• Posted on February 24, 2023
• Harshita

MSc Management Personal Effectiveness Assignment Sample 2023

Introduction

Awareness of oneself critically brings out personal effectiveness with strong dedication and determination to achieve specific goals through merging emotional sentiments as the strength to deliver the mature outcome. Personal effectiveness is mediated through a clear mindset, self-organising skills, motivations, responsibility and emotional intelligence.

Clair and Girard, (2020) pointed out that personal effectiveness is the combination of interpersonal skills, professionalism, integrity, adaptability, flexibility, initiative and reliability.

The Task 1 of the report will discuss Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook’s key skills and behaviours as a case study review which also engages in the example of using the key skills and behaviours for organisational sustainability. It also encompasses the benefits and limitations of the key skills and behaviours of Mark Zuckerberg to analyse the overall scope and pitfalls of the key skills and behaviours in the individual.

Task 2 of the report will engage in evaluating the learning skills by completing the honey and Mumford’s learning style questionnaires with a summarised result. The learning styles were further evaluated through the strengths and limitations of each learning style with personal activities, qualities as well as personally encountered situations for each learning style.

Apart from that task 3 of the report will comprise the methods for improving skills with appropriate comparisons and brief explanations of using each method in improving skills. It also briefly analyses the similarities and differences between the selected methods and finally advocates one method for developing skills with clear explanations.

Task 1: Case study review

Identification of key skills or behaviours of Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook, the globally acclaimed and used social networking website which has nearly 17 billion users and is proficient in interconnecting friends and families instantly with precious moments to keep sharing.

Hardworking

The skills of Mark Zuckerberg as hardworking from the college days helped to build Facebook more interactive and user-friendly with the integration of contemporary sharing platforms of Instagram and Whatsapp.  Harasymiw, (2019) mentioned that the story of Zuckerberg is not too simple and has gone through several stops and restarts to hone the creative ideas of Facebook in today’s mark. The skills of critical thinking help Mar Zuckerberg to shape his visionary ideas to form Facebook by upgrading its from time to time with public concerns, security and privacy of the users.

Ruthlessness

Another key characteristic of Mark Zuckerberg is ruthlessness which is experienced with the discourses in the internal organisational be with other co-founders or other subordinates.

However,  Mark Zuckerberg is determined to remove the competitive threats from the market operation to draw more and more consumers to Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Scott, (2022) stated that Mark Zuckerberg is ruthless to the point of obsession and not compromising when moving forward and is not afraid to break the contracts in professional, social and personal spheres.

Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking, problem solving and equanimity are other key skills of the Facebook CEO where effective interpersonal skills and communication helped to proliferate the business over the globe with employee effectiveness and productive performances.

Lischka, (2019) reflected that Zuckerberg’s testimony in the European parliament is legitimated through pragmatisms, morality and cognition which forecasts corporate responsibility, ability and conformity as a strategic communicator.

Mark Zuckerberg uses the key skills and behaviours example

The key skills and behaviours of Mark Zuckerberg are heavily utilised for organisational success and achievements and over time it benefits the organisation with decision making and engagement in innovations such as the implementation of Metaverse by integrating social sharing apps. The ruthlessness of Mark Zuckerberg is seen in removing the competitive threats with rival Snapchat to drive more customers on Facebook and other social networking apps such as Instagram and WhatsApp.

Covey’s seven habits of effective leadership is presented through the personal effectiveness of Mark Zuckerberg which garners organisational success and employee trust and reliability and influences high productivity through close communication with the individual employee.Covey, (2019) stated that habit is the intersection of skill, knowledge and desire whereas the seven habits for effective leadership are the harmonisation of the natural laws of growth which provides the sequential, incremental and integrated approach to developing personal effectiveness.

Figure 1: Covey’s Seven habits for highly effective people

(Source: Covey, 2019)

These habits are incorporated in the leadership effectiveness of Mark Zuckerberg to lead the organisational objectives and achieve the desired goal where employees claimed as the great boss with the strong psychological effect of personal traits and behaviours Mark Zuckerberg. Employee satisfaction is highly regarded by Mark Zuckerberg with the close association, inquiring and communication involvement with individuals and the creation of a healthy, discrimination-free and stress less working atmosphere.

Furthermore, the skills of critical thinking and problem solving led Mark Zuckerberg to innovate and lead the change in the organisation with a strategic business model which is more interactive and futuristic to resolve the consumers’ issues. Kraus et al., (2022) expressed that, the business model innovation through the creation of Metaverse is futuristic and will incrementally change the core elements of the organisation which strongly communicated for the improvement of the external perception of the company along with dissemination of internal change in the organisation.

The habits of Covey are characterised in the category of dependence, independence and interdependence which is reflected in Mark Zuckerberg’s leadership style, skills and traits. Thinking win-win and synergising is another key trait of Mark Zuckerberg and experienced through the acquisitions of social sharing apps and integration with Facebook.

Beneficial and limitations of Mark Zuckerberg’s key skills and behaviours

The usefulness of the skills and behaviours of Mark Zuckerberg are highly relatable with organisational success and global outreach where ruthlessness empowered to take strategic decisions single-handedly and cut the scope of the acquisitions of the company by other technology firms.

The proactiveness in decision making, beginning with the end in mind in problem-solving, putting first things first in ruthlessness is the private victory for Mark Zuckerberg and success in organisational effectiveness through strong communication.

Balzam and Yuran, (2022) asserted that monopoly in the tech firms happened in the spheres of intimate experiences as in forms of self-expression, user’s habits and memory or social ties whereas Mark Zuckerberg sternly denied the accusations of monopoly, the limitations of skills possessed by Mark Zuckerberg might be influences the organisational conflict, trust deficit and flexible teamwork.

Task 2: Evaluation of learning skills

Summary of the learning style questionnaires result

I have answered the questionnaires of the Honey and Mumford’s learning style where the list of questionnaires is attached in Appendix 1 and the results of the test are attached in Appendix 2. I got marks 13 as a theorist, 11 as an activist, 15 as a reflector and 15 as a pragmatist which classified my learning style with a wide angled view whereas as a theorist I usually seek to understand the theory before taking action.

With a low score in activism, I acknowledged my weaknesses as low communication skills, and problem-solving skills which need to be learned and improved for future career advances. Nemadeet al., (2018) argued that hard skills and experiences may not result in fruitful career objectives in the competitive global market where Communication skills have the potential to enable employability.

As a pragmatist, I have the strength to put learning into practice with consecutive experiments with new ideas and analyse through theories and techniques. It is also accompanied by the weakness of time management in critical thinking which usually delays my work routine and coordination with others as well as study. Razaliet al., (2018) discussed that the factors of time planning, time attitudes and wasting time are closely related to time management which is positively beneficial for students in achieving academic success.

I usually learned through observing and thinking and usually avoid leaping in and prefer to stand back and view experiences from different perspectives. I took feedback from others and paired discussions which have strengthened my learning attitude and skill development.

Identification of two main learning styles with strengths and limitations

The pragmatist learning style

The pragmatist learning style allows me to coordinate the learning through seeking new ideas to practise the learned things. The use of practical helps me to develop my learning skills with the prototype or build on for copy which usually connects me through the process to assume the learning through what I taught, how to implement and what have been resulted. Sudiraet al., (2018) described that a pragmatist learning style is beneficial in giving a specific learning environment which enables the learners to interact, perceive and give responses based on the practical approaches.

I found the pragmatist learning style is beneficial for me to strengthen my lack of skills and capabilities to learn through practical experiences and an integrated approach of learning to test the learning theory with action. On the contrary, there are some limitations to the pragmatist learning style which may bother my learning progress and trajectory in the improvement of deficiencies.

The main limitations of the pragmatist learning style are the long time-consuming learning and practices, hard to interpret the discrepancies in different types of data, and the lack of compatibility with the rapidly changing circumstances.

Figure 2: Honey and Mumford’s learning styles

Source: Sudiraet al., 2018)

The reflector learning style

Reflectors’ learning style also runs appropriately for me which allows me to observe and learn before jumping straight to learning which also allows me to traverse all possible implications and angles before considering an opinion. As I used to listen more than talk, Reflector’s learning style helps me to become cautious and thoughtful which will make me self-assured and lead to productive learning with improved working relationships.

Reflector’s learning style is beneficial for me which will engage my thinking with the piece of information and get understood before taking action on developing my imperfections in skills and abilities. Ferdianiet al., (2021) said that reflectors’ learning style influences individuals to observe and make decisions carefully and seen in every stage of the creative thinking process. The limitations of the reflector learning style are thoughtless actions and getting bored through rushing into actions quickly which may affect my learning widely.

Task 3: Comparison of methods of improving skills

Identification of two methods for improving skills with a brief explanation

The two methods for improving skills are personal coaching and on-job-training which are optimistic about developing my weakness in communication skills, problem-solving skills and time management skill set to bear success in my career with a high scope of employability. Personal coaching is the method of training through instruction and counselling where coaches play a vital role to influence the learner.

The learning method through coaching is generalised through 4 C which is competence, character, connectedness and confidence. The personal coaching method is highly based on effective and two-way process communication and helps me to intricately influence the communication skill set Boyatziset al., (2019) articulated that coaching envisioned in future outcomes is preferable to keep the learner happier high aspirations, and enjoyable with learning through.

On the other hand, the on-job training method is focused on employee perceptions about the efficient and productive workplace and facilitates the learners to observe the details and perform specific jobs. On-job training is widely practised in the industries to make the employee compatible with the work process and ethics which is a practical approach to learning new skills and competencies useful in the real job environment.

The benefits of on-job training are a better use of company time and budget, early determination of whether the job is a good fit for the employee, high perception of the learner as a part of the team and hands-on learning experiences.

Similarities and differences between the two methods

 Similarities

The similarities between the two selected methods of learning personal coaching and on-the-job training are the physical interaction between the learners with the coach and employer where two-way communication is significant for learning and assessing the degree of learning. Coaching implies mentor interaction, counselling and giving directions similarly to job training also done through the employer’s interactions and directions to acquiring a specific skill set.

Differences

The differences between coaching and on-the-job training are in learning goals whereas coaching is for personal skills up and on-job training is for organisations needing to carry forward the specific job role and responsibilities. DiGirolamo and Tkach, (2019) mentioned that managers or leaders coaching skills may be regarded as participative leadership or management which is related to higher team member engagement, reduction of turnover and better working relationships.

On-job training is designed to enhance the skills, knowledge and experiences whereas coaching is designed for developing self-awareness about the behaviour, choices, attitude and needs for improvement. Coaching is the supporting activity for individuals to make progress in specific topics of interest by listening, querying or challenging respectively whereas on-job training is the sharing of knowledge to adequately develop skill gaps.

Effective method for me to develop my skills

I have analysed the two methods for improving skills where the on-the-job training is more suitable for improving my skill gap in problem-solving, time management and communication skill.

The on-the-job training is beneficial for me to adequately improve my skill set through leadership engagement, motivation and the brief of responsibility to practise and perform on-the-job training will guide my learning through participation, knowledge sharing and sharpening to adequately accomplish the job role and responsibility with a sense of team belongingness. Na, (2021) stated that on-job training programs have significant influences on employee engagement with innovation for organisational survival and sustainability.

Conclusion

From task 1, it may be concluded that Mark Zuckerberg is a visionary as well as an innovative leader whose key skills and behaviours comprise hard-working, problem solving, critical thinking, ruthlessness, and equanimity. These key skills and behaviours are reflected from time to time to alleviate organisational effectiveness and market competitiveness in crisis, directions and decision-making.

From Task 2, it may be concluded that the learning style evaluated my learning style as in the form of pragmatist and reflector learning with my weakness in problem-solving, low-key communication and time management.

From task 3, it may be concluded that I have engaged to gain insights into two specific methods for improving my skill sets, which are identified as personal coaching and on-the-job training with similarities and differences. The on-job training is suitable for my skill improvement through leadership participation and knowledge sharing to perform the job role and responsibilities confidently.

References

Balzam, G. and Yuran, N., 2022. Assetization and the logic of venture capital, or why Facebook does not ‘feel’like a monopoly to Zuckerberg. Science as Culture, 31(1), pp.107-120.

Boyatzis, R., Smith, M. and Van Oosten, E., 2019. Coaching for change. Harvard Business Review, 97, pp.151-155.

Clair, N. and Girard, J., 2020. PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS COMPETENCIES OF RECENT CYBERSECURITY GRADUATES. Issues in Information Systems, 21(2).

Covey, S.R., 2019. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Stephen R. Covey.

DiGirolamo, J.A. and Tkach, J.T., 2019. An exploration of managers and leaders using coaching skills. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 71(3), p.195.

Ferdiani, R.D., Manuharawati, M. and Khabibah, S., 2021, April. Geometry material: Profile of creative thinking process of prospective teachers with reflector learning style in proposing and solving problems. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1869, No. 1, p. 012118). IOP Publishing.

Harasymiw, T., 2019. Mark Zuckerberg: Shaping Social Media. Greenhaven Publishing LLC.

Kraus, S., Kanbach, D.K., Krysta, P.M., Steinhoff, M.M. and Tomini, N., 2022. Facebook and the creation of the metaverse: radical business model innovation or incremental transformation?. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research.

Lischka, J.A., 2019. Strategic communication as discursive institutional work: A critical discourse analysis of mark Zuckerberg’s Legitimacy talk at the european parliament. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 13(3), pp.197-213.

Na, K., 2021. The effect of on-the-job training and education level of employees on innovation in emerging markets. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(1), p.47

Nemade, V., Sharma, B., Ramachandran, M. and Fegade, V., 2018. Developing communication skill in a rural pharmacy college. Journal of Pharmacy Research, 12(4), p.536.

Razali, S.N.A.M., Rusiman, M.S., Gan, W.S. and Arbin, N., 2018, April. The impact of time management on students’ academic achievement. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 995, No. 1, p. 012042). IOP Publishing..

Scott, I., 2022. The Shock Doctrines of The Social Network Zuckerberg, Trump, and Surveillance Capitalism in Big-tech Cinema. Screening the Crisis: US Cinema and Social Change in the Wake of the 2008 Crash, p.99.

Sudira, P.G., Damayanti, M.R., Yusari, I., Pinatih, K.J.P. and Samatra, D.P.G.P., 2018. Comparison of Learning Style Preferences Among First Year Medical and Dental Students in Udayana University. Advanced Science Letters, 24(9), pp.6446-6448.

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