MNM2PD3-Personal Development 3

Module Provider: Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour
Number of credits: 0 [0 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught:
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2022/3

Module Convenor: Dr Chris Dalton
Email: chris.dalton@henley.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

The Personal Development module is an integrated and holistic part of the post-experience MBA programme at Henley Business School. It seeks to support and challenge managers in all aspects of their growth while studying and is a catalyst for reflection on learning from all other modules and aspects of the MBA.

Aims:

Personal Development is:

“the identification and removal of those restraints that limit the likelihood of sustainable individual, organizational, social and environmental health and well-being”

There are four ideas at the heart of the Personal Development activities at Henley:

1. PD is a holistic activity. It starts with raising self-awareness about personal values, beliefs, capabilities, motivations and approaches to learning and leads to a broad understanding of the role of the manager in society.


2. Self-awareness requires the space and time to reflect


3. From reflection on current reality, learners find and move towards aims and goals (at work and in life) by establishing where there are gaps and systematically building a personal action plan


4. The articulation of thoughts, emotions, goals and achievements across a range of media and the demonstration of critical thinking are necessary outcomes to measure personal development

The module is part of other structured activities that include Careers Support to develop employability and career progression, and learning and pastoral support from Personal Tutors and School administration to maintain good academic progression.  The module aims to enable each Programme Member to:

• take control of their direction;


• have and pursue life and career goals;


• obtain maximum benefit for self and organisation from the learning opportunity;


• reflect upon their own learning, performance and achievement and plan for their personal, educational and career development;


• support the assessment of learning outcomes as stated in the programme and subject module specifications.

Assessable learning outcomes:

Knowledge and understanding             

Programme Members will demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Personal Development by:

1. developing a structured and critical approach to self-development


2. reflecting on their own self-awareness, and their use of psychometric and related instruments


3. stating and revising goals, developing a review and planning process


4. understanding their values and motivation as driving factors in managing work-life balance and career


5. reflecting on environmental factors driving change in organisational structure and the patterns and character of work, employment and career

Cognitive and intellectual skills            

Programme Members will demonstrate their cognitive development in Personal Development by:

1. linking the different parts of the programme and maintaining a clear overview of their studies


2. recording experiences and achievements, reflecting critically, and maintaining a record with appropriate evidence incorporating a learning journal, on what has been learned and how it hasbeen applied


3. identifying how to be a more independent learner

Behavioural skills                                

Programme Members will:

1. implement an action plan


2. deploy a range of inter-personal skills, especially those relating to building and working in teams: communication, facilitation and coaching

Additional outcomes:

Outline content:

PART 1	Perspective
Section 1  Personal development planning and self-development	Establishing why you are here What managers do; seeing strengths and weaknesses in your practice The personal development process: planning, learning, application of learning, reflection and recording Learning support: study skills and learning groups
Section 2  Self-awareness and reflection	Learning as an adult, and “learning to learn”: the learning cycle, lifecycle and learning styles Personality, Values and motivation Reflection in personal development
Section 3  Development plans	Team roles, team building and group dynamics, interpersonal skills for building and working in teams Dealing with personal dilemmas and choices: reconciling personality, motives, values and aspirations Gap analysis, goal setting, action planning, reflection and recording progress
PART 2	Relationships
Section 4  Building career	Defining whatcareer means Progression in role and career development: the Career Anchor Finding flow & happiness at work: resilience & passion
Section 5 Networks and Personal Brand	The social context of being a manager Personal Branding as a thought leader
PART 3	Personal Development: Purpose
Section 6  The Reflective Practitioner	The nature of reflection: a relational view of process and purpose in PD Concept of the Reflective Practitioner Reflect and review of plans and goals
Section 7  Four Elements of Balance	Revisit the question of balance in life Your long-term Personal Development Strategy Commitment to finishing the course
Section 8  Epilogue	Thinking biases Five principles of Personal Development

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

 

Personal Development Review and Planning

The module is designed around a core process of teaching and ‘learning by reflection’ to equip Programme Members to prepare a Personal Development Reflection and Plan at the start of Stage 1. This is then updated iteratively towards the end of Stages 1 and 2 of the programme. Each Stage of the programme explores a particular theme. In Stage 1 this is the “perspective” of th e individual, in Stage 2 it is “relationships”, for example at the organisational level, and in the final Stage it is “purpose” and connection to wider environments for PD.

Blended Learning

The module is mostly self-study, with elements of face-to-face and blended learning, combining:

• on-line resources and exercises supporting a Study Guide


• a s equence of PD workshops, the mix dependent on programme mode


• a core text distributed in hard copy to all programme members (currently: A Managers Guide to Self-Development (2013, 6th edition) Pedler, Burgoyne and Boydell)


• A series of additional online support resources are made available throughout the programme. These resources promote effective behaviours to drive outcomes (e.g. drawing on MBTI, FiroB, NLP, LDQ), as well as core skills for building and working in teams: communication (influencing & persuasion), facilitation (1 to many) and coaching (1:1)

Self-awareness and Team-building: Personal and Team Goals

Self-awareness is a key element in the PD process and assessment. Typically Programme Members will obtain information on their personality, team roles, learning style, values and motivation and be given opportunities to undertake a team-building activity designed to estab lish a charter for their learning team.

It is a significant part of the development experience that individual development goals co-exist with team goals and may give rise to dynamic tension. It is for programme members individually and collectively in their teams, to manage this process to maximise the benefits for all parties, drawing from the team-building activity and charter.

Participative Style:

On-line activities and fac e-to-face workshops are conducted in a participative style to provide opportunities for PMs to practice relevant behaviours, especially relating to the core skills of communication, facilitation and coaching.

 

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures	14	7	7
Total hours by term	14	7	7
Total hours for module

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	100

Summative assessment- Examinations:
N/A

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Stage 1:

PD1     1,500 words

PD2      2,000 words

Stage 2:

PD3    2,500 words

Stage 3: No assignment

Programme members must submit their first assignment near the start of the programme in Stage 1 and then a Personal Development Review and Plan at the end of Stages 1 and 2 of the programme.

PD Reviews should be reflective in style and should comment on the context, e.g. relating to development achieved (including where appropriate in-company processes), the rationale for the selection of development goals and demonstrate an evolving sense of personal development as part of their management practice. PD Plans should focus on development goals, noting in particular the opportunity to demonstrate competence in behavioural learning outcomes. The assessment involves two criteria that connect action to thinking:

1. Increasing evidence of understanding and skills relating to the generic process of reflection:  the critical review of experience, analysis and recording of learning, and statement or application of new perspectives.


2. Increasing evidence of understanding and skills relating to the purpose of reflection:  the appropriate application of reflection to your Personal Development. Justification of an agenda of short, medium and long term goals, sense-making as a manager and groundwork for development of competences and perspectives needed for Senior Leadership.

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:

These are in accordance with the mode of study arrangements laid out in the programme guide.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

It is a ‘gateway’ assessment (no marks or grades are awarded) with a “Proceed” or “Revise” decision, based on demonstration of sufficient  competence in line with the criteria expressed above to permit an award or progression to the next Stage. Heavy emphasis is placed on providing clear and insightful tutor feedback.

Reassessment arrangements:

There are no limits to the number of times a Programme Member may re-submit in the few occasions when required to do so. In most cases the focus will be on formative assessment in terms of feedback specifying developments required at the next end of Stage assessment.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Last updated: 22 September 2022