Week 10: Cooperate

Writing assignment 1: Reflect: Am I a Team Player?



In class, or as homework, free-write for at least 15 minutes on the following questions or prompts:



Am I considered a team player? Why or why not?
How do I handle conflict?
What can I do to become a better team player?





Assess: Teamwork Skills Improvement Plan Step 1



Introduction:



In today’s world, it is very likely that, no matter what your job, you will work in several teams in your career. You’ve had some group work in this class already and have probably been in several other groups in your lifetime. What kind of team player are you? Do you support others? Are you competitive? Do you like to work in groups? Being a good team member is critical to your future academic and career success. The purpose of this assignment is to develop a plan of action for being a better team member.



Tasks



Take the following assessments in the Prentice Hall Self-Assessment.
To re-visit SAL: Go to http://www.prenhall.com/sal. Click on Log in to Self-Assessment Library. Follow the prompts under the Returning Users section by entering your personal login name and password to return to your SAL assessments.
After entering the SAL, go to Assessments drop-down menu:



o Choose Working With Others > Communication Skills
What's My Face-to-Face Communication Style?
o Choose Working With Others > Power and Conflict Skills
What’s My Negotiating Style?
What's My Preferred Conflict-Handling Style?
o Choose Life in Organizations > Organization Structure
How Good Am I at Giving Performance Feedback?
Take the four assessments, and then Print your reports.





Analysis 1: Plan: Teamwork Skills Improvement Plan Step 2

A. Create a chart like the one below, using Word. List the results of the assessments in the left hand column.



B. In each of these areas, take a few minutes to reflect on what skills an effective team play might have. How might they respond to negotiation? Conflict? People with different learning styles? You saw some ideas for successful team players in the results of the assessments you took. Do you have other ideas based on what you have read or learned in this unit? You can specify those here.

Apply: Teamwork Skills Improvement Plan Step 3

Evaluate the areas in which you can improve. Present at least two specific strategies for dealing with others in each of the assessment categories in the chart.

Use Arial 12 point font, non-bold, double-spaced with spaces between questions or paragraphs.
Attach your reflection from the Writing Assignment and your assessment reports for the Exercise. In addition, attach the chart for the Analysis and your deliverable for the Project.
Before you submit the assignments, check it first!

Delivery of this Unit’s Assignments:

o Did you assess your team skills and put the assessment in the chart?
o Did you create your plan for improvement?

Labs

Lab 1: Course Project: Time to Work on Course Project: Continuous Improvement Chart

Using your Word chart-creating skills, continue finishing your Continuous Improvement Chart. This Lab affords you time to ask your Instructor questions about your Project and to receive any assistance you require.
See your Project Overview for specific instructions.

Week 9: Think

Writing assignment 1: Reflect: Do Others Think of Me as a Problem-Solver?

In class, or as homework, free-write for at least 15 minutes on the following questions or prompts:

It’s often said, "Don’t worry about what others think of you." While this is good advice at times, knowing how others perceive you might be a useful window into who you are.
Think about whether the people who know you would say you are a good problem-solver. If they would say you are a good problem-solver, why do you think this is? What is your history with problem-solving? Have you always been known this way? What traits lead people to believe this about you?
If the answer is, no, you’re not perceived as a problem-solver, why? What do you think you need to change about yourself to become a better problem-solver?

Writing assignment 2: Powerful Problem-Solving

Introduction:

The purpose of this writing assignment is to determine how to approach several different situations using critical thinking and problem-solving.

Task:

Choose one of the following scenarios to evaluate:

a. Jamie, a full-time student who also works 25 hours a week, is beginning to fall behind in her studies. What can she do?

b. Jordan is having trouble understanding the content in one of his technical courses. He’s reading the textbook, doing the assignments and homework, but it is still confusing. What can he do?

c. Renee is experiencing a problem with her boss at work. The evaluations she has been receiving do not seem fair. What should this employee do?

d. Maria is carrying a full course load, working part-time, and trying to raise three children on her own. She can’t seem to get to get to her coursework in time to finish it every week. How should she approach this problem?

e. John is not doing well in his online course. This is the first online course he has taken, and although the material is not very difficult, he cannot seem to motivate himself to get through it. He recognizes education is the key to his future, and this type of program can fit into his already hectic life. What can he do to approach this problem?

Using the problem-solving method presented in the text, apply the following steps in a logical manner to the scenario that you have chosen:

1. State the problem clearly.
2. Analyze the problem.
3. Brainstorm possible solutions with your classmates if they are available out of class, or with family members and friends. You can also free-write on possible solutions by yourself.
4. Determine the criteria for your solution.
5. Explore each solution.
6. Decide on the solution you think is best.
7. Explain how you would evaluate the solution after it is implemented.

Delivery of this Unit’s Assignments:

Use Garmond 12 point font, non-bold, single spaced with spaces between questions or paragraphs.

Attach your reflection from the first Writing Assignment. In addition, attach your solution to the critical thinking and problem-solving Writing Assignment.
Before you submit the assignments, check it first!

o Did you answer all the questions in the free-writing assignment?
o Did you address each element of the problem-solving method and apply it to the scenario you chose?

Lab

Microsoft PowerPoint Project 3 and 4
Microsoft PowerPoint Exam 2