Reflection Paper
The purpose of this assignment is to help students in developing an understanding of the OB theories discussed by actively engaging in a process of self-assessment and an individual and team-based exercise. The goal of the paper is to demonstrate your comprehension and internalization of the course objectives and illustrate that you have a solid understanding of the core elements of Organizational Behaviour.
Your paper should reference at least three of the self assessment instruments you are asked to complete: the "Big Five" Model of Personality and any two others.
Requirements
Here is the link to the activity we did in class.
https://scoutingweb.com/scoutingweb/SubPages/SurvivalGame.htm
Complete the "Winter Survival Exercise". This activity is done individually and in groups. Based on your participation in this exercise, you are required to write a paper that details your experience based on the topics covered this course.
Note that you will want to discuss both individual processes (e.g., your own personality, perceptions, attitudes, etc.) and how that may or may not influence the results of your team, as well as the group processes that contributed to your end result (e.g., group dynamics, communication, motivation, etc.). The paper must not exceed 6 pages. In writing your paper, you may want to consider some of the following questions (note that this is a sample of questions you may want to consider and not an exhaustive list):
• How did the group make decisions?
• How did the individual members communicate with one another?
• What personality factors helped or hindered the performance of the group?
• How did your perceptions of your group members change over the course of the exercise, if at all?
• Did anyone take a leadership role? Was the role assigned or did the leader emerge?
• Were there any power struggles or conflicts among the group members?
The main purpose of the paper is for you to convey your understanding of the OB theories discussed in this course, demonstrate your self-awareness as it relates to the process of working with others, discuss how you interact in a group setting (with an understanding that your own behaviour can influence the behaviour of others), and how your group as a whole performed while completing the exercise. Your paper must be double-spaced, written in 12-pt Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins all around. You must not exceed the 6 pages allotted for this assignment as additional pages will not be read and will not be factored into your grade. Part of your evaluation will be based on your skill at communicating the information in a limited space. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, correct usage of APA format, and adherence to the required structure of the paper is important.The nature of the paper requires you to write in the first person, however, you are still expected to write formally and use active voice.
Avoid boiler-plate, generalizations (e.g. "Communication is very important in today's organizations." "Motivation is essential component of high performance." "We all need to be concerned about emotional intelligence.").
Report Structure:
A. Title Page
B. Body of the Paper (maximum 6 pages double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman, 1 inch or 2.54 cm margins, left justified)
C. References
D. Any attachments (attach self assessments only if you are using ones we have not yet done in class)
Your paper will be evaluated on:
1. the content of the paper (i.e., how thoroughly you cover each of the areas outlined above),
2. the strength with which you support your arguments,
3. the relevance of the information presented to OB),
4. the structure of the paper (i.e., is the information presented logically?),
5. the integration of theories with individual and group processes,
6. how well the information presented is communicated,
7. the quality of the writing (i.e., appropriate grammar, punctuation),
8. the extent to which you present a thorough and realistic understanding of the self assessment instruments and associated theories, and
9. demonstrated insight into the practical consequences of Organizational Behaviour.