Reference no: EM132372264 , Length: word count : 600
Assignment: Professional Reflection - Knowing What Style is More Appropriate
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. -Lao Tzu
In this week's Discussion, you and your colleagues described situations in which you observed various types of management styles and the impact of these styles on the situations. Through the Learning Resources this week, you also have built your knowledge of various types of styles.
These resources will help you become better suited to recognize the styles and be more aware of the differences between them. You also explored, through the Discussions, how important context is.
In this Professional Reflection, you will build on what you have learned and experienced to create a set of guiding principles to use as a manager.
These guiding principles will enable you to employ the appropriate management style for each situation at hand. They will also help you work within an environment where there may be real differences in preferences among those with whom you work and those who work for you.
To prepare for your Professional Reflection:
• Review and reflect on these Learning Resources:
• Christensen, S. T. (2012). What's your style? Managing People at Work, (362), 7.
• MTD Training [MTD Training]. (2014, March 6). Different styles of management & management styles theory [Video file].
• Turk, W. (2009). Develop your own management style. Defense AT&L, 38(2), 48-51.
• Document: Professional Reflection Assignment Instructions (PDF)
• Take the Free Personality Test
• 16Personalities.com. (n.d.). Free personality test.
The personality test is not intended as a psychological profile and should not be interpreted as such. It will help you start to appreciate the differences in people's styles.
Those insights can be helpful for you as a manager, colleague, or employee, to better understand how to interact with others. After you take the test, review the tab with the various personality types and find yours. Then review the other types and try to think of individuals you know and have worked with that seem to demonstrate those types.
Note: The Free Personality Test is an abbreviated version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which is a validated instrument used to identify personal preferences.
To complete the Professional Reflection Assignment, compose a cohesive document that addresses the following:
• Summarize the three most important items that you learned from your Discussion about management styles, including
• Why you think these three items stood out for you.
• How you will apply these three items to your work as a Manager.
• Evaluate what you think are the most important considerations in determining what management style will be most effective and when to apply it, including:
• Your assessment of how important the context of a situation is when it comes to employing a particular management style.
• Your assessment of how your own strengths and weaknesses (that you learned about last week) impact your ability to employ the various types of management styles. Be specific and provide examples.
• In taking the abbreviated Personality Test and reading about the various personalities and personality indicators-especially your own preferences- reflect on and analyze what you learned about yourself, including:
• Your assessment of how you think your results align with what you already know about yourself. What surprised you? Select at least four personality types that differ from your own and compare your style to each.
• Formulate a specific strategy for working with and managing each of the types of personalities that you selected.
• Summarize what you have learned about how understanding personality style preferences can help you interact with others.
• How you will use what you learned about your own preferences and others' preferences to be a more effective manager.