Before beginning of the program, I had a very basic understanding about the subject.

I thought
it would take me through significance of management and management function, teach me
process of management. But it expanded my thought process with respect to some of the key
subject areas. Course on Managerial Skills and Concepts presents us with range of
management skills and techniques. It teaches us the abilities and competencies of an effective
leader. It explores the boundaries between leadership and management. In the entire duration,
the course covers emotional intelligence, team dynamics, work-life balance, how to build
effective relationships, creativity, innovation and communication. It designed to help an
individual to develop and build the essential business, academic, and cultural skills necessary
to succeed in international business.
For me the most valuable lessons I learned during the course of the subject were that
of Teamwork, Creativity, and Innovation.
A team is a set of individuals with a different skillset who work together by assisting and
cooperating with each other in an orderly manner to achieve a unique goal. The goal can be of
long or of a short term. Team-work is about galvanizing this group of individuals towards a
collective objective. A group develops into a team in four phases namely.
(a) Inclusion and dependency – where group’s growth is marked by the member’s reliance on
the chosen leader.
(b) Fighting and Counter-dependency – where group pursues to liberate itself from the shadows
of the leader while going through disagreements about goals and objectives.
(c) Trust & Structure – where new trust develops as an understanding between individuals
deepen leading to the formation of strong bonds.
(d) Work. – finally, a team gets efficient and productive.
From an individual’s perspective, teamwork brings a lot of benefits to the
table. Carefully chosen team will have diverse skill sets which will spawn more creativity and
innovation in doing the task. There will be more hands on deck to solve complex problems.
Every individual will does not have to have exceptional social or technical skills. However, the
team will have a balance of both. Team with diverse background, age, gender, knowledge,
perspective and views will have out-of-the-box thinking which will avoid group-think. In this
process, each team member learns to provide support to each other and help to develop, acquire
new talent and enhances communication. Teamwork has never been easy but identifying and
taking a logical approach to scrutinizing how good does the team is built up for success, will
eventually make all the difference.(Haas & Mortnesen, 2016)[3] The most important result of
the teamwork is an accomplishment of the common goal and emergence of leadership qualities
in an individual. It is safe to say that teamwork creates leaders of tomorrow.
Learning and implementing concept about teamwork has made a huge difference in my
work. Being responsible, an effective communicator, a trustworthy listener and being willing
to understand different ideas and perspectives, are all amongst many qualities I have
acknowledged in me which helps me in adapting to different environments. I have been a better
communicator with my team and I can visibly notice the feedback I received from by
colleagues. This had led to better trust amongst each other boosting my and my team’s
productivity. Healthy work environment is another by-product of successful teamwork. This is
vital to the growth of oneself and for the company.
Creativity is about connecting the dots by the virtue of experience, imagination or
inventiveness one has and use it to synthesize new thing. It is an engine which powers
innovation (Gerdeman, 2014). It plays a very significant role in the development of our society
thereby increasing our living standard. Innovations pay way to do things effortlessly by
reducing the time required thus increasing the productivity. Creativity also depends on the
mood of the person. It is tied to the environment surrounding him. (Amabile, 2017)Hence it is
of paramount importance that companies depending on innovative solution create a healthy
environment that motivates an individual (Iainchalmers , 2007). The more innovative projects
a company can produce, more edge it has over its competitor. Creativity is such a unique tool
that allows businesses to see foreseeable future with respect to consumer trends thereby
allowing them to capture major market share before its competitor (Blanding, 2015). In such
cases, it is highly probable that companies will reap huge profits from one’s creative endeavors.
On the other hand, employees will get a sense of belonging to an environment which is easier
to work in. It creates a symbiotic relationship between the company and an individual.
Employee experiences an expansion of knowledge and sharpening of their skill set and
company gets an asset which is very valuable to the future of its product cycle (Cancer, Mulej,
2015).
After carefully studying and analyzing the concept of creativity and innovation, one practical
change I observed in me was with respect to “decision making”. I can now understand the
critical procedural phases like Preparation, Incubation, Inspiration, Verification in developing
a problem-solving approach towards decision-making. I am able to apply basic creative
thinking processes within any decision-making and develop a problem-solving checklist for
my role.
In class exercise and discussions is comparatively quick and easy decisive assessment way to
help the professor check the student’s understanding and knowledge in real-time. The result
obtained can be used to modify or improve the course content or help the student get the clear
idea about the subject being taught (Freeman, 2014). It will help the faculty address student’s
lack of understanding or misconception in real time. For students, in class discussion can help
in nurturing an attitude that values understanding and enabling long-term retention (Zekeri,
2004). It also helps a student to lower the feeling of isolation.
Group work assessment is an excellent tool designed to engage students and provide them with
best possible learning experience by experimentally developing skills and encouraging deep
learning, which will contribute to life-long learning. Group assessment also facilitates peer-to-
peer learning and evaluation (Halpern, 1999). It stress the students about their efficiency in a
group setting. The underlying process for the group task include collaboration, arbitration,
negotiation and development of all involved. Group task greatly enhances student learning. It
teaches a student on how to manage moral and emotional issues such as peer rejection (Chang
v, 1999). There are many students who do not like the idea of collaboration since they have to
rely on others for their grades (Barfield, 2003) and hence they prefer individual assignments.
During our group assignment we were asked to write a report on a case study on blue ocean
strategy. It was a with sheer pleasure we worked together to pen down the report. I learned the
art of negotiation, collaboration and the quality of trust amongst each other. I am glad to say
we are out with flying colors.