Seeing organisations as systems rather than isolated tasks
Learning acquired · systems thinking and interdependence in organisations
The idea of systems thinking has been one of the most useful intellectual tools I have gained through my studies so far. Earlier in my career, I often approached organisational problems in a very practical and immediate way: if a process was failing, I looked for the broken step, fixed it, and moved on. This approach was often effective in fast-moving operational contexts, but it was also limited because it treated problems as isolated rather than interconnected. Through this course, I learned to look at organisations as systems made up of interdependent people, processes, incentives, information flows, and decision structures. That shift in perspective changed the way I interpret problems. Instead of asking only what went wrong, I now ask what relationships, pressures, or structural conditions may have produced that outcome. This learning has already been useful in my academic work because it has improved the depth of my analysis in case discussions and project tasks. It has also helped me reinterpret some of my previous management experience, especially in situations where repeated operational issues were actually symptoms of larger communication or workflow design problems. I plan to apply this learning deliberately in my future professional roles by mapping stakeholder relationships, process interdependencies, and reporting flows before proposing any major change. Systems thinking has become a core part of how I want to operate as a manager: not only solving visible problems, but understanding the environment that generates them.
Post 02
Ethics & Professionalism
The role of ethics in building lasting business reputation
Learning acquired · ethical judgement, digital responsibility, and professional standards
The unit on ethics, surveillance, and corporate reputation was one of the most thought-provoking parts of this course, and it prompted me to revisit several moments from my professional past through a new lens. During my years as a freelance business analyst and marketing consultant, I sometimes encountered clients who wanted marketing communication that stretched the truth or omitted important limitations. At the time, I refused mainly because it felt personally wrong. This course gave me a deeper framework for understanding why those choices mattered. I learned to think about reputation not as a vague idea, but as a strategic asset built over time through repeated ethical decisions. That learning has been useful because it gave language and structure to values I had previously followed instinctively. It also made me more conscious of the ethical responsibilities attached to data use, customer information, and digital tools. In academic work, it has helped me evaluate cases more critically by asking not only whether a business action is effective, but whether it is responsible and sustainable. In future professional practice, I intend to apply this learning by making ethical standards explicit in the way I work and lead others. I want ethics to be part of operational culture, communication standards, and decision processes rather than something treated as an afterthought.
Managing my professional identity in a digital world
Learning acquired · professional branding, online presence, and communication of value
The topic of digital footprint and online reputation management was one I initially approached with some scepticism. My professional background had been shaped more by operations and face-to-face management than by visible online branding. I had a LinkedIn profile, but it was incomplete and out of date, and I had not considered a personal website to be especially relevant to me. This course challenged that assumption directly. I learnt that in the contemporary professional environment, an online presence often functions as a first impression before any real conversation takes place. That learning has already been useful because it pushed me to articulate my experience, values, and ambitions more clearly than I had done before. Building this ePortfolio was particularly valuable: it forced me to organise a non-linear career path into a coherent professional narrative supported by evidence. I can already see how this helps in job search preparation and networking, because it improves my ability to communicate who I am and what I offer. I plan to continue applying this learning by keeping my LinkedIn profile updated, refining my digital presentation over time, and treating professional visibility as an ongoing discipline rather than something done only when applying for jobs.
Post 04
Culture & Communication
Cross-cultural communication as a professional competency
Learning acquired · cultural awareness and adaptive communication
Having lived and worked across Russia, Israel, and now New Zealand, cross-cultural communication has always been part of my life, but this course gave me a stronger theoretical understanding of it. Previously, I adapted my style intuitively. Through the course material, I learned to interpret cultural differences more deliberately, especially around directness, hierarchy, consultation, and relationship-building. This was immediately useful because it helped explain why communication patterns that worked well in one context could be misread in another. In Israel, a direct style often felt normal and efficient. In New Zealand, however, I have learned that communication tends to be more indirect, more modest, and more consultative. Understanding this has helped me in group work, where I have become more careful about inviting input, checking understanding, and not assuming that silence means agreement. This learning is important for both academic and future professional life because leadership increasingly happens across diverse teams, and technical competence alone is not enough. I plan to continue applying this learning by observing communication norms more carefully, adjusting how I give feedback, and strengthening my ability to lead in multicultural environments with sensitivity and respect.
Returning to study — on resilience, adaptation, and self-belief
Learning acquired · self-awareness, stress management, and personal values
Returning to formal study after nearly a decade in the workforce, while also being a parent of two young children and adjusting to life in a new country, has been one of the most demanding experiences of my adult life. The self-awareness material in Whetten and Cameron was especially meaningful to me because it gave structure to that experience. I learned that self-management begins with honest recognition of one’s own values, pressures, and behavioural patterns. One important insight for me was realising that continuous growth is a core value, which helped explain why returning to study felt difficult but also necessary. I also learned to recognise how easily I was comparing myself to classmates whose life circumstances were very different from mine. Reframing progress against my own baseline rather than external comparison made a significant difference to my confidence and stress levels. This learning has already been useful because it improved my emotional resilience and made me more realistic and compassionate toward myself. In the future, I will apply it by maintaining habits of reflection, prioritisation, and self-awareness, especially in leadership roles where the ability to manage oneself is closely connected to the ability to manage others well.
Peer Evaluation
Feedback Reflection
What I learnt from my peers — and what I am changing
Peer feedback · teamwork, consultation, and leadership behaviour
During a group project this semester, a classmate gave me feedback that was initially difficult to hear. They said that while my contributions were usually thorough and high quality, I sometimes moved ahead with tasks independently without checking in with the group enough first. Their point was that this could leave others uncertain about project direction or feeling that major decisions had already been made. At first, I interpreted this as a misunderstanding because in my previous management roles I had often been rewarded for speed, initiative, and autonomous action. After reflecting on it, however, I recognised the pattern. What had worked in a hierarchical operational environment was not automatically effective in a collaborative academic setting. This feedback influenced my development by making consultation a more explicit part of my practice rather than something I assumed I was already doing well enough. In later group work, I introduced short check-ins before starting major tasks, invited feedback at decision points, and made an effort to acknowledge others’ contributions more publicly. The difference in group dynamics was noticeable: there was more engagement, greater shared ownership, and better overall coordination. The main lesson I take from this is that effective leadership is not defined only by output quality, but also by how you bring people into the process. That is a change I intend to carry into my future professional life.
