Self-Awareness and Continuous Self-Development in Leadership and Management

Explaining the Importance of Self-Awareness and Continuous Self-Development for Successful Leadership and Management

1.Using a range of relevant literature, explain how self-awareness and continuous self-development will help you to fulfil your role as a successful Leader or Manager in the future.

2.Using the attached templates, write two separate critical incidents to reflect upon the findings and implications from two self-analysis toolkits from the module (e.g. Belbin, Emotional Intelligence, Management Competencies, Personality tests).

Please note you must:

·Provide two clear and specific critical incidents. The first critical incident should be based on an incident from your Residential weekend and must relate specifically to working in culturally diverse groups and teams.

·Include a summary of the toolkit results you have chosen on each critical incident template e.g. if you have used your Belbin profile you should make a note of your key results/themes.  

·Identify how you will use this learning in the future.

What is a critical incident?

A critical incident for the purposes of this assignment is a learning experience you have had. It enables you to learn something about yourself that you did not know before, or to understand why you think feel or behave in the way that you do.  A critical incident therefore is a key learning experience that has a significant impact on your self-awareness and self-development. A critical incident helps you in your personal and/or professional development to become an effective leader, manager or team-worker.

A critical incident does not need to be a dramatic event, but it must be of significance to your learning and development. Your critical incident – or key learning experience – can arise from feedback from others, from your own reflections, from your own immediate reaction to a situation.

3.Summarise your major strengths and weaknesses and comment on any patterns of behaviour that have emerged from your self-analysis. Identify no more than three areas of personal development as a (future) manager that you can work on in the next year. This section should reflect the findings of at least four toolkits that you have used on this module. This is worth 10% of the overall marks – approx. 600 words.

4.The final 10% of marks will be awarded for the presentation and structure of your assignment and the accurate referencing of your sources using the APA format.

Important Note: You must retain a copy of all of your completed toolkits as your Tutor may ask to view your ‘working papers’.The following resources have been provided to support the assessment process:

Critical Incidents Reflecting on Self-Analysis Toolkits

·A dedicated session in Week 8

·Examples of critical incidents (see the eLearning portal)

·Formative feedback on your plans for one critical incident  (provided by your Tutor and colleagues  in Week 8)

·Links to the assessment throughout your residential weekend

·Reflections on where students lost marks last year (see the eLearning portal)

ASSESSMENT REGULATIONS

You are advised to read the guidance for students regarding assessment policies. They are available online here.

Where coursework is submitted without approval, after the published hand-in deadline, the following penalties will apply.

For coursework submitted up to 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline without approval, 10% of the total marks available for the assessment (i.e.100%) shall be deducted from the assessment mark.

Coursework submitted more than 1 working day (24 hours) after the published hand-in deadline without approval will be regarded as not having been completed. A mark of zero will be awarded for the assessment and the module will be failed, irrespective of the overall module mark.

These provisions apply to all assessments, including those assessed on a Pass/Fail basis.

The full policy can be found here.

Word limits and penalties

If the assignment is within +10% of the stated word limit no penalty will apply.

The word count is to be declared on the front page of your assignment and the assignment cover sheet.  The word count does not include:

The word count does not include appendices or tables containing brief information.   

Please note, in text citations [e.g. (Smith, 2011)] and direct secondary quotations [e.g. “dib-dab nonsense analysis” (Smith, 2011 p.123)] are INCLUDED in the word count.

Students must retain an electronic copy of this assignment (including ALL appendices) and it must be made available within 24 hours of them requesting it be submitted.

The full Word Limit Policy is available here.

The Assessment Regulations for Taught Awards (ARTA) contain the Regulations and procedures applying to cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct.

The full policy is available at here

You are reminded that plagiarism, collusion and other forms of academic misconduct as referred to in the Academic Misconduct procedure of the assessment regulations are taken very seriously. Assignments in which evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct is found may receive a mark of zero.

Mapping to Programme Goals and Objectives:

This assessment will contribute directly to the following Postgraduate programme goals and objectives.  

Goal One: To develop the skills necessary for employment and career progression

Demonstrate awareness of their personal strengths and weaknesses and the ability to engage in continuing self-development

Demonstrate the development of inter-personal and intra-personal skills.

Demonstrate competence in contemporary analytical and ICT applications

Goal Two: Be culturally and ethically aware

Demonstrate their ability to work in culturally diverse groups and teams and make an appropriate personal contribution to team effectiveness

Understand the wider impact of individual or organisational decision making on social and environmental contexts

Goal Three: Have developed leadership and management capability

Analyse and communicate complex issues effectively

Demonstrate decision making, problem solving and project management skills

Goal Four: Have developed and applied knowledge of international business and management theory

Demonstrate an understanding of the impact of innovative and contemporary research on the business and management community

Acquire, interpret and apply specialist functional knowledge in relation to their programme of study (specialist programmes only)

Goal Five: Have developed a range of research skills and project capabilities

Plan and complete a major individual piece of research on a contemporary business, management or leadership topic.

Demonstrate skills of analysis and synthesis in the application of research methods to the exploration of contemporary business and management issues.