Critical

evaluation
Idonthavetimetothink!Versustheartofreflectivepractice,JosephRaelin,Reflections,Fall 2002,Volume4,Issue1,pages6679

I Dont Have Time to Think! versus the Art of Reflective Practice by Joseph A. Raelin is an article that discusses one of the biggest banes of the modern corporate culture. The fast paced corporate life often leads to a certain state of rashness and thoughtlessness which is unhealthy for the society and also limits the effectiveness of our actions as individuals. Raelin has attempted to use common and simple situations as examples to validate his point but while doing so, in some instances, objectivity seems to have comprised. He has also complicated a subject that is intuitive and simple to grasp. The article starts with the imagined scenario of Susan and Charlie. It is a good example that illustrates how the fast paced corporate life can make otherwise responsible people lose focus. With this premise, Raelin has aptly introduced the concept of Reflective Practice. He explains how our behaviour can inhibit us from seeing others point of view and sometimes our questioning can close the possibility of generating new insight and understanding. Raelin also questions the blind use of learning from past experience for future situations and counts this as a frequent reason of failure. He stipulates how the art of reflective practice can help managers and therefore the organizations and recalls some related strategies written by known authors. Raelin finally identifies and explains the skills required for reflective practice, namely as skills of "Being", "Speaking", "Disclosing"."Testing" and "Probing. He also provides examples about how these skills could actually be applied. His examples are imagined scenarios which are at times subjective. This raises a question about his impartiality with the topic which is further accentuated by his exaggerative conclusion of some of these scenarios. For instance no one can argue corporate life is frenetic but statements like ...Delaying decisions is seen as a sign of weakness, even if the delay may subsequently produce a better decision dramatize this fact to an alien level. Raelin then seems to give an impression that Reflective Practice is an act of meditation. I personally disagree with this way of thinking and believe it is an action in itself and is not restricted to thoughts alone. Philip W. McArthur in his commentary shares this opinion by stating Reflection, in this sense, is not divorced from action. Raelins analogy of solution databases is not convincing since it reflects how a database on computer will act but human mind is much more creative. While our decisions are influenced by previous experiences, if required, a critical mind would always draw out the pros and cons of a possible solution to a specific problem; but when there is no need for thinking beyond, the brain will not make unnecessary effort.

He cites the example of the failed merger of Quaker oats and Snapple and leads the readers to believe that corporate culture (i.e. too much faith in past experience) was the underlying reason of failure. This is an overstatement. A little study into this case can tell us that there were other commercial / operational reasons that had resulted in the sell out of Snapple and eventually the takeover of Quaker oats by Pepsico. The descriptions of the skills of "Being, "Speaking", "Disclosing"."Testing" and "Probing" provide too much detail about a concept that should come naturally to a critical mind. The skill of Speaking is particularly confusing especially when stated as a way of finding the collective meaning. This feeling is shared by Philip W. McArthur in his commentary. This skill is presented as a surreal art and the provided example (Michael Tilson Thomas and his Orchestra) further mystifies it. Another arguable aspect stated by Raelin is the skill of Disclosure. Disclosure should be restricted to the topic at hand. Disclosing personal details are questionable. They have an impact at subconscious level and could be a good way to start a casual chat but such disclosure is not appreciated in a professional atmosphere. To sum it up, the document is a good attempt to draw attention to an important topic. However, Raelin has presented it in a complicated manner and has not been completely partial and objective.

Reflective journal
I read part C of the module. As the title suggests, this section talks about the process and the theories behind learning. It started with the aspects associated with adult learning and then introduced other concepts. It discussed learning cycle, typical learning styles and preferences and finally the factors that may influence these styles. It also stipulated that this information can be employed to improve learning performance. With 16 years of formal education and 12 years of professional experience, I am not a stranger to Learning but this read has given me an insight into the underlying process. The learning cycle concept is simple, natural and intuitive. I believe most of us can relate to it one way or another. When I was working as a researcher in a R&D lab, I employed a similar approach for my research work. It always started with a theory an interesting topic that was not widely studied before but had the potential of being an important factor affecting coverage and quality of mobile networks. Then came the stage of dissecting the topic to understand the factors that would cause the particular phenomena and the effects of the phenomenon. This stage was followed by mathematical / computer modelling of the phenomenon and putting the theory to test. The final phase was, what can be termed as reflection phase, during which I asked myself questions about its broader implications, its limitations etc.

The learning cycle is a good model of human behaviour or thought process but I am unclear how one can use it to improve learning since it is not a strategy which can be put to use. Even if someone is completely unaware of this model, he would know what hinders his learning or what he finds particularly challenging. For instance some people find it difficult to cope with calculations and therefore try to keep away from problems that require calculations. However, when aversion isnt a choice, they have to deal with it and therefore make that extra effort. I believe learning strategies discussed by Bill Mayon-White (Study Skills for Managers, Sage Publications, 1990) are more useful than the ideas provided in this section of the module. White has provided thorough guidelines that span all important aspects of learning including time management, information processing, information retention, reading skills and report writing. His approach to identify the gaps in ones learning skills is appealing. I am happy this book was selected by the university for its Global MBA students and I am sure it will benefit me in my journey of learning.