Slide 1:" "Good morning everyone.

Let me present today my reflective analysis of the

HIRED research project. I adopt Gibbs' Reflective Cycle, and my presentation goes like this.
My name is Archana Singh, and through this presentation, I take you through some of my
processes of learning and growth arising from a critical incident during the course of our
research project.

Slide 2: In this reflective vlog, I reflect on one of the biggest challenges we had during the
collection of our primary data for the HIRED project. More precisely, I investigate how our
team handled a very low response rate to our survey, which eventually made us change our
data collection strategy completely, having only two weeks left before the presentation to the
client. I have decided to use Gibbs' Reflective Cycle in designing this reflection since it is
effective in systematic reflection on the practical and emotional parts of the experience. This
challenge, therefore, will be put into perspective regarding how it took effect within team
dynamics, lessons learned, and how I tackle market research or project management
currently.

Slide 3: Before I delve into details, I give an overview of what model I have applied. The
Gibbs' Reflective Cycle is from 1988 and covers a reflective practice in six definite stages,
namely: Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action Plan.

Slide 4: "Let me set the scene. We were working on Task 3 of the HIRED research project,
which called for us to understand student usage of HIARED's services. Our initial plan
seemed straightforward-we distributed an online survey through various student channels
with a target of collecting 200 responses within three weeks of our client presentation.

But things got worse when, after one week, we only received 15 responses. The data was too
less to analyze the pattern of engagement of students and demographic trends, which also
jeopardized our entire timeline of research. Most disconcerting was that without substantial
data, we couldn't provide credible recommendations to our client.

Slide 5: Through Tuckman's perspective, the crisis threw our team into what he terms the
'storming' phase. We were clearly polarized in how we would find a solution to the problem.
Some wanted to continue with the online approach, believing we simply needed more time. I
favored switching to in-person surveys, while another member suggested using both methods.

This division created some real team tensions: We had some disagreements on methodology,
escalating stress because of time pressure, tolerance for risk was varied among the members,
and sadly, communication broke down. This is supposedly the conflict phase of Tuckman's
theory, which in hindsight is part of the development of any team.

Slide 6: Reflecting on my emotional journey during this period, my initial reactions were
quite intense. I felt overwhelming anxiety about meeting our deadlines, frustration with the
low engagement rates, and genuine concern about the growing team conflicts. I also
experienced self-doubt about speaking up with my suggestions.

Interesting to follow was the emotional progression: during the first 24 hours, I was shocked
by the low response rate, and fear crept in, with a prospect of project failure. On the 2-3 days
further on, there was a growth of determination inside me and rising confidence to be able to
suggest changes. Relief came in when, in the resolution phase, the team aligned, renewed
motivation, and optimism about our new approach.

Slide 7:" "Despite these, several positive outcomes emerged and were most significant when
framed with Belbin's Team Role Theory. Our team automatically fitted into complementary
roles. I was the Resource Investigator: connecting with student societies and identifying other
sources for data. One of our team members became our Monitor Evaluator; objectively
surveying the situation and evaluating various solutions. Yet another became our
Implementer: working out a system for face-to-face surveys in a structured way.

Above-named natural role distributions resulted in successful adaptations: we quickly

identified our strengths, leveraged complementary skills, and distributed tasks effectively.
Most importantly, we learned to innovate in a crisis situation.

Slide 8: However, there were significant areas that didn't work well. Our initial planning had
several critical failures: no risk assessment was conducted, we lacked contingency planning,
made unrealistic timeline assumptions, and failed to perform pilot testing.

Our team's communication issues reflected what the organizational theorists call 'Fear of
Conflict.' This was manifest in delayed voicing of concerns, reactive instead of proactive
communication, hesitation in challenging the original plan, and limited early-stage feedback.

Methodologically, with regards to our research, we made fundamental mistakes: not

consulting any previous groups, relying on one method for data collection, and poor timing in
relation to the academic calendar.

Slide 9: What really made this enlightening was the collation of these perspectives: team
member one pointed out the flaws in methodology and suggested a mixed-method approach;
team member two pointed out timing issues and suggested schedule adjustments. Our client
supervisor gave us some fantastic historical context about broader patterns of engagement,
while leaders within the student society shared with us some real insight into survey fatigue
and alternative channels of distribution.

This is in line with Senge's Team Learning theory, with an emphasis on dialogue and
collective understanding. The merit of these diverse perspectives finally culminated into
better problem understanding with a superior final approach.

Slide 10: "Analyzing this experience through theoretical frameworks, particularly Honey and
Mumford's Learning Styles, provided interesting insights. In my role as a Pragmatist, I
naturally focused on practical solutions and action-oriented approaches. Our team
composition was diverse, with two Activists who were quick to act and enthusiastic, and one
Theorist who brought an analytical, systematic approach.

This connects well with Schön's concept of Reflection-in-Action, as we were learning and
adapting in real-time. The theory integration helped us understand how different learning
styles impacted our problem-solving approaches, team communication, and decision-making
process.
Slide 11: The insights into my learning from this experience were immense. First, in the
aspect of research methodology, I learned how important pilot testing is, not only to validate
methodologies but also in finding problems that can help avoid wasting much time and
resources in the future.

Approaching team dynamics through the prism of Goleman's emotional intelligence, I took a
closer look at how stress influences communication, the resilience of a team in stressful
conditions, and the place of empathy in group work.

Slide 12: We did a root cause analysis using the 5 Whys, and this unveiled deeper insights.
Starting with the low response rate, we backtracked the chain: poor timing led to finding out
we had not considered the academic calendar, which was due to insufficient stakeholder
consultation, which showed that we were overconfident in the initial plan, pointing, finally, to
our lack of research experience.

This analysis, as Kerzner's Project Management theory provides support for, shows how
intertwined our decision-making was and how preliminary research plays an important role.

Slide 13: " Drawing conclusions from this experience, I found an important light to the
development of my personality. I discovered strengths I did not know I possessed, and above
all, in crisis management and problem solving. I also identified developmental areas, such as
making concerns known much earlier and conducting proactive risk awareness.

Equally revealing was our team learning journey: whereas initially, communication barriers
and avoidance of conflict beset us, these same issues had positive functional outcomes of
team cohesiveness, problem-solving, and collaboration.

Slide 14: For the future, I have developed an action plan that is rounded. The things that I
will do straight away are introducing PMI risk assessment methodology, attending workshops
on research methodology, and building project planning templates with buffers.

Medium-term, I would lead group projects and develop my own expertise in designing
questionnaires and data collection methods. Long-term, I would look for market research
internships and try to establish a sound professional network.

Slide 15: These are the key academic sources that supported my reflection.

Slide 16: Thank you for your attention.