Master's in Human Resource: Realizing a Critically Reflective Managerial Perspective - Essay Sample

Introduction

I must admit that the decision to pursue a professional master's in Human Resource was initially only driven by the desire to advance my career. With time, it has become clear that my desired career advancement may not have been worthwhile without developing both as an individual and a professional. The components of Master's in Human Resource Development have increasingly stood out to me as key for realizing a critically reflective managerial perspective, which is vital for human resource development practice. It is noteworthy that human resource development is a practice area that brings together the elements of education, sociology, system design, psychology, organization development, and management theory and combines them for an enhanced organizational and human performance (Bailey, Mankin, Kelliher, and Garavan, 2018, p.5). The Human Resource Development Master's degree becomes vital when it is required that the knowledge derived from the multiple disciplines is processed for sound decisions. The dynamics of human resource development require that an HR manager becomes consistently critically reflective.

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When it comes to equipping one, a Master's degree in Human Resource Development prepares one to be a strategic thinker and problem solver. With such skills, it becomes easy for a human resource manager to address a wide range of issues on performance, which may hinder an organization's progress. Critical thinking, as an element of human resource management, helps in the identification of performance deficiencies and designing interventions that are appropriate and can lead to improved performance (Lussier and Hendon, 2017, p.16). On a personal level, maybe I wanted to keep up with the trend of having a qualification in time for future career progression. The desire to remain competitive and competent is an ever-present urge. However, the new dimensions that I have acquired are an extra element that I never pictured at the start. Progressively, I am acquiring knowledge, skills, and competence that make things I initially considered as challenges look manageable.

I have noticed that being a critically reflective HR manager prepares one for the many specialties that organizations expect them to be adept in. For instance, organizations require that human resource managers handle materials which they use to evaluate the competency of their workforce. Such materials are required to be continuously optimized (Delery and Roumpi, 2017, p.7). Sometimes HR manager performs training and development roles that require planning, coordinating, and directing of programs so as to enhance the knowledge and skills of other employees within the organization (Collings, Wood, and Szamosi, 2018, p.2). I have learned that, while initially I many have not appreciated the importance of having an interest in skills that do not directly affect my line of professionalism, critical thinking enables me to grow interested and be part of the growth and development of the team that ensures the overall growth of the organization.

I have become more positive and I am continuing to appreciate the importance of developing a critical element in my human resource development management skill set. It is interesting to realize that I can finally own my professional self and become even more creative and unique with how I approach HR management issues. I need to continue to appreciate the role of critical thinking in processing information from the various disciplines that enable sound decision-making. Applying theory to practice may prove a challenge given the realities of workplace dynamics. However, with critical thinking, there will always be a way out.

References

Bailey, C., Mankin, D., Kelliher, C. and Garavan, T., 2018. Strategic human resource management. Oxford University Press.

Collings, D.G., Wood, G.T. and Szamosi, L.T., 2018. Human resource management: A critical approach. In Human Resource Management (pp. 1-23). Routledge.

Delery, J.E. and Roumpi, D., 2017. Strategic human resource management, human capital, and competitive advantage: is the field going in circles? Human Resource Management Journal, 27(1), pp.1-21. doi:10.1111/1748-8583.12137

Lussier, R.N. and Hendon, J.R., 2017. Human resource management: Functions, applications, and skill development. Sage publications.