Reflective Journal: Theories, Leadership, and Culture in MBA401

This reflective journal, created by a student, explores key concepts from the MBA401 course on People, Culture, and Contemporary Leadership. The journal delves into recruitment and talent management theories, analyzing their application and impact on leadership. It examines various online resources, including videos and podcasts, that enhanced the student's understanding of leadership development, succession planning, and strategic HRM. The journal reflects on guest lectures, highlighting insights into performance management, rewards systems, and the roles of leadership. It also includes reflections on in-class activities, such as discussions and exercises, and the development of skills like communication and critical thinking. The student analyzes strengths and weaknesses as a leader, discusses feedback received, and assesses the results of psychometric tests. Finally, the journal outlines improvement strategies for becoming a more effective leader, emphasizing the importance of inspiring team members, managing workload, and setting high standards.

Running head: PEOPLE, CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP
People, Culture and Contemporary Leadership

PEOPLE, CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP 2
Reflective Journal
Theories to recruitment and talent management
From the lectures, I have developed my understanding regarding the theories of recruitment and
talent management. In this way, I have learned that there are certain processes of selection such
as application, screening, testing, interviews, medical examination, reference checking, offer,
acceptance or rejection. I have also increased my understanding related to subjective factor
theory of recruitment. Under this theory, recruiter focuses on a different test of recruitment such
as communication, personality, emotional intelligence, and general mental ability. I have also
identified that there are different sources that provide the added value to employees and it could
be considered in the recruitment strategy. These sources are technical knowledge, ability to learn
and motivation, grow, decision-making capabilities, commitment, and teamwork (Northouse,
2018).
On the other side, I have generated my understanding regarding theories of talent management
such as performance gap and pervasive learning. This learning would be related to formal,
informal, and social factors. Formal factor contains e-learning, conferences, rotations, physical
classrooms, and performance reviews. In addition, informal factors involve the websites,
podcasts, coaching, and workshops. Along with this, social factors entail the micro-blogging,
user-generated, and videos. This learning would be beneficial for me to organize and administer
the training. It is effective for timely planning as well as implementation. It would be effective
for me to identify the problem quickly (Tannenbaum and Schmidt, 2017).
Online resources
There are different online resources that help me to enhance my knowledge in the leadership
subject. These resources are videos, podcasts and textbook chapters. In such a manner, I have

PEOPLE, CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP 3
learned that succession planning is linked to leadership development. Moreover, I have
addressed that process of selecting and enhancing a successor is part of a manager’s own
development. Throughout the video, I have enhanced my learning regarding the CEO succession.
I have enhanced my learning regarding leadership development. In such manner, I have realized
that leaders are both born and made as leadership talent could be developed. Throughout the
online resources, I have gained my understanding that leadership could be developed by using
different factors. These are education, experience, and mentoring. It would be utilized by me for
enhancing my personal and professional career (Antonakis and Day, 2017).
Guest lectures
During the guest lectures, I have generated my understanding regarding the ways of managing
the performance. I have learned that the main aim of SHRM is to enhance the productivity of a
company, increase sales, and declines employee turnover. I would use SHRM practices for
enhancing the performance of the business. This guest lecture has also increased my knowledge
that there are different purposes of performance management. These purposes are change
organizational culture, link pay to performance, develops individual competencies, and align
objectives (Priest and Gass, 2017).
I have also increased my knowledge regarding the rating scale. I have enhanced my knowledge
about the rewards. In this way, I have learned that rewards might be tangible and intangible that
a company provides to its workforces in against of potential and actual contribution of work. It
may positively satisfy the needs of customers. I have learned that rewards could be extrinsic and
intrinsic. This factor would be considered by me in the future in order to provide the rewards to
my employees at the workplace (DuBrin, 2015).

PEOPLE, CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP 4
Throughout the lecture 6, I have learned that there are different roles of leadership that should be
performed by a leader for becoming a good leader. These roles are figurehead, negotiator, coach
and motivator, team builder, entrepreneur, technical problem solver, spokesperson, team player,
executor, and strategic planner. This learning would be beneficial for me to play an important
role of leader in the future. I have generated my knowledge about the effectiveness of leadership.
There are four set of variables that aid me to identify leadership effectiveness such as group
member characteristics, leader characteristics, leader behavior, and style as well as internal and
external atmospheres. I have developed my understanding regarding different type of followers
that would aid to address my followers and engage them at the workplace in the future. These
types of followers are isolates, bystanders, participants, activists, and Diehards (Klenke, 2016).
From the guest lecture, I have created my understanding regarding the strategic HRM. In such a
manner, I have observed that strategic HRM is used for long-term focus, and links the
organizational business planning with HR strategic planning. This guest lecture has developed
my knowledge regarding the Ulrich’s 4 Roles Model. This model defines for role models that
should be adopted by a leader to become a good and effective leader such as strategic partner,
change agent, administrative partner, and employee champion. I would like to play change agent
role as I have great knowledge to perform in the change condition at the workplace.
I have also developed my understanding regarding the type of organizational culture. In this way,
I have observed that power culture, role culture, task culture, and person culture are different
types of organizational culture. I have also increased my experience regarding the role of HR in a
different culture. This learning would be beneficial for me to become a good HR in the future. I
have learned that HR should develop cultural strategy and values, as well as manage the cultural
change. I have also built my knowledge about the forces of change. These forces of change are

PEOPLE, CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP 5
external and internal. In this way, I have identified that external forces of changes are
globalization, demographic change, and changing consumer behavior. Furthermore, internal
forces of changes are reduced performance, new organizational structure, and lack of talent
(Covin and Slevin, 2017).
In-class activities
I have participated in class activities that have gained my different skills such as confidence
development, leadership skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills, team building
skills, and public speaking skills. I have generated my knowledge with respect to pay plan types
that would help me to categorize the pay plan for employees as well as helps to avoid the biases
from the organization (Bailey, et. al., 2018).
When I have participated in class activities then I was not aware regarding the relationship
between pay and career growth. But after participation, I learned that an individual can be
motivated via exceeding the performance KPIs and expectations. Throughout the classroom
activities, I have created my understanding regarding the reflective journals. In such a manner, I
have realized that there is a certain process of reflective journals such as experience, feelings,
evaluation, analysis, conclusions, and action plan (Rosenbach, 2018).
Throughout the classroom activities, I have increased my knowledge regarding the steps of
succession planning. These steps are the assessment of key position, detection of key talent, and
assessment of key talent. By participating in classroom activities, I have developed my
leadership skills. In this way, I have generated my knowledge that leadership is the competency
for inspiring the confidence, and supporting the people who are required for attaining the goals
of an organization. This learning would be applied by me for becoming a good leader in the
future.

PEOPLE, CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP 6
From the participation, I have learned that there are different measures with respect to human
resources. These measures are cost and benefits, the range of stakeholders, issue of causality,
standards, and benchmarks, and different pitfalls at the workplace (Taylor, Doherty, and
McGraw, 2015). These learning would be beneficial for me to overcome the issue from the
organization.
Strength and weaknesses as a leader
Strengths Weaknesses
Creativity
Focused
Taking initiatives
Flexibility
Versatility
Insecure
Too detailed oriented
Public speaking
Presentation skills
Self-criticism
As a leader, I have developed my understanding regarding different strengths and weaknesses. In
this way, I have identified that there are different strengths of leaders such as focused, taking
initiatives, creativity, and versatility. On the other side, I have developed my knowledge
regarding the weaknesses that I should improve such as public speaking, self-criticism,
presentation skills, insecure, and too detailed oriented. Thus, I would have needed to improve my
weaknesses by using effective strategies to become a good effective leader (Hollenbeck, and
Jamieson, 2015).
Assessment Feedback: feedback in areas such as critical thinking, communication, that is
important to be an effective leader
From the assessment feedback, I have generated my knowledge that I have a lack of skills in
certain areas. These areas are communication, critical thinking, and analytical skills that are

PEOPLE, CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP 7
important for becoming an effective leader. These areas need to improve as they can create
hurdles for me to become a good and effective leader. My mentor provided feedback that I have
awareness regarding performance management system. But, at the same time, I have a lack of
information regarding other areas that declines my confidence and creates complexity in
communication (Brewster, 2017).
Psychometric Test: You are required to attempt as many psychometric tests as possible.
Critically analyze the results and draw conclusions using some relevant theories
I have attempted a Gallup test that helps to address my strength and weakness. In this test, 12
questions were asked from me that was related to my personality. This would be beneficial for
me to improve my weaknesses in the future. Throughout this psychometric test, I have learned
that I am focused on works as I got rewards at the workplace. I have also commitment skills that
could be beneficial for me to become a good leader. This tests not only support for increasing
strength but also, improving my weakness that could lead to becoming good leaders in the future.
I would use certain theories of leadership to become a good and effective leader in the future
such as transformation leadership and democratic leadership theories (Collings, Wood, and
Szamosi, 2018).
It can be concluded that transformational leadership theory is a new approach to leadership that
focuses on how a leader can generate value and favorable transformation in their followers.
Furthermore, the transformational leader can inspire followers for transforming the motivators,
expectation, and perception to perform with respect to common objectives. It may aid to
complete the vision and improves the personality. This theory relies on the ability of leader and
personality traits to make changes via examples such as articulation of stimulating vision and
challenging objectives (Nataraja, and Alamri, 2016).

PEOPLE, CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP 8
It can be summarised that the democratic style has relied on mutual respect. It is integrated with
participatory leadership as there is need to make collaboration amid leaders and people they
guide. This style focuses on significant accountability on leaders and their employees. This
leadership style can be collaborative and used by taking an opinion of employees and input into
account at the decision-making procedure. This may help to capture the best ideas and shows
their role with the point of employees (Analoui, 2017).
Improvement strategies that you would practice to be a good and effective leader 200
I would practice different strategies for becoming a good and effective leader. In this way, as a
leader, I should inspire team members for accomplishing the personal goals and reach the
potential. I would also involve each individual in the team goals in the future and it would help
to develop new projects. In addition, I would set high standards for dealing with individual
performance challenge and step out in comfort zone. I will also provide a reward to group
members for their hard work and appreciate them to make feel they are an integral part of the
team.
I would also effectively manage the workload. I would delegate the task to workforces, priorities,
set realistic deadlines, and eliminate distraction (Nankervis, et. al., 2016). This would also enable
me to produce the higher quality due to spending more time on the project.

PEOPLE, CULTURE AND CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP 9
References
Analoui, F., 2017. The changing patterns of human resource management. UK: Routledge.
Antonakis, J. and Day, D.V. eds., 2017. The nature of leadership. USA: Sage publications.
Bailey, C., Mankin, D., Kelliher, C. and Garavan, T., 2018. Strategic human resource
management. USA: Oxford University Press.
Brewster, C., 2017. The integration of human resource management and corporate strategy. In
Policy and practice in European human resource management (pp. 22-35). UK: Routledge.
Collings, D.G., Wood, G.T. and Szamosi, L.T., 2018. Human resource management: A critical
approach. In Human Resource Management (pp. 1-23). UK: Routledge.
Covin, J.G. and Slevin, D.P., 2017. The entrepreneurial imperatives of strategic leadership.
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DuBrin, A.J., 2015. Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. UK: Nelson Education.
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