Reflection Paper

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

Prior to understanding what self-awareness was, I had never considered self-awareness as

a compilation of separate areas. I had always assumed self-awareness was the ability to selfanalyze and draw conclusions such as strengths and weaknesses. Since completing the chapter, I
have come to learn that self-awareness is much more that what I had anticipated. The authors
eloquently state that enhancements of these areas have been an important tool for corporate
America and how, by applying these skills, companies have seen that it has helped enabled better
coping with interpersonal conflicts, botched communications, breakdowns in trust, and
misunderstandings.
The other area in which I have gained new knowledge would be in understanding and
appreciating individual differences. While I had always thought of myself as someone who
understood individual differences, I dont believe I was one who really appreciated individual
differences. The authors in the book state that, There is considerable evidence that an
individual's effectiveness as a manager is closely related to his or her ability to recognize,
appreciate, and ultimately utilize key, fundamental differences among others (Rath, 2007). When
I look back at some of the managers I have had in the past and why some of them were highly
regarded and others not as much, I can see a pattern. I have come to believe that a good
manager is able to embrace all of the concepts that the authors had discussed such as ability to
recognize, appreciate, and ultimately utilize key, fundamental differences among others. I have
learned that by being able to posses all of those skills I, too, will be able to become a good
manager and will be able to confidently manage a wealth of diverse individuals. The authors
also discussed the point of how managers should focus on differences and not distinctions. I had
never thought of the two as separate concepts but have come to learn that differences help us
understand potential sources of misunderstanding and can give us ideas on how we can work

together, while distinctions will create social barriers between people.

Finally, when discussing the topic of core self-evaluation, I have learned what is known
as the Big Five personality attributes which consists of (Rath, 2007):
openness
conscientiousness
extraversion
agreeableness
neuroticism
All of these ideas I have been able to apply to my professional experience by having an
understanding of how all these ideas and concepts can help enhance my managerial skill set and
by engaging in leadership with some of the ideas and concepts that have been presented in the
chapter.
I believe the best action plan that I can utilize to develop my skills would be best based
on the suggested assignment for activities for developing self-awareness. Question number two
poses the assignment to ask someone you know well to complete an assessment wherein that
person rates you on each item. Scores are then compared between each person conducting the
exercise. Discuss differences, strengths, and areas of confusion. The goal is to help you increase
your self-awareness by getting a picture of yourself from the standpoint of someone else. The
reason why I have selected this as my action plan is for the reason that many of us perceive
ourselves in a certain way or manner. It is not until we conduct a true self analysis or obtains
feedback from other individuals do we truly understand how we are perceived and are able to
identify strengths and weaknesses from which we can improve and enhance our managerial
ability. This can easily be done in the workplace if more organizations conduct a 360 review.
The purpose of a 360 review is to obtain feedback that comes from members of an employee's
immediate work group. Once they receive the feedback, the individual then uses the information

to plan and map paths in their development.

Bibliography
Rath, T. (2007). Strengthsfinder 2.0.