Reflective Practice
Loading...We All Want Success
No one gets out of bed hoping to perform worse today than yesterday. The way to move forward is to do more of what’s getting us positive results and to correct what’s not working. Improvement occurs as we identify areas of success and opportunity and make adjustments that will get us closer to the intended outcome.
Reflective practice is a process of deliberately pausing, scrutinizing the details of our progress or an outcome, and determining future actions. This process works for individuals and teams. To be effective, there must be a commitment to improvement and the reflective practice itself.
Make Reflection a Priority
Scheduling the pause is one way to ensure reflective practice is prioritized. For some individuals, reflective practice is built into their daily routine. This keeps both progress and specific outcomes top of mind, so learning and adjustment is continuous. For teams, intentional reflection might occur on a quarterly or weekly basis. It might also be scheduled after all major team events or projects. This type of regular reflection following the completion of specific activities has been adopted by various organizations and might also be referred to as After Action Review (military), SWOT Analysis, Autopsy (Collins, 2001, Good to Great), or Project Post-mortem. The key is to develop a timing and process habit that makes reflective practice most effective for moving individuals and teams to higher levels of success.
Reflective Practice in 6 Steps
Gather Documentation & Data
It is important to be focused and clear when engaging in individual or team reflection. Review of documentation and data related to the intended outcome ensure an accurate assessment of progress and associated actions. Ask team members to provide data, if actions were owned by specific individuals.
Review Intended Outcome & Actual Outcome
Start the official reflection by recording the intended outcome. Refer to past documentation, to ensure accuracy, when needed. Then, record the actual outcome or progress made.
Start with What’s Working
Identify and record factors that have had the greatest impact on forward movement or achievement of the intended outcome. Determine and record WHY those factors have contributed to progress. Deliberate consideration of the “why” is valuable when determining future actions, as it often reveals information about processes that can be replicated.
Identify Areas of Opportunity
Identify and record factors that have had a negative impact on progress. Determine and record WHY those factors have resulted in setbacks. The discussion of the “why” as it relates to barriers and lack of progress creates clarity for process improvement or strategic shifts that might follow the reflection. It is important to be honest and accurately identify the barriers.
Determine Action Steps
Reflective practice is intended to provide an individual or team with information and direction for next steps that will lead to achievement of goals. The discussion of what’s working and areas of opportunity supports identification of solid action steps. Prioritize or narrow the list of action steps, if needed. We experience greater levels of success when we focus on the 1-3 action steps that have the most potential to positively impact outcomes. Record the action steps for improvement, including timelines and owners.
Communicate
Communicating the action steps for improvement serves two purposes: (a) it holds the individual or team accountable, and (b) it creates clarity for expected change or action. When we engage in reflective practice, identify action steps, and fail to communicate to those impacted, we create confusion and misalignment. Building in the communication step after reflective practice fosters commitment and trust in the direction we’re headed and what is needed to get there.
