Personal Development Plan

At the General Dental Council (GDC) headquartered in Birmingham, HR managers serve a pivotal role in the professional and developmental needs of dentistry practitioners (PM Jobs, 2019). Among the openings in the GDC is the position of a people partner that requires among other qualifications, credentials as a practicing dentist (PM Jobs, 2019). Other qualifications such as Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and knowledge of employment laws are also crucial in successfully carrying out the duties of a people partner manager at the GDC.

The GDC lists some minimum qualifications for their people partner manager position, such as possessing graduate and professional qualifications that include dentistry and the chartered institute of personnel development (CIPD) (PM Jobs, 2019). Experiential learning is also a necessity for HR managers wishing to secure employment. Experiential learning enables HR managers to adapt to changing work place environments that impact the organization’s strategy. 

In addition to dentistry, the GDC requires a people partner manager to have good communication skills useful in liaising between senior management and accredited council members (PM Jobs, 2019). Further, the GDC expects a people partner manager to engage its members through employee engagement, talent development, performance evaluations and retention initiatives (PM Jobs, 2019). The position as a people partner manager with also requires the incumbent to be knowledgeable enough to handle HR related data to support HRM policy and strategy. Excellent interpersonal skills are requisite in meeting GDC expectations of a people partner manager. Because a people partner manager will concern themselves with maintaining the professionalism of members, talent management and so forth, productive collaborations with colleagues are a necessity.  

For the reason that the GDC offers professional development and regulatory oversight for dentistry practitioners, a people partner plays a pivotal role in ensuring the retention of GDC members. Specifically, the GDC anticipates a people partner manager to identify and formulate HR strategies that enhance employee engagement (PM Jobs, 2019). Typically, this will involve eliciting feedback from member dentists on the issues they perceive need addressing in their profession. As well, a people partner manager will also draw on other HR metrics such as performance reviews and customer feedback to identify gaps in existing practices and formulate practical strategic solutions (Uhl-Bien & Arena, 2017). Given that the people partner manager will be dealing with credentialed professionals, employee engagement will invariably involve the level of autonomy that GDC member practitioners can enjoy. In particular, a people partner manager will encourage collaborative relations between members within the applicable ethical and professional conduct guidelines (Donnelly, 2018). 

The compilation, interpretation and application of HR data in support of the GDC’s long term strategy is vital in enabling a people partner manager submit actionable recommendations to senior management (PM Jobs, 2019). A people partner manager, in collaboration with colleagues in various GDC departments, is central to people analytics efforts. The GDC expects its people partner manager to play a central role in mentoring its members, with talent and skill development being fundamental to the mentoring effort. 

Since the GDC is an equal opportunity employer, it anticipates that a people partner manager will be cognizant of global HR trends, meaning that the manager should be receptive to contribution of diversity in the modern workforce (Uhl-Bien & Arena, 2017). Awareness of the cultural, social and ethnic backgrounds of employees is especially crucial in the formulation and maintenance of non-discriminatory appraisal and developmental standards (Donnelly, 2018). Uhl-Bien and Arena (2017) explain that distinctive developments arise from “events, threats and opportunities” that the rapid changes in today’s work place present (p. 9). 

The position of a people partner manager with the GDC offers ample opportunities for the applicant to contribute to the organization’s SHRM. The people partner manager has the opportunity to enhance the career development of dental practitioners as well as influence the organization’s overall strategy. Equally, the people partner manager has to be cognizant of the evolving HR dynamics of the modern work force, particularly in connection with diverse workforce and compliance with ethical and professional best practices. 

References

Donnelly, R. (2018) Aligning knowledge sharing interventions with the promotion of firm success: The need for SHRM to balance tensions and challenges Journal of Business Research 94, 344-352.

PM Jobs (2019). People Partner. Retrieved September 24, 2019 from https://pmjobs.cipd.co.uk/job/185211/people-partner/Uhl-Bien, M., & Arena, M. (2017). Complexity leadership: Enabling people and organizations for adaptability. Organizational Dynamics 46, 9-20.