Weekly Self-Assessments & Reflections [SAR] assignments: Each week that we have a chapter due, you will turn in this assignment. The structure for this assignment is as follows:
First, take the assigned self-assessments at the beginning of each assigned chapter (see class schedule for which self-assessments to take).
Second, read the chapter (labeled “Learning”) and internalize the content. Think deeply about how it applies to you and your life.
Third, score all of the assigned self-assessments (instructions at end of chapter) and update each week’s scores by downloading the form “MGT 505 Scores & Reflections” that will be posted on Desire 2 Learn (D2L). Please remember, there is no “good” or “bad” assessment score. There is only your score. Understanding who you are is priority one. We all have weaknesses and strengths.
- This course is not designed to change the attributes that you don’t like… only make you aware of who you are and to help you leverage the attributes you have for maximal effectiveness.
- Resist the temptation to go back and review specific questions on the assessments and see how you responded. Do not allow yourself to be influenced by the assessments themselves.
- It also helps to return to the chapter material to briefly review what the attribute is all about before you start writing your thoughts about it (in the next step). Generally, Whetten & Cameron develop/include surveys that closely mirror the themes and content of each chapter.
Fourth, continue to develop your downloaded “MGT 505 Scores & Reflections” form by writing a thought paper on selected scores. You should start with a general paragraph summarizing your reflections on the overall self-assessments – what did you see generally – did you generally score high or low, and what are some strengths and weaknesses in the general area (e.g. problem solving, communication, stress & time management) across the surveys?
For weeks where there are 1-2 self-assessments, you will choose to more specifically write up one of them. When there are 4 or more self-assessments, choose two to write up. To make the decision regarding which to write up, apply the following criteria however you wish (there is no wrong answer): Which self-assessment did you score “weakest” on? Which self-assessment taps into aspects of your professional life that you think are most critical for your success? Which self-assessment result represented the biggest gap between the score and your impression of yourself, and what do you think was the basis of this gap?
Reflect on what your self-assessment scores “say” to you about yourself and focus primarily on how this personal attribute manifests itself in your behavior/thoughts/actions in the workplace. Write these reflections on the “MGT 505 Scores & Reflections” form after each specific assessment.
- What are some possible implications of your score or attribute on your workplace behavior, interpersonal interactions, or attitudes? Some examples may be:
- If you rate low on self-awareness, you might discuss how not being able to understand your own attitudes and behavior may lead you to continually make mistakes at work and not know why which lead you to receive poor performance evaluations
- If you score high on emotional intelligence, you might discuss that because you are able to read others emotions and respond more appropriately to their attitudes you will be more inclined to develop close relationships at work which will lead to successful partnerships.
- Try to share a personal story or event that exemplifies you using or not using the attribute from the assessment
- Resist the temptation to challenge scores you don’t like. Especially if you find yourself doing this frequently, it may well be a sign that you are having problems accepting who you are. That, in turn, would probably cause you more difficulty in your career than any downside of the attribute that you self-assessed. Remember, Abraham Lincoln was neurotic, and his neurosis was arguably the driver of his greatness.
Reading, understanding, and internalizing the chapter material will be VITAL to your ability to reflect upon the implications of your self-assessment scores. I can easily tell whether or not you connect the dots between course readings/content and your personal experiences.
Fifth, the night before each class upload the entire, updated “MGT 505 Scores & Reflections” form into the appropriate drop box in D2L.
Comments on SAR:
1) Some students confuse which surveys to take/score and which to write-up. You will complete ALL self-assessments listed in the syllabus – every week, every survey. You will write up only selected self-assessments (1-2 per week) – but you will always report all results, regardless of whether they are supported with a writeup.
2) The SAR is NOT intended to also ask you what you plan to do to improve in any given area, rather simply to identify your scores, areas of strengths and weaknesses, and reflect on their importance and implications to your personal and professional life. Plans and improvements are the purview of the MPG papers.
3) The SAR write-ups do not need to be long – just one summary paragraph and a few paragraphs per writeup (again, some weeks feature 2 writeups because they have intensive self-assessments).
4) I generally drop your lowest SAR and double-count your best one in tabulating the 250 points (25*10) assigned to this category.
5) One thing we will not be doing is comparing pre- and post- results, as some of the self-assessments are structured. We move too quickly from module to module to expect significant change in one week.
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