Reflective Account and Mind Map

Reflective Account and Mind map

Description

In order to analyse the business environment on global level, it is imperative to understand the dynamics which are either supporting or hindering the organisations which are functioning. As the global context is getting competitive, the enterprises have to focus on three key dimensions i.e. sustainability, happiness and technology (Goodwin, 2013). Each of these elements have been studied in-depth during the year so that there is sufficient evidence about their contribution in the corporate world. During the entire period, the main area of focus was on the protection of environment (Biggemann, Williams & Kro, 2014). Due to rapid changes takes place globally such as developments in IT world, technology becoming an integral part of routine life, shift towards efficient production procedures so that economies of scale is achieved, changes in climatic conditions and others, it has become imperative for the firms to analyse their impact on their operations (Albinsson & Arnesson, 2012; Varey, 2013). Hence, three major activities were performed in the form of groups so that a first-hand experience can be gained. Anyone who wants to assess the implication of theories has to undertake a practical endeavour as it is close to reality and it allows an individual to acquire worthwhile examples from such exercise (Harrison, 2010; Mullins, 2013). The first task was to develop three things for an environmental pressure group FirstHand i.e. press briefing, infograph and poster campaign. With the help of this project, everyone within the team got an insight about the efforts which have to be undertaken on collective basis so that the desired targets are effectively attained. Later, as part of the Happiness theme, the group had to carry out a study to analyse the implication of this aspect in today’s contemporary business world. This activity allowed the team members to apprehend the factors which influence this feeling and it is important to perform appropriate activities for creating a contented and supportive learning environment (Lau et al., 2014). Finally, the effect of technology was studied with special reference to the society. It is referred to as the gift of fire as it has both positive and negative implications in the community. For the evaluation of this theme, an assignment in the form of biometric podcast development and implementation was given. Hence, all three assessments shed light on various aspects of the theme which were studied in the lectures and workshops. These activities provided an opportunity to learn the art of working in teams and be ascertained that theories learnt during the studies are practically applied for assessing their applicability. Both experiences and reflections are the crucial factors of these practises as these features allowed us to unleash various facets of teamwork (Schoemaker, Krupp & Howland, 2012). In the teams, excellent communication, effective leadership, conflict resolution, time management and cohesion are important parameters (Karalis, 2010). Thus, these attempts benefited me a lot as I identified my strengths along with areas for improvement so that I can capitalise on my potencies and flourish as a competent person.

Analysis / Interpretation

During the complete year, there were many instances which enhanced my learning capabilities. From this course, I realised that the business world is composed of elements which have to be addressed for adding value to the society. Almost all the leading organisations have incorporated the sustainable development concept within their operations so that they can be assured that their processes are in alignment with the requirements of the present era (Savageau, 2013). When I was involved in the sustainability workshop, I gathered useful information about its implication and role it plays in enhancement of the environment. Moreover, these sustainable initiatives provide a direction to the companies to get engaged in activities which will make appreciated contribution in the society such as eliminating carbon dioxide measures, controlling the waste disposal procedures, promoting carbon footprints, organising charitable events and etc. (Zizek & Mulej, 2013). Furthermore, our group decided to assign me the role of team leader as they found me to possess leadership, communication and management skills. When working in teams, it is imperative to make decisions on consensus basis (Marshall, 2012) so that conflicts are avoided and members work in cohesive manner (van Emmirek et al., 2011). Despite all the efforts of performing the tasks with friendly and organised approach, problems were encountered in coordinating the assigned responsibilities as some members were unwilling to fulfil their commitments. As a leader, I had to converse with them so that I could understand their viewpoint and be ascertained that all concerns are handled. One of the members even discontinued from the team as he wanted to join other group. In order to cope with this situation, I realigned the duties and made sure that everyone was satisfied. We were given four weeks to complete the task and everything was progressing smoothly as our press briefing and infograph were ready beforehand. However, there were some issues with the poster campaign as every member wanted to implement his/her idea. After two hours of discussion, a final concept was selected and the poster was given for designing phase. On the printing day, the printer was not working and we had only two hours left for submitting the document. With too much stress, our project was completed. It made me realise that everyone has to work co-operatively and be prepared to work in calm way even in under stressful situation (Savelsbergh, 2012). Likewise, when I was involved in the project of second theme, I asked to act as a group member. Initially, everyone was reluctant because they were expecting that I will carry on the leadership role. For this assessment, I wanted to testify my team working skills so that I can unleash my competencies and avail this opportunity for taking responsibility for another function. After initial meeting, it was decided that I will be given the final project proofreading and editing task along with compilation of information extracted from studies required for the paper. At that point, I noticed that my leader had taken me for granted and has assigned me complex tasks. Besides, this might have happened because of my own weakness of saying ‘yes’ to everybody. For me, it was a learning aspect that there should be a line drawn between the act of being too lenient and stringent. Hence, everyone has the prestige of making certain firm decisions (Yukl, 2012) and I took this event as an area of refinement for future endeavours. Finally, in the third project regarding the technology, I decided to limit my responsibility only to the development of biometric testing podcast. Since I have interest in learning about technological gadgets so this incident provided me a chance of enhancing my knowledge about biometric testing. One issue which was faced during the event was that other member wanted to perform this task. I decided to step backward and agreed to undertake the data compilation responsibility. This significantly made me realise that one has to keep good control on anger when working in teams so that stress can be mitigated to a great extent. Thus, it is mandatory for everyone to comprehend the dynamics of working in teams (Savageau, 2013) and also the factors which are impacting the businesses in global context (Mullins, 2013). During the activities, it was revealed that the sustainability paradigm is impacted by politics, law, government and other influencers. Furthermore, it is imperative for the firms to abide by the legalities of creating sustainable business environment so that they can add value within the corporate world. Equally important for the students is to understand the role of happiness in businesses in global context so that the organisations can respond proactively to the external and internal factors impacting their operations (Savelsbergh, 2012). Also, the technologies have to be utilised in such a way that they encourage the companies to perform their work with excellence and enhance value in the community. Hence, it is mandatory for me to develop my competencies for outshining in the professional world.

Outcomes

This course proved to be a productive and valuable endeavour for me as I realised that there is an array of business dynamics which are hidden in the organisational framework and they need to be addressed so that an individual’s capabilities can be enhanced (Schoemaker, Krupp & Howland, 2012). With the help of reflection exercise, I learnt that I can become an effective and apt leader. Initially, I was unaware about this aspect of my personality. Moreover, I have noticed that I have significantly improved my communication and leadership skills. Furthermore, my writing ability has been polished which has made me confident about preparing the reports in proficient manner. Additionally, I have realised that I need to understand the situations in which I have to speak out to clarify my viewpoint. Even there is immense requirement of embedding time management skills as I lack expertise in this area which was evident from the completion of first project just on time. Hence, I have decided that I will get enrolled in courses which will provide me opportunities for developing my time management and team working capabilities so that I can give appropriate direction to my organisation.

References

Albinsson, G. and Arnesson, K., 2012. Team learning activities: Reciprocal learning through the development of a mediating tool for sustainable learning. The Learning Organization, 19(6), pp. 456-468. Biggemann, S., Williams, M. and Kro, G., 2014. Building in sustainability, social responsibility and value co-creation. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 29(4), pp. 304-312. Goodwin, D., 2013. Linking political and managerial leadership – a personal reflection. International Journal of Leadership in Public Service, 9(1/2), pp. 59-64. Harrison, A., 2010. Business environment in a global context. 1st ed. London: Oxford University Press. Karalis, T., 2010. Situated and transformative learning: exploring the potential of critical reflection to enhance organisational knowledge. Development and learning in organisations, 24(1), pp. 17-20. Lau, P., Kwong, T., Chong, K. and Wong, E., 2014. Developing students’ teamwork skills in a cooperative learning project. International Journal for Lesson and Learning Studies, 3(1), pp. 80-99. Marshall, J., 2011. Images of changing practice through reflective action research. Journal of Organisational Change Management, 24(2), pp. 244-256. Mullins, L.J., 2013. Management and Organisational Behaviour. 10th ed. USA: FT Publishing International. Savageau, A.E., 2013. Let’s get personal: making sustainability tangible to students. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 14(1), pp. 15-24. Savelsbergh, C., 2012. Team role stress: relationships with team learning and performance in project teams. Development and Learning in Organizations, 26(4), pp. 67-101. Schoemaker, P.J.H., Krupp, S. and Howland, S., 2013. Strategic Leadership: The essential skills. Harvard Business Review, January-February 2013, pp. 131-134. Van Emmerik, H., Jawahar, I.M., Schreurs, B. and de Cuyper, N., 2011. Social capital, team efficacy and team potency: The mediating role of team learning behaviours. Career Development International, 16(1), pp. 82-99. Varey, W., 2013. Reflexive thought-ecologies: a reflection on practice. Kybernetes, 42(9/10), pp. 1470-1478. Yukl, G.A., 2012. Leadership in organisations. 8th ed. USA: Prentice Hall. Zizek, S.S. and Mulej, M., 2013. Social responsibility: a way of requisite holism of humans and their well-being. Kkybernetes, 42(2), pp. 318-335.

Appendix I – Mind map of Theme 1

Appendix II – Mind map of Theme 2

Appendix III – Mind map of Theme 3

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