· Question Assumptions · On the spot experiment Awareness in Action (Reeves, 1994: 107) Learning-in-action demands heightened self-awareness. As well as reflecting on events - before, during and after, you need to be aware of your `surreptitious agenda'. By this is meant those inner, not always conscious, forces that cause us to handle situations in ways that accord more with the needs of our ego than the needs of the circumstances. The kind of factors that might come into play - needs, preferences, perceptions, emotions - ... divert us from being as effective as we might have been. ... It is not always easy to be fully conscious of all the nuances of our motives. Nevertheless, some self-reflection, coupled with awareness of the more common forms of distorted managerial behaviour, can be a first step to bringing our surreptitious agenda under conscious control. Many of the things that we learn from experience are practical skills, clearly observable behaviours, which can be practised and on which a judgement can be made about how well one has performed. Inner competence is less tangible. For example, while exerting power is something you do, you cannot always be certain when or whether you are being powerful. In the final analysis you may only be able to judge whether you have been powerful by the results you get. Awareness of self thus has to be linked to the purpose and task in hand. Do not forget the value of retrospective reflection - mulling over, thinking back, evaluating, recapturing experiences. · Qualitative Research Doing qualitative research is by nature a reflective and recursive process. (Ely et al, 1991: 179)
· Question Assumptions · On the spot experiment Awareness in Action (Reeves, 1994: 107) Learning-in-action demands heightened self-awareness. As well as reflecting on events - before, during and after, you need to be aware of your `surreptitious agenda'. By this is meant those inner, not always conscious, forces that cause us to handle situations in ways that accord more with the needs of our ego than the needs of the circumstances. The kind of factors that might come into play - needs, preferences, perceptions, emotions - ... divert us from being as effective as we might have been. ... It is not always easy to be fully conscious of all the nuances of our motives. Nevertheless, some self-reflection, coupled with awareness of the more common forms of distorted managerial behaviour, can be a first step to bringing our surreptitious agenda under conscious control. Many of the things that we learn from experience are practical skills, clearly observable behaviours, which can be practised and on which a judgement can be made about how well one has performed. Inner competence is less tangible. For example, while exerting power is something you do, you cannot always be certain when or whether you are being powerful. In the final analysis you may only be able to judge whether you have been powerful by the results you get. Awareness of self thus has to be linked to the purpose and task in hand. Do not forget the value of retrospective reflection - mulling over, thinking back, evaluating, recapturing experiences. · Qualitative Research Doing qualitative research is by nature a reflective and recursive process. (Ely et al, 1991: 179)