Benchmarking

Benchmarking has been by far the most difficult aspect of objective setting so far...

Although there is countless information in books and online about what benchmarking is and the benefits of benchmarking etc. To find the information needed to actually bench mark against has been painfully difficult.

This is something I have been going back and forth between my other researching since the beginning of the module and even after 7 weeks I still cannot find the information I need without paying a fee in terms of benchmarking against other companies. 

I am quite disappointed about this as I do feel like it would have been a fantastic aspect to include in my report however the module is about reflection and so although it would have been beneficial maybe the silver lining in this difficult experience was that it is a topic I can reflect on that did not work out as planned.

On reflection before writing my proposal I should have looked into each aspect I was proposing to ensure it was feasible before committing.

Who knows maybe after admitting defeat I will miraculously come across what I have been searching for all along but for now, sometimes you have a great idea in mind and it's just not as simple as it seems, however the most important thing is that I have learned something from it.

Balance Scorecard/Strategy Map

I decided this week to try and concentrate on more on the strategy aspect of the module as I have been concentrating a lot on the personal development aspects and although I have been reading a lot about strategic objectives etc I didn't feel like I had done anything to reflect it in my report yet.  

After reading through the strategic objectives section of Strategic Management Principles and Practices (Witcher & Chau, 2014) I was able to conduct a balance scorecard on the basis of my companies overall company strategy. A strategy map however which goes in line with this I found a little more complicated however after watching the video below on YouTube I found this really helpful. It explained the process in a quick as simple manner. 

So now that I have my balance scorecard in place I am feeling much more confident moving forward. I feel this element has made the process a little easier to handle as I was feeling overwhelmed with information in the beginning, however this has broken the areas down for me to focus on for setting my SMART objectives for the company.

Honey & Mumford’s Learning Cycle

Along side the skills audit I carried out I decided to take the Honey & Mumford’s Learning Cycle Questionnaire. I was surprised at first when the results of the questionnaire resulted in me being a reflective learner, however once I began to read more into what was meant by a reflective learner I actually agreed. 

Particularly when it comes to university I always gather as much information as possible and read up on the subject before I even consider putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys should I say) and I definitely postpone reaching definite conclusions. I'm a very cautious person and really struggle with making a commitment even when it comes to a theory basis. I usually spend a good few weeks researching as much as possible before I will make a commitment on a topic. Another area I found very interesting was the strengths and weaknesses associated with a reflective learner:

I find that these strengths and weaknesses describe my personality perfectly, not only academically but in my personal life also. In particular "no small talk" Once I get to know people I am a very bubble and chatty person however I hate interacting with new people purely down to the fact I really do have no small talking abilities. Who knew this was a real personality trait!

Book Club

As I am currently undergoing a distance module I don't attend any lectures and so I have been doing my best to read up as much as I can on the subject myself. 

I started out with the basics reading up on work based learning which is ultimately the main focus on the module, so I thought before I make a start on my own work based project it would benefit me to have a better understanding of the point of the module. 

I find work based learning especially beneficial as I am a part time student working full time so being able to incorporate my job into my university modules not only helps me out with my time management as some of the work is what I would be doing that day at work anyway but also allows me to reem the benefits of further learning into my work but increasing my standard of work, which will also benefit the company. 

The 2 books I read on work based learning are:

• Helyer, R. (2010) The work-based learning student handbook 
• Alan Durrant, Garth Rhodes, David Young (2009) Getting started with university-level work based learning

The work-based learning student handbook was the first book I read and I did find this book very helpful. It included alot of helpful tips such as various cycles and journal articles to read which I feel I can use in my report. The main points I picked up from this book were:

• ·         Honey & Mumford’s Learning Cycle
• ·    CPD Cycle – Megginson & Whitaker
• ·    Boud & Solomon 2001
• ·    Houghton 2004 – Aligning Learning Outcomes
• ·    Baguley 1999 Project Cycle
• ·    PESTEL Analysis
• ·    Force Field Analysis

     
     I hope to read into these areas further and incorporate them into my coursework.

     Getting started with university-level work based learning I didn't find as useful. Perhaps if I had read this one first but I found I didn't take many notes other than:

• Accreditation of prior experimental learning
• Analyse the significance of events in terms of underlying learning. 

     However after reading further into these I didn't feel they were much use to my coursework but I am glad I read the book as it was while researching these terms that I discovered skills audits which I found extremely helpful.