Assignment:
Individual OB Reflection Paper:
Teamwork is an important skill in today's workplace whether it's virtual teams or face-to-face. In this class you are sharpening your teamwork skill; much of your coursework is completed collaboratively and virtually with and/or through others. This individual assignment asks you to present your understanding of the importance of organizational behavior concepts regarding individuals, groups and structural processes in the modern workplace (you can provide definitions, literature, and other relevant concepts that are important for effective performance management). Create a relevant title for your individual organizational behavior reflection paper as you see fit and have appropriate subheadings for it (depending on your title or focus for this personal reflection assignment, you could have something like the following heading and subheadings, assuming your overall title is "motivating group members":
Motivating Group Members, Group Development Stages, Overcoming Challenges in Groups, Learning from Personal Observation, Summary, References). Also, you will need to reflect on your team experience and connect it to concepts and theories presented in the course and in any available management skills, leadership influence, and personality style assessments. You are asked to describe how your group/team evolved over the term of the course including:
What were the dynamics that occurred between the members and within the group? How do they compare to the textbook description of group dynamics?
What structure emerged for the group? How did your group's process compare to the process described in the textbook?
Was there any conflict that may have arisen in your group? How was it resolved? How does this compare to the process of conflict described in the textbook?
Did your group have a formal or informal leader? If so, how were they chosen?
What communication issues did you encounter in your group? How were the problems resolved?
How did your management / leadership style assessment results (or others such as Myers-Briggs or Korn Ferry, etc.) play into the group project and your insights into the process? What management and leadership styles / strategies did you practice with your group (in the class or in the workplace) and would you use the same styles / strategies in the future? Why or why not?
You are then asked to connect your experience with the group and team dynamics concepts presented in the course to illustrate their relevance. You can compare and contrast your intra-group conflict experience with techniques presented in the course. The reflection paper should be 8 to 10 pages in length (more pages are okay) and should include at least 10 references, including 7 relevant academic journal articles.
The format of your individual OB reflection paper could be as follows:
Cover page (see template at Section XI at the end of the syllabus) Heading / Title...followed by an introductory paragraph (like an abstract), then subheadings.
Evolution of the group/team over the term Group/team dynamics / structure
Intergroup/intra-group conflict Leadership and management skills assessment and strategies Summary and your "take-aways" from the project experience.
References