HR Reflective Learning

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................2
2.0 Review Reflection................................................................................................................2
3.0 Enquiry Based Learning.......................................................................................................3
4.0 Discussion on Group Processes...........................................................................................4
4.1 Forming............................................................................................................................4
4.2 Storming...........................................................................................................................5
4.3 Norming...........................................................................................................................5
4.4 Performing........................................................................................................................6
5.0 Learning Style......................................................................................................................6
6.0 Reflection on Incidents........................................................................................................7
7.0 Critique on Reflective Learning...........................................................................................9
8.0 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................11
Appendices...............................................................................................................................12
Appendix A: Figures............................................................................................................12

1.0 Introduction
Reflective learning is considered as an essential element of education today. Several experts
and educational theorists identify and demonstrate the significance of reflective learning in
the past where the works of Schn (1983), Kolb (1984), Honey and Mumford (1986), Gibbs
(1988), Driscoll (1994) and Moon (1999) have great significance in the literature. Reflection
tends to increase self awareness and people learn by looking at their previous experiences.
The core purpose of writing this reflective journal is to critically reflect upon the abilities,
deficiencies, and skills during the workshop taken place in Southampton Solent University.
Also, to critically discuss my experience of working in a group and learning from mistakes
that can influence my career ahead.
The opportunity provided by Solent University for writing this reflective journal aids students
to think about their strengths and weaknesses and consequently they decide about dos and
donts in the future. In this reflective journal, I tried to describe and analyse the learning
outcomes I achieved during the workshop. Also, different aspects of learning such as team
work and learning styles are discussed in detail to develop a greater level of understanding of
the individual reflective journal.

2.0 Review Reflection

Boreen (2009) defined reflection as an analytical process of data gathering and sensemaking through which teachers deepen their understanding of teaching and learning (p. 58).
Mulholland and Turnock (2012) referred to more precise definition of reflection given by
Reid (1993). She described reflection as a process of reviewing an experience of practice in
order to describe, analyse, evaluate, and so inform learning about practice (p. 72). Schn
(1983) mentioned two types of reflections: reflection-on-action and reflection-in-action. The
reflection-on-action refers to a systematic evaluation of a performance or activities after
completing the task. On the other hand, reflection-in-action means reflecting upon the
performance during the project activities which often results in immediately responding
critical situations.
According to my personal view, the reflection is essential for individuals in attaining their
personal study and career related goals. The reflective learning provides the chance for
undergraduate students to identify and sense their past mistakes and consequently discover
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the ways not to repeat those mistakes again. I was used to be a part of a multinational
organisation in the KSA and came in UK for study purpose to develop innovative knowledge,
skills, and abilities. My experience of obtaining education in Solent University is awesome in
terms of learning existing concepts and developing new ideas. Today, I believe Solent
University helped me a lot to achieve my career goal which is to shine my existing
knowledge, skills, and capabilities and to develop innovative skills in order to efficiently and
effectively complete given tasks at workplace.

3.0 Enquiry Based Learning

The title of group task assigned to our team in the workshop was disciplinary and grievance
procedures and steps involved in an employment tribunal for discrimination in workplace
claim. In fact, this topic was very interesting for me as it provides apparent structure for
confronting work-related problems and difficulties. While working in an organisation, the
disciplinary and grievance procedures may be considered important due to strong or weak
working relationships between employers and employees (Leat, 2012).
The disciplinary procedure refers to a formal or
informal discussion between boss and subordinate to
resolve a particular problem. This allows both parties
to reach appropriate decision and take corrective
actions to mitigate the impact of those issues. Also, it
provides employees with an opportunity to appeal
against any management decision which is not in
favour of them. The flowchart at right shows an
example hierarchy of disciplinary procedure.
According to Davies (2011), disciplinary procedures
are required to: enable boss and subordinates to settle
disputes, resolve issues without going to an
employment

tribunal,

recognise

barriers

to

employees in achieving personal and companyoriented goals, and to inform standards that an
organisation expects from employees. In addition to

that it provides individuals and groups with a course of action if they have a complaint
(Towers, 2004).
Developing a discrimination policy and procedures manual for all organisational internal
members and employees is an important practice in any organisation in order to avoid
discrimination claims at the workplace (Arthur, 1995). It is the responsibility of accountable
staff to let other employees know about the policy and its implementation. The discrimination
policy provides equal opportunities to all employees to report discrimination act to human
resource professionals in an employment tribunal.
On the basis of above discussion and review the thoughts of different scholars, it can be said
that the influence of grievance and disciplinary conditions on employees may have an
enduring positive or negative effect on companies and its impact could be more adverse if its
nature is collective. In order to prevent such situations, the top management in an
organisation must handle all cases quickly with extensive care by keeping in mind the
sensitivity of critical issues. In addition, the immediate supervisors and managers must not
underestimate employee discrimination issues and should attempt to resolve them before let
them going to the employment tribunal.

4.0 Discussion on Group Processes

This section demonstrates how team/group was formed and which different team roles were
assigned to group members. Tuckmans (1965) model of group development is used in this
entire section to describe the formation of team and Belbins 9 team roles were used to
demonstrate the roles of group members.

4.1 Forming
The first day all group members met each other to develop team norms. We were unsure
where to begin so we decided to know each other first. Basically our group consisted of six
male individuals and all were different in terms of ethnicity and personality. Following the
idea of one-up and one-down we decided to give each group member 5 minutes to speak
about himself. This was the first step to create equality in our group which established a safe
environment for communication (Halverson and Trimizi, 2008). After the introduction, Will
Richmond took charge in suggesting some ways to work in a group effectively. Wills way of

interaction, communication, and appreciating the comments of other group members built
team trust on him and we decided that Will is capable to lead the group.

4.2 Storming
In our second and third meetings, two events proved that our group members were different
in terms of perception, communication style, and beliefs about a particular subject. In the
second meeting, Shanbir Chowdhury and Abdullah Alajmi had argument due to
misunderstanding that Shanbir was not listening to Abdullah properly and asking too many
questions in criticising way. Both get frustrated and then Will secured the position of both
members and explained politely to Abdullah about the point Shanbir is raising. In the third
meeting, it was realised that two group members were not adhering to settled norms and
coming late in scheduled group meetings. To resolve this issue, I was appointed as time
keeper to ensure all group members strictly follow the time schedule to save the time of
other group members.

4.3 Norming
After resolving disputes and making relationships stronger among group members, our group
entered in norming phase. The key element of this stage was the allocation of roles that group
members were expected to perform during the workshop. For this purpose, Belbins 9 team
role theory was applied where each group member was assigned one or maximum two roles
to complete their jobs. The table below shows Belbins 9 team roles that were assigned to
group members.

Action oriented Roles

Team Role
Shaper
Implementer

Group Member
Mario Hunter
Abdullah Al mashei

Completer

Abdulaziz Altariqi

Coordinator
Team worker
Resource investigator

Will Richmond
Abdullah Al mashei
Shanbir Chowdhury

Analytical
Peopleroles
oriented roles

Plant
Monitor evaluator

Will Richmond
Abdullah Alajmi

Specialist

Mario Hunter

Assigning Belbins team roles to group members helped the entire team to stimulate the
progress in achieving workshop objectives. Further, it also allowed the team to filter
widespread ideas from members, who might not able to see things clearly, into real cases that
were clearly visible and concise.

4.4 Performing
The establishment of roles helped our group to form a hybrid culture due to variety of
strengths and abilities in our group. As a result, a set of comprehensive norms was
intentionally and unintentionally implanted in our group (Halverson and Tirmizi, 2008). The
importance of integration and acceptance of ideas from each group member and providing
timely feedback was realised. Each team member confidently identified the strengths and
weaknesses of other team member, and this practice resulted in the creation of strong
interdependence within the group.
An example of this is evident during the group presentation when each team member chose
and performed his role according to his strength. For example, Shanbir and Hunter collected
presentation material, Will organised the information, Abdullah set outlines, and I and
Abdulaziz made presentation slides. It is important to mention here that nobody in our group
was locked into his particular role and each individual was ready to help other member in
case of any difficulty.

5.0 Learning Style

The learning abilities of an individual greatly depend on his/her learning style. Everyone has
its own learning style and one may learn things by adopting activist, reflector, pragmatic, or
theorist style (Honey and Mumford, 1986). Kolb (1984) argued that different people have
different learning styles. According to him, individuals adopt accommodating, diverging,
assimilating, or converging styles while learning new things. Both these theories have a
significant place in the literature in terms of learning styles. In fact, both these theories are
very close to each other and have many common features. Therefore, to describe my learning
style it is the best practice to use a combination of these models which is called Honey and
Mumfords variations on the Kolb system. A mixture of these theories is presented in figure
A1 in appendix A.
During the entire course, I adopted two learning styles: activist and reflector. I adopted
accommodating (or activist) learning style in the commencement of the course because at that
time I was learning different ways of study in the UK educational system. Basically, the
education system of Saudi Arabia is comparatively dissimilar from that is in the UK. In Saudi
Arabia, teachers give more importance to oral and written examinations. The assessments
through assignments and homework are also essential parts of the Saudi education system. In
contrast to the UK, less or no importance is given to plagiarism, literature reviews,
presentations, group works, and seminars at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. These
elements are given importance at MPhil or PhD levels. In this regard, the accommodating
learning style was vital for me to prepare presentations during group work, and completing
written assessments. Because in this way I tackled different issues i.e. hesitation, critical
writing by utilising my existing skills and knowledge. Further I also discovered that realising
and evaluating past experience is good practice but it is not always good when passing
through the new situation. This reflective journal gives me the chance to adopt reflector (or
diverging) learning style when I looked back and reflected upon my experience that I gained
while working in a group.

6.0 Reflection on Incidents

Before coming to the UK for education purpose, my approach to study was different and I
was unaware of working in a group and giving presentations. Also, I was unaware of
scenarios to present any role during the presentation. The Solent University gave me the
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opportunity to experience such practices which were unique to me in the beginning. But in
fact, I learned a lot from these practices and developed multiple skills which will help me in
career. The skills I learned involve: presentation skills, interpersonal skills, and teamwork
skills, communication skills, and cognitive skills. Today after working in a group, I can
merely say that my decision of taking admission in Solent University was right because after
developing a variety of skills I can now foresee my future prospect very strong. Working in a
group is always best practice for learning new things. While working in a group, I came
across a number of situations where oftentimes I felt confident and sometimes confused. I
applied Gibbs (1988) reflective model throughout this section to describe my feelings and
responses to the situations I came across. The Gibbs reflective model consists of five
elements such as description, evaluation, feelings, analysis, and action plan.
Before coming to the UK for study purpose I worked two times in a group at the workplace
when my company was working on a joint project with another local company. I was
confident at that time because all the correspondence and presentations were in Arabic
which is my first language. Though, I also gave presentations during this course in Solent
University but working in a group during workshop was a unique experience for me. I was
given a role of an employee to be presented during a scenario based presentation. In fact, I
was initially confused in performing the role in front of the audience and particularly my
teacher. But, I gathered courage and started speaking with a nervous and low voice and
ultimately finished my part.
I have a habit to enquire from people around me about my performance or behaviour
especially when I do something new. After finishing the presentation, I asked my group
members and other class fellows about the quality of my presentation to appraise my
qualities. Some fellows mentioned virtues and others indicated some shortcomings. Many
people mentioned that my body language was good throughout the presentation. Also, I was
confident and well dressed. However, some negative points were also mentioned by some
colleagues. For instance, my eye contact was inappropriate during the presentation. Also, at
some points my words and expressions were not matched.
Actually, they were right in saying that because at some points during the scenario-based
presentation I became confused in presenting my role because I thought my performance is
relatively low compared to other group members. During the presentation I was slightly
hesitant in speaking English in front of viewers. Also, I felt disheartened when some
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colleagues mentioned my weaknesses but I appreciated their comments with the thinking that
they provided me the chance to improve my abilities.
In analysing the whole scenario, I must say that overall my presentation was not bad as I was
presenting a role first time in a scenario based presentation. This event gave me the chance to
improve multiple skills such as language skills, presentation skills, communication skills, and
teamwork skills. I also learned that it is always good practice to concentrate on my role rather
than thinking about the performance of other people especially when working in a group. It is
also very important to learn from the mistakes of others and also to review own past mistakes
to avoid issues.

7.0 Critique on Reflective Learning

In the current era, the organisations worldwide, preferably in KSA, prefer to offer jobs to
candidates who are well-educated and skilled with adequate experience in the Saudi working
environment. I had sufficient practical experience before starting this course in the Solent and
the key purpose of taking admission in this university was to enhance my knowledge and
skills. In the beginning, I faced several issues due to much dissimilarity in the education
systems of KSA and UK. But I gradually managed to prevail over my shortcomings and
learned various new things such as learning by reflection on past experiences, and working in
a team and play my role efficiently and effectively to support team in achieving ultimate
goals.
I believe that working in a group particularly playing my roles as implementer and team
worker (see section 4.3 for detail) will help me a lot in my career. In fact, reflective learning
is not understood and practiced by most of the people as they feel uncomfortable and
challenging in appraising themselves (Davies, 2012). Also, in the opinion of some people it is
a time consuming practice which develops thinking that they did so many things wrong in the
past. But my opinion is totally opposite to the above limitations of reflective learning. In my
opinion, reflection on past experience is so beneficial for me and I managed to acquire new
knowledge until now. For example, reflective diary, learning styles, learning cycle, and
understanding of the precise needs of the individual reflective journal, enquiry based
learning.

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In addition, I am convinced in asserting that I will get further benefits from this practice in
future. For example, it would be beneficial for me to: identify my strengths, recognise areas
for improvement, acquire innovating skills and knowledge, recognise educational needs,
promote self-motivation, encourage self-direction, and provide advance understanding of my
values, attitudes, and beliefs. Furthermore, writing this reflective journal will act as a source
of feedback that will provide me clinical confidence.
The reflective practice is given high importance in Solent University in terms of focused
learning. The university considers reflective learning as a standalone professional
development practice where students learn the theory and nature of reflective practice. The
reflective writing enables students to develop new knowledge and innovative skills by
reviewing past situations. On the whole, I would say that reflective practice enables me to
create value of continuous professional development in my career.

8.0 Conclusion
Working in a group was an awesome experience that taught me lifetime lessons. During the
workshop, it was concluded that the influence of grievance and disciplinary situations may
have an enduring positive or negative effect on employees and organisations. The
discrimination problems are also critical in terms of their seriousness which may result in
going to the employment tribunal for resolution. Apart from study benefits of disciplinary and
grievance procedures, the workshop also benefited me in several other ways. For example, I
passed through the entire group processes involved in establishing a competitive team. In
addition to that, I developed and improved several transferable and non-transferable skills
that would be helpful in my professional career ahead.
Writing a reflective journal was a unique exercise for me because it provided me an
opportunity to reflect upon my study and group work experiences in Solent University. In
addition, I came across my learning style and thoughts about many events in the past which
one normally ignores in routine life. Today, I am strongly convinced that the solid educational
background is compulsory for learners from countries like KSA where the education system
is of conventional compared to developed countries.

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References
Arthur, D. (1995). Managing Human Resources in Small and Midsized Companies. 2nd
edition, AMACOM Division American Management Association.
Belbin, R. M. (2010). Team roles at work. 2nd edition, Butterworth-Heinemann
Boreen, J. (2009). Mentoring Beginning Teachers: Guiding, Reflecting, Coaching. 2nd
edition, Stenhouse Publishers
Davies, A. (2011). Workplace Law Handbook: Employment Law and Human Resources.
Workplace Law Group
Davies, S. (2012). Embracing reflective practice. Education for Primary Care. 23, pp. 9-12.
Driscoll, M. P. (1994). Psychology of learning for instruction. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn
and Bacon
Gibbs G. (1988). Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods. Oxford:
Further Education Unit
Halverson, C.B. and Tirmizi, S.A. (2008). Effective Multicultural Teams: Theory and Practice.
Dordrecht: Springer.

Honey, P. and Mumford, A. (1986). Using your learning styles. 2nd edition, Maidenhead.
Kolb, D. A., (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and
development. New Jersey: Prentice Hall
Leat, M. (2012). Exploring Employee Relations. 2nd edition, Routledge
Moon, J.A. (1999). Learning Journals: A handbook for academics, students, and professional
development. Routledge
Mulholland, J. and Turnock, C. (2012). Learning in the Workplace: A Toolkit for Facilitating
Learning and Assessment in Health and Social Care Settings. 2nd edition, Routledge.
Schn, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: how professionals think in action. New York:
Basic Books
Towers, B. (2004). The Handbook of Employment Relations: Law and Practice. 4th edition,
Kogan Page Publishers
Tuckman, B. (1965). Developmental Sequence in Small Groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63
pp. 384-399.
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Appendices
Appendix A: Figures
Figure A1: Honey and Mumfords variations on Kolb system

Source: http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm

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