Reflective Leadership Practice Models

Reflective leadership is a critical skill that enables leaders to learn from their experiences and improve their practice. Several models provide a structured approach to this process, each offering a unique pathway for self-assessment and growth. This paper will review and compare four key models: Bolton and Delderfield’s, Kolb and Fry’s, Gibb’s, and Rolfe’s. These models align with Donald Schön’s influential concepts of “reflection-in-action” and “reflection-on-action.”

Bolton and Delderfield’s “Six Honest Serving Men”

Bolton and Delderfield’s model is a simple yet powerful framework based on Rudyard Kipling’s poem. It uses six fundamental questions: What, Why, Where, When, How, and Who. A leader uses these questions to break down a situation and gain a comprehensive understanding of an event. For example, “What happened?”, “Why did it happen?”, and “Who was involved?”.

• Alignment with Schön: This model primarily supports reflection-on-action, as it is a structured, retrospective analysis of an event. A leader would typically use these questions after a meeting or project to gain a fuller picture and learn from the experience.

Kolb and Fry’s Learning Experience

Kolb and Fry’s model, known as the Experiential Learning Cycle, presents learning as a four-stage cycle: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization, and Active Experimentation. A leader first has an experience, then reflects on it, uses that reflection to form new ideas, and finally tests those ideas in a new situation.

• Alignment with Schön: The Reflective Observation stage of this model directly aligns with Schön’s reflection-on-action. However, the cyclical nature of the model, which leads to Active Experimentation, also facilitates reflection-in-action as the leader applies new insights to a live situation and immediately observes the results.

Gibb’s Reflective Cycle

Gibb’s Reflective Cycle is a well-known, six-stage model that provides a more emotional and structured approach to reflection: Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action Plan. A leader first describes an event, then explores their feelings about it, evaluates what was good and bad, analyzes the situation to make sense of it, draws a conclusion, and finally creates a plan for future action.

• Alignment with Schön: Similar to Kolb’s model, Gibb’s cycle primarily supports reflection-on-action, as its stages are designed for a post-event review. The final stage, Action Plan, directly informs future practice, creating a link to the next cycle of reflection-in-action.

Rolfe’s Reflective Three Simple Questions

Rolfe’s model simplifies reflection into three core questions: What?, So what?, and Now what?. “What?” describes the situation. “So what?” examines the significance and meaning of the event. “Now what?” considers what will be done in the future based on the reflection.

• Alignment with Schön: This model is a concise framework for reflection-on-action. Its simplicity makes it a highly practical tool for quick post-event analysis. The “Now what?” question is the bridge to future practice, allowing the leader to apply their learning in a new situation, thereby influencing reflection-in-action.