GLOB/STR (U5_RPL)

I learned and enhanced some competencies while researching and writing the course comprehensive project.  This project is the largest paper I have been tasked with writing and I am glad it was put into 5 parts which made it less daunting and achievable as long as I had the proper discipline and time management skills.

              Some competencies I learned were how to analyze data and real-world issues, apply critical thinking skills, communicate clearly and effectively, and identify and focus on key issues.  These competencies were learned while reading, writing and responding to the discussion boards each week in addition to completing the research and writing of the assignments

              I leveraged the knowledge learned from the previous four lessons by using time management skills to complete research that supported the assignments.  The ability to use the library, the internet, links from Dr. Yeakey, and the live chats to know where and how to conduct proper research was valuable.  The feedback from my classmates and Dr. Yeakey in the discussion boards help me see the opportunities I had and allowed me to improve my assignment before it was turned in.

              These competencies and knowledge will support my career advancement in management by being more knowledgeable about policies and changes that are implemented by the organization.  They will allow me to be a change agent for the organization by explaining to my direct reports why a policy was changed in human resource and how it affects them.  They will also allow me to provide feedback to the executive team and the human resource team when we are asked about how a new policy will affect our employees.  I will be more informed when in focus groups that are dealing with human resource issues and other business issues that may affect myself, my department and my direct reports.  This has also given me a new perspective of how the executive leadership compensation is determined.  I will also be a better leader by ensuring I am following the policies of the organization as well as state, local and federal laws which will help ensure an employee is not mistreated or discriminated against.

TWO:

The most important thing I learned was that there always seems to be more than one way to arrive at an answer.  It was not the way I was taught, and certainly not the way that was tolerated in my world.   I learned that depending on other people for help and answers was the norm, not the oddball.  Gaining knowledge by consensus seemed to work better than the go-it-alone and suffer the consequences.   Each section seemed to bring answers to questions you had before, but always raised more questions until the next unit.  It seemed to be that way in the DB's.  Everyone had a different way of coming to the same conclusion on a comment/question.  It was the interpretation of what was written that sometimes led to a different conclusion, until someone came along and pointed out what was really said.

As for the management portion, I have had the pleasure of both worlds.  The one, you didn't ask questions, just accepted what was and went on about your business.  The other, you always seemed to find out that what you thought was correct wasn't, until someone came along and showed you where you didn't pick-up on something that was ordinary to them.  In other words, you found out that there was always something newer and better than you thought. 

THREE:

While researching and writing the unit papers and working towards the final assignment I have developed a few competencies. I struggled towards the beginning because of being thrown into another training I wasn’t expecting and it made me fall behind. Once I finished that training, I found that I was able to set myself a strict schedule set aside for nothing but researching and writing, so time management was much better. I also found that my ability to research for information was also improved upon. I originally felt overwhelmed by the amount of papers that were due but over time and with decent research skills and time management I was able to get them completed and catch up.               The knowledge gained in the unit assignments has helped me better understand the requirements for the final paper. I am able to look at the assignment requirements and breakdown each section easier because I have a better understanding of what is needed to be addressed. My understanding of human resources has grown tremendously throughout each unit. I did not fully appreciate the whole scope of duties and responsibilities that an HR department actually encompasses. The feedback and instruction from Dr. Yeakey and my fellow classmates has also been a great learning tool in helping me understand the HR environment.

FOUR:

I started this class for the first time management was not my strong suite.  This time around the number one competency that I learned was time management.  I have learned to work ahead, to prioritize my work.  And st aside time in order to complete work by way of importance.  I learned that anything that can go wrong will.  I also developed my writing skills, I got a better grasp on my APA formatting and what was expected of me to master this program.

I learned how to write an Executive Summary.  I understood the difference between a Competitor Group and a company's Comparators Group.  I also learned that the Human Resource Department played a much bigger role than just hiring and firing of employees.

The competencies and knowledge will support my career advancement by strengthening my critical thinking skills and my problem solving skills.  I will understand how to deal with diversities in the workplace and understand how to create an organization where employee relations is rock solid.

FIVE: