Abstract:
Organisations that use project managers to deliver strategy rely on their skills learnt through formalised education, exposure to professional organisations and on-the-job experiences. To deliver the required outcomes, the project manager draws on this knowledge to manage the project through various stages to completion. Taking time to embed knowledge learnt from delivering a project is often overlooked in the race to complete the project. An example of a social learning situation will be explored to provide a framework for project managers to become proficient performers through reflection-in-action. The learning situation is based on a post graduate project management subject at an Australian university where students are exposed to multi-faceted social contexts. The aim of this approach is for the students to develop problem solving skills that can be transferred to the workplace through reflective self-directed learning. Underpinning this example is a UK research study undertaken in 2006, referred to as the ⿿Re-thinking Project Management⿿ study. This study identified the concerns of project management practitioners and how they need to develop from trained to reflective practitioners. To develop into reflective practitioners the impact of the social learning environment will be investigated using an actual educational setting and a review of the supporting literature. A description of the essentials of reflective practice will be explored through the work of Schön and earlier by Dewey. These essentials include a common language, systems to manage problems, sense-making theories and roles that describe tasks.
