Free «Individual Reflection Paper» Essay Paper

I have always cherished working alone until I started working in a group. Previously, I thought that learning and working alone provided me with an opportunity to reflect on past knowledge and connect it with new knowledge. However, when I started working in a group, certain realities hit me.

First, I learnt that there are certain insights that one cannot acquire while learning individually. For instance, I previously thought that well organized recruitment portfolio could provide an organization with the best talent in the market on their own. During the group discussion, an issue came up regarding recruitment portfolios. I realized that the best talent could be based on tacit knowledge that cannot be written in a curriculum vitae. The group was in a dilemma on how to identify the best talents, given that tacit knowledge was inherent and could not be identified using documents. After a heated argument, one option on how to tap the tacit knowledge was suggested. The method would involve identifying people with tacit knowledge relevant to an organization was using practical tests during recruitment. This method would provide candidates with a practical situation to showcase both their explicit and tacit knowledge. Despite having suggested this method, I currently doubt the practicality of this method, given that it is time intensive. Moreover, methods of reaching out to people with this valuable knowledge are a challenge that needs further research.

Prior the group discussion, I thought that the selection process was the most important part of the recruitment portfolio. However, when a question pertaining the most important part of the recruitment process was posed by one of the group members, my perception changed. It emerged that the induction process was crucial because it created a certain perception in the mind of the new employee regarding the new workplace. Since every organization aims at retaining its talent, the most important aspect of the recruitment process is that which maximizes the retention of talent. The concept of exit interview was discussed in details during the group discussion, giving me a better understanding than when I learnt in class. Before learning about the recruitment portfolio, I thought that potential employees has little say in the recruitment process. Therefore, it was interesting to learn that an interviewee could opt out of a selection process before it was over after learning the terms and conditions relating to the job being sought. The concept of tacit knowledge brought another dimension in my understanding of the selection tools and techniques. Although an organization may have definite procedures and tools for use during the recruitment process, there are circumstances that require contingent methods, procedures and tools. One such contingent measures would be used to identify and tap tacit knowledge where an organization had no previous method of evaluating this type of knowledge.

The group discussion enriched my experience and gave me insights that could not find in books or through my personal effort. I realized that my performance was better through teams than when working alone. Moreover, my professional prospects were boosted by the contributions of colleagues who tried to connect theory and practice and highlighted gaps between the two. The successful contribution of the reserved member clearly indicated that both types of personality traits are important to an organization. Each has unique contributions and should be given a chance to contribute to the welfare of the organization for which they work. In my future management practice, I will manage people better than before the discussion by ensuring group discussion are guided to give each member a chance to contribute.