Reflective Essay on Organizational Learning & Development Module

This reflective essay explores the key learning areas from an Organizational Learning and Development (OLD) module, emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning for both personal and professional growth. The author reflects on their contributions to the module through group assessments, presentations, and leadership roles, highlighting the application of past experiences and the introduction of organizational theories like teamwork and conflict management. Prior beliefs about the module being purely theoretical are contrasted with the lessons learned, including the value of self-reflection, experimental learning, and the power of teamwork. The essay identifies strengths in realizing the bi-centric nature of learning and development and areas for improvement in taking initiative. Future action plans involve enhancing communication skills, implementing learning theories, and engaging in frequent reflective practice to foster continuous professional development. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of integrating acquired knowledge into future actions for sustained personal and professional growth.

Running Head: LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT 0
Reflective Essay
Organizational Learning and Development
(Student Details :)
1/23/2019

Learning and Development 1
Contents
Reflection: Organization Learning and Development...........................................................2
Key Learning Areas...................................................................................................................2
Contribution to the modules.......................................................................................................2
Prior beliefs and Lessons learnt.................................................................................................3
Strength and area of improvement.............................................................................................3
Action plan.................................................................................................................................3
References..................................................................................................................................5

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Reflection: Organization Learning and Development
Key Learning Areas
The Organizational Learning and Development (OLD) Module comprising workshops,
individual tasks and assignments provided life-long learning for my future personal as well as
professional life. Moreover, research conducted by me such as (Cooren et al., 2011) for
various individual assignments gave me an experience of leadership, work in pressure and
hence importance of OLD module could realized by me for the both professional and
personal practice. The major learning was acquired from the very first lecture which was
focused on introduction about OLD. The introduction about OLD provided an overview
about the total two years module comprising l 12 and 13 weeks lecture and learning schedule
for the first and second year respectively. Basically I got an idea about my whole OLD
schedule and what lessons will be taught during the whole OLD module.
Besides, learning theories and their roles, L&D needs and activities, team work and team
harmony were the major learning from the OLD module (Beevers & Rea, 2013).
Additionally, I learnt an effective team work practice and supportive as well as collective
learning from my surroundings and work environment. I learnt that collective learning
teaches collaboration, cooperativeness, team learning and action learning, and hence I have
become a strong supporter of supportive and collective learning after completing OLD
module.
Contribution to the modules
During OLD module, while I was working on group assessments and presentations then I
contributed a lot to my team and the whole module as I applied my past learning from
experiences at prior workplaces into the group assessments. Moreover, I always have been
leveraged from the opportunity of working as a team leader throughout my schooling and
graduation period. Hence leadership practices at school and college allowed me to
demonstrate a good leadership practice while working with a group of people during my
OLD group assessments.
Moreover, as I was already aware about some of the famous learning theories (Schunk,
2012), from the perspective of organization learning, hence I suggested to introduce all of

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those organizational theories include team-work, conflicts management, collective learning,
servant leadership, professional communication into our module activities. During OLD
module, TW6-EAW was a week allotted for the enrichment activity week, hence I
researched, read and study about a lot of L&D activities. After TW6, I was able to tell about
role of L&D in our professional and personal future plans. During workshop TW-11, there
was group work presentation and feedback activity, I took initiative from the behalf of my
group and asked each and every group to provide feedback on our group activity and
presentation. The feedbacks received through other groups allowed all of us group members
to improve our work, communication skills, and research methods for the future learning and
development (Harrison, 2009).
Prior beliefs and Lessons learnt
I really like to express my prior beliefs and post lessons after the OLD module as during the
very first workshop of this OLD module, it seemed a theoretical and simple learning module.
Besides, I grabbed the overview as it will narrate all the things to us and there will be no
interactive sessions and learning as well. Additionally, before attending this OLD module I
was not at all in favour of supportive learning as I never had experience of such learning
practices in the past. Moreover, I used to think that I am very good at presentation as well as
soft skills. Although I demonstrated good communication and presentation skills during
group assessments and individual assignments as well, yet I got so many feedbacks from the
people and groups around me which helped me in seeing real picture of my professional
communication skill set.
Post attending OLD module, I learnt a lot of things and I am feeling so blessed when I am
reflecting upon those learning acquired from OLD workshop module. I saw a lot of human
creativity during the whole module about which I was not at all sure prior attending the whole
workshop. I also realized that I possess so much creativity skills while I had to act as an alien
during role play activity workshop of the module. In this way, OLD module gave me lessons
like importance of self-reflection, experimental learning, team-work power, supportive and
collective learning and most importantly learning and development importance in life
(Bassos, 2016). Learning and development is a process where we learn from each and every
experience of life whether it is personal or professional and then extract positive essence of
the experience which is known as learning. After extracting positive essence from the

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experiences, development process starts and this development process goes through our life-
time.
Strength and area of improvement
Major strengths of the L&D module and activities were lying in the self-realization of all of
us. I realized that learning and development cannot be centric on professional or personal
field, but it is always bi-centric. It means that learning which is acquired from a personal life
or activities definitely provide a progressive learning for the professional workplace and vice-
versa (Pritchard, 2013). Besides, as per (Heyrup & Bente, 2009), I learnt that reflective
practice is an essential element of learning and development in an organization and personal
life as well (Hirsch & McKenna, 2008). From the perspective of narrating areas for
improvement, I would like to quote one incident of role play activity where I did not take
initiative and stand up first otherwise throughout the workshop I was an active learner. I did
not stand up first during the role play session as I had a misconception about my creativity
skills.
Action plan
After my active participation in the OLD module, I learnt lessons which are incredibly useful
for my future professional and personal development plans. The major action of mine to
utilise the acquired learning from OLD workshop will be practising and introducing those
into my future actions (Nanyang Technology University, 2015). I will improve my
presentation skills include communication and soft skills as per the feedbacks I received from
my well-wishers. I have decided that no matter what I will always take an initiative for each
and every activity or task where positive learning can occur and which can further develop
my future. In this way, my future action plans will be including enhanced professional
communication practices, learning theories implementation into future organizations as well
as frequent reflective practice on future experiences so that self-assessment can develop my
professional career (McKenna, 2012).

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References
Bassos, B., 2016. What is reflective practice? In The reflective practice guide: An
interdisciplinary approach to critical reflection. Oxon: Routledge.
Beevers, K. & Rea, A., 2013. Learning and Development Practice. 2nd ed. London: Charted
Institute of Personnel and Development.
Cooren, F., Kuhn, T., Cornelissen, J.P. & Clark, T., 2011. Communication, organizing and
organization: An overview and introduction to the special issue. Organization Studies, 32(9),
pp.1149-70.
Harrison, R., 2009. Learning & Development. 5th ed. London: Charted Institute of Personnel
and Development.
Heyrup, S. & Bente, E.B., 2009. Reflection: Taking it beyond the individual. New York:
Routldge.
Hirsch, P.L. & McKenna, A.F., 2008. Using reflection to promote teamwork understanding in
engineering design education. International Journal of Engineering Education, 24(2), p.377.
McKenna, E., 2012. Business Psychology and organisational behaviour. 5th ed. Hove:
Psychology Press.
Nanyang Technology University, 2015. Learning Design & Development. [Online] Available
at: http://www.ntu.edu.sg/cits/lsa/LDD/Pages/OnlineCourseDesignDevelopment.aspx
[Accessed 23 January 2019].
Pritchard, A., 2013. Ways of learning: Learning theories and learning styles in the
classroom. London: Routledge.
Schunk, D.H., 2012. Learning theories an educational perspective sixth edition. London:
Pearson.

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