1.) Skills Inventory

I.  My technical skill is the highest among all three with a score of 23 and my human skill is not too far behind with a score of 21. My least scored skill was conceptual with a score of 18 and seems to be the weakest skill.

II. I feel the inventory accurately describes me because I strive to get my work done and work with tools to the best of my ability to achieve whatever goal I am working towards as reflected by technical skill. Human skill is also close to the top as I feel working together with a group allows further and quicker progression of tasks with a diversity of ideas. Since my conceptual skill is the lowest, it is beneficial for me to have the different minds working together with concepts and ideas.

III. I need to work on conceptual skills and opening up my mind to different views and ideas. It is not terribly low, but increasing it will allow me to be an all around skilled person.

IV. I plan to accomplish and broaden my conceptual skill perhaps by reading more such as different studies and articles. These writings could be the gateway to further knowledge and facts I never knew before. I could also speak to my colleagues and peers about certain topics and ask for their beliefs and opinions on different topics.

V. Models like these usually provide accuracy to a certain degree. When another person is filling it out for an individual, I feel the accuracy increases. However, as truthful as some try to be, I believe it is still a little shifted toward the positive side of an individual who is filling it out on his or her own.

2.) Leadership Style Instrument

I. From the results, I am more task oriented.

II. From previous experiences regarding my education, I have not been a huge fan of group work. I usually want to get my portion of the work done or either get the whole task done as a whole and go separate ways. I have had bad experiences where sometimes I would have to do all of the work while the lazy students still received an A. The connection I had with those types of students did not matter to me. However, I wish to change my view on groups in college and provide a deeper connection with my peers rather than just getting the work done only. ‘

III. A paternalistic/maternalistic leader would score higher on the people-oriented skills rather than the task-oriented. Paternalistic/maternalistic leaders wish to have deep connections with the group and understand where their feelings are coming from.

3.) Behavioral Approach

A. Country Club Management: A coach calls off practice because the athletes had other things to do and were exhausted for the day.

Benefits- The coach will have a strong bond with the team and have a deeper connection than usual.

Cons- The team could take advantage of the coach’s kindness which will later lead to inadequate performance.

B. Authority Compliance Management:  A boss works his or her employees to hard for an increase in production and income.

Benefits- The business will be successful with income which allows personal advantage.

Cons-  The workers will soon resent working for the boss and will eventually quit or stop producing high efficiency work.

C. Middle of the Road Management: A teacher makes her students feel safe and comfortable while also producing high grade averages and pass rates.

Benefits- The benefits can result in both in an increase of performance and relationship level.

Cons- There are no cons I can think of besides students being disobedient either way.

D. Team Management: A football captain leads his team to a state championship while also holding his teammates accountable.

Benefits- This is the highest performing method of management as it results in high level task and high level relationship scores.

E. Impoverished Management: A manager who simply does not care about the business or the employees.

Cons- The business will ultimately fail and produce no relationships or work.

4.) Case Study: Eating Lunch Standing Up

1. Susan’s leadership falls more into the authority compliance type of management. She is concerned more for the results and production rather than the feelings and concerns of her employees.
2. Susan’s behavior also causes a pronounced reaction from her employees because of the aggressiveness she exerts. Her leadership does not take the feelings of her employees into account but instead sees them as pure laborers.
3. Susan should change her management to fit more of a team management or at least a middle of the road management to create both a high task and high relationship level within her leadership behavior.
4. Susan would be a lot more effective if she changed her behavior as her results would be high and her employees are more likely to keep working for her.

5.) What Do I Think?

1. From previous experiences, I wish to observe more of a high task level coming from the groups. A lot of the times, the group is made of good friends and acquaintances which results in time spent talking and playing. The relationship level is there, but a small shift towards task level could potentially result in a middle of the road type of management thus producing more success.
2. Positive improvement would look like an increase in grades while also talking amongst the group to maintain a stable relationship level. Staying late to finish a project due to time wasted is something I wish would change and thus would be a start towards an improvement.
3. Personally, I could speak to the individuals in the group and state my concerns regarding the group work. I could tell them to work and talk or finish up the task they are assigned then talk.
4. Middle of the road management is also an effective way to go about certain situations. A compromise is essentially an agreement between all members of the group to strive for a specific goal or task.
5. Impoverished management is never appropriate for a business or organization. Results must always be produced and some levels of connections between higher management in the employees is also beneficial. No results or connections ultimately results in failure.