“On Becoming a Critically Reflexive Practitioner” Redux: What Does It Mean to Be Reflexive?

In this commentary, Cunliffe states that is convinced that reflexivity offers a way of foregrounding our moral and ethical responsibility for people and for the world around us. To "BE" reflexive was defined as embracing "subjective understandings of reality as a basis for thinking more critically about the impact of our assumptions, values, and actions on others" (Cunliffe, 2004, p. 407). This means examining our own assumptions, decisions, actions, interactions, and the assumptions underpinning organizational policies and practices and the intended and potentially unintended impact. Reflexivity works at two levels--being self-reflexive about our own beliefs, values, and so on, and the nature of our relationships with others, what we say, and how we treat them (Cunliffe, 2014), and being critically reflexive about organizational practices, policies, social structures, and knowledge bases. Both self- and critical-reflexivity are important in working toward ethical, responsive, and responsible organizations. In answering the question--"What does it mean to be reflexive?", Cunliffe responds: being reflexive is about having "a heart," it is not a technique but a way of being in relation with others that brings with it moral and ethical considerations. It requires being solicitous and respectful of differences. Being reflexive doesn't give definitive answers to problems but highlights the need to engage in critical questioning and deeper debate around taken-for-granted issues that have potential moral and ethical implications. [For "On Becoming a Critically Reflexive Practitioner," see EJ797908.]