Organisational Analysis Report: Reflective Practice at Harrods

This report provides an organisational analysis of Harrods, a prominent department store, focusing on reflective practice and its application within the context of the business. The report begins with an introduction to organisational analysis and reflective practice, highlighting their importance in understanding and improving business operations. The main body of the report delves into the nature and purpose of reflective practice, exploring models like Kolb's learning cycle and its stages: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. The analysis then presents a detailed reflection on personal experiences related to Harrods, examining aspects such as market conditions, customer segmentation, and the application of SWOT analysis. Furthermore, it connects theoretical frameworks to these experiences, discussing leadership theories and training and development programs. Key issues encountered during role-play activities are also discussed, emphasizing the significance of effective training and strategic planning. The conclusion summarizes the findings, reinforcing the value of organisational analysis and reflective practice for business success. The report is enriched with references to academic sources and online resources.

Organisational analysis.
PART 2

Contents
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY.............................................................................................................................3
Nature and purpose of reflective practice..............................................................................3
Detailed reflection on personal experience in context of Harrods.........................................4
Relationship between relevant theory and the experience.....................................................6
Key issues encountered during the role play activities..........................................................6
COCNLUSION..........................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
In general organisational analysis is commonly known as industrial analysis. It is the
process of examining the work environment, development, reviewing the performance of
personnel and various business operations so that effective plan can be made in order to
improve if required (Burrell and Morgan, 2017). In this report Harrods is selected to
understand the importance of organisational analysis. Reflection is defined process of
reflecting individual own experience that have been learnt while performing a certain task or
work. Whereas the evaluation is about making important decision or judgement about
learning that have acquired by personnel.
In this project, reflective evaluation about organisational analysis has been discussed.
It is observed that to it is very challenging to evaluate an experience without reflecting on that
particular experience.
MAIN BODY
Nature and purpose of reflective practice
In present time, reflective practice is an approach that helps an individual to assess
their own ideas, action and thoughts that further support in personal learning and
development. Reflective Practice is a very adjustable procedure. It is a usual of thoughts that
can be used together with many other ideas for preparation, knowledge, individual
development, and self-improvement. It has been consider natural and instinctive activity for
people and has the main purpose of developing mind-set and ability of person. There has
been different theories and model that help in understanding and performing reflective
practices like Kolb’s learning cycle, honey and Mumford reflective cycle etc.
Kolb’s learning cycle
Kolb’s method combines goal-directed and performance learning models to generate
educational cycle which beliefs procedure and the enduring nature of learning
(Kolb Learning Styles. 2013). Kolb’s approach highlight’s the significance of the reflective
module within the learning cycle. So it ensures that reflection permits the scholar to develop
what just occurred throughout the experience. In the thoughtful observation phase students
can both verify and estimate their knowledge. This delivers the evidence essential for the next
stage that is Abstract Conceptualization. At this additional chance develop for Critical

Thinking; so scholars openly link their knowledge with their opening learning, their prospects
and the result of the understanding. Only through the thinking procedure the understanding
can be truly transformational, as the information gather by students carry into the education
activity is appraised in relations of their individual experience. The last Reflection section for
Kolb occurs in the Active Experimentation phase; here learners use reflection to make
strategies for additional learning experiences. The Kolb learning cycle is naturally signified
by four stages through which the learner repeatedly progresses.
Detailed reflection on personal experience in context of Harrods.
Concrete experience:
This is basically related to doing a particular task or having a valuable experience.
Such as while doing research about organisational analysis I come to know interesting
concept that help me to complete task at specific time. I come to know that it is very
important for manager of company to give more important on market condition and internal
factor so that performance of company keeps on increasing. They need to analyse internal
and external factor in proper manner so that plans can be made and business activity are
performed in appropriate manner. In relevant to organisational analysis I have selected one of
the famous departmental store of UK that helps me to get more understanding about the topic.
Harrods is one of the largest department stores in United Kingdom and willing to become the
most popular across different nation. The store has seven storeys building with more than 330
shops that provide variety of product to almost every age group people. There various

product for such as toys shop, cloths stores, daily use product and many more at different
prices so customer do not have to visit in other store to buy things.
In my observation it was very clear that the main aim of company is to satisfy
customer at any cost therefore they offer luxury, innovation and strange product that are not
offered by other companies. I also understand that there are several kind of customer that visit
to store and ask for the goods according to their needs and purchasing capacity. I understood
that clients are divided on the basis of income level and age group. Such as high income level
customer will buy product with superior quality without considering price labels.
To analysis the market condition manager apply the SWOT method. I observed that with the
help of SWOT analysis manager are able to update their strengths, determine weaknesses,
develop more strategies and overcome threats (Clegg, 2017). This will help in improving the
overall performance and market share of Harrods. From the project I have learned that there
is a vast importance of good and skilled employees within an organisation. Because they
work with their entire potential and full knowledge in order to attain the desired goals and
objective. I observed that there are different important role played by employees of Harrods
such as customer assistance, store operation etc. In present time, I believe that company give
proper training to their hire workforce as they found this method the most effective. They
provide on the job and off the job training program to their workforce so that allotted task and
work can be done in effective and appropriate manner
There are various important roles or job responsibility in departmental store that need to
performed in a meaningful manner otherwise overall performance and goodwill can be
decreased. I think that role of store manager is very much important as they manage different
business project and provide guidelines to workforce and other leader to perform certain task
in effective manner resulting in great result. As I thing that manager of departmental store
like Harrods involves with the job of transfer the jobs or project to their staffs and achieves
their workings. I believe that there manager of Harrods requires specific set of skills and
knowledge to perform their job role in valuable manner. I experienced that perfect knowledge
such as communicative, motivational knowledge, ability to apply information are very much
required by manager of Harrods so that they help in improving the overall performance of
company. I also believe that manager must be skilful while performing his duty and have
some basic skills like management skills, intellectual and learning skill etc. I come across the
fact that to perform duties of manager the board of director or higher authority are focused to
develop effective personal development and training program (Alvesson, 2016). Such as

staffing training and best training about market understanding that help them to fulfil demand
of customer.
In my overall research many time I found that information is not proper and have to
check the credibility of sources. Sometime the information I found is totally false such as an
online site display that Harrods is already one of the leading departmental store across world.
Reflective observation:
This stage is related to exact reviews and reflecting on the experience an individual
have already observed. Thus, it means that reflection includes thinking about what an
individual have experienced and done. Likewise, in my experience about Harrods I learned
that with the help of organisational analysis manager of company can perform different task
in particular manner and at particular time frame. This will help them to attain the predefined
goals and objective. If I were a manager of company I will definitely perform SWOT and
PESTEL analysis that assist me to understand market in certain manner and offer product that
are greatest in demand. I also think so if manager do not have sufficient skills and knowledge
about their job role than they would have become burden on company. So they must have
professional mind-set and must be good observer, communicator, controller etc. in order to
increase the profitability of Harrods.
Relationship between relevant theory and the experience
Abstract conceptualisation:
This stage of Kolb’s learning cycle is associated with the actual finding, conclusion or
leaning from the experience that have been performed by an individual (Ye. and Kankanhalli,
2015). So, when I pass from intelligent thinking about my experiences to construing them I
enter into the jurisdiction of what Kolb called 'conceptualization'. To abstract is to produce a
theory about the meaning of my own experiences. Like in my experience I develop the theory
of training and development such as theory of Reinforcement, theory of learning style etc.
This will help manager of company to train and develop skill labour in order to make them
work for the betterment of company performance etc. In the conceptual I found that manager
must apply the theory of leadership that help them to lead and guide workforce of Harrods so
that they can perform different allotted task in desired time. There are different theories I
suggested to manager of Harrods like traits theory of leadership, behavioural theory etc.
These theories play an important role in combining team as a unit and doing work as a group.

Key issues encountered during the role play activities
Active Experimentation:
The last stage of Kolb’s learning cycle is related to planning and figuring out what
actually an individual have learned from the different experience. Such in context of Harrods
I have learned that manager is focused to provide best and effective training to their staff
member. Thus they apply training and development program in order to remove problem
among staff member and motivate them to do following task to attain the future growth and
sustainability. I also learned that manager themselves needs to get proper training and
develop new strategies in order to solve any problem or overcome any difficulties in future
time. For example, in future there is sudden change in demand of customer manager have to
make proper plan to solve the issue. According to me they must analysis the market condition
with the help of PESTEL analysis and gather the best information and knowledge about
market. This will help them to understand the taste and preference of customer and they can
provide the best product resulting in increased sales for Harrods.
COCNLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that, with effective and accurate
organisational analysis manager are able to determine the overall performance, reason for
decreasing productivity and make plans and strategies to achieve decided goals. Kolb’s
learning cycle is defined as the best ways that help an individual to reflect their thoughts and
ideas on a particular learning and experience. It helps to develop new plans and polices that
help in doing a specific task in appropriate manner.

REFERENCES
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Online
Kolb Learning Styles. 2013. [Online] Available through:
< www.simplypsychology.org/learning-kolb.html>