Senior Project Reflection

1. Positive Statement
I'm proud of the dedication and time I devoted creating my final presentation and ensuring I knew what I was talking about and that my activity worked as I wanted it to. Personally, I found this final presentation the most "polished" compared to my Lesson 2; as such, I'm very much proud of that. I worked on each slide with the intent of explaining nearly everything on the slide -- I needed to demonstrate my knowledge of my research and topic itself and I feel that I was able to fulfill that.

2. Questions to Consider
a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE    P    AP    CR    NC

b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall Senior Project (self-assessment)?

AE    P-    AP    CR    NC

3. What worked for you in your senior project?

What worked for me during my project was my research, my mentor, and an interview I conducted. "Communicating As a Manager" / "Leading and Motivating As a Manager" by Lynne Gaines and Adelaide Wilson; "Locke's Goal Setting Theory"; "Heron's Six Categories of Intervention"; Brice Cocjin; and my Interview #4 were all major sources that helped me not only proved beneficial in my project, but played a significant role in shaping my answers and final presentation.

4. What didn't work? 

If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Senior Project if you could go back in time?

I would have tried to implement an actual book dedicated to general management or a specific book on the behavioral aspect of motivation. If I were to have used any of these two sources, I feel that they would have served as a solid backbone for everything else to be built upon. Also, I would have liked to have been able to have better prepared myself for the preceding presentations. Sadly, hindsight is always 20/20.

5. Finding Value

How has the Senior Project been helpful to you in your future endeavors? Be specific and use examples.

As a whole, the Senior Project has definitely proven to me that spending an inordinate amount of time to something will surely yield results. There were a number of parts of this project that I procrastinated on, and as such, I had to hustle to find certain articles for an answer or so. Taking the time to do that, however, helped me better establish my answers and provide better understanding for my peers. 

An example of this is with my first answer; goal setting alone was vague and the initial sources I researched were often unfounded and biased. Coming across Locke's Goal Setting Theory helped me have a foundation for the importance of goal setting in management. 

Another part of senior project that I enjoyed and found fulfilling was creating my activity. The "test" (a double-sided paper with 20 statements) I issued worked cohesively with my second answer, effective communication. For this answer, I wanted to emphasize the importance of understanding the behaviors and personality types of employees -- no two employees were the same. I was able to look into the different personality types (appropriately categorized as Blues, Reds, Greens, and Hubs) and explain the specifics of each.

In spite of the rough patches I've had with this project (and there were many), I feel fulfilled for having gone the extra mile with designing my presentation and my activity. In terms of future endeavors, this project has definitely proved to me that I need to continue picking myself up regardless of how difficult I believe the situation has become.

Blog 21: Mentorship

Literal

• Mentorship Log.

• Brice Cocjin
• Operations Manager 
• Unical Aviation, Inc. 
• (626) 224 - 4711

Interpretive

• Despite not doing anything truly hands on, what I gained from this experience was that the profession of being a manager is definitely a difficult job. By difficult, I don’t mean impossible. In terms of difficulty, I’m referring to all the duties an operations manager has to be responsible for and the importance of communication. For example, my mentor not only has to deal with employees but also with clients from various airlines. The reason I consider communication difficult is because it is a skill that can only be improved upon over time; my mentor has been in management for a while and going through failure and successes is something he knows. As I am now, I know I’m not the best communicator. But this is only something I can become better with over time. Being in a warehouse environment and attending IPoly has certainly opened my eyes to the amount of communication I will have to do in the future.

Applied

• While my topic of warehouse operations management was not particularly hands on, the principle of managing and being an effective communicator were as clear as day. Going over reviews and reading that the responses had to be well meaning justified the importance of feedback for employees; it’s obvious that if an employee is conducting unsatisfactory work, then they will most likely receive a less than satisfactory evaluation. The forms of motivation that I focused on were less external and more communicable by the manager. My mentor himself has been a great help for this project, especially in terms of motivation, which is the heart of my essential question; he helped me craft my second and third answers.

April Blog Post

Hey guys! One of the best things I've come across throughout my research was this article:

Motivation In The Workplace

The article included a story about three stonecutters who each saw their work very differently. One stone cutter considered his job as a day's pay; the second considered his job for what it was; and the third viewed his job as a calling. As a whole, this story is used to create "the bigger picture"; the third stonecutter saw his career as something other than the obvious. In the same light, a manager's job is ensure than employees understand their job and what it amounts to in a grand scheme. The article also includes an little video about what motivates us and the meaning behind our drive as individuals. 

Blog 20: Exit Interview

1.) What is your essential question and answers? What is your best answer and why?

• EQ: How can an operations manager best motivate their employees to achieve a successful evaluation?
• Answer 1: An operations manager best motivate their employees to achieve a successful evaluation by setting clear goals and expectations.
• Answer 2: An operations manager best motivate their employees to achieve a successful evaluation by being an effective communicator.
• Answer 3: An operations manager best motivate their employees to achieve a successful evaluation through positive reinforcement and discipline.
• The best answer to my essential question is Answer 2. Compared to the first and third answer, finding research for ‘effective communication’ was a lot easer and the answers were more concise; goal-setting is based on Locke’s Goal Setting Theory and positive reinforcement and discipline is a still a new concept for me to understand. Although ‘communication’ runs the gamut, this was an answer I understood clearly and could actually apply it to my life; part of my answer emphasized authoritative/supportive systems that a leader (in this case, a manager) can use. My mentor Brice Cocjin had worked at Costco Wholesale prior to Unical Aviation and has dealt with a number of people, in successful and unsuccessful ways; his background helped me to solidify this answer. My fourth interviewee, Kerwin Cocjin, has mentioned that employee relationships are one of the most difficult things to encounter as an employes; he previously worked at Borders prior to Gilead. Both of them helped me to realize that effective communication is ideally what makes a manager successful in the long run.

2.) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

• I found that my first answer was vague and I personally couldn’t materialize a situation in which clear direction or goal setting produced anything; although there are numbers to prove goal-setting does have an affect in management, I realized I wanted a more thorough answer. When I was gathering more research for my first answer, I came across an article titled “Communicating As a Manager”, written by Lynne Gaines and Adelaide Wilson. The article entailed 7 key ideas that a manager should follow in order to be “effective” in leading. This article helped me a lot in terms of deciding on my second answer; my mentor and fourth interviewee ensured me that my second answer was going to be the best answer.

3.) What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?

• The immediate problem I faced was right about the time of Lesson Plan 2. I knew what to talk about in terms of mentorship and breaking down my EQ, but when it came to getting an answer for it, I had no idea. My Answer 1 isn’t my favorite by far but it was my first answer for a reason; unfortunately, I was only able to come across any beneficial research on it much later. To avoid another disastrous scenario like that, I made sure I grasped a general idea of what I wanted as an answer. I did this for my second answer; I found a number of articles on communication. For my third answer, I asked my mentor what he personally considered the best means of motivating an employee and that was positive reinforcement and discipline; my fourth interviewee confirmed this notion. In the long run, what really helped me resolve the problem I had first time around was looking up more than I needed; that way, I could shuffle through which pieces of research I could draw from most.

4.) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

• My two most significant sources were written by the same individuals; Lynne Gaines and Adelaide Wilson both authored the articles “Communicating As a Manager” and “Leading & Motivating As a Manager”; the former comprised of 7 key methods a manager should use in order to communicate with their employees; the latter entails 10 keys that could be used to manage and motivate employees. In terms of effective communication, I was able to dissect parts from each article that I personally found true and that were most applicable to my EQ and answer. 

Blog 19: Independent Component 2

LITERAL

1. “I, Arianna Cocjin, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”
2. The three sources that helped to complete IC2 were:

1. Brice Cocjin (my mentor); he explained what the Personal Values Inventory® is helped me decide on my third answer.
2. The handbook used in conjunction with the PVI® ‘test’. The handbook was prepared by authors/consultants Peter B. Stark and Jane Flaherty; as a note, they were not the authors of the handbook, as it was specially prepared for a workshop for Unical. This handbook helped define the groups (Red, Green, Blue, Hubs) and explain what my PVI® score meant.
3. Motivation in The Workplace; this articles mentions a great example of three different types of people and their motivations. Despite it’s brevity, I found that the story about the three stonecutters (the three different people) had a connection to my essential question and the research thus far.

1. Done. The link is on the side under 'Links'.
2. IC2 helped me grasp how and what different people prefer in terms of leadership style, needs, and behavior. The PVI® test was presented in a way that requires the test taker to think of themselves in a given situation; I took the test myself and had to reflect on present and past experiences. My essential question specifies management practice and employee motivation; the PVI® as a whole divides people into three color groups (either Red, Green, or Blue) or as an in-between (Hub). Each group responds to motivations and leadership differently. I believe this solidifies the idea that every employee is different and a manager must acknowledge those differences prior to implementing motivation.

INTERPRETIVE

This is the PVI brochure; this was the one my mentor had gotten during the workshop. I took the PVI test in this one and recorded my results on the following placard.

This is the placard template I made for the activity. Once the class fills out the about Items, they will record their scores in the appropriately numbered box.

The above boxes are the templates I designed for my activity; Items 1-10 asks responders to rate the following statements when things are going well; Items 11-20 asks responders to rate there following statements when things aren't going well. These are based off the actual PVI test. The resulting scores will determine what the person's dominant color is or if they're in between.

Items 1-10; 11-20

APPLIED

This component helped me to answer my EQ by defining the complexities of people. What I mean by ‘complexities’ are the many traits, motivations, needs, and leadership preferences people have. These were described in detail in the handbook and by mentor. For example, those who are categorically Green prefer to do things independently and without direction of others; my mentor simplified ‘Greens’ as employees who are independent and logical. 

Rather than researching vague behavioral styles, I was able to learn the behavioral style characteristics of Blues, Greens, Reds, and Hubs. Blues are characteristically friendly, supportive, and demonstrate concern for others. Greens are considered careful, objective driven and detached, and desire facts and information before making decisions. Reds are aggressive, decisive, and competitive. Hubs, or those in between any of the color groups, are friendly, impulsive, and risk takers. Although people can’t be culled into Red, Blue, Green, or Hub groups (that would certainly make things simpler), these behaviors are applicable to anyone. Understanding these differences ensures that a manager can find a source of motivation in any employee, should they recognize obvious characteristics.

The section entitled ‘Leadership Styles’ established development opportunities a manager (or other leader) who falls into any of the four groups. For example, someone who had a high Blue, such as myself, is helpful and leads by consensus. Development opportunities for a Blue would be to ensure others aren’t taking advantage of their kindness or remind themselves of their needs in a business relationship. This portion of the PVI® is relevant to answering my EQ simply because it addresses the type of response/development a manager should take. If someone is Blue, they should ensure that they aren’t being taken advantage of. If they’re Green, they should understand that people will be affected by their emotions. In the same way, a manager should respond to their employees who can fall into any of the four groups. The main idea here is that employees respond to decisions and work in a myriad of ways. As one day of work is never the same, the manager shouldn’t subject themselves to one way of motivating.

Blog 17: Fourth Interview

• What do you personally consider the best means of motivating an employee in order for them to do well on an evaluation/review?
• As an operations manager, how are clear goals and expectations incorporated into a warehouse environment?
• Are there strategies involved when setting goals or expectations? If so, please explain how you go about enacting expectations and goals.
• Does Unical have a company goal that adheres to the overall functionality of the warehouse? If yes, please explain how that company goal could be used in your team (departments).
• What can an employee do to improve on an evaluation? If they’re rated low in a certain area, how does an employee go about improving?
• How do work-sponsored evaluations such as the Personal Values Inventory® and the Predictive Index® measure the competency of an employee and/or manager?
• Would you say these types of ‘tests’ promote positive behavior or change anything in an employee?
• For my essential question, my second answer is that an operations manager can best motivate their employees through communication. How can communication be used to address motivation?
• Generally speaking, what kinds of motivation does Unical offer it’s employees?
• As a manager, what do you do to motivate your employees? What do you do to make your motivation method effective?
• I’ve come across a number of articles stating that relationships between employee and manager is an important part of motivation. Why do you think communication heavily emphasized in motivation? 
• In your experience as a manager, what kinds of motivation drove you to be successful and get you where you are now?
• Before becoming a manager, what used to motivate you to do well?
• How many reviews do you typically go through in a day?
• Which evaluations (the good ones or the bad ones) have the most attention? 
• Are employees on probation (meaning they’ve done poorly in a certain area) more at risk and have extensive reviews? If yes, what can a manager do to ensure these employees are addressed appropriately (in terms of motivating them and assessing the issue)?
• Are employees with generally good performances devoted as much attention as those with issues? If yes, what should a manager do in order to ensure they maintain their dependability?
• How does a positive work environment help employees to be productive?
• What do you personally think invokes efficient productivity? Are there a number of factors to determine efficient productivity?
• Would you say team building creates motivation between a manager and their employees? If so, please provide an example from the warehouse and how an effective team is important.
• Why is good leadership important in motivation? 
• How does good leadership steer an employee in the right direction (in terms of doing well on an evaluation)?
• Is motivation clearly visible in an employee? What alerts the manager when they know their leadership is working?

February Blog Post

Hello, everyone. Cheers to yet another weekend. 

What I have for the monthly post is actually what I’m working on for the final presentation and independent component. My father/mentor recently attended a seminar for Unical Aviation Inc. titled ‘Strategic Planning & Objectives Workshop … Building an Even Stronger Team.’ What primarily caught my attention and related to my EQ and topic overall was a part of the seminar known as the Personal Values Inventory®. One critical part in particular was what motivates people.

The Personal Values Inventory® was developed by Elias H. Porter, Ph.D., founder and president of Personal Strengths Publishing, Inc. The PVI® is broken into context this way:

• Personal — “The PVI offers people the chance to learn about their personal strengths and about how they use them with other people.”
• Values — “Each of us has values that help us decide how to act. Our values affect what we pay attention to, what we do, and how we feel about things.”
• Inventory — “The PVI is not a test where your answers are graded as either right or wrong. It is an inventory for taking stock of your motivational values—the basis for how you feel and act in different situations.”

What I’ve started doing thus far was created this template:

It’s based on this placard, which my mentor completed at the seminar:

The only difference with the one I'm designing is the triangle; the whole thing becomes a little more confusing with it present.

The red, green, and blue colors represent three different ways that we can related to other people; there is even a special group that are in-betweens—hubs. Each color and the hubs, have preferences of treatment, motivations, effective/ineffective environments, and even how to be the most effective boss for the person and how to be the most effective employee. (I will get around to explaining the colors and hubs in detail.)

The numerical values on the PVI® placard my mentor derive from the PVI® booklet. Inside are 1-20 items, each with statements such as “I enjoy things most when I am…” and followed by three different responses. Here, the surveyor distributes 10 points between each response. At the end, the numbers are then recorded at the bottom; for example, in one column of responses, it could total to 58—hence, the 58 on my mentor’s placard.

I enjoyed working on this because I now have a good idea of what I want to do for my presentation and what will make it engaging. My mentor mentions that the Personal Values Inventory® is something not many people have the opportunity to take part in, and having other students take part in it could be inspiring. I’d like to think so too.