For Session 5, each student will complete a substantive self-reflective paper, assessing their own understanding and level of ability as a manager.
The management style assessment paper should have a minimum word count of 1050 words (i.e., no less than 3 full pages) and a maximum word count of 2100 words (i.e., no more than 6 full pages), written in double-spaced word-processed pages (10-12 point font size, and maximum 1 inch margins).
Failure to meet the formatting and minimum word count requirements may result in a deduction of 1 point for each requirement (i.e., word count, font size, margins) that is not met. The reflective essay will be marked according to the rubric in Appendix B in the syllabus.
The management style assessment paper should address the students level of knowledge of and skill in management, and self-awareness of how his/her own personal history, ethics, and values influence of his/her performance and style as a manager. In addition, students are to provide a description of themselves as a manager, especially focusing on self-insights into strengths and weaknesses as a manager, self-improvement goals, management situations where they believe that they would do particularly well, or would have particular difficulty.
In order to facilitate the self-assessment paper, some resources are included here. With any of the resources or activities provided below, class discussions of the resources/activities may occur after students determine their findings.
One resources/activity is the on-line assessment entitled "effective communication skills ." This assessment will allow students to do a personal self-assessment to determine if they have good interpersonal communication skills. These skills would include being an effective listener as well as an effective communicator.
A second resource/activity can be the assessment entitled "The X-Y" Questionnaire,". This assessment will help students determine if they are considered having an "X" Theory management style or a "Y" Theory management style. These 2 management styles are commonly encountered in managerial studies.
A third resource/activity is the "The Blake and Mouton Managerial Grid Leadership Self-Assessment Questionnaire ." This assessment will further help students determine their personal management & leadership style.
In order to facilitate the self-assessment paper, additional questions that students might ask themselves include:
• What experiences do I have as a manager? To what degree were these experiences successful?
• How comfortable do I feel with myself as a manager?
• How do I feel about management or being a manager? In what ways does it fit (or not fit) with my faith, and with my understanding of human services, or of myself as a human services worker?
• In what ways will my own attitudes and biases interfere with my performance as a manager? In what ways will my own attitudes and biases strengthen performance as a manager?
• What steps or elements of management do I feel most skilled at?
• What steps or elements of management do I feel least skilled at? In other words, for what elements of management do I want or need to improve my skills?
• What insights have I obtained from the management issues in the helping professions?