Sevinch Muminova B1600487

Developing the Reflexive

Practitioner.
Research project.

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UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND PROGRAMME

ASSESSMENT COVER SHEET / FEEDBACK FORM

Student Name and ID: Muminova Sevinch B1600487 Module Code and Name:UGB 3B361) Developing the
Reflexive Practitioner

Center; College:MDIST Due Date:10 January Hand in Date: 9 January

Assessment Title: Individual Assignment

Learning Outcomes Assessed:

Learning Feedback relating learning outcomes assessed and assessment criteria given to
Outcomes students:
Assessed:

Areas for Commendation:

Areas for Improvement:

General Comments:

Assessors Signature: Overall Mark (subject to Moderators Signature:

ratification by the assessment
board)
Students Signature: (you must sign this declaring that it is all your own work and all sources of
information have been referenced)

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List of Headings.

1 Research aim.....................................................................................................................5

1.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................5

1.2 Research context..........................................................................................................5

1.3 Literature review.........................................................................................................7

1.4 Bibliography...............................................................................................................8

2 Research Design. Methodology. Method........................................................................8

2.1 Reflexive methodology...............................................................................................9

2.2 Method. Johari window model..................................................................................10

2.3 Emotional intelligence model....................................................................................13

2.4 Five factor model personality test.............................................................................14

3 Digital storyboard...........................................................................................................15

4 Critique of storyboard....................................................................................................16

5 References ........................................................................................................................17

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1 Research aim.

1.1 Introduction

According to the opinion of majority, self-awareness implies awareness of one’s own

strength and weaknesses. However, this is only superficial judgment. In fact, this term

embrace more deep meaning for consideration. As researchers, Avolio and Gardner assume

“self- awareness is not a destination point, but rather an emerging process where one

continually comes to understand his or her own unique talents, strength, sense of purpose,

core values, beliefs and desires”. (Avolio and Gardner, 2005,p324). The studies conducted in

2010 by the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations identified a direct link between

improved self-awareness and overall success.

1.2 Research context

Indeed, self-awareness enables executives to be more effective, to work with others better

because they already know their good sides and avoid critical situation. Lack of self-

awareness leads to misunderstanding with other employees and decrease the effectiveness at

work as well as on personal life. Self-awareness directly connected with effectiveness in

management as well as with leadership due to the two principal reasons. Increasing self-

awareness is an essential step in effective leadership because it serves as strong foundation

for such skills as goal setting, effective communication, listening, motivation, and stress and

time management. The more we improve understanding of ourselves the better we become in

listening and stress management. Secondly, a solid understanding of basic preferences and

inclinations is crucial in indicating source of conflict, choosing appropriate strategies and

managing interpersonal relations and conflicts. Contrary, lack of self-awareness can be cause

of self-doubt. Without improving self-knowledge it is difficult to be a good leader and

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manager. However, it is important to develop constantly self-awareness. In addition to this,

self-awareness and emotional intelligence are closely interconnected. When you clearly

understand yourself, you are able to understand better other’s feeling and emotion, needs and

weaknesses. Enhancing self-awareness is ongoing process, it requires a long period for hard

work. Some basic methods can be helpful for leaders to boost their self-awareness and be

more proactive at work.

First, every leader should have a passion and intention for constant improvement. When

person is eager for self-development, so he or she will try to spend some hours for analysing

his or her actions, behaviour and emotions and identify the weaknesses. After that, this

person will be able to work on it. Second, the method is to get feedbacks form others. As one

analyses reveal that the most successful leaders are tend to get a 360-degree feedbacks of

leadership effectiveness from bosses, peers and employees. It helps them to review their

behaviour and attitude from the opinion of surroundings. Moreover, the last tip for boosting

self-awareness is spending time alone. It is not easy to abstract from daily routine, but if

person want to gain a success in leading and managing , she or he need to give the space and

time for self-reflection, by avoiding distraction. There is wide range of solo activities such as

reading or meditating that allows secluding. These tips can be supportive in enhancing self-

awareness for leaders and get a promotion on carrier ladder. Nonetheless, there are other

influential factors that create productive and effective leader. As it mentioned above, self-

awareness explicitly identified as fundamental part of emotional intelligence. Emotional

intelligence refers to ability to recognize, understand our own emotions as well as emotions

of others. (Goleman,1995). This ability is essential in workplace because it enable leaders to

manage their emotions effectively in order to transcend the organizational issues.

(Lopes,2006). Furthermore, core values of successful leaders are respectfulness and

humility. (Gallo, 2019). Self-respect and respecting other despite of differences, treating

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other team members with dignity, empathy and compassion will help to earn respect of

employees. Humility in turn as character trait leads to better appreciation of others. (Gallo, 2019)

1.3 Literature review.

In fact, Duval and Wicklund were first scholars who theorized the term of self-awareness in

1972 in their book “A theory of Objective Self-awareness”. This book claims that if people

focus attention inwardly on their selves, they tend to compare their behaviour in current

moment to their general standards and values. This triggers a state of fair self-awareness.

(Duval and Wicklund, 1972). Another considerable investment for studying self-awareness

was made William Gardner and Bruce Avolio in 2005. In their book titled “Authentic

leadership theory and practice”, they learned the origins and basis of effective leadership and

discovered that self-awareness is a key component for potential leaders. Another author

Daniel Goleman in his book named “Emotional intelligence” assumed that self-awareness

and emotional intelligence are interrelated terms that affect each other proportionally. He

describes it as being “aware of both our mood and our thoughts about mood”. With

increasing of self-awareness, emotional intelligence also develops. (Goleman,1995). In 2007

Andrew Dubrin wrote his book about leadership where his defined self-awareness as

“insightfully processing feedback about oneself to improve one’s effectiveness”. (DuBrin,

2007,p453). According to the research of American psychologists Robert Baron and Donn

Byrne, individuals who have a high level of self-awareness are more active in recognizing

and articulating their mood and easily use the information to guide their behaviour. (Baron

and Byrne, 1994). But it worth to mention that in 1998 Dr Hendrie Weisinger explored that

emotional intelligence is maximized by improving good communication skills, mentoring

abilities and interpersonal expertise. Also, he added that self-awareness is a core of these

skills. (Weisinger, H. 1998). However, there are a numerous tools that created by different

psychologist in order to discover the level of self-awareness. For instance, the “Johari

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Window” model that I will use below to determine my personal level of awareness. In fact,

thus model is one of the most convenient methods that used to achieve understanding

between team members and enhancing communication. Two American psychologists Joseph

Luft and Harry Ingham were first who developed this model in 1955. This model based on

two main ideas- trust can be acquired by revealing information about you to others and

learning yourselves from the feedback of surroundings. Johari window model will be

described more detailed in methodology part below.

1.4 Bibliography
1. Baron, R. A. & Byrne, D. (1991). Social psychology: understanding human
interaction (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and
Bacon.
2. Duval, S. and Wicklund, R. (1972). A theory of objective self awareness. New York:
Academic Press.
3. DuBrin, A. (2007). Leadership. 5th ed. Boston, Houghton Mifflin.
4. Gardner, W. and Avolio, B. (2005). Authentic leadership theory and practice. Oxford:
Elsevier JAI.
5. Gallo, S. (2019). The Importance of Self-awareness in Leadership - Training Industry.
[online] Training Industry. Available at:
https://trainingindustry.com/articles/leadership/the-importance-of-self-awareness-in-
leadership/ [Accessed 3 Jan. 2020].
6. Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. Bloomsbury, London.
7. Lopes, P., Grewal, D., Kadis, J., Gall, M., & Salovey, P. (2006). Evidence that
emotional intelligence is related to job performance and affect and attitudes at work.
Psicotherma, 18, 132–138
8. Žydžiūnaitė, V. (2018). Leadership Values and Values Based Leadership: What is the
Main Focus?. Applied Research In Health And Social Sciences: Interface And
Interaction, 15(1), pp.43-58.
9. Weisinger, H. (1998).  Intelligence at Work. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.

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2 Research Design. Methodology. Method.

The research design serves as a framework for organizing and planning a research project.

This research design includes information related to the self-awareness: what kind of data is

used, what type of methodology is applied and which method is taken for exploring the level

of my self-awareness. Main type of data that was used in this research paper is primary data,

because I conducted a direct questioner for taking feedback from friends. According to the

results, there were 25 participants including close friends, groupmates and colleagues.

Moreover, in order to deeply analyze and observe the benefits of enhancing self-awareness I

used different information sources from scientific journals, articles and published books. All

references provided in literature review and bibliography. Furthermore, as a methodology

approach I choose a reflexivity methodology and applied Johari window test, personality test

and emotional intelligence test to identify my personality traits. This allows correlating the

research aim, methodology and methods.

2.1 Reflexive methodology.

In order to support and justify my research aim I decided to choose the reflexivity as

methodology because this concept is universal and most suitable for analysing self-

awareness. This type of methodology was chosen by me for the reason that my research aim

was self awareness and relying on the features of reflexivity methodology and the Johari

window method it is possible to make an analysis of my personality and make reliable

conclusions. Although this model that comes from anthropology, reflexivity is applicable for

all types of research. As a matter of fact, reflectivity is a process of reflecting on yourself the

researcher in order to provide more effective and impartial analyses.

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Reflexivity is qualitative research has been defined in different ways. (Cutcliffe, 2003;

Finlay, 2002; Mruck & Mey, 2007; Pillow, 2003). Basically it refers to the generalized

practice where researcher strive to make their impact on the research project explicit to

themselves and then to their audience. In addition to methodological motives, the pragmatic

reason for paying attention to reflexivity in any qualitative research is that it is a key

requirement in quality assessment or evaluation criteria, as well as guidelines for reporting on

qualitative research. It involves studying and consciously acknowledging the assumptions

and biases that you bring to the study and that therefore shape the results. None of us is an

impartial, objective observer. We are all people, whom have their own opinions and

preconceived ideas based on our experiences and what we have been exposed to in our lives.

Our personal values, political learning, patterns and behaviour, culture, ethnicity or in other

words our personal frame of references shapes our perception and understanding of world.

2.2 Method. Johari window model.

Due to the fact, that the research aim of this paper was increasing self-awareness, it is defined

that the most appropriate and effective tool that helps to determine the level of self-awareness

is Johari Window. This model intended to contribute personal awareness, help to understand

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and train self-awareness, improve communication skills, as well as raise the effectiveness of

teamwork through ameliorating interpersonal relationships. Johari model is based on two

ideas: first, is a trust that can be gained by revealing personal information to others and

second is an opportunity to learn yourself from the point of view of others. Johari window is

called a window because it consists of four quadrants that look like a windowpane. Each

windowpane or quadrants characterize personal information, feelings, motivation and all type

of information that known and unknown to oneself and o

The key benefit of using Johari Window is that results give a clear description of a person

from his own perception and perception of others. In addition, it gives a direction of what

areas of personality needs improvement in order to become an effective leader and manager.

This test can be widespread among relatives, friends, colleagues and group mates because

they can give true feedback. For this reason, I also applied this model and completed the

Johari window test. Since I have been the leader of the University group for 4 years and was

the leader of the group at the Lyceum, I faced different problems and solved conflicts of

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interest of my groupmates. For greater contrast, I asked my friends and classmates whom I

have known for more than 4 years to take this test as well as acquaintances whom I met

recently.

(Kevan.org, 2020)

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According to the responses of 25 friends of mine, it can be concluded that most of them

mentioned mostly positive characteristics of my personality. Admittedly, it was a pleasant

surprise to find that most of the people around me thought that I am smart, organized, and

sentimental. In addition, I wondered that some of the respondents replied that I am nervous

because I try to control my negative emotions in public. Many noted my ability to be

easygoing and energetic, while sometimes I feel shy depending on my surroundings.

However, I was happy that my friends underlined my modesty, reliability, and patience.

Moreover, it was a discovery for me to find that others do not know my perfectionism and

idealistic patterns.

2.3 Emotional intelligence model.

Additionally, I accomplished the Emotional intelligence-determining test that helped to

discover the level of my emotional intelligence and made a conclusion for further

development.

In fact, the term emotional intelligence was introduced by psychologists Mayer and Salovey

in 1990 and implies his or her capacities to perceive, process and adjust emotions accurately

and effectively as well as others and direct this information on the right way for effective

thinking and acting. (Mayer, Salovey and Caruso, 2003). However, this theory was

popularized by famous author and journalist Daniel Goleman in his book and he explored that

EI accounted for 67% of the abilities that are needed for superior leadership performance.

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(Psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com, 2020)

The results illustrate that I am reasonably skilled when it comes to the core ability to identify,

perceive and express my emotions as well as others. Nonetheless, there is a potential and

opportunity for growth. Overall, my skills in this area of emotional intelligence aid me in the

process of reading others, understanding how they feel, and effectively identifying my own

emotions. From my point of view, this will give an edge in the future when I will get the job

of a manager or leading position on the organization.

2.4 Five factor model personality test.

Numerous benefits can be gained by taking a personality test for exploring the features of

personality. The result of a personality assessment test can be used for self-reflection, for job

placement, for learning personal weak sides and improving them. (Ogallo, 2020) The five-

factor personality test provides measurements of five key factors of personality such as

openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and natural reactions.

(123test.com, 2020)

My personality test confirmed my true qualities. My desire to learn new things and my

eagerness to acquire new experiences were reflected in my responses and showed high

scores. Furthermore, the level of my conscientiousness was indicated as high because I am

well organized and disciplined. This trait also was noted by my friends.

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3 Digital storyboard.

Life is so unpredictable that makes it interesting because you never know what may happen

to you or what situation you may face with. None of us is safe from unpleasant events and

accidents, but some of us, because of their will and self-awareness, endure them with

fortitude and some of us fall into despair. Also in my life, there were many different

situations that changed my worldview, changed my habits and made me the person I am now.

I made certain conclusions about the essence of human nature, which gave me the

opportunity to communicate with people more readily.

In this paper, I want to share with one situation that helped me to improve my emotional

intelligence and self-awareness. As I mentioned before, I am a group leader in my university

group for 4 years. Foundation year was a great opportunity to make new friends and get new

experience. In the second semester of the first year, a new student came to us from another

country. Initially, everyone seemed her introverted and arrogant girl as she did not

communicate with anyone and avoided group gatherings. I justified this by saying that she is

not interested in making new friends and she does not fit the new society. However, later I

learned that it is not really, as it seems from the outside. One day we were shocked by the

news that she was in the hospital because she committed a suicide. Undoubtedly, I

immediately organized a surprise for her and we all went to visit and support her.

Nevertheless, deep down, I felt a little guilty about what had happened to her. My omission

was that I did not try to get to know her better. After all, if I did, I could find out that her

parents had recently divorced, which was a serious blow to her and she felt a lack of love and

support. If I had taken the initiative, I would have been able to realize earlier that she is

actually a kind person who hides her feelings behind a mask of arrogance and secrecy. After

this incident, I became more attentive to others, realized how important it is to show

compassion and understanding to people who need it. Of course, you should not forget that

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first you need to be able to listen and be patient with everyone. Also, I've learned to show

humility in the face of failure. Since that moment when we started our courses of human

resource management and personal and professional development, I have learned the

concepts such as self-awareness, critical thinking, the meaning of reflectivity, the term of

emotional intelligence and even better reinforced my knowledge by theory.

It is definitely worth recognizing that this was a huge advantage for me when I first got a job

at a company that was the beginning of my career. I applied for the job at one of the most

prestigious hotels in our city of Hyatt Regency and initially worked as a hostess. I tried to be

very responsible about my duties and at the same time I wanted to get favour from other

employees. To do this, I showed more creative and critical thinking when we faced

operational problems, and I was also interested in gaining new experience from more

experienced colleagues. Indisputably, the theoretical knowledge acquired during my

education at MDIST played a beneficial role for me in it. Besides, I was able to raise my

communication and writing skills to a new level, and I learned to control my negative

emotions and cope with negative thoughts even better. My efforts were soon justified and the

top management noticing my potential gave me the opportunity to take a free course in

marketing and transferred me to the marketing and promotion Department. Now I am

recognizing that it was a valuable investment for my self-actualization and boosting my

confidence.

4 Critique of storyboard.

Considering all mentioned and analyzed above, I want to conclude with point that the ability

to show self-awareness compassion and understanding in time can have an important impact

on the course of events. As conducted research shows that self-awareness is one of the crucial

elements in process of personal development. Enhancing of self- awareness will beneficially

reflects on promotion in the workplace, improving interpersonal relationships in team or

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group and acquiring respect of others. The critical situation that I have experienced gave an

opportunity to review my leadership skills and make an objective conclusion about myself as

a leader and person in general. However, it is also worth noting that the tests received

feedback from friends and researches have become a significant impetus for my further self-

development and self-realization.

5 References.
1. Cutcliffe, J. R. (2003). Reconsidering reflexivity: Introducing the case for intellectual
entrepreneurship. Qualitative Health Research, 13(1), 136-148. doi:
10.1177/1049732302239416

2. Mayer, J., Salovey, P. and Caruso, D. (2003). Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional

intelligence test. North Tonawanda, NY: MHS, Multi-Health Systems.

3. Ogallo, G. (2020). Importance of Personality Testing - Virtual HR. [online] Virtual HR.

Available at: https://www.virtualhr.co.ke/importance-of-personality-testing/ [Accessed 8
Jan. 2020].

4. Mruck, K., & Mey, G. (2007). Grounded theory and reflexivity. In A. Bryant & K.
Charmaz (Eds.), The Sage handbook of grounded theory (pp. 515-538). London, UK:
Sage.

5. 123test.com. (2020). Personality test result - free personality test online at 123test.com.

[online] Available at: https://www.123test.com/report/IFBES4CXYR8HUJ30UZ/
[Accessed 8 Jan. 2020].

6. Psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com. (2020). HTML Redirection. [online] Available at:

https://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/bin/transfer [Accessed 8 Jan. 2020].

7. Kevan.org. (2020). Johari Window - Sevinch's Window. [online] Available at:

https://kevan.org/johari?view=sevinch [Accessed 8 Jan. 2020].

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