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.