Abstract:

Reflective leadership, as a factor of empowering employees to learn, involves the process of acknowledging that reflective practice and reflection in the organization affects learning and development of professionals in many different fields, helps to live through the experience and give a sense to it, and reinforces personal and professional efficiency. In the professional activity context, the relevance of the problem of reflecting, which has a direct connection with personal development and at the same time with the organizational performance, is increasing. The global and rapidly changing social space poses new challenges: to have the abilities of critical thinking, decision-making, and continuous learning. The perception of reflection begins with an understanding of what you are doing and ends with a critical evaluation of your ideology and beliefs, which are influenced by thinking and feelings during activities in the organization. Numerous researchers have proved that the use of reflection as a means of promoting employee learning in the organization is one of the most effective ways of continuous professional development, when professional experience is converted into learning; and the latter, into professional and personal development, which later leads to better quality performance of the professional activity.

The research aim is to reveal and theoretically substantiate the significance and importance of reflective leadership as the factor empowering employees to learn in the organization. The chosen method of analysis of scientific literature enabled to reveal the content of reflective leadership, seeking to empower employees to learn from their own and other employees’ experience in the organization.

The performed theoretical analysis allowed to summarize different models and theories of reflective leadership, distinguishing essential dimensions and features. In summary, it can be stated that in the conditions of constant change, reflective leadership becomes the essential constituent of competence of the organization’s leader and employees as one of the main processes in the life of the mature enterprise or social organization. It is important to seek that experience transformed into skills, attitudes, values and beliefs through implemented reflective leadership processes is constantly made meaningful and helps to pursue the set goals and results of the organization.

Keywords:

Reflective leadership, reflective practice, reflection, learning, empowerment, organization.