Assessment 3 Part A

Name: Nguyen Khanh Toan Tran

1. What have you learnt?

For the last six weeks in the subject, I have had the opportunity to delve into several
interesting organisational and managerial concepts as well as theories. To start, the
first lecture was to provide a brief introduction to the subject. After that, I was
exposed to some fundamental definitions of organisation and management, followed
by ideas around sense (Mackay 2023a) in week 2. In the third week, organisational
behaviours were covered along with values and personalities (Mackay 2023b), then
teams and groups (Mackay 2023c) a week later. Moving on to the last two weeks, I
have had deeper insights into the concepts of leadership (Mackay 2023d) and
conflict management (Mackay 2023e) in an organisation. This piece of reflection will
elaborate on the concepts and theories that I find easy and difficult throughout the
period, as well as my plan for improvement in the subject in the foreseeable future.

2. What was easy?

Of all the above six topics, “teams and groups” is by far the least challenging since it
could be easily reflected in my social nature and daily experiences. To put it simply,
both a team and a group involve two or more people working towards a common
goal, but a team requires a psychological contract whilst a group does not (Mackay
2023c). As a student, I have partaken in numerous group and team projects both
during lessons and extracurricular activities, which assuredly gives me a practical
understanding of how a team or group functions. Moreover, there are usually clear
objectives and assigned roles for each member in a team or group setting, which
actively facilitates my comprehension of the importance of cooperation, coordination,
and task division amongst members. Hence, I found it quite easy to grasp and apply
this concept to real-life situations.

“Values and personalities”, analysed in the third lecture about organisational

behaviours, is also relatively accessible to me. Whilst value is defined as a person or
social group’s consistent belief or set of schemas about something in which they
have an emotional investment, personality is a stable pattern of behaviour and
internal stages of mind that help explain a person’s behavioural tendencies (Clegg,
Pitsis & Mount 2021). When learning these concepts, I drew on my inherent
understanding of human behaviour and social dynamics. It is common knowledge
that everyone has their own values and personalities that shape their attitudes and
interactions. Thus, I could usefully relate this to an organisational context to see how
these two factors might influence communication, teamwork, etc. in a corporation,
which ultimately assists and enhances my comprehension of these terminologies.

3. What was difficult?

In week 2, I learnt about the concepts of “sense”, including sensemaking and

sensebreaking. Basically, the former is the process in which people give meaning to
something seemingly confusing or complicated happening in uncertain times, whilst
the latter is the purposeful process to change or disrupt existing sensemaking
(Mackay 2023a). This is by far the hardest part owing to its abstract nature and the
complexity of its application in real-world scenarios. Not only do both concepts
require me to have a deep level of critical thinking, but they also demand the ability
to analyse complicated situations as well as a nuanced understanding of the
organisation’s culture to properly put them into practice.

4. How can I improve in the future?

Overall, my journey through these six topics has greatly expanded my understanding
of organisational dynamics, reshaping the way I perceive and interact with the
professional environment. In the upcoming tutorials and lectures, with a view to
deepening my knowledge in management, I shall exert myself, both physically and
mentally, by actively participating in simulations, case studies and real-life situations;
as well as connecting and working with my peers and professionals in the field to
learn their perspectives and experiences. Furthermore, it is also of paramount
importance to regularly request feedback from my classmates, tutors, and mentors to
acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses. I strongly believe with my restless
endeavour and practice, I will be able to hone the knowledge and skills needed to
thrive in the field as a business manager in the future.

Reference List

Clegg, S, Pitsis, TS & Mount, M 2021, Managing and Organizations: an introduction

to theory and practice., 6th edn, Sage Publications, London.

Mackay, J 2023a, ‘Week 2 Lecture Content’, e-booklet, MGNT110, UOW, date

accessed 27/08/2023

Mackay, J 2023b, ‘Week 3 Lecture Content’, e-booklet, MGNT110, UOW, date

accessed 27/08/2023

Mackay, J 2023c, ‘Week 4 Lecture Content’, e-booklet, MGNT110, UOW, date

accessed 27/08/2023

Mackay, J 2023d, ‘Week 5 Lecture Content’, live lecture, MGNT110, UOW, date
accessed 27/08/2023

Mackay, J 2023e, ‘Week 6 Lecture Content’, e-booklet, MGNT110, UOW, date

accessed 27/08/2023