Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Carlos Arroyo
PAPA 5315
Professor Offenbacker
April 18, 2013
Reflection Paper
Chapter one of Whetten and Cameron, which focuses on Developing Self-Awareness,
provided me with insight that I had not had prior to reading the chapter. In chapter one, there
were two skill assessments that peaked my interest which were Cognitive Style Indicator and
Tolerance of Ambiguity. Prior to taking the Cognitive Style Indicator assessment, I had
always considered myself a very creative individual who was able to think outside the box and
produce innovative ideas while provoking intriguing dialogues with my coworkers and
supervisors. In completing the assessment, I was given a rating of 3 which is far below the mean
for young managers and younger managers and MBAs where the mean is 4.01 and a 4.16. In the
Tolerance of Ambiguity assessment, I was very taken aback by the fact that my score would
have been higher than I had anticipated. The conclusion that was drawn from the assessment, as
stated from the book on page 102, declares that, High scores indicate an intolerance of
ambiguity. Having a high intolerance means that you tend to perceive situations as threatening
rather than promising. Lack of information or uncertainty would tend to make you
uncomfortable. Subsequently, I have come to acknowledge that lack of information does make
me uncomfortable not only professional but personally was well. These two assessments have
had a profound impact on how I view myself. It is interesting how you can perceive yourself as a
certain way and, yet, not realize until you take such assessments as these, how very different you
may be from what you, yourself, perceive. I believe that through this kind of self analysis, one
can truly grow and begin to have full understanding of themselves.
My understanding of the topic of tolerance of ambiguity has improved my emotional
intelligence capability. Since becoming aware of my high intolerance for ambiguity, I believe
that I am now able to identify my weakness, assess the issue and, finally, control my emotions.
As I stated previously, lack of information and uncertainty has caused stress for me but now I
know I am equipped to handle such issues. In reference to the Cognitive Style Indicator
assessment, I scored well in the areas that I had presumed such as Knowing and Planning Style
but did not perform well in the Creating Style. If I look at the two assessments together, I can
conclude that since I scored so high in the Knowing and Planning Style, I should not have been
shocked that I have a high level of intolerance of ambiguity. It seems as though those two
characteristics, namely being a very detailed oriented person and having a high intolerance for
ambiguity, would appear to be very indicative as to why my scores reflected those characteristics
that I display. I believe that the authors summed up the information provided in the conclusion
very well. The authors concluded that, Not only does self-awareness training assist individuals
in their ability to understand, and thereby manage, themselves, but it is also important in helping
individuals develop understanding of the differences in others. I believe this quote summarizes
how engaging in these assessments and reading these chapters have helped me improve my
emotional intelligence capability.
The three or four most important ideas from the Skill Learning section from chapter one
would be understanding and appreciating individual differences, importance of self-awareness,
and the key dimensions of self-awareness. In the area of the importance of self-awareness, there
were many new ideas that I was exposed to. The first idea would have been that there are five
critical areas that contribute to self-awareness that have been found to be the among the most
important areas of effective managerial performance (Rath, 2007). These areas are:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Emotional Intelligence
Personal Value
Cognitive Style
Orientation Toward Change
Core Self-Evaluation
Bibliography
Rath, T. (2007). Strengthsfinder 2.0.