Reflective Writing Assignment on Knowledge Development and Design Thinking

This reflective writing assignment reviews writing technique commonly used by learners and practitioners in nearly all, if not all fields to help them identify new insights, ideas, and techniques learned during a practice session or coursework. This paper entails a reflection of the knowledge I have built throughout the term in my study of design thinking. It gives from a critical analysis point of view, my reflection of the knowledge I have developed in various design thinking topics. Using the DIEP (i.e. describe, interpret, evaluate and plan) strategy, the report will give a reflection of the learning experiences I have had from each lecture session. Thereafter, I will highlight an action plan of key activities I intend to do in the next 6 months to develop any additional knowledge and skills identified during the lectures. 

 

The first element of design thinking that I learned was the logic of reasoning. I realized that logical reasoning involves making conclusions based on a given precondition. A possible implication of this new understanding is that presented with any problem to solve, I need to ask myself how to achieve the desired outcome and what I need to do to achieve that outcome. The insight gained from reflective writing assignment reports as well as from literature such as Swift et al (2018) that in logical reasoning, one needs to imagine the desired outcome and design how this outcome can be achieved.

Another important concept that I learned was designed mindset and various qualities needed to become a design thinker. The most interesting insight that I learned about design thinking is that when design thinking is utilized alongside innovation and strategy, incredible results can be achieved. For example, Daniel (2018) and Hillman & Werner (2017) write that when an individual is open-minded and able to learn (both which are qualities of a design thinker), they are can engage in a continuous redesigning of the task plan to ensure that the task effectively, innovatively and efficiently achieve its objectives.  Another thing I understood is that creativity and open-mindedness are two key traits of a design thinker that are essential to achieving success in design thinking. A possible implication of this understanding is that a good design thinker is able to borrow knowledge from various disciplines so long as the knowledge is useful in successfully completing the task. This insight is connected to the reflective writing assignment cross-disciplinary concept which is described by Garbuio et al (2018) as the integration of various perspectives into a collective idea to help accelerate the success rate of a project. This concept is important in different ways. First, according to Shively et al (2018), it means that through the application of knowledge from different expertise one can challenge the traditional notions surrounding a particular problem for the development of quicker and more efficient solutions. Secondly, it is the foundation upon which creativity and open-mindedness are based, and therefore it is an important skill that should be sought by design thinkers (Dijksterhuis & Silvius, 2017). Thirdly, according to Mintrom & Luetiens (2016), it enables the design thinker to understand different viewpoints and appreciate the differences in how various disciplines approach the problem at hand. This new insight will be useful in my future career as an entrepreneur and in my personal life as I develop business ideas that provide effective and efficient solutions to people’s problems. 

Another significant knowledge that I acquired from the coursework is innovative and imaginary thinking. When we were tasked to create all kinds of images using 30 circles, I was able to use my imagination and creative mind to draw different things using the circles. In doing so, I was able to understand that people have different imaginary powers and can have different innovative perspectives. A possible implication of this new understanding is that whereas imagination and imaginary powers are believed to be benevolent to people in other fields (e.g. artists, writers, or musicians) rather than business, entrepreneurs also need imaginary and innovative minds to develop strategic visions for their businesses. This insight is connected to the assertions by Mintrom & Luetiens (2016) that when entrepreneurs imagine the interaction between their customers and sales representatives during product development, they are able to envision different scenarios about the interaction (e.g. how the customers behave, how the representative acts) and plan on how to improve the interaction. For instance, when we were tasked to create new flavours of ice cream in groups, we were able to think deeply and brainstorm on how to create the best flavours that could not only impress our supervisor but also the ‘customers’. Because good imaginative skills enable one to easily develop creative ideas and solutions about the scenario (Garbuio et al, 2018), I intend to increase my imaginative skills by engaging in different activities such as reading and writing.  I also feel that increasing these skills is necessary because as at now, I would not consider myself to have perfect imaginative skills.

This reflective writing assignment is instrumental in towards developing new techniques and skills that could be helpful in my future studies and career. For example, when we were tasked to discuss and work on developing a poster, I learned the skills involved in finding and making references, accessing data and using images to demonstrate the data use allocated time to complete the allocated task. One thing that I realize now is that time planning is a very important element of time management, especially when working in groups to accomplish a common goal. A possible meaning of this realization is that when working on a task, I need to prioritize the important activities so that I spend time on activities that I really need to do to achieve my objectives. This insight is connected with the Pareto’s principle/law which states that 80% of what one can achieve takes 20% of their time while 80% of what they can achieve takes 20% of their efforts (Richiteanu-Mastase et al, 2018).  This new insight will be useful in my future career and studies to accomplish tasks on time by prioritizing the most important tasks. However, I consider myself a poor time manager and therefore I intend to give more emphasis on developing effective time management skills.

The coursework also enabled me to acquire skills on value chain analysis. During the lecture sessions, I learned that value chain analysis involves the identification of product and service development processes to meet and exceed the customer expectations (Reese et al, 2016). With specific reference to the UGG cotton company, I learned that value chain analysis focuses in evaluating the internal activities of the organization that can be changed or added to improve the value of products or services and differentiates them from the competition.

A possible meaning of this new understanding is that when conducting a value chain analysis, I need to identify the specific areas of change that can promote efficiency and profitability. According to Schmitz (2005), these areas may include economies of scale, improved organizational policies, the location of the business, and capacity utilization among others. It entails defining the value chain activities and reducing the costs associated with these activities thereby adjusting for efficiency (Brown, 2010). 

This insight is connected to the theoretical perspectives of Porter's model which categorizes primary business activities into inbound logistics, outbound logistics, operations, marketing, sales and after-sales services (Dischereti et al, 2014). According to Issah et al (2017), value chain analysis focuses on these activities to reduce related costs and improve efficiency. Moreover, I learnt that Porter’s model emphasizes the importance of reducing costs in other supporting activities such as procurement, technology, human resource management, and form infrastructure so that production can occur at the lowest cost possible, resulting into costs savings that are then transferred to the customers through lower prices (Kristiana et al, 2018).  

This new insight will be useful in my studies and future career as a way of understanding how to improve the value of products and services in order to gain a competitive edge against my competitors. In this course, understanding how to focus on reducing costs and improving efficiency within various activities of a business will help me understand why some organizations fail to achieve their profitability targets simply because they are not able to meet and exceed customer expectations. 

During the lectures, I gained plenty of knowledge in business and personal ethics. The most interesting thing I learned about ethics in business is that organizations can establish ethical philosophies which define the behaviour and practices of its members when performing their day to day activities (Seele, 2018). For example, according to Enderle (2018), establishing ethical philosophies involve ensuring that the decisions made by managers are not only beneficial to them but also to the entire organization. I also learned that according to Pirozek & Drasilova (2018), upholding ethical considerations in business create long-term benefits such as the attraction of talented employees and building a positive reputation of the business. 

This realization may have important relevance for two major reasons. First, when the organizational leadership upholds ethics, the employees are likely to follow these footsteps and this helps to sling-shot the organization towards greater positive benefits (Blay et al, 2018). Secondly, developing a culture of ethics within the organization that is characterized by integrity and honesty helps improve the general performance of the organization because according to Ciulla et al (2018), employees who work in companies that demand high standards of honesty and integrity are highly likely to perform better.

This new insight from the reflective writing assignment will be useful in my future career as an entrepreneur and in my personal life because I now have a deeper understanding of ethics and how honesty and integrity not only contributes to the development of an effective personality but also an effective organization. Nonetheless, I realize that I have not been keen on developing my personal ethics and therefore I plan to engage in various activities that will enable me to improve in this area.

During the coursework, I also learned  skills in research approaches, data collection and types of data. The most significant knowledge I acquired about research approaches are the types of research approaches including qualitative research, quantitative research, and mixed methods. I learned from Best & Khan (2016) that quantitative involves the collection of numerical data and analysing them through statistical methods to answer the research questions at hand and achieve research objectives. It is highly objective and mostly relies on the positivist paradigm (Bryman & Bell, 2015).  I also learned from Burke (2013) that qualitative research majorly involves uncovering the significance and meaning of human experience and behaviour, beliefs and emotions. It involves understanding people’s experiences of a phenomenon. Similarly, I learned that mixed research approach (also known as the pragmatic approach) involves the use of both qualitative and quantitative approaches within one study in a manner that enables an effective achievement of research objectives (Cresswell, 2017).

Apart from the research approaches, I also learned about data sources and data collection. I learned that there are two types of data sources such as secondary sources and primary sources. According to Elo & Kyngas (2008), primary sources are first-hand accounts of data directly from people who had an experience with it while secondary data are those that are retrieved from existing sources such as books, periodicals and journal articles am among others. 

A possible implication of this new idea is that various research approaches fit various purposes and therefore it is important for the researcher to evaluate the best approach that fits their research objectives. This concept will change the way I give approach to research in the future because, now I understand that not all research approaches fit a specific type of research. Equally, with the help of this knowledge, it will be easier for me to conduct my final research project as a partial requirement for the award of a master’s degree.

Besides knowledge in research, I also gained interesting knowledge in emphatic listening as a communication skill. Defined by Monica & Ancuta (2014) as the act of paying attention to a speaker with some empathy or feelings, I learned that emphatic listening helps to improve mutual trust and understanding between the communicator and the listener. Moreover, I learned from the lectures that when the listener listens emphatically, they are able to have an accurate reception and interpretation of the speaker’s message in order to provide an appropriate response (King et al, 2016). This insight is connected to the idea by Baldea & Balteanu (2014) that the response provided by the emphatic listener is important for the success of mediation and negotiation. This new understanding is useful to my personal life and in my future career as an entrepreneur because if I develop the habit of emphatic listening, I am able to build better respect and trust with the people I interact with.

Another interesting thing that I learned while prepareing this reflective writing assignment was the concept of design prototype. Defined by Septiana (2018) as a sample or simulation of the final product developed for purposes testing, prototypes are effective tools for ensuring that the process of design thinking yields the expected products (Dorothy & Saedah, 2014). This understanding may be of important relevance for three major reasons. First, prototyping is an effective idea for ensuring that lots of money and time are not lost in the final product. Secondly, prototypes are developed for testing and resolving any issues that may arise in regards to the usability of the product. Thirdly, prototypes are effective tools for understanding what the end users of the product may want and including these needs into the product before the final launch (Rosli, 2015).

Understanding the concept of design thinking is valuable to me as a potential entrepreneur because it will change the way I approach product development by reviewing and refining the product before finally launching it into the market. Similarly, this understanding is important because it enables me to adjust any guesswork that I might have made during the product development process.

Lastly, an interesting insight I acquired during the coursework was about leaning launch as an element of design thinking. One thing I realized was that just like a prototype, learning launch is designed to help in the generation of assumptions about a new product that will help in perfecting the product before final release into the market (Sahrir & Osman, 2012). Moreover, I realized that learning launch is an experiment which involves a release of a prototype into the market to enable a quick gathering of market data to test whether the idealization of the productivity growth is realistic and worth more time and resources.

A possible implication of this realization is that for a successful product development, entrepreneurs should use learning launch as a technique that not only enables product analysis but also gives them the right mindset for further action on the product. This new understanding is also likely to mean that through learning launch, entrepreneurs can involve and engage potential customers into the product development process thereby designing products that meet their needs (Septiana, 2018). Having realized that, I wonder if the entrepreneurs who encounter product market failure ever apply the learning launch technique.

The last activity that we engaged in was a presentation of various design thinking solutions. Our group was assigned the task of identifying various ways in which services can be delivers to the disabled people within the banking sector. One thing I realise now is that there are many ways in which banks can accommodate the disabled when they come for services. For example, banks can develop personalized services for the disabled to enable them easily conduct transactions in a manner that considers their disability status. Moreover, part of what we presented was how banks can organize sitting arrangements within the bank hall so that the disabled customers can easily access services. Having realised that, I wonder if banks without sitting arranges for the disabled customers are able to efficiently deliver services to these customers. This new insight will be useful in my future career as an entrepreneur because I will be able to accommodate the disabled within the business premises.

To concludes this reflective writing assignment a reflective report has identified a wide range of knowledge that I have acquired during my coursework especially in the field if design thinking. Herein, I have described how I have acquired knowledge in logical of reasoning, imaginary and innovative thinking, research approaches, value chain analysis, design prototype, and learning launch. All in all, attached in appendix 1 is a schedule illustrating my personal improvement plans for the areas of time management, personal ethics, and imaginative skills: Reflective writing assignments are being prepared by our management experts from top universities which let us to provide you a reliable best assignment help service.