A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of Reflective Practices in High Tech Organizations

• Main Author: Haghighat, Gisou E.
• Other Authors: Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Format: Others
• Published: Virginia Tech 2020
• Subjects: Management; corporations; organizational learning; improvement; performance; outcomes; mental models
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10919/97892

The practice of reflection on experience has been called a best practice for learning in organizations. Researchers have extensively studied the impacts of reflection on experience on improving productivity in areas of health and education. The results of these studies have shown that reflection on experience by individuals is indeed effective in enhancing practitioners' performance in the field. There has not, however, been much research on the process of reflection on experience by employees of organizations. This dissertation focused on enhancing the understanding of the process, structure, and underlying mechanisms of reflection on experience by employees in the high tech organizational environments. This dissertation is a multi-phase study. First, the systematic process of employee reflective practices in organizations was investigated by reviewing the literature, and a theoretical six-factor structure was proposed. Second, a literature-based assessment instrument was designed and administered, leading to the collection of data from 354 employees of different U.S.-based technology organizations. Third, an exploratory factor analysis extracted the empirical factor structure of reflective practices and contrasted it to the proposed theoretical construct. The collected data entailed demographic data, employee satisfaction, and teamwork perceptions as independent variables, where the reflective practices were the dependent variables. Regression analysis of the data highlighted associations between reflective practices and employee satisfaction, teamwork, as well as some of the collected demographic data. Finally, in the fourth phase, a system dynamics approach was applied to develop the first literature-based causal loop diagram of systematic reflective practices in organizations that shed light on reasons behind the failure of organizations to reflect. This study produced the first empirical factor structure of reflective practices, and an assessment instrument to explore the reflective practices of high-tech organizations. In addition, this study examined associations between reflective practices and employee and organizational characteristics. Finally, it provides a causal loop diagram that maps the mechanisms that reinforce or impede the practice of reflection on experience in organizations. This diagram can be used as a roadmap and a guide to improve and increase practitioners' reflective practices. === Doctor of Philosophy === The practice of mental reconstruction of experience is called "reflection on experience," which has been called a best practice for learning in organizations. Researchers have extensively studied the impacts of reflection on experience on improving productivity in areas of health and education. The results of these studies have shown that reflection on experience by individuals is indeed effective in enhancing practitioners' performance in the field. There has not, however, been much research on the process of reflection on experience by employees of organizations. This dissertation will focus on enhancing the understanding of the process, structure, and underlying mechanisms of reflection on experience by employees in high tech organizational environments in a multi-phase study. First, the systematic process of employee reflective practices in organizations is investigated, and a theoretical six-factor structure is proposed. Next, the design and administration of a literature-based survey led to the collection of data from 354 employees of different U.S.-based technology organizations. Through analysis of the data, an empirical factor structure of reflective practices was extracted and was compared to the proposed theoretical construct. The analysis showed that reflective practices are associated with employee teamwork and employee satisfaction, where if the employee perceptions of teamwork or employee satisfaction increases, the employee's practice of reflection will increase as well. On the other hand, the analysis showed that the organizational unit's size and the employee's level of education is negatively associated with reflection. The larger the organization or, the higher the level of education of the employees, the less the overall level of reflection of the employees will be. Finally, a first causal loop diagram that maps the mechanisms that reinforce or impede the practice of reflection on experience in organizations was developed to be used as a roadmap and a guide to enhance organizations' learning and performance outcomes by systematically improving and increasing practitioners' reflective practices.