Integration discussion

Integration discussion

Time sensitivity has become increasingly important in this fast-paced, information-based economy. Like any other CEO of a large corporation, leaders of smaller, entrepreneurial ventures also have to make a myriad of decisions each day based on the information at their disposal. Left to their own limited resources and pressed for time, the leaders or decision-makers who are expected to make multiple, multi-million dollar decisions each day face a very real temptation for making quicker decisions without any proper and necessary research which makes their life easy.

Limited time and money are two obstacles that separate the entrepreneur from the corporate bureaucrats. However, managers and leaders, by systematically managing their time and resources, can make well informed decisions after necessary research by reflecting on their options, their past experience as well as others' learn continuously and make increasingly improved decisions over their career span. Continuous thinking is the key term here which is the most critical weapon for moving forward in increasingly volatile and fiercely competitive markets. There are many models that we can utilize to help us think reflectively.

We do interact with different people with different lifestyles considering their different mindsets. We need to communicate them often so to get the proper understanding of the subject. They get responses based on our mindsets, attitude, behaviour, intellect and perception. Many of our interactions are reflex which means routine based, immediate responses and habitual actions to the people around us. When we talk, we respond to their nonverbal as well as verbal behaviours. Hence, reflex interaction is a state of unawareness that is in relation to emotion, image and moment of being struck (Cunliff, 2004).

The Peters Model (1994) asks us to think of a particular situation we experienced and then to step back and allow ourselves to question the assumptions that we have made about that situation. Alternatively Brookfield suggests that we should use 'critical lenses', so that we look at a situation from our own viewpoint, from our colleagues' viewpoint, from our students' viewpoint and from a theoretical viewpoint (Fook & Gardner, 2007).

He calls these four viewpoints critical lenses and reminds us that a critically reflective practitioner or leader knows that the idea of meeting the needs of every employee sounds learner-centered and compassionate; this idea is psychologically demoralizing and pedagogically unsound. Critically reflective practitioner is aware that adhering to this idea will only result in permanent burden of guilt ...