The Role of Reflective Practice in Professional Development

This essay discusses the critical role of reflective practice in professional life, emphasizing how reflective models aid in understanding and adapting to changes within systems and job roles. It highlights the benefits of Work Based Learning (WBL) programs in enhancing professional knowledge and organizational functioning. The essay underscores the importance of self-reflection in identifying areas for improvement, adapting to evolving industry standards, and enhancing employability skills. It references the Gibb’s reflection model and examples from companies like IBM and Microsoft to illustrate the practical application of reflective practices in fostering continuous improvement and professional growth. Ultimately, the essay concludes that self-reflection is fundamental to understanding and excelling in one's job role, leading to career advancement.

Running head: REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN PROFESSION
REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN PROFESSION
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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Reflective practice is critical for professional life
The reflective model helps in the understanding of the different factors that helps in
maintaining and bringing in the changes in the systems and the functioning as per the
requirements of the job role. The Work Based Learning (WBL) program helps the candidates
working in the profession to attain the higher knowledge in order to enhance the functioning in
the respective job roles (Matsuo, 2012). The major aspect of the change that is being undertaken
by the organization is based on the understanding of the needs of the employees. Therefore,
various Universities have taken steps in order to enhance the functioning of the students as they
are engaged in different professions.
The major aspects that are being highlighted in this discussion are based on the
understanding of the importance of the reflective practice that helps in maintaining the efficiency
of the professional life and career. The major aspects of the change that is being planned by the
individuals are based on the reflection as it helps in bringing in improvements in the systems and
the processes undertaken by the same.
The understanding of the Gibb’s reflection model helps in determining the needs of the
profession and thereby promotes the “working while learning” (Moon, 2013). The major
aspects of the change in the behaviors and the mentality of the people towards the proper
functioning of the job roles is based on the different aspects of the ideas for the transition. The
strict observance of the job role by the individual helps in determining the attributes that are
required to be altered based on the requirements of the same. The model helps in the evaluation
of the job role and thereby understands the necessary steps that would help in enhancing the
proper functions undertaken by the person while performing in the job role.

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Figure 1: Gibb’s reflection model
(Source: Hilden & Tikkamäki, 2013)
In order to maintain the equilibrium of the change in the professional life, the people are
required to take steps in order to understand the requirements of the job role and the manner in
which the requirements of the job role can be met through enhanced functioning of the
individual. The progress that are being made by the industries and the changes in the technology
and the culture of the organizations has affected the functioning of the employees based on the
enhancement of their job role. Thereby, the employees are required to undertake steps in order to
maintain the paradigm of the responsibilities and balance the same through the proper
understanding of the requirements of the job roles through the reflection process. The reflection
on the duties of the job role and thereby coming up with new ideas to facilitate the profession
helps in enhancing and enlarging the scopes of functioning of the job that the individual is into.

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The self reflective learning that is being initiated by the individuals is based on the
understanding of the workplace, the job role and the major aspects of the indulgence of the
individual in that job role (Johns, 2017). It helps the individual in understanding the position in
the workforce through the proper functioning of the reflective analysis that is being taken by the
individual. The self assessment helps the individual in maintaining the proper balance of the
functioning and the requirements of the job role. According to Thompson and Pascal (2012), the
determination of the job role and the proper understanding of the processes helps the individuals
in making progress as per the assessments that are undertaken by the individuals. The change in
the approaches is also being facilitated through the proper understanding of the different job
requirements. it helps in bringing in professionalism to the work that is being undertaken by the
individuals.
Different companies around the world has emphasized on the importance of the self
assessment that is being undertaken by the people in order to bring in improvements in their
respective job roles. IBM has taken steps to improve the functioning of the employees through
instilling the value of self reflection in the employees (Gould, 2016). The company values the
self reflectory process in order to bring in continuous improvements in the structure and the
functioning of the organization in the market. On the other hand, the proper understanding of the
self reflectory process helps in determining the progress made by the organizations through the
evolution of the ideas that fits into the context of the companies. Microsoft on the other hand has
taken steps in order to bring in changes in the structure and the functioning based on the
adaptability of the employees (Redmond, 2017). The understanding of the adaptability of the
employees has helped on understanding of the different aspects of the change in the structure and
the functioning of the organization. The determination of the job roles helps in enhancing the

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employment skills that are required to be considered by the organization for its growth. At the
micro level, the individuals are required to reflect on the functions that are being undertaken by
them in order to reason for their functioning. The self assessment of the employees helps in
identifying the challenges that are faced by the same while undertaking the different aspects of
the change in the structure and the functioning of the organization in the market.
According to Schön (2017), the reflection process that is being undertaken by the
employees helps them in not only understanding their job roles but also to gain an expertise on
the same which helps them in bringing in improvements in the skills. The improvements in the
skills help in enhancing the scope and the employability of the individuals and the enhancement
of the careers. Therefore, the reflection on the job role helps in bringing forth improvements in
the structure and the functioning of the individuals as per the needs of professionalism.
Therefore, from the above discussion it can be stated that the proper functioning of the
job role is based on the understanding of the same, which is initiated by the self reflections that
are being undertaken by the candidates.

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References
Gould, N. (2016). Introduction: the learning organization and reflective practice–the emergence
of a concept. In Social work, critical reflection and the learning organization (pp. 11-20).
Routledge.
Hilden, S., & Tikkamäki, K. (2013). Reflective practice as a fuel for organizational
learning. Administrative sciences, 3(3), 76-95.
Johns, C. (2017). Becoming a reflective practitioner. John Wiley & Sons.
Matsuo, M. (2012). Leadership of learning and reflective practice: An exploratory study of
nursing managers. Management Learning, 43(5), 609-623.
Moon, J. A. (2013). Reflection in learning and professional development: Theory and practice.
Routledge.
Redmond, B. (2017). Reflection in action: Developing reflective practice in health and social
services. Routledge.
Schön, D. A. (2017). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Routledge.
Thompson, N., & Pascal, J. (2012). Developing critically reflective practice. Reflective
practice, 13(2), 311-325.