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Developing Reflective Skills Through Journal Writing in an OD Course*
Abstract
In this article, we present the use of reflective journals as a part of a graduate course in organization development and change. The development of reflective skills are critical to the formation of the OD practitioner. We present the use of reflective journals as a method for developing reflective skills. Journal writing complements and supplements other methods of instruction in the course. Students have reported pedagogical gains, including greater self-knowledge, integration of OD models, increased ability to apply OD models to real life situations, increased motivation to learn, and greater confidence in becoming independent learners. Quantitative and qualitative feedback from student evaluations confirm learning gains obtained through journal writing.
The Skill of Self Awareness
"Listening to the other is secondary to listening to the self.
(Schein, 2000, p. 32)
Skills in introspection and learning in action are very important in OD because OD is based on action research and it makes demands on OD practitioners to be able to learn in action. The action research dimension of OD means that OD practitioners work in a process consultation-clinical inquiry mode by which we mean that they are continuously working at being helpful to the client system by going with the story as it unfolds (Schein, 1987, 1995, 1999). This contrasts with those expert-based consultants who design programs in advance and implement them systematically irrespective of the contingencies of the unfolding situation.
The OD philosophy makes high demands on individual OD practitioners. Rather than depending on structured pre-designed interventions, OD practitioners are aware how everything they do is an intervention and that their own self-awareness is as important as their ability to draw on and utilize conceptual frameworks and tools from the organization sciences. For OD practitioners, learning in action can be focused outward (e.g. what is going on in the organization, in the team etc.?) or inward (e.g. what is going on in me?). Accordingly, the formation of OD practitioners includes both the study of the body of knowledge that comprises OD theory and practice and the personal and professional development of the person engaging in OD. Awareness of both and an ability to draw on both are critical to effective OD...