An analysis of the impact of a leadership intervention on an undergraduate work-based learning project for human resource management students Trevor Gerhardt

An analysis of the impact of a
leadership intervention on anundergraduate work-based
learning project for humanresource management studentsTrevor GerhardtWBL Department, GSM London Ltd, London, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of an action research intervention during a
work-based learning (WBL)projectamong human resource management(HRM)students ata business
college in London.The intervention was the researcher’s meeting with the nominated group leaders to
facilitate reflection on their leadership and instil confidence.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on an action research leadership intervention on a
broader undergraduate WBL module taughtacross nine disciplines and numerous projects.The action
learning involved the phases of action,reflection, learning and planning. The sample was five group leaders
on one of the projects for HRM students. A content analysis of their assessment submissions was included in
the reflection,learning and planning phases.
Findings – Based on a content analysis, most of the group leaders acknowledged the leadership intervention
in their submissions in varying degrees ofquantity and quality.The findings reflectthe impactof the
intervention upon leadership confidence and the application of theory on practice.Specific leadership input
would enhance the impact.The intervention did address confidence which impacted self-directed learning.
Research limitations/implications – The research is limited to a specific context and smallsample.
It is limited by the fact that reflective assessment work could not be used in comparison with the project
assessment submissions.
Practical implications – The research demonstrates directly from the assessed submissions of students
the benefit ofWBL with a specific focus on confidence,leadership,reflection and self-directed learning.
It demonstrates as an example the application of action research on a small WBL sample.
Social implications – The research is the evidence of the importance of leadership and confidence among
mature adults in WBL contexts.
Originality/value – This paper demonstrates the impact of WBL on the learning of mature adults and,
furthermore,the impact of a leadership intervention on the motivation of students for self-directed learning.
Keywords Leadership,Reflection,Work-based learning,Action research,Self-directed learning
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Boud and Solomon (cited in Lemanski and Overton, 2016, p. 278) define work-based learning
(WBL) as “a partnership between universities and employers to deliver learning that meets
the needs of the learners,contributes to the long-term development of their employer and
results in an accredited qualification”. It was originally conceived as most appropriate for a
mature person already established at work (Garnett,2016).The researcher is the Project
Lead of such undergraduate (UG)-taught WBL programmes at the Greenwich Schoolof
Management in London (GSM London).WBL is a structured programme of learning where
Journal of Work-Applied
Management
Vol.11 No.1,2019
pp.53-62
Emerald Publishing Limited
2205-2062
DOI 10.1108/JWAM-09-2018-0016
Received 15 September 2018
Revised 2 November 2018
Accepted 7 December 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/2205-2062.htm
© Trevor Gerhardt. Published in Journal of Work-Applied Management. Published by Emerald Publishing
Limited.This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.Anyone
may reproduce,distribute,translate and create derivative works of this article ( for both commercial and
non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms
of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
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Impact of a
leadership
intervention

work skills are practiced or experienced (Allan,2015).WBL questions the more traditional
notion thatknowledge is held and transferred by the privileged few through formal
situationsin pre-determined ways(Helyer,2016).Instead,WBL, specifically,enables
accelerated accessthrough transferableskills,initialprofessionalpreparation forthe
“realworld”,explicit contextualprofessionaldevelopment and the use of problem-based
learning (Allan, 2015). WBL increases employability, transferable skills and learning that is
based upon applying theory in practice (Toledano-O’Farrill,2017).Allan (2015),however,
does warn that there is much ambiguity and cross-conceptualisation taking place in the
literature between WBL,work-related learning (WRL)and workplace learning (WPL).
As such,apprenticeships in the United Kingdom (UK),it can be argued,have been
rediscovered as WPL trajectories.Besides higher apprenticeships,this would traditionally
not involve a higher education (HE) award whereas WBL would. Australians and Canadians
avoid this cross-conceptualisation by referring to all of these concepts as work integrated
learning.Nottingham (2017)argues thatworkforce developmentand apprenticeships (I
would suggest higher apprenticeships are being described here)are newer variations of
WBL.WRL would involve the preparation for or learning about work (Allan,2015).This
will also not necessitate a HE award.WBL is therefore unique in that it is a programme of
learning validated by a higher education institution.In conjunction to the HE award,WBL
aims to develop professionalknowledge,professionalskills and professionalattitudes
(Garnett,2016;Toledano-O’Farrill,2017).The changing nature of work and the modern
enterprise is calling on more professions to be ready to change and work in multi-disciplined
and interdisciplinary contexts,considering practice in new ways producing new forms of
knowledge (Mardini,2013).
The research context
GSM London is a business management (BM) college with a widening participation ethos.
Students have an average age (in 2017)of 30 making itpredominantly focussed on
adulteducation.The GSM London studentbody is 90 per centblack Asian minority
ethnic with 16 per cent from participation of localareas (POLAR)1 and 2 post codes,
i.e.,areas of low educational attainment and aspiration (www.gsmlondon.ac.uk/about-us/
vision-and-mission).
At GSM London,Level5 (second year)UG WBL projects are explicitly linked to the
development of partnerships between students,GSM London and businesses in order to
provide work-like experiences.The Level 5 UG project modules (30 credits each) are called
project placement design implementation (PPDI)and Evaluation and Reflection (EVRE).
The former provides the WBL project experience in groups and the latter guide’s reflection
upon thatexperience.The modules are taughtacross a ten-week period across nine
disciplines such as human resource management(HRM),BM,oiland gas management,
events and entertainment management,travel and tourism management,BM with creative
industries, BM with e-commerce, enterprise and small business development and marketing.
A 2-h PPDI lecture early in the week is followed by 3-h project groups,subject and project
specific.These are followed mid-week by 2-h EVRE lectures followed by 3-h workshop
groups, subject specific. The researcher facilitated a project group of HRM students working
on a project for a European wide charity.The project brief was to create an upgraded
professionalcode of conduct policies.It was in this group,using action research,that a
leadership intervention was made.All projects are conducted in groups.Each group
nominates a project leader.It has been the researchers observation that the success of the
project and the learning gained from it is often dependent upon the successful leadership of
the project leader.A good project leader would usually be confident,communicate well,
monitor the pace of the project,manage allocated tasks and manage conflict to maintain
positive group dynamics.It has notbeen a custom forprojecttutors to provide any
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formalised supportto the nominated group leaders.Whethersuch an intervention of
leadership would impact upon the groups and nominated leaders is the focus of this paper.
Similarto Costley and Abukari(2015),students complete a learning contract(LC)
(30 per cent of the final mark) signed by their project tutor in Week 4 to endorse the WBL
project as an appropriate research and developmentproject.A finalproject report(PR)
(70 per cent of the mark) is also produced. Projects as an independent assignment are a key
elementof WBL (Lemanskiand Overton,2016)and areseen asinitialprofessional
preparation (Allan, 2015). It is for this reason that WBL is seen by stakeholders as a way to
support the professional development of learners,for whom the learning is focused on the
context of their workplace (Lemanskiand Overton,2016).Lifelong learning accentuates
the ever-changing nature of the workplace and through reflective practice,i.e.,the EVRE
module,fostering one’s capacity to learn,review and adaptand so foster self-directed
learning (Newman and Farren,2018).It is for this reason that reflection has a vitalrole
within WBL,delivering HE responses to flexible and rapidly changing labour markets
(Garnett,2016).
Reflection and leadership
Moon (1999)defines reflection “as a process of learning and the representation of that
learning”.This means that reflection is not just about the acquisition of knowledge but
also,if not more importantly,it is also about the appropriate application or manifestation
of thatknowledge as evidence ofthatlearning.Reflection is a complicated mental
processing of ill-material, a term created by Moon (1999) referring to uncertain material or
unpredictablecircumstancessuch as what surfacesduring PPDI projects.These
circumstances are common place among students on WBL projects and reflective practice
is the bestmethod to learn how to work with this ill-material,to change and adapt
(Gerhardt,2013).This could very pertinent for those nominated as project leaders.WBL
projects highlightthatstudents notonly need to demonstrate learning in order to be
appointed to a job,but also how to improve their knowledge and skills on an ongoing
basis,adapting to the evolving demands of their work (Garnett,2016).Toledano-O’Farrill
(2017)addsthatreflection,integralto professionallearning,allowsthestudentto
transform experience into learning.
Reflection is a deliberate mental process/tool/skill which leads to an outcome, the practice
of professionals whereby they think in action (or after action)and theorise aboutthat
practice while or after they do it ( Jasper,2006).The outcome of such practice is to improve
the professionaland theirprofessionalpractice (Schon cited in Graham etal.,2005).
Such competent people are people who are able to apply their knowledge under changing
conditions(Knowles,1980).It is for this reason thatmany WBL projectsinclude
evidence such as reflective skills developmentportfolios (Lemanskiand Overton,2016).
This produces Mode 2 knowledge which is highly contextual, practically focussed and often
unsystematic in contrast to Mode 1 knowledge categorised in subject disciplines which is
linear,formal,cumulative and generalisable (Garnett,2016).However,most of the students
have never really come across reflection theory or practice.The EVRE workshop tutors,
therefore,facilitate the practice and experience of this skill.
An intervention of leadership among nominated leaders may therefore predominantly be
aboutfacilitating reflection ratherthan any explicitinputon leadership orspecific
leadership development strategies.For example,McChrystal(2015)illustrates this wellin
his discussion and comparison between airline incidents,United 173 and the US Airways
1549.He explainsthe differencebetween “command and control”and “adaptand
collaborate”.WBL similarly is more abouthow to adapttheory in changing contexts
and reflection is pivotalto enable that adaption and collaboration to take place,not just
following rules regardless ofcontext.The intervention,to facilitate reflection among
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Impact of a
leadership
intervention