472BMT Organisational Behaviour

Reflection on WBPL

I see reflection as an important learning skill that involves three aspects:

the ability to look at events or trigger moments
understanding what you have learnt from those events or moments
what future learning now needs to take place
Reflecting on events can be an important way in which we learn from our
experiences and establish a bridge between theory and practice (Jasper, 2003). By
reflecting, we draw on the past and present and direct ourselves into a better future
(Hinett, 2002).
According to Jackson and Thurgate (2011), reflection increases your self-awareness
and can lead to personal development within the workplace. They also mention how
subconsciously we carry all sorts of baggage from past experiences and this can
influence our behaviour and the decisions we make.
The idea is that we never go into any situation with a 'blank mind' and people who
are able to acknowledge this - can suspend their values and beliefs when dealing
with difficult events. This is called 'reflexivity and I think its an important part of true
reflection.
In order to make sure reflection is a rigorous and structured process, a reflective
model or framework can be used (Bolton, 2014). I have decided to use the Driscoll
model of reflection (Driscoll, 2007). This model is different from the others as its
based on a developmental approach. There are three main questions:
What?
So what?
Now what?
I will now use the model for the trigger moments I will be reflecting on.

First Trigger Moment

What?

I was at my work placement and it was a pretty average day for myself. I was getting used to
my role. I was filling out my time log whilst designing aspects of the clients website.
I was having difficulty concentrating and my reaction times were getting slow. I was suffering
from fatigue due to lack of sleep and this made me worried; fatigue can cause errors in
judgment and reduces work productivity (HSE, 2004).
As I was typing, I could hear raised voices from a room beside me. I tried to ignore it at first
as I felt it was not my job to deal with it. Then the voices got louder until eventually the door
slammed open and out came two employees who were arguing between themselves and the
manager. They started to exchange insults and made derogatory remarks about each other.
The manager didn't try much to defuse the situation, instead he stood there silently.
The argument was in relation to one employee violating the other employees territory. The
employee in charge of property management kept going into the office of the employee in
charge of mortgages - and taking his stationary. Mullins (2010) states that the violation of an
individuals territory can lead to retaliation and conflict. I could see this happening here. The
other issue between the two employees was that the one in charge of sales did not like the
employee in charge of property management - telling him how to do his job. A job role is
essentially an expected pattern of behaviour for a particular position in a company. In this
instance, an employee felt that another employee was interfering in his job role - which can
be correctly defined as role conflict (Floyd and Lane, 2000).

So What?

My feelings at the time were in alignment with what I had learnt from theory in the past - that
it was the manager's job to make their point clearly and assertively (Johnson and Keddy,
2010). I felt the manager should have been more proactive in stopping the confrontation.
My feelings have not changed when I look back at the event, if the manager was quicker at
defusing the situation. I would not have felt so uncomfortable and unwelcome at the time. I
did feel different to other staff, due to my status as someone who is there to gain experience
and not intervene with office politics.
However, a good thing that came from the conflict was that I began to look into why the
manager was behaving the way he was. According to Coleman and Ferguson (2014),
managers can often lose an argument if there default reaction is to demand and control as
it can impair their capacity to lead effectively. This is because they spend a lot of time and
energy - listening to the angry demands of their subordinates and fail to get what they need
during the conflict.

Now What?

The employees involved were suspended, this made me fearful of what the workplace can
be like and the implications of wrongdoing in the workplace. If a similar situation was to
occur, I would try to look less astounded and appear more able to deal with this issue.
It is important that the organisational processes are reviewed to avoid this type of conflict. If
the company was to pay more attention to authority structure and official rules and
regulations - this can be avoided in the future (Mullins, 2010). If I was personally required to
deal or combat this issue in the future, I would read into ACAS (ACAS, 2016) guidance on
conflict resolution and understand what needs to be done.

Second Trigger Moment

What?
On the first day of my placement, I was asked to come into the organisations branch to plan
the new website that should be developed. I felt shy at first and nervous but soon became
confident after meeting the staff. As a website designer, I had various ideas that I wanted to
implement for the company and had a list of topics to discuss with the management.
However, I did not get the chance. Management were unable to talk to me because they
were too busy - so they delegated the task to other workers. They weren't very attentive of
me and often very dismissive of my suggestions.
I tried to ignore the way the staff were acting and tried my best not to react - even though I
really did want to respond. I was hoping that at least one of them would let me make a point
- but they didn't.
So What?
At the time, it made me feel quite small and insignificant. I felt my opinions weren't worth
anything to management and they delegated it to other people. I remember feeling alienated
and powerless - as I wasnt very involved in the decision making process for the website.
Blauner (1964) states that powerlessness comes from a lack of control over work processes
and thats how I felt about not being able to control some of the ideas for the website.
I feel different now and slightly more empathetic towards the staff - as I reflect back on the
event. This is because I remember from theory - in smaller organisations, there may be a
looser structure and therefore responsibility for managing specialisms - can be shared
(Mullins, 2013).
There were good sides to this however, things got done more quickly - as there was less
input and more instructions - the process of designing the website was simpler. It still affects
me that they were not listening to my ideas and suggestions, especially regarding the
implementation of the payment gateway to collect payments on the website.
Now What?
The main implication for me is that I will be more sceptical going into future work
placements. This is because of the way the staff treated me. In the future, I guess Im just
going to have to get used to it as I will often find difficult people at work. There isn't much I
feel I can do to change the status quo. If it was to happen again however, I would be more
inclined to accept it and not appear distressed by it so that others may notice.

Third Trigger Moment

What?
I was at my work placement and I was adding final touches to the companys website and
wanted the directors approval for an aspect of the design. Before I could get up and go to
his office - an employee came into the office wearing informal attire (jeans and a shirt). He
came and sat at his desk.
I knew something was strange, as the director always told me that - formal attire is a must
because the company is client facing. I didn't say anything or react at all.
Another employee, went up and asked him why he wasnt wearing his suit - he said he didn't
feel like it. A few minutes later, the director came out and told this employee off for setting a
bad impression. The employee apologised but he was sent home by the director to change
into formal attire. He returned an hour later - wearing a suit.
So What?
I felt at the time that formal attire was a must for success. According to Cardon and Okoro
(2009), employees are often told by companies to dress for success. In a survey they
conducted - 41% of employers admitted that those who dress professionally were more likely
to get promoted. Therefore, I felt no empathy towards the staff member sent home and my
feelings have not changed.
Now What?
The main implication for me is that I am now even more motivated to dress correctly when
going to future work placements. By this incident occurring, it has solidified my attitude
towards formal attire and I am now less likely to be dismissive of its importance in the
workplace. Employers are often quick to associate formal attire with an increased sense of
professionalism (Haefner, 2008).
I feel employees should make every effort to take advantage of this and dress appropriately
according to organisational dress codes. According to Peluchette and Karl (2007),
employees felt not only more competent but authoritative - when wearing formal business
attire. I find this information useful to motivate me to continue dressing professionally.

REFERENCE LIST
ACAS (2016) Managing-conflict-at-work-advisory-booklet.pdf [ONLINE] Available from:
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Blauner, R. (1964) Alienation and Freedom: The Factory Worker and his Industry, Chicago, University
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Bolton, G. (2014) Reflective Practice: Writing and Professional Development (4th ed.), London, SAGE
Publications Ltd
Cardon, P.W. and Okoro, E.A. (2009) Professional characteristics communicated by formal versus
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Driscoll, J. (2007) Practising Clinical Supervision: A Reflective Approach for Healthcare Professionals
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Ferguson, R. and Coleman, P.T. (2014) Making Conflict Work: Harnessing the Power of Disagreement,
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Floyd, S.W. and Lane, P.J. (2000) Strategizing throughout the organization: Managing role conflict in
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