after a lot of front end and back end activities, impacting the overall sales of the organization. Therefore, it is essential to mention these responsibilities in order to express the activities and responsibilities through which I learned Product Sales have flattened or decreased. Significant infrastructure development in other countries such as Asia and India brings great growth opportunities for Nike Organization. Establish and grow business in countries heavily immersed in infrastructure development. Focus on growth of rental business will offset lost sales. 1. A stifled economy and lost revenue limits enablement for Nike Organization to invest in research and development. Economic crisis with limited government spending on infrastructure in many countries. Higher interest rates causing Nike Organization to lower company investment in capital. Socio-Cultural in relevance to Nike organization is a world-wide organization; therefore the availability and cost labor is always a key factor in business strategy. Development of infrastructure can bring prosperity to inaccessible regions. Growing world population requires infrastructure changes and sustainability. Having a strong global footprint allows Nike to analyze labor and cost more effectively and utilize existing assets for strategic planning. Nike can establish strong relationships with partnering businesses in development of other countries, leading to strong partnerships and new business adventures. 1. In already established regions with infrastructure in place, completion is stronger and could threaten growth and revenue for Nike. Nike is focused on sustainability and green technologies. There are large pushes for automated machinery to reduce operating costs and increase productivity. In relevance to these responsibilities I have learned to deal with different people and different situations, which has complemented and valued my self-managed learning. This learning have eventually benefited my organization too, in an instance of adding more value and differentiation within the internal operations. 2. Evaluation of Competencies and Skills I have many development opportunities that should help me personally, professionally and academically. However, the SWOT Analysis and PEST Analysis were vital in prioritizing the top three goals used for this personal development plan. My priorities are based on current circumstances, threats, and areas of development that may result in the most significant positive impacts in my life. Moreover, when considering action steps, potential obstacles and plans to overcome them, I gave careful thought to my learning style, personality traits, internal locus of control and other factors that may aid or impede accomplishing the goals. Self-improvement is important to me, but more than that, this plan is valuable because it can transform every aspect of my life. Managing stress is important for my physical and emotional health and will also improve relationships, focus and stamina. Figure 3: Self-learning and Competencies Development of Needs and Opportunities Taking steps to improve networking skills is an immediate need given my current circumstances. In light of a major reorganization eliminating my entire department, networking with managers, other business units and recruiters is crucial in order to identify opportunities to stay within the organization long before positions are posted on job boards. Finally, improving self-confidence is going to be the most challenging goal of all. I was reluctant to add this goal because of the very reason for its existence; lack of self-confidence. After all, it is documented as one of the most difficult goals to achieve. However, gaining self-confidence is fundamental in improving in many other areas I have identified when preparing for developing this plan. Self-confidence will help me manage stress better and improve essential workplace skills such as problem-solving, conflict resolution, decision making, and networking, leadership and management skills. Stress management and networking skills a re goals I can achieve because they are ones I can prepare for more and realize immediate results. Figure 4: Self-learning Opportunities With immediate results, comes motivation and confidence to master and maintain those skills. I am not as sure about making big strides improving self-confidence. Perhaps this is because no precise step by step plan exists; it is a journey with many winding paths and no clear direction. However, many tools and resources are available to help stay focused on goals, realize achievements and keep me motivated with each confident step. Completing the swot analysis exercise helped me see a realistic picture of myself. The swot analysis has been very helpful for creating a personal development plan because it is based on self-actualization and brings focus to strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. I find it interesting to realize that performing a swot analysis for a career role of interest can help me identify if it is a good fit and how my strengths align with key strengths needed for a role. Further, pinpointing areas of development I would need to accomplish to be successful in roles of interest can help me design a career path to get where I desire to go within an organization. Another interesting observation from my SWOT analysis is that in some situations strength could be perceived as a weakness or a weakness as strength. For example, I listed I am altruistic, traditional and supportive in my strengths. This may be perceived as a weakness in some situational leadership roles, yet significant strengths in other roles, for example, counseling or education. Personal and Professional Development Plan In regard to the entire discussion it will not be inappropriate to say that, effective self-learned management enables an individual to learn and be a part of active professional and personal development planning. In this regard, I was able to learn and implement my learning in my personal as well as professional situations. Through my job I have learned to manage stress and time with improved alignment. In this way I was able to deal with different situations based on complexities. It is essential to improve employee welfare because this approach will create ease for the managers to retain their employees in a longer run. One has to be considerate that technology and machinery can be replaced, however human mind and skills cannot be (Allen Adair, 2003). The managers are required to value their people in a longer run. I being the manager at sales and finance department ensure to do this while allocating resources through best practices. This has been a greater attempt to deal with e mployee satisfaction and welfare, supporting them exponentially. I ensured to maximize sales along with better resource allocation, managing the well-being of each employee working under my supervision. My workforce is active and determined to learn new eras of working through which they can accomplish the given targets as pert he established standards. Effective Implementation of Development Plan Once the idea of self-managed learning is comprehended, it remains essential to implement the plan accordingly. It will enable the entire workforce to actively practice this approach moreover, the management is required to encourage their workforce regarding adapting the approach of self-managed learning. In this regard various points will be emphasized which willenable an effective implementation of development plan. It is important to mention various points in this regard so that, the implementation gets convenient for the entire organization with a unanimous approach and action plan effectively and efficiently. Figure 5: Self-learning Development Better management of stress and be diligent in conveying my feelings. I can learn and implement networking strategies. I can be a positive influence and good role model for others. I can educate on job, employees at any level. I can use my strength of relationship building to create or lead groups/teams. I can positively influence others, promote ideas and establish visions that can positively impact individuals, teams and work environment. I can mediate conflict resolution, helping others work through problem situations. I can model organizational values and coach others by leading by example. I am more limited in many career developmental opportunities because I have not completed my college degree. I am at higher risk for stress because I repress feelings and do not manage stress well. I am higher risk for burnout and productivity lulls because I overload myself by taking on the burden of other peoples work or problems. I socialize well, but I do not network extensively to help me achieve my goals or advance my career. 3. Activities as per Development Plan Various activities are aligned together in order implement as the development plan. This would be self-managed learning for myself as well as the welfare of the workforce working under my supervision. Goals Action Steps Potential Obstacles Plan to Overcome Implement actions to reduce stress Join the exercise 4 times a week. Join Yoga classes one time a week. At home, delegate tasks to others. Implement schedules to keep organized and manage time better. Review with family for ongoing support. Negative self-talk. Surfacing doubts. Giving up. Seems too difficult or unattainable. Worries about ability to accomplish educational goals. Practice rational positive thinking, imagery and meditations to redirect negative self-talk. Analyze if they due to genuine threats. If so, set or modify goals to manage. In not, redirect with positive thinking techniques. Use the Life Plan Workbook and other tools. Focus on small goals and achievements. Practice positive thinking and remind self this goal is a journey and takes significant time and commitment. Be cognizant of learning style and practice techniques proven to enhance learning. Figure 6: Self-Learning Development Plan Through these activities it will get easier for the management to seek significance in this regard and implement this plan accordingly. Through this approach an environment of self-managed learning will be created facilitating in a mutual manner. The learning style will be kept easy and convenient for each of the employee, based on their capacities and potential to grasp. In such cases enforced training and teaching does not inculcate, what actually, self-managed learning instills within a person (Megginson Whitaker, 2007). 4. Critical Learning on Development Plan It is essential to learn regarding the criticality of the development plan in order to learn significantly. The plan is regarding on job self-learning which would facilitate the entire organizational environment. Therefore, the company should focus to endowing their employees with self-learning plans so that they are able to adapt this practice on regular basis. Learning through development plan is highly essential in order to focus on the balance between my professional and personal life (Owen,2009). In this regard a few points are as follows which needs to be considered while creating a learning development plan, complementing personal as well as professional life. Making sure I allocate time to manage my stress will be difficult with long hours at work as well as school and family obligations. Limited time with my toddler twins creates burden and regrets and can also contribute to stress and burnout. Say no more often to family requests to do things for them. Often times these requests can be done themselves or by someone else. Develop and maintain an exercise schedule and stick to it. Ensure than family also knows this routine and supports my plan. Routinely allocate time with parents each evening. Plan weekend activities with them. Moreover, the time and responsibilities of the subordinates are distributed and allocated in a manner that, they are able to support their families and maintain a better work life balance. Through this approach a good learning of time management will be done. Figure 7: Evaluating Learning Development Plan Effective Time Management Activities Time management is equally important for employees in order to manage their personal and professional life accordingly. This would eventually complement their productivity with better outcomes, adding value to organizational goals. In this way the employees are capable of maintaining a balance between their personal and professional life, relating to work life balance. Quality is the basic factor for which every organization strives, hence to achieve quality it is essential to boost the motivation levels of their employees. Through this their employees will be able to deal with their job descriptions in a far better manner (Leigh Maynard, 2002). Employers should be considerate in relevance to endow their people with an environment of work life balance. Employers and the managers should be vigilant enough to endow their employees with better time management systems so that they are able to manage their work and other activities in alignment to effective time management. Effective tim e management eventually, creates quality of work, beneficial for both employee and employer. This can be clearly comprehended through integration theory which states that a healthy work and life style can be marinated when balance is created amongst them. This relates to the intervention of work life balance in organizations. Time management is a vast dimension which is required to be comprehended effectively dealing with the idea of enhancing employee morale and determination to work. It is important to seek and assemble the work accurately so that no extra time has to be given to the office ad work place. In case of wrong time management, the employees are made to compromise their family lives, which eventually hinders their overall work performances. Schedule informational interviews with managers and recruiters within my organization. Schedule information interviews with resources outside my organization, with focus on areas of interest, such as education. Join and participate in at least one social club available through work. Bashful tendencies and personality traits that make it difficult to network for personal gain. Lack of time to participate in social activities. Identify the information I would like to gain from sessions. Develop a conversation guide with talking points and questions. Preparation may ease anxieties. Join a social club with people of similar interests and participate in lunch time activities more than the activities that occur outside of work. 5. Work based Problems and Life-long Learning In the course of self-managed learning it is highly important to effectively manage time for life-long learning based on various activities. This will help the individuals to manage time in their professional as well as personal lives. In this regard a few things are required to be done which are as follows enabling me to manage time and activities with proper alignment. Enhancing the social and public network would enable the employees to remain active and enthusiastic in facilitating the overall organizational goals (Owen, 2009). Being the manager I would be able to allocate and maintain better networking for employees, endowing them with a greater approach and understanding of creating positive allies. Figure 8: Life-long Learning Incorporate useful tools. Purchase the Life Plan Workbook from Mind tools, a proven method to gain self-confidence. It is essential to enhance self-confidence along with self-learning so that the plan can be documented and implemented in a planned and systematic manner. With proper time management, workforce will be able to give themselves enough time for self-learning (Megginson Whitaker, 2007). Therefore, it is essential to behold appropriate time management so that each activity and task can be accomplished in an efficient manner. In this regard a better learning environment can be built effectively. Document achievements. Set and achieve small goals, followed by more challenging ones Through this approach it enables an individual to carry with lifelong learning in order to facilitate their personal as well as professional goal accomplishments. In this regard it remains essential to be self-motivated too. This will enable them to learn with willingness and determination. Moreover, a good working life and personal life would be achieved through active and effective self-learning. This enables an individual to solve a lot of work based problems. I considering myself, has learned a lot due to which I was able to encounter various problems at my workplace and personal life too. Many of the work based problems solved are as follows; Accomplishing sales targets Learning technical skills from my seniors Allocating resources in an adequate manner I learned to deal with different personalities and cultures with my own effort Therefore, self-learning has helped me in encountering a lot many problems along with endowing me with a determination to learn through put the life. Hence, self-managed learning should be made a part of life and activities, which would eventually benefit an individual as well as its organization in a broader perspective. References Allen.M Adair. J, (2003). The Concise Time Management and Personal Development. CIPD Leigh.A, Maynard .M, (2002), Leading Your Team: How to Involve and Inspire Teams. Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Megginson. D Whitaker.V, (2007). Counting Professional Development. CIPD. Mullins. JL, (2007). Management and Organizational Behavior, 8th Edition. Financial; Times Prentice Hall. Owen.J, (2009). How to Lead. 3rd Edition. Prentice Hall. McGraw-Hill Professional Robert .G, (2005). Recruitment and Selection (Developing Practise). 2nd Edition.