MBA600 | Individual Reflective Essay
Introduction
Undertaking the capstone subject on strategy has been a valuable opportunity to learn more about business management-related aspects. Enrolling in this subject enabled me to learn more about business management and key aspects of the MBA. Reflecting on the learning outcomes and skills obtained from the subject is crucial in determining the relevance of the overall subject in the future. The weekly topics were not only informative but also interesting to study. The availability of learning materials and references on the internet-enabled me to learn more about this subject. In addition to the availability of learning materials, the teaching approach and method were significant and relevant for achieving the learning objectives. My reflection focuses on the overall learning outcomes from the subject and how these outcomes will help me in the future.
In this reflection, I will discuss the values of reflective practice for managers and leaders, personal reflection on learning from the capstone subject, and consulting research process. I will also discuss personal reflection on skills development over the MBA and a personal reflection on how these will assist in my future career and endeavours. The conclusion summarises the discussion on the personal reflection aspects as outlined in the report.
Discussion on the value of reflective practice for managers and leaders
Reflective practice is a crucial learning process that can help leaders and managers in multiple aspects. Experience leads to observation and the ultimate development of new insights or conclusions that shape different actions in the future (Roberts, 2008). Thinking about and reflecting on previous experiences can enable a leader or a manager to make appropriate and effective decisions. For instance, reflecting on the strategies that a company took during the covid-19 pandemic can enable business leaders and managers to make appropriate decisions during uncertain periods. It can enable managers and leaders to understand similar situations and how to address such problems for achieving organisational benefit.
Reflective practice is another way of increasing awareness of past experiences or learning outcomes. In an organisational context, a manager can create awareness of past experiences by reflecting on the strategies and approaches that the organisation took to solve similar problems. If an organisation faces similar challenges that it previously experienced, reflective practice can help the managers to determine the most appropriate solution. Business leaders and managers should apply the reflective practice in organisations aspects that can influence future decision-making. The role of reflective practice in increasing awareness can be based on the fact that some organisational situations are more likely to reoccur. Besides, awareness of previous challenges can enable the management to implement appropriate measures to prevent similar problems.
Another key value of a reflective practice is that it can enable managers and leaders to integrate theory with practice in a professional manner. Integration of theory with practice can be attributable to learning outcomes achieved in higher education and implemented in an organisational context. For instance, business managers who have undertaken MBAs implement theories that they studied into practice. The primary basis of integrating theory with practice is effective reflective practice. Business leaders and managers who effectively reflect on their learning outcomes are more likely to integrate theory with practice. Leadership is a learning process and reflective practice is a crucial element for implementing outcomes (Matsuo, 2012). In summary, reflective practice is a valuable aspect for both organisational managers and leaders.
A personal reflection on learning from the capstone and consultancy research process
Each week presented an opportunity to learn more about strategy and matters affecting organisations. The capstone subject provided more learning resources including assessments, weekly workshops, and research. In week one, I learned the key strategy concepts that are essential for any organisation. The key concepts that I learned include industry change, competitive advantage, strategy theories, strategy complexity, distinctive capabilities, and performance of a strategy. I learned that organisations have different competitive advantages that enable them to perform better than their competitors in the market. With the availability of a strong competitive advantage, an organisation can reach a wide range of customers and enhance its customer share. For instance, a company with a competitive advantage in the provision of a wide range of products is more likely to reach a large number of customers compared to rivals with a small product portfolio.
Determining the competitive advantage of a firm is essential in enabling the management to make appropriate decisions. I learned that various theories and frameworks are useful in assessing the competitive advantage of organisations and capabilities. SWOT analysis and PESTEL are some of the frameworks for understanding the competitive advantage of an organisation. In assessment one of this capstone, I used SWOT analysis to understand the benefits and the disadvantages of the competitive advantage of Myer Company. Besides, I referred to theoretical frameworks to understand the organisation’s competitive advantage and capabilities of its performance.
The easements under this capstone enabled me to research more about business management and change which are critical for any organisation. I used the approaches that I learned in this capstone to research the subject matter. More specifically, I research more about internal sources of competitive advantage; this helped me to complete the assessment. I learned how to undertake independent research to solve complex business problems. In the modern business environment, organisations can experience challenges that need complex approaches to solve. Hence, an understanding of how to research to solve complex business problems is important.
I found it interesting and informative to learn more about theoretical approaches to organisational change. With the availability of different models of change, it is appropriate to understand the most appropriate strategy that would work for an organisation. In this capstone, I learned the concepts of transitional and transformational change and how organisations can apply theoretical concepts of change management. Kotter’s eight steps change process enabled me to learn that change is a process and not a one-time event. Organisations are more likely to undergo various stages in implementing changes as demonstrated in Kotter’s eight steps change process. Defining the complexity of change is another aspect that I learned in this capstone subject. These learning outcomes significantly enhanced my skills in business management and analysis.
Reflection on skills developed over the MBA
Communication is one of the skills that I developed over the MBA. Valuable opportunities such as presentations have enabled me to develop my ability to relay information and convey ideas with clarity. Video presentation assessments enabled me to enhance my communication skills through the ability to convey messages and ideas in a video format. Notably, communication is an integral skill in the workplace, hence the MBA has significantly increased my employability skills. With the enhanced communication skills, I will be able to present business reports and new ideas to the management.
I have also developed skills in gathering data to make appropriate conclusions. Research on various topics enabled me to gather and collect more information on the subject matter. This information is useful in concluding the area of study such an organisational management. In most cases, I used Kaplan’s ProQuest platform to search scholarly articles and journals on various subjects. The availability of peer-reviewed articles and books on the internet-enabled me to gather relevant information and make significant conclusions. The ability to gather and use data is essential in the workforce, especially where data is useful for decision-making. In this era of big data, the ability to gather and use data is a good skill for employees.
I have gained skills in strategic thinking, especially by undertaking the capstone subject on strategy. Horwath (2019) defines strategic thinking as the generation and application of business insights continually to achieve competitive advantage. Based on this definition, the first step in strategic thinking is generating business insights and the second step is applying the insights. Studying MBA has enabled me to develop skills in generating business insights by focusing on theoretical approaches. More specifically, a good understanding of theoretical concepts and frameworks such as organisational change models enabled me to understand business insights. Strategic thinking skills are essential in enabling a business manager to understand what the business needs and how to solve the problems when the need arises.
My leadership and management skills would not have increased without studying MBA. I have developed leadership and management skills over the MBA; this is an important aspect of managing organisations. The MBA capstones in business management enabled me to understand the overall aspect of business management and the best approaches for achieving organisational success. Leadership and management skills are essential not only in running an organisation but also in understanding the strategic approaches to solving complex problems. In summary, the MBA has enabled me to gain adequate skills in leadership and management, strategic thinking, communication, and gathering data.
Reflection on how these will assist in the future career endeavours
Communication is one of the soft skills that can improve an individual’s employability in the modern work environment. Effective communication skills will allow me to understand information more accurately and quickly. With the enhanced communication skills from the MBA, I will be able to understand information more accurately and correctly pass that information. Good communication is also the basis of decision-making since it is essential to gather information from relevant sources before concluding. In addition to this, effective communication skills will allow me to enhance coordination and cooperation within the workplace.
The ability to gather and use data will enable me to conduct useful business or organisational research. Business research can be useful in enabling the management to understand the internal and external aspects that affect the operations of the firm. With the skills of gathering and using data, I will help the organisation to conduct a good assessment of its external and internal business processes. Effectively gathering and using data will also enable me to prepare useful business reports for decision-making. Notably, data is one of the bases of decision-making in many organisations, thus it is essential to gather and use data appropriately. As a future business manager, I will use these skills to make appropriate strategic decisions by focusing on the available organisational data.
Leadership and management skills will allow me to achieve my future goal of being a business leader or manager. These skills are relevant in managing and running businesses in both challenging and complex situations. After undertaking various capstone subjects on business management and strategy, I learned more about managing organisations in different environmental situations. I will use this skill together with theoretical frameworks such as SWOT analysis and Porter’s dynamic model to understand the internal and external factors that affect business operations. I will also apply these skills to better understand appropriate strategies and approaches that the organisation can use to solve specific problems.
Strategic thinking skills will allow me to make decisions that can help an organisation in the future. This skill will enable me to consider various departments in an organisation before making the final decision. Since strategic decisions can affect the entire organisation, strategic thinking skills are essential in considering all departments. According to Bowman (2019), strategic thinking skills assures that an employee is not making decisions in a vacuum but is considering how other departments might be affected or how other external factors may respond. Such decisions are essential in achieving organisational high performance and success. In summary, I will use the skills that I have gained over the MBA to make proper decisions for personal and organisational development.
Conclusion
Reflective practice is a good approach to enabling leaders and managers to increase awareness of their past experiences. Leaders and managers can also use reflective practice to integrate theory with practice, especially by reflecting on the learning outcomes. This reflective report highlights the aspects of the key areas that I have learned in the capstone subject of strategy. These learning aspects include understanding strategy aspects and organisational change process. The key skills that I have gained over the MBA include communication, the ability to gather and use data, strategic thinking, leadership, and management. I will use the skills that I have gained over the MBA to make proper decisions for personal and organisational development.
References
Bowman, N.A., 2019. How to Demonstrate Your Strategic Thinking Skills. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/09/how-to-demonstrate-your-strategic-thinking-skills#:~:text=Showing%20strategic%20thinking%20skills%20tells,the%20outside%20world%20will%20respond.
Horwath, R., 2019. What is Strategic Thinking? 6. https://www.strategyskills.com/Articles_Samples/What_is_Strategic_Thinking.pdf
Matsuo, M., 2012. Leadership of learning and reflective practice: An exploratory study of nursing managers. Management Learning 43, 609–623. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350507612440413
Roberts, C., 2008. Developing Future Leaders: The Role of Reflection in the Classroom. Journal of Leadership Education 7, 116–130. https://doi.org/10.12806/V7/I1/AB1