LEARNING BY SHARING EXPERIENCES: THE DEVELOPMENT OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN EXECUTIVE MBA PROGRAMS

Abstract

Executives in command of organizations are looking for new references to increase the effectiveness of decision-making in an increasingly complex environment. In order to point out an alternative to guide the executives’ decision making processes, this paper presents a reflective practice concept and how it relates to executive’s decisions; investigates the development of reflective practice in executive education programs; and analyses the importance of shared experiences to the development of executives’ reflective practice. The reflective practice concept, presented by Schön (1983), is applied to executives’ decision-making processes. The executive education analysis is based on the experiential learning theory presented by Kolb (1984). The empirical research was applied at a Business School whose Executive MBA Program is ranked among the top five in the world. Data was collected through 20 semi-structured interviews with executives enrolled in this program and the analysis was based on a phenomenological approach for qualitative research. Results indicated that the process of sharing experiences is essential to a successful development of reflective executives in Executive MBA Programs. The elements presented in this paper may enhance the effectiveness of executive education and should be considered by programs that want to encourage the process of learning by sharing experiences.