Chapter One

Organizational Development Portfolio

Chapter 5

ASSESSMENTS

Gaining power and influence :

My total score on the skills assessment was a 152. This score puts me in the second quartile. The score show that I was gaining power more like relay on personal characteristics than the position characteristics,but I was not good at effort which is a source of personal power, effort is one of the most highly prized characteristics , but somes time I was wasting my time on the pc games, so I have a bad score on the effort

Action Plan: as the effort is highly prized characteristic and a important source of personal characteristics, I think I should work hard on my cource instead of playing PC games.

Using influence strategies :

My score on reason is 17, reciprocity is 15 same with the retribution. I think I like to present facts to the one who I want to beg him to do something that I want . because they are my friend , we can be friend because of we have common

values, so the reason strategies is the best to use. But I don’t like to use the retribution strategies, even it can cause a quick, direct action, but it maybe a rude way to use in my study life.

SKILL LEARNING SKILL ANALYSIS

Discussion Questions:

1. What specific techniques were used to bring about the destruction of

self-awareness among prisoners?

The Communists used social alienation to bring about destruction of self-awareness. The would force prisoners to implicate their friends or family members for crimes that they didn’t commit. They were tied up and left to depend of their cellmates to help them perform basic human functions. This made them lose all self respect.

2. What opposite processes could be used to create the reverse process,

that is, a strengthening of the self-concept?

Because some of the techniques used to destroy self concept lead to sickness or wounded, some of the prisoners ended up becoming friends with their

interrogator or instructor because of the time spent with them. When the prisoners were considered “cooperative” they were allows to live with other “cooperatives” and allowed to have an active group life.

3. Assume that you are charged with the orientation of a cohort of new

managers in your organization. How would you help them understand their own strengths and inclinations and how they could best contribute to the firm?

First I would have them look at themselves and see what they see as their own strengths. People often times overlook their own strengths because they are never forced to look and see what they do well. After having them share their strengths, I would show them how the differences in all their strengths makes them a stronger group because of all the different strengths. One person’s strength is another’s weakness, so it is important to realize what you and others do well or do poorly so you can understand where you fit within the group. I would also have them do team building activities to make them a closer team. The closer the team, the easier it is to share ideas, the more ideas that are available, the greater the chances for success.

4. What mechanisms do people use, and what mechanisms could the

prisoner of war have used, to resist a change in their self-concepts?

Mental imagery is always a good way to get yourself through something

difficult. If a person can see themselves in a good situation, they are able to hold a better attitude even toward difficult situations. When a person has a good attitude, it spills over into other aspects of their life. The quote, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right,” applies here. When people see themselves in a positive light, they will not lose their sense of self-concept and will retain their self-awareness as well. When they lose their sense of self concept and self-worth, they will lose all hope as well.

5. What could be done to reform or rebuild the self-awareness of these

prisoners? What can be done to help individuals without self-awareness to improve that skill?

It is much more difficult to rebuild self-awareness than it is to break it down. Continually assuring people of their worth and their strengths is important in rebuilding their self-awareness. Showing people the value of self-awareness will help them to improve that skill.

Decision Dilemmas

1. Accept the offer. Everyone learns the skills used in their trade from somewhere. It is unfair for them to tell her not to accept a job with better pay without even offering her a better salary or extra benefits for staying with them.

2. Cease the advertisements. It would be better for Wendy’s to advertise with something that they can legitimately claim that they are better at than to claim to be the best when really they are very similar by various tests.

3. Not proper to accept the gifts and he should not sell to that company. It is a bribe for him to accept the gifts for the sale of his company to them. Its unethical and shows what he really values and what the company trying to buy him out values.

4. Kick them off the team. Not only did the team members violate team rule and NCAA regulations, but they lied to their coach. The team members have shown the team and their coach what they value and it isn’t what the team should value. The coach is highly regarded and should hold to his integrity and kick those team members from the team. They had a second chance when he asked them about the rumors and when they lied to him, they blew that chance.

5. Close the plant. If that is the best plant to close with the fewest lay-offs, then that should be the one to close. Many of the competing plants will also have the same circumstances. Communities develop because of certain plants and industries, and many communities would suffer from the loss of jobs. It is unfortunate, but sometimes necessary. (I had a hard time with this decision).

Discussion Questions:

1. answer.

Why did you make the choices you did in each case? Justify your

Many of the choices were a weighing of the costs and benefits of each choice. It was also partly based on my values and morals and what is the best to maintain the values of the organization.

2. What principles or basic values for decision making did you use in

each case?

I mainly looked at being fair and equitable to people and the companies that each industry was working with.

3. What additional information would you need in order to be certain

about your choices?

I would need more information about the companies, what their values and beliefs are, what the values and beliefs of the employees are. It would be good to understand the impact that those organization have on the communities that they are in.

4. What circumstances might arise to make you change your mind about

your decision? Could there be a different answer to each case in different circumstances?

Different situational factors can change my mind. Based on the information given, I have made the decisions that I think are best for the company. There can be a number of different answers to the questions above, including some that were not given as options. The situation must be assessed to get a good decision that is best for everyone.

5. What do our answers tell you about your own emotional intelligence,

values or cognitive style, attitude toward change and core self-evaluation?

My answers imply to me that I am a good person that wants the best for everyone. I don’t want anyone to be hurt, but as a businesswoman, I want to make the best decision for everyone, not just one person and not just for the business. I have a great sense of empathy for the plight of others and that could be a downfall in certain business situations. I am very in tune to the needs and desires of others, which can both help and hurt in a business situation. Overall, I think I have a good EQ, I have good values that will benefit me and others in the future. I like change, but at times I find it difficult to accept.

SKILL PRACTICE

The following is my autobiographical story that would appear in a business-type magazine:

In my 37 years there are a number of things that I would consider “notable accomplishments.” Some of those are personal and some are business and career related. I would consider my family to be a notable accomplishment. I have two wonderful, determined children that I am proud to call my own. They are the two people that I admire the most and am proud to see that they possess some of my qualities as well. I am proud that I have a successful marriage. It is hard work at times, but it is so worth it in the end. Beyond my family, I would say that my most treasured accomplishment is that I can consider myself a good, happy person. I don’t question my capabilities or decisions and that makes me feel like I have succeeded at something in my life.

Regarding my notable business accomplishments, I would say that I am proud that I have become the youngest CEO of GE. That is a huge accomplishment in my life and I am very proud of it. More than that, I would say that I am proud to have made good, ethical decisions that have helped the company and helped me grow as a person. I have learned from my mistakes and grown from those choices. I am proud to say that I am a motivated worker and have used hard work and determination to achieve what I have. I can’t name everything I feel are notable accomplishments, the list would be too long. I think if I can continue to say that I have made good choices and I feel that I have lived my life well, those things will be notable enough.

Questions:

To be able to raise money for cancer, leukemia, etc. would make me feel like I have accomplished something with my life. It would make me feel like I’ve done something positive to help other people and grow as a person. I want to be remembered for doing something for others. I’ve never particularly cared what people think of me, so I don’ care if they think that I am stuck up or bitchy or whatever it is that people might think of me. I only care that I have done something to help others and that I am happy with how my life has turned out. If I had to be known for something, I would want it to be that I am a good person who is always there for a helping hand and that I was a good friend, sister, and daughter.

I’m pretty happy with how my scores turned out on the self assessments. Because I want to continue to improve myself, I would, of course, want to improve in all areas in the self assessments. I hope to continue to do so in the future, but for right now, they are at an acceptable level. I am content with myself and while I hope to continue to grow, I don’t think that I am behind where I want to be at this point in my life. If I had to look at the assessments and improve in any one area, it would be to improve my emotional intelligence. I think that a person’s EQ can always be improved, no matter what level you are currently at. We all have to deal with others on a daily basis and interpersonal and emotional skills can be constantly improved, even if we are already good at dealing with others. I also want to improve my locus of control to make it more internal than it is (even though I am already at an internal locus of control). I

need to work on my motivation and procrastination to improve in that area.

Interviewing someone about me and the qualities that I possess/do not possess was a little weird and very difficult because the questions really put the person I interviewed on the spot. I interviewed my best friend. She knows me very well, but she is also not someone who vocalizes what she thinks or feels a lot. She is opinionated, but not when it comes to personal things about others. The things she said about me were:

What are my unique strengths and capabilities-You are very determined; you know what you want and you go for it without letting things stop you. You know what you believe in and you don’t back down when others question your beliefs. You are friendly and easy to talk to. You are both task and goal oriented.

What does my future hold: Specifically, I have no idea, but you will be successful at whatever you do because when you are determined to succeed, you do.

Who do you admire and why: No one specifically, but I do admire those people who can express their emotions and say how they really feel. I admire people who can go after their goals and not let anything stop them.

Who do you know that failed to reach their potential and why do you think

they failed: No names specifically, but I think that people fail because they stop believing that they can do it. When the odds are stacked against someone, they tend to stop believing that they are capable of doing anything they want.

What do you see as my distinctive and notable capabilities: Again, you are determined and know what you believe. You make ethical decision and do not jeopardize others for the sake of personal gain.

What areas should I focus improvement on: Motivation. While you are motivated, you tend to procrastinate and not get things done until last minute. When you wait, the quality of work declines.

What do you see me doing in 15 years: Working in sports.

I need to continue to improve my procrastinating. It is a bad habit. I always get things done, but she was right when she said the quality of things that I procrastinate on diminishes the more I put it off. Since I am a business major and don’t have any courses in sports, it would be good to take some sports management classes to improve my abilities in that specific area. I plan to get my masters in business administration, but it might be a good idea to emphasize in sports or take some elective classes in sports administration. Getting to know people in the sports industry would be helpful. Networking in general can help in that area. I need to continue to participate in sporting activities, participating

and watching. I already read sports books, magazines and keep up to date on sporting news, so continuing to do this would be helpful. I think that journaling and meditation would be most helpful. It will help me reflect on what I have done, what has worked, and where I need to improve and what things have been successful.

SKILL APPLICATION

I asked my mom to take the self assessments as she sees me. For the self-awareness assessment I scored myself at 53 and she scored me at a 54. Apparently she and I see me about the same way. For the emotional intelligence assessment, mom and I were way different. I scored myself at a 65 and she scored me at a 50. I can’t say that I disagree with either of the scores. Some of the situations really depend on where I am. There are times when I would blow up at someone and other times when I would keep my cool. If I am with my family I would sometimes react differently than when I am in a work situation. For the learning style inventory, mom felt that I learn best using active experimentation, then abstract conceptualization and finally a tie for concrete experience and reflective observation. My scores were active experimentation, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, then concrete experience. Not terribly different from each other. I was surprised with my score of abstract conceptualization being so high, so I am still surprised that she scored me high in this area as well. For the locus of control assessment, mom scored me at a 5 and

I scored myself at a 7. I think her assessment of me is closer to how I feel about myself. I think that I have a higher internal locus of control, which is what her score says about me. My score shows that I have a higher external locus of control, which I don’t think that I have. Mom and I were similar on the tolerance for ambiguity test also, both score indicate that I have a relatively high tolerance for ambiguity. Core self evaluation for my test was a 4.2, and from mom was a 5.25. Pretty close for each. I would say that because we were so similar in the tests that it should confirm that I know myself pretty well and she also knows me well because she is evaluating me in similar ways that I evaluate myself.