NMBA Capstone Reflection

This document provides a reflection on the NMBA Capstone project, focusing on the integration of theory and practice in business administration. It discusses the development of strategic capabilities and the importance of theoretical, applied, practical, and reflective skills in the business environment. The document also explores the role of these skills in future career endeavors.

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NMBA Capstone Reflection
Student’s Name
University
Date
Course

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NMBA Capstone Reflection
Introduction.
The MBA capstone focusses on integrating theory and practice with the elements of
administration to assist learners to develop critical competencies that allow learners to become
great people in the organization. The outcome of the capstone project is to allow students to
develop strategic capabilities by
Synthesizing knowledge and showing business relevance. This means that when going
through the capstone, the student is supposed to develop a strategic mindset that is required to
lead and operate in a business environment. With the changing nature of the business
environment, practitioners are required to develop strategic capabilities that can be used to
strategically run the business environment and create better business advantages to benefit the
organization. The role of the course is to focus on improving effective management and
reflective practice for developing a competitive advantage within the organization. Several skills
and capabilities have been acquired in the course of this capstone from week one to week eleven.
Summary of reflective capability and learning
In the capstone project, there are four essential capstone skills that are relevant in the
organization that practitioners need. These are theoretical skills, applied skills, practical skills,
and reflective skills. Students are also required to have the essential skills by developing a
strategic mindset for knowing, doing and being managers in a strategic business environment.
Strategic managers are not general managers since they seek to apply management knowledge
strategically to develop business decisions and plans that focus on creating a competitive
advantage for the business (Bhardwaj & Punia 2013, p. 76). With increased knowledge,

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competition and business challenges, only managers that understand the art of knowing, doing
and being are the ones that are able to transform their businesses into profitable hubs.
Knowing entails the knowledge of theoretical models and methods required for
successfully managing organizations. There are different theories and models that are used in the
business environment but the manager has to understand the implications of each and determine
which business situation requires the application of which business model. Sometimes managers
have to blend the theories to achieve a better decision (Sharma & Jain 2013, p. 313). For
example, it has been argued that there is no perfect leadership theory but rather leadership
competencies can be borrowed from each theory to develop a subset of skills that work well
within the business environment. The competence of doing entails the practical application of
expertise in real life situations. This is the application skills and competencies that one is
supposed to have acquired through the capstone project. This means that in class, students learn
how different theories can be applied in the field of management but when they reach the
practical world, they are supposed to transform, this knowledge and skills acquired to make real
business decisions in the outside world. Lastly, the competence of being entailed focusing on
personal values and goals that are applicable in the business environment. As a manager, one
must have personal values and goals that guide each stride that is made. This means that in the
business environment, managers are supposed to have a clear focus and understand the themes
that guide their approach to work in all situations.
Theoretical skills relate to the way course contents relate to the situations that managers
deal with. This is the reflection of the interdependencies and complexities covered in course
content and applying them to make business decisions. This means that in the business
environment, theories like stakeholder management, ethical leadership or scientific management

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are supposed to be applied in different business situations. An understanding of leadership
theories, decision-making models and change management models define the key theoretical
skills that managers require (Aslan & Pamukcu 2017, p. 5).
Applied skills entail the transfer of theoretical competencies gathered to clearly show the
link between theory and practice and the interconnection between the different components of
the organization. The role of applied skills is to trace and understand the challenges and issues
faced in the organization. For example, the systems approach to management sees the
organization as a whole system with interrelated parts that interact together. This means that
managers are supposed to understand that a business problem is the non-functionality of one of
the systems in the organization. Through applying management skills, it becomes easy to
determine the business challenges that the organization faces and developing the best approach
to resolve the issue.
On the other hand, Dionisio (2017, p. 43) suggestsnthat practical skills entail the
approaches that managers can use to identify and deal with the issues that they face within the
business environment. These experiential skills are known as management savvy that is used to
deal with management issues within the business environment. The use of practical skills in
where the professional understands how to use each skill in different management contexts. This
implies that in management not all skills are applicable to a business situation but rather this
requires an analysis of the situation to the varying business situations presented within the
business context. This is the application of different skills for solving problems, improving
performance and even workplace results.
Lastly, reflective skills are based on the ability of the professional to integrate the
information acquired in different learning models and applying the same to the business

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decisions that exist. This means that the relationship between the knowledge, previous decisions,
and the existing facts can be used to determine the best outcome that can be used to deal with the
situation. The role of reflection is to ensure that the culminating beliefs and assumptions are used
together with the new knowledge that has been acquired to determine the best outcome for
dealing with the situation.
When all the four skills have been acquired, this leads to a strategic mindset which is
based on an understanding that all decisions and approaches taken in the organization must be
approached from the strategic mindset to ensure that the organization is able to remain
competitive. With increased competition in the business environment, organizations are focusing
on strategic mindset leaders by ensuring that all the department in the organization is strategic in
nature. This is the movement away from linear thinking that values simple cause and effect and
uses strategic thinking that focuses on the complexities of the business environment to
understand the causes of the challenges that exist in the organization (Steptoe-Warren, Howat, &
Hume 2011, p. 246). This means that the organization must always be prepared to deal with
change that takes place in the organization every time and then. Since the dynamics in the
external environment are not static, then the dynamic mindset is an understanding that the
business environment is challenging and keeps changing.
A personal reflection on learnings from the capstone subject and consultancy research
process.
In week one to eleven, I learned different themes that can be applied in different areas of
business skills management. The first area is the four skills required in the business environment
that include theoretical, applied, practical and reflective skills. These skills are related to business
competitiveness since they are required to develop strategic capabilities that I can apply within

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the business environment. With the skills, I am able to differentiate between linear and strategic
thinking which are important in business management. As a strategic manager, four theoretical
skills that are; the ability to recall knowledge, solve problems through the use of qualitative and
quantitative skills and integration of both soft and hard skills are important in my role as a
manager (Reeves, Haanaes, & Sinha 2015, pp. 11). Since different models of competitive
advantage exist within the business environment, I learned that I have to find the best model that
fits the strategic need of the organization. In this case, internal and external business analysis
skills are needed I developing the competencies that reflect the needs of the organization.
Further, I learned that the best way to develop a competitive advantage is through
consumer analysis to understand the trends that exist and developing a product that meets the
business gaps that exist. In this case, I learned that a competitive advantage can only be achieved
through product innovation that leads to business growth. As a manager, an understanding of the
cognate knowledge areas for growth and innovation is important since these areas form ways in
which the organization innovates. In addition to that innovation and competitive advantages can
only be achieved through strategic human resources. This means that employee-related aspects
like quality of life, employee involvement, and quality of service are used to create a competitive
advantage that increases employee morale and increase customer satisfaction (Nuntamanop,
Kauranen, & Igel 2013, p. 5). To achieve this, I have to create a culture of innovation within the
organization by developing innovative traits that are needed in the organization.
A personal reflection on skills developed over the MBA.
In the MBA, one of the skills developed in the course is problem-solving and decision-
making skills. As a business manager, I have to make decisions every day and at the same time
solve the problems that exist. I learned that through business models like Porter’s generic

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strategies, three-by-three matrix, Ansoff’s matrix, descriptive models or statistical equation
models can be used to assess the business environment and develop ways of dealing with the
challenges that the organization faces. Through an analysis of the different business situations, it
becomes easy to deal with the challenges that the organization faces.
Another important skill is the management of change within the organization context.
Porter, Argyres, & McGahan (2015, p. 16), every organization faces change in its business
environment which can be from internal or external causes within the business environment. This
means that I have to understand the challenges that exist in the organization and how to deal with
such challenges. From here I have learned the use of porter’s and Lewin’s force filed analysis
model of change on how to manage the different changes that organizations go through. Since
change is inevitable in the organization, then organizational preparedness is one of the critical
areas that managers have to work on as a way of preparing their organizations to deal with the
ever-changing environment that organizations operate.
Strategic problem solving and decision making are important in dealing with different
business problems. This requires the ability to collect business information from different
business areas and using the information to develop ways ensuring that the right decisions are
made. In this case, strategies like benchmarking or Ansoff’s matrix are used to analyze the nature
of problems that exist in the organization and ways of addressing them. Strategic problem
solving is not all about making decisions on the issues that affect the organization but rather
making strategic recommendations that reflect the strategic needs of the business (Al-Bostanji
2015, p. 75). As the business environment keeps on changing, it is important that managers keep
up with the trends that are evolving within the business context. This leads to the best decisions
that reflect and meet the needs of the organization.

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A personal reflection on how these will assist in future career endeavors.
The MBA capstone has been effective since it has enabled me to develop different skills
that are relevant within the career endeavors that I am interested in. The first way that these skills
are important within the business environment is the soft and hard skills that are relevant in
different business contexts. Since soft skills can be learned, then I have to focus on how to
develop ways of acquiring these skills through areas like formal training and self-training.
According to Cripe, Cripe, Mansfield, & Mansfield (2011, p. 27) these soft skills are
communication, courtesy, flexibility, integrity, interpersonal skills, positive attitude,
professionalism, responsibility, teamwork, and work ethics. These skills are important in
ensuring that I have the best abilities for working in a business environment. The role of each of
the skills is to ensure that as a professional I am able to use the soft skills, to manage business
situations that I experience within the business context.
Further, the four skills of theoretical, applied, practical and reflective skills are important
in developing a positive mindset within the business environment. Strategic management is
based on developing a positive mindset that can be used to manage the organization. In this case,
developing a strategic mindset is an important ability that I will need as a manager. This means
that the decisions that I make must have a strategic approach that focusses on achieving business
competitiveness. Thus I have to move away from linear thinking to strategic thinking and
develop the best capabilities that can be used to improve the organization. Strategic knowledge
seeks to propel the organization to higher heights by addressing the business areas that relate to
the future of the organization and at the same time focus on the needs of the market.
In addition to that, innovation and competitive advantage are important skills within the
business environment. This implies that with the skills I will be able to develop strategic

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competencies through the best human resource systems that create innovation and
competitiveness. In this case, the focus is on ensuring that organizational capabilities are
developed to create an innovative environment that allows employees to be innovative within the
organization. Since strategic management is the order of the day, then it means system thinking
skills are important in developing an innovative organization that empowers employees to
develop the best competencies (Luthans 2011, p. 22). One way of developing a positive mindset
is through reframing the mindset of employees and ensuring that they understand that revolve
around the organization. Further, I have to understand the employability trends that exist within
the industry when recruiting employees for the organization. This relates to the key competencies
to be focused on during recruitment of employees and at the same time ensure that different
employment trends that exist in the industry are considered. Understanding the changing trends
ensures that the organizational environment is designed to meet the changing needs as a way of
motivating employees and creating a good working environment that increases creativity and
innovation.
Lastly, Mainardes & Joao (2014, p. 47) suggest that problem-solving and decision-
making skills are important in all areas of the organization. Through business analytics,
organizational data is gathered, analyzed and used to solve organizational problems that exist.
Organizations are faced with different business situations that management has to deal with on a
daily basis. In this case, testing business metrics like efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity
are used to assess the current situation to understand the problems being faced before making
decisions. Benchmarking skills can also be important in understanding the business environment
and developing the best options that meet the needs of the organization. Thus problem-solving
needs to be based on existing business information rather than general decision making.

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Conclusion
From the capstone project, I have developed different competencies and skills that are
applicable within different business contexts that exist. As a management professional, the focus
is on developing both individual and organizational competencies for managing the business
environment. The most important area of all the competencies that have been developed in the
four skills of theoretical, applied, practical and reflective abilities that are applied in knowing,
doing and being. Here the skills are important in developing the strategic mindset which is key in
understanding and addressing the business challenges that organizations face. Thus a manager, a
strategic mindset is important in moving away from lean thinking to strategic thinking. The skills
that I have developed in this capstone project are both individual related and organizational
related.

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