Reflective Journal on Teamwork Experience

This assignment is a reflective journal on a teamwork experience, where the student takes on the role of a marketing manager for Marks and Spencer. The student uses Gibbs' model of reflection to describe their journey, including challenges faced and lessons learned. The assignment also explores the benefits of working in a team and strategies for overcoming obstacles.

Community Engagement – 2

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Reflection....................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Community engagement is the simplest process of working together with a community of
group in order to address the issues that creates impact upon well- being of those groups. The
chosen company for this report is Marks and Spencer, which is one of the leading firm in UK
who provide bets products such as groceries, clothes at reasonable rates to their customers. The
report will evaluate and understand the concept of transferable skills and how to adapt them to
the requirement of an organizational setting, by using Gibbs model of reflection, report will also
describe the personal experience of a person during a role play and a chosen role for this is
Marketing Manager of Marks and Spencer..
MAIN BODY
Reflection
Concept of reflective practice: This is the ability in order to reflect one's action to
engage in a process of a continuous learning. The reflective practices are paying critical attention
to a practical values as well as theories that helps to inform everyday actions. Thus, it is an
important tool in professional learning setting so that people will learn their own professional
experience (Husebø, O'Regan and Nestel, 2015). Using the reflective practice, the person can
easily express their own views and thought during entire journey. In the same way, using Gibbs
Model of reflection, I am writing the reflective report of the job role of Marketing Manager in
Marks and Spencer.
Description: As a marketing manager of Marks and Spencer, my role is to promote the
products or services of the company into market and at that time I realised that the manager
should posses transferable and interpersonal skills that helps to lead a business towards a
success. I also realised that to attain the goals of a company, a person should work in a team
instead of an individual. Apart from, I also posses both transferable skills such that written and
verbal communication, leadership qualities, research and analytical skills, while on the other
hand in interpersonal skills, I posses negotiation, empathy, positivity and emotional intelligence.
During this role play, I played a role of marketing manager and we have a big team and I
decided to divide the different roles as per their ability between us so that we have to research
only on one element each. Each one of us took the role as per our strength such that I am having
good communication and leadership skills so I choose marketing manager. Beside this, during
our first meeting we all did not know each other but during our induction we got to know each
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other and then we start our rehearsal. Further we had also given enough time before the
performance so that we will deliver our best and the same we did also.
Feeling: During this journey, my overall experience is quite good and it is so because of
our team. Before we came together and realised we still had a lot of work to do but I was quite
happy because we had been smart when we divide the work between us. Initially I was little
frustrating but when my team start making their efforts, I come to realised that we will perform
best. Apart from this, I also feel motivated by my colleagues whenever, I feel low because of the
not presenting my best. Thus, in this way we all work together and start motivating each other in
every situation so that we deliver the best performance.
Beside this, I also feel sometimes guilty because many of us had to cancel their plan
because of our work. But even in this situation also, those people helped me to complete the
work together in order to get success. While playing the role of marketing manager, I come to
realised that the roles and responsibilities of a manager is so high as compared to others and I
also feel satisfies to choose this role because it help me to learn new things which may be used in
my future as well. Apart from this, overall I feel satisfied that I got this opportunity to perform
the role of marketing manager of Marks and Spencer because it may help to enhance my
transferable and interpersonal skills.
Evaluation: During the whole journey, my experience was overall good and the things
which were good and worked well was the fact that each group member is produced best quality
of role at the time of performance. Even all of us also contributed positively to the groups work
ethics. In the journey, I also feel bad when many of us have to cancelled their work and on the
other side, they motivated our team as well for best performance. Though they all were not
reacted adversely in any situation but I feel guilty. I also evaluated that working in a team will
help to complete the task in short period of time as compared to working individual. In the same
way, I also evaluated that my learning skills, communication skills and inter- personal skills are
also enhanced.
By using Praxis theory of practice, I evaluated that marketing manager of Marks and
Spencer also work react according such that their main role is to deal with a customers. In the
same way if I face the adverse situation such that there is a conflict between a customer and a
sales manager, at that time I do not react in adverse way rather than I were try to sort out the
problem. In this situation, my reaction was so normal and by using my critical thinking I should
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provide solution. In addition to this, I also evaluated that initially during forming a team my
reaction and feelings are not high or confident but when we all start interacting with each other, I
come to realise that I raise my all transferable and interpersonal skills which are actually needed
In a marketing manager. Beside this, I further evaluated that me and my team also contributed
positively such that there are some situation where I take wrong decision and at that time, my
colleagues were correct me and this further helps to make our play successful.
Analysis: during the entire journey, I analysed that dividing the team and choosing the
roles as per their own strength is one of the best decision I had take. It is so because every one
got a chance to show their calibre and skills during the presentation. I think that dividing the
team roles as per individual strength will help to present the work in better way because I also
enjoy working in those areas that match my strength. That is why, I think that it seems natural to
me that this also help in the case of role play and group forming. Through many literature, I learn
that using groupthink model will also help me to perform our team best. It is a model where
people does not raise different opinion to dominant decisions as they do not want to seem like an
outsider. In the same way I also applied this theory in my group as well.
Apart from this, I further analysed that working in a group will help me to motivate my
self, raise my communication skills and while playing a job role of Marketing manager of Marks
and Spencer will further help me to realise how to complete the roles and responsibilities for a
defined role (Smith and Roberts, 2015). During the rehearsal, I analysed that our team also have
a unity and that is why we make our play successful and even we all correct each other whenever
one of us think that the decision may cause negative impact upon performance. This quality of
our team is really appreciable. Overall, I think or analysed that some of us if feel demotivated,
then the entire team were ready to motivate and this shows the teamwork and I am quite
impressed from this. That is why I prefer to work in team rather than individual.
Conclusion: In my entire journey, I concluded that I raise my communication skills and
while play the role of marketing manager of Marks and Spencer, I learn analytical skills and
interpersonal skills which are quite essential in a person and that should adopt such skills in order
to meet the objectives of a company. Further I concluded that we sometimes faces many
challenges regarding decision but we all were seem to agree on in the group, to make sure that
we are not agreeing just because of Groupthink model. In addition to this, I also learn that from
many adverse situation, I should not react oppositely and try to make solution of every problem.
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This also help me in my future as well such that it help me to take better decision (Potter, 2015).
Apart from this, I learn that working in a team will also help to share many experience, ideas and
the chances of accomplish goal of a company also increases and in the case of performing
individual, the work is not perform in better way as compare to team. Therefore, I analysed that
work in team is quite beneficial rather than working individual.
Lastly, I learned that during this journey, I raise my skills especially verbal
communication and learn how to work in team and what are the advantages of it. Further, I
learned that even in adverse situation, it is the duty of a manager to handle all the complex
situation in an effective manner so that the goals are achieved. In the same way, I also applied
this in my team work as well to deal every situation in simple way. Therefore, the entire journey
provides me better experience which I can also use in my future.
Action Plan: during the role play, I lean many things and also raise my current skills as
well, but in my future when the same thing is happened then I try to choose some alternative
option such that as I am working in a team then initially, I will talk to them about their strength
which they posses. This is so because it is quite easy to do and also remember In our first
meeting (Bassot, 2016). Apart from this, I will also ask if we can challenge our initial decision so
that we are more more confident to make informed decision in order to avoid group think as
well. Even though if I have any concern then I will also tell the group as well.
In addition to this, I also more focus on my interpersonal and transferable skills because it
will also help me in my future projects and presentation as well. For this reason, I also start
attending classes and read literature review or article to enhance the skills. Further, I am now
more confident that working in a team will be more effective as compared to working
individually because it will help to share many ideas and experience that may lead towards
success as well. Therefore, in my entire journey I also face many challenges and I also make
strategy to overcome, such that during sometimes I fall to take best decision and my team
members were correct this. Thus it will help me to realise the benefits of working in a team.
Therefore, I also think by remembering, I want the best result that will further make me able to
disagree even when it feels uncomfortable.
CONCLUSION
By summing up above report, it has been concluded that in a community engagement,
working in team will be more beneficial to address the defined objectives. In the same way by
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using Gibbs model of reflection, I describe whole journey of a role play where I choose role of
marketing manager of Marks and Spencer and concluded that I feel satisfied during our
performance. Further, it has been concluded that different challenges during a play are also
overcome by using action plan that will help in future as well.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bassot, B., 2016. The reflective journal. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Husebø, S. E., O'Regan, S. and Nestel, D., 2015. Reflective practice and its role in
simulation. Clinical Simulation in Nursing. 11(8). pp.368-375.
Potter, C., 2015. Leadership development: an applied comparison of Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle
and Scharmer’s Theory U. Industrial and Commercial Training.47(6). pp.336-342.
Smith, J. and Roberts, R., 2015. Reflective practice. Vital Signs for Nurses: An Introduction to
Clinical Observations, pp.222-230.
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