OGL 481: Pro-Seminar I

Core Assignment 1
Table 1: Organizing and Reflecting on Key Learnings – and Collecting Key Artifacts
OGL 220: Behavioral Key Content – This is the first course which enabled Performance Review I created for my
Dynamics in Textbook/Supporting me to completely reshape my employees, which shows application of
Organizations Articles/Self-Assessment thinking. I now look deeper into performance management and
tools/Judgement in Crisis every interaction at work and at communication applied to a work
Simulation home. I am able to look at the environment.
behavior of others differently now
Key Learning – Organizational that I have background information Self-assessments and their results –
behavior and how it impacts on what is likely causing that these tests show my own capacity for
company cultures and teams, behavior. I also find it easier to relate empathy, my values, career anchors
how individuals respond to to difficult people or employees and etc. after taking this course.
various influence tactics, mental manage conflict. This course also
models, career anchors, enabled me to self reflect on my own
emotional intelligence, learning emotional intelligence and leadership
styles, motivation/goal
orientation, communication
styles, conflict management,
performance management
OGL 240: Introduction Key content – Textbook As a result of the key content and key Work Breakdown Structure – we
to Project learning in this class, I use tools for were asked to develop a project or
Management – my The key learnings in this class project management that I wouldn’t event that we would use project
class had a different were primarily related to project have otherwise known about. The management foundations to plan and
code - 320 management tools and best team coordination aspect of this “execute”. The WBS showed all major
practices that could be used to course also made me realize that it’s tasks, level 1 and 2 subtasks, and the
keep a team organized and on important to be firm and clearly duration for each task, which also
track to meet all project targets. establish responsibilities well in helped to determine the Critical Path.
We also had to work on a group advance of beginning a project or Critical Path – a project management
project which was the most professional endeavor, and ensuring tool that utilizes a Schedule Network
challenging aspect, and was a all parties are accountable. which shows all tasks and subtasks and
similar to how virtual teams the length of work required to
must interact, though not complete them. The Critical Path
completely accurate as virtual shows the tasks that must be done
 teams typically have more prior to others (predecessors) and
accountability than students in a shows the minimum amount of time a
class. project will take.
Responsibility Assignment Matrix –
a chart showing which team members
or stakeholders are Responsible,
Accountable, Consulting, or need to be
Informed of project aspects.
OGL 260: Resource Key Content – Articles, video Though I was already familiar with Budget – I developed a multiyear
Allocation in lectures, informational financial analysis from my job, this budget for resource management in
Organizations / supplements, activities course helped to broaden my developing communities, which show
Foundations of perspective on resource allocation. It principles of resource allocation.
Finance Key Learning – This course expanded my knowledge base to Assessment Breakdown Tools – In
imbued practical knowledge such include organizational capitals other my industry, community managers are
as how to read financial than financial capital, and allowed me responsible for determining the budget
statements such as a balance to form a more complete picture of which then determines how much each
sheet, cash flow analysis, the idea organizations and their resources. member must pay per year. I created
of “capitals” and how charts to show the financial
organizations have resources responsibility and accountability of the
which are tangible capital, as well Association over time.
as intangible capital such as Final Report – NetApp – We were
social and intellectual capital. asked to analyze an annual report
using integrated reporting (which
accounts for all capitals, not just
financial) and put together a document
which provides information on the
organization’s value creation process
and resources, making
recommendations to improve the
organization.
OGL 300: Theory and Key Content – Northouse In examining these leadership Module 7 Paper – The final paper in
Practice of Leadership Textbook, PowerPoint, approaches, I formed connections this course showcases my development
OR PAF 410: Building supplemental videos between myself as a leader and the as a leader as a result of the
Leadership Skills impact I have on my “followers.” I am coursework, because it showcases my
Key Learnings – This course more conscientious of how my new definition of leadership, provides
defines the ambiguous concept of leadership approach and behavior an overview of the leadership theories
leadership and discusses the can affect those around me either as discussed in the course, and
merits and structure of the major positively or negatively. I have also
 leadership theories and learned useful skills from some of the highlights the theories I think are most
approaches. theories, which allow me to be more applicable to positive leadership.
effective and tailor my approach to
the situation or group in the
leadership interactions.
OGL 321: Project Key Content – Harvard project This course was challenging in that Screenshot of Completed Project
Leadership, Strategy management simulation, articles after the first few simulations, it Simulations – We were given a new
and Scope became increasingly difficult to meet project scenario each week to complete
Key Learnings – Focuses on the simulated project targets. After which demonstrated a specific
project leadership and project taking this course, I have a better principle of project management, such
management strategy, including understanding of the importance of as meeting objectives.
balancing scope, schedule, and meeting the most essential project
budget, managing risk, scope objectives, and the trade-offs that are
compliance, and managing often necessary to do so. I also have
complex projects. increased knowledge on team
management, and top-down vs.
bottom-up tension which occurs in
organizations when management is
not in touch with the realities of a
project.
BIS 345: Key Content – Planet Jockey I gained a good deal of background Course Reflection Paper: This paper
Organizational Ethics “Moral Minefield” simulation information on different ethical is a reflection on the variety of ethical
game, Perusall (online textbook perspectives from philosophers and perspectives presented, and highlights
with discussion built in), videos. anthropologists, which provided a the specific attributes of business
foundation for the application of ethics as they differ from a traditional
Key Learnings – The importance business ethics. We also explored consideration of ethical behavior.
of ethics, how ethics are used in a why ethics are important with regard
business context, and to the intent of the individual trying Letter to Company Owner: I wrote a
background on different ethical to be ethical, and the subjective letter to the owner of a company I
perspectives and how those nature of ethics itself. Overall, this work for to alert them to the unethical
perspectives can be applied to a course enabled me to think about nature of things occurring within the
business or organization. ethics from a new, more objective company. Though I wrote it
perspective and armed me with the anonymously, I wanted to ensure they
knowledge to make ethical decisions. were aware of these actions and
connections and do my part to
contribute to creating and maintaining
an ethical environment at work.
BIS 343: Social Key Content – Articles, This course also involved a team Psychological Contract – In this
Processes in PowerPoint presentation project, like 320, but this team project course, we were each required to write
Organizations went far better. I think the team- a psychological contract to hold
Key Learning – How to set up and centric approach of understanding ourselves accountable and ensure we
manage an effective team, the motivations and background gave our all to the project. This
managing cross cultural teams, behind team behavior and relations document was good to refer back to
mitigating team conflict, team allowed all team members, including and formalized the responsibilities and
performance management myself, to be more understanding. obligations that come with being a
strategies We also had differing opinions on the member of a team.
topic we chose to do our project on
and were able to discuss them and Job Descriptions – When I started my
reach a consensus on a way forward. current job, none of the employees on
my team had concrete job descriptions.
One of the first projects I started upon
being hired was sitting down with
these team members and developing a
formal description of their duties. This
aided in accountability for all and
eliminates conflict over duties.
BIS/OGL 350: Key Content – PowerPoint Though I had decent cultural Module 7 Paper – This was the final
Diversity and Presentations, Articles intelligence at the start of this course, paper for this class. I wrote about my
Organizations my cultural intelligence score current job as manager of a community
Key Learning – Cultural increased over 20 points. This course association, and described how I would
definitions, models and brought concepts relating to culture lead a more diverse organization in the
influences, general cultural to the forefront. Many of these, I had future, and approach leadership with a
awareness, and the not previously considered or closely more universal perspective.
organizational implications of examined. In doing so, I better Cultural Intelligence Scores – We
culture in the workplace and how understand how cultural background took a pretest prior to the course and
it affects interactions, and practices influence perception, post-test after the course to assess a
management styles, and behavior, and business acumen. change in our cultural intelligence.
negotiations.

OGL 355: Leading Taking session B of this semester

Organizational
Innovation
BIS 357: Assessment Key Content: Articles such as This course was a great reflection on Milestone 3 Handout Project– In this
in Organizations Organizational Assessment – what makes certain major project, we were asked to pose as
Models for Enterprise corporations so successful and what members of an organization who were
Transformation, and case studies corporations could do better. Having charged with explaining to the other
on major companies this idea that there is always room for employees why organizational
improvement in mind helps when assessment is important, using one of
Key Learning – How reflection on my own organization. the assessment models we learned in
organizations can benefit from Knowledge of the organizations class. There were several options, and I
organizational assessment, either strength and weakness helps us to be chose to create a handout using the
by internal reflection/auditing, better leaders. “Good to Great” assessment model.
or through a third-party
assessment. We examined and
compared various types of
organizational assessment
methods, such as Good to Great,
the Baldridge Prize, and LESAT
Model, and the benefits and
drawbacks of each. Each
assessment method has merits
and shows different information
about an organizations’ health.
We examined case studies from
major companies such as
Southwest and IBM and looked at
which model would be best to
highlight ways they could
improve.
OGL 360: Assessment Taking session B of this semester
of Leadership
Effectiveness

OGL 481: Pro-Seminar Key Content – Reframing So far, I feel my understanding of how
I (what have you Organizations textbook, videos my own “framing” influences my
learned so far) perception of situations, including
Key Learning – Synthesize course work situations, has expanded. I also
content from previous OGL and understand how the frames we have
BIS courses relevant to the major, discussed so far relate to
learn to evaluate organizations
 using the frames and develop a organizations both on an individual
multi-frame perspective and company level.
OGL 482: Pro-Seminar I will be taking this course in
II (when will you be Session B of this semester.
taking it)
Table 2: Plus / Delta – Significant Learning Experiences – Structure and Transfer
Pick one of your most significant learning experiences from Table 1. Take some time to deeply reflect on the experience. Respond to the
following questions / sub-questions as explicitly as possible. Use your imagination and creativity here – this is really all about making
connections, and seeing what you can learn about your learning style (and yourself) from the experience!

Describe the task / assignment? What, specifically, did you

This task is the Module 7 (final) paper for OGL 300. This cumulative paper
learn? tied together all key learning from this course. I learned the definition of
Be sure to address both declarative forms of knowledge leadership, and became familiar with the dynamic nature of leadership in the
(things you learned – concepts, theories, ideas, models) as
modern world. We explored various leadership theories, from Trait-based
well as procedural forms of knowledge(things you learned leadership theory, which asserts that leaders are born with certain qualities
how to do – skills). that regular people are not, to Situational Leadership, which provides a
structure which shows how and in what ways to adjust your leadership to fit
your followers and the situation. If I wanted, I could practice any of these
theories in day-to-day life. However, each theory provided a different
perspective on leadership, and the course taught me how to pick and choose
which elements of each theory would work in my organizational context,
based on research , as well as elements of my own career.
Why is it important to you? I felt that this course was the most informative with regard to leadership itself.
What connections can you make between this learning and It provided context to qualities and approaches that make someone a “good”
other things you have learned (in school – and beyond)? leader. The information in this course allowed me to make connections
What connections can you make between what you between my actions in a leadership role, and the outcomes both on an
learned and your life roles and goals? individual, behavioral level, as well as an organizational level. These materials
allowed me to form a leadership approach which is tailored to my specific
“followers” as well as the complex work situation I currently have. Because I
lead and am accountable to various stakeholders, employees, and Board
Members, I am able to adjust my leadership approach to fit the learning and
engagement stage of each group or individual.
What worked for you? Despite the cumbersome nature of writing a paper during each module, the
In terms of process, was there something about the process of discussing the theories and making connections between my career,
assignment structure that appealed to you? How did this personal life, and the readings really helped the concepts click. The structure
task / structure of this assignment differ from other of the final paper differed from other assignments, because it was not specific
assignments? Was it similar to other assignments / tasks to a certain module, but rather asked that I reflect on my learning throughout
that were meaningful to me? What strategies, skills, the course and discuss which theories resonated with me. This assignment
procedures proved effective in the completion of this showcased how my definition of leadership changed over time, and allowed
assignment / task? Do you see any patterns or me to discuss my own opinions. Many course reflection or final papers tend to
connections in this regard to your preferred approach to involve proving to the instructor that you learned what they were instructing –
which always feels more like a request for confirmation that they were
learning – such as following an outline, keeping to completing their job duties, rather than a demonstration of actual knowledge
deadlines, other learning or study skills? gained. I really enjoy assignments which involve writing if I have an
opportunity to provide an opinion or expound on a particular subject of my
interest. This assignment stood out to me because I realized how much I had
actually learned in the course. Instead of proving to the instructor how their
course engaged me and increased my knowledge by telling them ad nauseum, I
was able to show this through analysis of the subject at hand.
What can you transfer? My knowledge of leadership theory can be applied to the way I practice
Where can you apply / use these skills and knowledge? leadership, both at work and in other aspects of life. This information has
How can you apply what worked for you (above) to other changed the way I approach situations at work, and has allowed me to tailor
learning goals or initiatives in your life? Can you connect my leadership t better suit the needs of my subordinates. When boiled down,
or adapt this knowledge / skill to other areas of your life? many of these principles are also applicable to one’s personal or academic life.
What kinds of metaphorical connections can you make? A universal theme in many of the most effective leadership theories is
Can you connect something that was interesting or flexibility, which is useful in navigating personal relationships or adjusting to
important with respect to this knowledge / skill to new courses each semester. Another ideal of leadership theory is the
something that you are struggling with? understanding and the ability to recognize certain emotions or traits in others.
This knowledge helps leaders to adjust their approach to their followers, but it
also helps a person to be a better friend, partner, or volunteer. One of the main
concepts that I value from leadership theory is that there is no single, correct
way to do things. I have the potential to be quite headstrong in professional
situations and insist on doing things exactly how I personally envision. Since
taking this course, I have been able to more actively recognize that there is
more than one way to approach a situation or solve a problem. Recognizing
this has helped me to be less controlling as a manager, more supportive as a
leader, and happier overall.
What evidence do you have? I think the Module 7 Paper is an excellent synthesis of the concepts discussed
Do you have a plan for communicating your learning to and their academic application. The paper is a comprehensive review of how
others? Are there any tangible outcomes (and specific the key learnings in the class helped me to shape my own interpretation of
artifacts, in particular) that serve as evidence of this leadership and taught me to adjust my approach. A tangible outcome that is
knowledge / skill? evidentiary of my application of this ability are the employee reviews I
conduct. On these documents that I created, there is a performance review,
but also a section for the employee to make suggestions, share ideas, and
provide feedback. Several of these ideas shared by my team have been
implemented, showing the direct benefit of flexibility and a willingness to
explore new ideas and solutions.
Assignment #1: Questions for Reflection
Prompt #1: Now that you have completed Assignment #1, what were the most important aspects of this assignment? What moved
you the most? Any surprises?

Upon completing this assignment, I was surprised at how much of what I’ve learned in my time studying at ASU that has become ingrained in
my way of thinking and how I behave at work. After reflecting, I could unpack these behaviors and attitudes and note how many of them
were derived from knowledge or skills learned in these courses. The most important aspects of this assignment were revisiting the course
material to make those connections and reviewing how my work product demonstrates the application of key learnings or concepts. Looking
at previous courses reminded me of where I initially learned many of the skills and ideas that I unconsciously implement in day-to-day life.

Prompt #2: What are your ideas in terms of how to best illustrate your growth and development over the course of your education
and experiences with the Organizational Leadership program? What are your best ideas with respect to specific artifacts /
evidence that you might present (within the context of an e-portfolio) as your consider your growth and development in the
Organizational Leadership Program?

I think the best way to illustrate my growth and development is to provide artifacts which showcase synthesis of the learning material, or
provide direct comparisons of data, opinions, and skills prior to and after taking the course. For example, a comparison of my scores on a
cultural intelligence test at the beginning of OGL 350 vs. after taking the course. Another way to present the information would be by
including artifacts from various points in my career as they align with the various courses and concepts. This could be resource analysis
tools I developed after taking Resource Allocation in Organization, or a performance management plan framework developed after taking
OGL 220 – Behavior in Organizations. These artifacts would demonstrate direct connections between key learnings and their application as I
put the knowledge to use in the workplace.