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.

Blog 16: Advisory Meeting #2

EQ:

How can an operations manager best motivate their employees to achieve a successful evaluation?

ANSWER #2

An operations manager can be motivate their employees to achieve a successful evaluation by being an effective communicator.

DETAIL 1

Communicating As a Manager

“Be a positive communicator.” A manager who can communicate with their employees in a positive manner tend to have teams that are positive and feel positive about their work. A positive communicator sets a positive tone, creates personal connections with employees, creates an atmosphere of open communication, and encourages people to be open and candid.

DETAIL 2

Why Is Effective Communication Important in Management?

A manager, which could be a manager in any field, understands that communication played an integral role in building alliances and productivity within the workplace.The ability to set a goal and provide direction promotes a collaborative atmosphere. Manager must clearly articulate strategies and plans; an operations manager should have a plan of action in this regard. Inability to properly articulate defeats the purpose of a “company vision”, which is the hope for a successful business.

DETAIL 3

Increasing Employee Productivity: The Strategic Role That HR Essentially Ignores

“Effective communications and feedback reduce errors and frustration.” A manager who doesn’t provide feedback severely hinders the success of their team as well as productivity. A manager should be able to identify the error made, assess it, and provide feedback for the employee. In this way, the employee can better avoid making the same mistake and promote productivity. Feedback mechanisms are an important component of effective communication.

--

In conclusion, an operations manager should be an effective communicator in order to motivate their employees. Without positive communication a manager would be unable to build necessary connections with employees or create an atmosphere of open communication. Being a communicator helps to build teams and productivity; inability to articulate the “company vision” would become a defeated purpose should the manager be unable to clarify goals or ideas. Feedback mechanisms are a means of keeping employees in check and assessing errors. By spotting the problem sooner than later, the manager can better ensure that their employee doesn’t make the same mistake and improve efficiency.

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.

For Independent Component 2, I plan to focus more on the psychological approach of employee motivation. Recently, my mentor went to a seminar and took an extensive examination that measured conflict/resolution ability and motivations. I will take this exam myself and I plan on using this for my activity. The work involved includes recreating templates and understanding what the examination is.

2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.

The work involved includes recreating templates and understanding what the examination is; there are booklets and examples I would have to look over and post evidence for.

3. And explain how what you will be doing will help you explore your topic in more depth.

This component would better help me explore my topic because it is extensive and less difficult to gauge than the Predictive Index® survey (this one involves compute analyzation and all that), whereas this new test it can be conducted much easier. In addition, looking into this examination reveals what motivates different types of people and how to work with others. This is something that not only applies to school and work but overall lifelong achievement.

4. Post a log on the right hand side of your blog near your other logs and call it the Independent Component 2 log.

Done.

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

LITERAL

1. Statement saying: “I, Arianna Nicole Cocjin, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.”
2. Cite source(s) regarding who or what article or book helped you compete the Independent Component.
• The first source that helped me complete Independent Component 1 were Torben Rick’s article 20 Tips to Improve Employee Engagement and Performance. Despite this being one of the many “___ Tips to Improve Employee Motivation” articles out there, I specifically liked how the author highlighted important parts of the tip. For example, in Tip #1, targets is highlighted; clicking on it directs to another article explaining the highlighted word. Because I based my answer #1 on this tip, the additional links were helpful in me better understanding what targets and larger organizational ambitions are.
• The second source was the Houston Chronicle-specific Work section; here, there are a plethora of helpful business articles ranging from how to grow a small business to managing corporations. I’ve used this website for a number of my resources and the one that I referred to within my Independent Component was Why Is Effective Communication Important in Management?. This article in particular stresses why a competent manager should have effective communication. The statement that is a particular driver in this article is that a manager needs the credibility to implement not only his employer’s objectives but also lead the team in the same direction. The best statement I read in this article in relation to the Independent Component: “…Managers are the linchpin of a company’s productivity efforts. Managers must clearly articulate strategies and plans, so that an employee team knows what to do…”
3. Provide a digital spreadsheet (aka log of the 30 hours).

• Provided for. 

4. Explanation of what you completed.

• For my Independent Component 1, I continued to shadow my mentor at Unical Aviation and proceeded learn what motivates employees to do well. I was able to take the Predictive Index® survey, a survey that Unical implements for its employees—the survey measures strong behavior, management style, influencing style, and management strategies; I was able to find to find and read five articles that applied to my EQ and answer #1; I was also able to see employee reviews (conducted by the managers) and how employees are rated based upon their performance.

INTERPRETIVE 

1. Defend your work and explain how the significant parts of your component and how it demonstrates 30 hours of work. Provide evidence.

• The significant parts of this component were certainly the official Unical employee reviews and taking part in the Predictive Index® survey.

This is what the front page of the Predictive Index® user manual looks like.

Front cover page of the Participant Workbook, apart of a three series pack.

2013 WH General Review

Here is one of Unical's General Reviews. The link shows the extensive six page review that is looked over not by one manager, but by a second. Each category (dependability, personal, job, resourceful, productivity) can be rated based on a Rating Scale—1 being Unsatisfactory and 7 being Outstanding.

APPLIED

1. How did the component help you understand the foundation of your topic better? Please include specific examples to illustrate how it helped.

• The component helped me to better understand the foundation of my topic simply because motivation and self-motivation are everyday drivers. At Unical, the stark contrast between the warehouse and the break room is purposeful—the pool table and the golf simulator are there to alleviate stress on the employees, whereas the warehouse floor is the place where employees are expected to do their jobs. My mentor, Brice Cocjin, often faces the difficulties of keeping his team on board. In life, there are going to be people who become unengaged with work or begin to slack off. It’s up to the manager to get them motivated and on track, whether it be through internal or external means. I really enjoyed learning about this because it has been a personal challenge to motivate myself to take care of what needs to. It’s up to me to motivate myself to keep going.

Blog 13: Lesson 2 Reflection

1. Positive Statement

Of all the things to be proud of when the bulk of it went so sourly was the design of my keynote template. It was clean and simple, yet I did not present to the same degree as the design.

2. Questions to Consider

a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

AE       P          AP -      CR       NC

b. Above all, I believe I deserve an AP-, despite knowing that wasn’t the grade I saw on the contract. I believe an AP- is adequate in terms of an Professionalism because I spoke at a relative volume, made eye contact with the audience, and asked for audience engagement. In terms of Organization & Creativity, I know I did not have the most stellar activity design—that’s on me and I take responsibility; however, I do believe that the activity itself did apply to my EQ. Audience Involvement is a given and I made sure I was able to complete that part.

3. What Worked 

Although I could have been more assertive with my activity, I appreciated that part of the class was able to understand the handout. When I chose certain people from groups, despite some not taking it seriously, it was nice to hear people try and apply what kind of motivation could be used (though, the vagueness of my answer is entirely on me.)

4. What Didn’t Work?

If I could go back (which I can’t), I would not have waited until the last minute to start this. A month’s time to complete this was more than enough. I admit that I was that person. I would have gotten what needed to be done, what needed to be emphasized, and made a much clearer representation. More importantly, I would have rehearsed what I planned to say so that delivery would have been much smoother. Additionally, If I’d used my time efficiently, without a doubt things would have been different.

5. Finding Value

I would definitely want to consult my mentor for further answers in regard to my EQ. What motivates employees is so vague, so I think the answer could be specific given it comes from an operations manager themselves.

January Blog Post

Hey everyone. Ever since the great EQ change, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking on what defines an effective operations manager; the term “operations” is used implicitly in reference to the title — an operations manager manages all residing operations in a warehouse (try saying that twice). These “operations” are what keeps the company, in this case, Unical Aviation, alive (in part). To paint a picture, operations are blood vessels, employees the blood coursing through, and the organization is the heart, the core. Like the nervous system is to the body, leadership is quintessential to a company/organization. But without an effective leader, how is an employee going to work at their most efficient level? A leader should be defined first, before the employee is developed.

My mentor suggested this article to me: Top 12 Development Goals for Leaders

The article in its most general sense is list of developmental goals that leaders should use for their leadership development plan; the author, Dan McCarthy, Director of Executive Development Programs at UNH, suggests that the goals should not practiced all together, but rather one goal exercised explicitly. I decided to choose five of these goals as the most important. They aren’t in sequential order but by the number of which they’re listed on the article.

Strategic Thinking 

This goal is centric on the big picture. The big picture requires that the manager look at the business from afar with a broader, business perspective. Rather than expel energy on the minute details of a business, look at why things happen over the what and how. How I interpreted this was through the following questions:

“Why didn’t that plan work?”

“Why did that work out better than last time?”

“Why would an employee be confused about this?”

3. Coaching

Many other articles I’ve read ever accredit successful businesses to dictatorship leadership. Management is principally providing guidance for employees working beside you. This goal is about guiding and developing your direct reports, subordinates in the corporate hierarchy. In regard to my EQ, this is especially important because as an operations manager, you want to guide your employees towards the company’s goal and lead them the right way. Without that guidance, the employee won’t be motivated to do their best.

7. Leadership Presence

Having a voice in a business never hurt anyone, as far as I’m concerned. Commanding a room and communicating effectively, that is, delivering clear ideas and direction, inspires others. Employees feel motivated to do better when their managers see value in their work and want to see the company progress.

10. Collaboration

 Collaboration is defined as a successful partnership in which both parties understand their goals and needs and help one another achieve their goals. Teamwork is heavily emphasized in regard to employee motivation. By placing employees into teams, however small, strengths can be revealed and thus efficiency can be achieved.

Blog 12: Third Interview Questions

• Of all management strategies/techniques, what would you say is the most important in improving employee motivation?
• At a facility such as Unical, what would you say is most important in motivating employees?
• What is the responsibility associated with writing up reviews?
• How does having a “big picture” improve employee motivation?
• What kind of environment does Unical provide for its employees?
• Let’s say there is a problematic employee who simply doesn’t feel motivated for anything. How do you go about motivating them to work efficiently?
• What types of incentives does Unical offer its employees? What makes these efficient?
• How can you, as a manager, motivate the employees in your department?
• In your opinion, what are qualities of effective managers motivating employees?
• Would you say that managers are implicitly accountable for employees and their efficiency?
• How does composing evaluations benefit an employee? Improve them?
• What types of things does an operations manager look for in evaluations? 
• What is the difference between a KPI (key performance indicator) and an evaluation?
• As a manager, what do you do to motivate your employees in the workplace?
• How can you best ensure that an employee is working efficiently? Can this be gauged through evaluations alone?
• What are powerful motivators that you have used or have seen used to motivate employees?

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours

1. Where are you doing your mentorship?

I am continuing my mentorship at Unical Aviation.

2. Who is your contact?

My contact is Brice Cocjin, Warehouse Operations Manager at Unical.

3. How many total hours have you done?

Total hours that I have done, excluding the other 11 from over the summer, are 14 hours and 15 minutes. I plan to go in on Saturdays every other week per month. 

4. Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

Of the 14 hours I’ve done, I was able to grasp the importance of leadership and how a good leader is able to motivate employees. I’ve read a fair number of articles, some provided by my mentor, on developments in employee motivation and leadership. Also, I’ve looked into UltiPro, the software Unical uses to evaluate employees, write reviews, and verify time cards.

5. Email house teacher.

It can be done.

Blog 10: Senior Project - The Holiday

1. Prior to the break, I had to change my essential question. My new EQ asks how an operations manager can best motivate their employees to achieve success in evaluations. The majority of my research is grounded in what qualities make for a good leader and I’ve had to transition to research aimed towards improving the work environment, thus motivating employees to work efficiently. What I have physically done over break is find new research on how a manager can effectively make successful employees.

2. The most important thing I’ve done, per say, is to reevaluate and find new research. Since I had to revise my essential so that it was less career oriented, I was glad to find that some of my older research does support my new essential question. What I found is that a business is only as good as the relationship with the employee. “...Executives who treat businesses as a series of relationships (not just alliances) tend to focus on managing the complexity of … different organizations and people all trying to accomplish different things.” This excerpt in particular corresponds to my EQ as it states that effective business is a result of taking ‘different organizations and people’ and directing them towards a common goal. All employees are different, therefore motivation is different from person to person. From what I understood of this article, Five Management Concepts That Really Work, was that a common goal serves as a point where the employee wants and needs to be; if success wants to be achieved in the workplace, the individual must be motivated to do so.

3. My father, Brice Cocjin, would be a candidate I would interview; I have already interviewed him on the success of an operations manager. As an operations manager, you are also in charge of hiring, firing, and employee evaluations. My mentor is one of the few managers who reviews employees and writes up evaluations. These evaluations cover how the employee works with others, their conduct, work ethic, and other areas. As such, I would definitely ask my mentor what to look for in these evaluations and what should the manager do in order to motivate them. 

All of the employees are interconnected somehow — 

which supports the concept of sharing a common goal.