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.