MGT1000 Organisational Behaviour and Management Assignment 1 1 1 MGT1000 ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR AND MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT 1 Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due date Assignment 1 100 30% 11.59 pm 3rd May 2017 (AEST) RATIONALE This assignment is designed to set you up for the remainder of your studies by asking you to reflect on assumptions you may make about your capacity as a student. The assumptions you make can have a major impact on your performance as a student. Therefore you need to spend a little time becoming familiar with them and their implications. In addition, the mindset assumptions you are investigating in this assignment will also be relevant to your conduct as an employee and as a manager of other employees. Understanding your assumptions about the human capacity for growth potentially has a major impact on many areas of your life, as will become clear as you complete this assignment. CONTENT/FOCUS Many students entering University assume that the key factor that impacts on success at university is basic intelligence. In fact research indicates that the assumptions that one makes about the nature of intelligence (and one’s general capacity for growth) that have a greater impact on one’s study success than one’s actual intelligence. This is because of the impact these assumptions have on one’s motivation to succeed and on one’s approach to study. (In short the assumptions in themselves are only significant because the people who hold them then take action consistent with these assumptions. Some individuals’ assumptions lead them to engage with study, others’ assumptions may lead them away from study). Students who believe that intelligence can change over time are assumed to be more motivated and more likely to consciously manage their study with a view to building their intelligence. They may for example, invest the time to break their study into manageable steps. They may be prepared to find the experience of failure energising rather than defeating. They may show what is called ‘grit’ in pursuing their studies and be prepared to tolerate considerable discomfort in pursuing their academic dreams. WRITING TASK Describe the assumptions you hold about your ‘intelligence’ and how they may or may not have changed over time. 200 words Use theory related to a ‘growth mindset’ and ‘grit’ in combination with aspects of your personal experience to illustrate the impact of the above assumptions on your studies to date. 500 wordsMGT1000 Organisational Behaviour and Management Assignment 1 2 2 Use theory related to a ‘growth mindset’ and ‘grit’ in combination with aspects of your personal experience to speculate on the practical and theoretical implications of your current assumptions for your study over the coming semester. 500 words Use theory related to a ‘growth mindset’ and ‘grit’ in combination with aspects of your personal experience to speculate on the practical and theoretical implications of your current assumptions for your current or future employment. 500 words. HOW TO BEGIN ASSIGNMENT 1  To identify and explain what assumptions you now hold about your ‘intelligence’ and how they may or may not have changed over time refer to the o Carol Dweck video The power of believing that you can improve and the Carol Dweck journal article ‘The development of early self-conceptions; their relevance for motivational processes’ (listed below as resources for Assignment 1) - to see if you have a growth mindset. o Eduardo Briceño video When performing gets in the way of improving (listed below as a resource for Assignment 1) – to confirm you need to balance a growth mindset and a performance mindset  To discuss the practical and theoretical impact of these assumptions on your studies in the past refer to the o Carol Dweck video The power of believing that you can improve and journal article ‘The development of early self-conceptions; their relevance for motivational processes’ (listed below) and consider for example how you have responded to difficulties in the past and how you hope to respond to difficulties in the future, o Angela Duckworth video True Grit: Can Perseverance be Taught? (listed below)- to see if you show grit in your approach to study o Selected reading Mastering Self-Management. (listed below)– to identify a very small sample of ‘growth mindset’ self-management strategies that you may consider adopting in the future or may have used in the past. It lists specific strategies individuals can use to encourage themselves to do necessary but unattractive tasks. (Study can fall into this category!) Adopting a growth mindset will only impact your academic performance if you act on it and actively manage your study processes. o Eduardo Briceño video on When performing gets in the way of improving. Use this presentation to consider the how to strategically move between a growth mindset and a performance mindset in the day-to-day demands of your study and work life.  To speculate on the practical and theoretical impact of your assumptions on your future studies refer to the resources listed above.  To discuss the practical and theoretical implications of your current assumptions for your performance in the workplace refer to the same resource listed above.  Make sure you acknowledge any information you get from these sources using Harvard AGPS Referencing protocols. The following link will take you to the referencing guide on the library website: http://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing/harvard-agps-referencing-guide RESOURCES FOR ASSIGNMENT 1 Please note all of these materials are located in the Assessment section of the course with the other Assignment 1 materials.MGT1000 Organisational Behaviour and Management Assignment 1 3 3 The following talks have closed captions or subtitles (just click on the CC icon at the bottom of the slide to make these visible). By all means use direct quotes from these TED talks to support your discussion. The talks are available on the StudyDesk. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The power of believing that you can improve 2014, YouTube video, TED Talk Norrkoping, Sweden. Presented by Carol Dweck. (Carol Dweck is a preeminent scholar on ‘mindsets’). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X0mgOOSpLU ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ True Grit: Can Perseverance be Taught? 2009, YouTube video, TEDx Talk. Presented by Angela Lee Duckworth. (Angela Lee Duckworth is a preeminent scholar on ‘Grit’). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaeFnxSfSC4 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ When performing gets in the way of improving 2016, TEDx Talk, Manhattan Beach. Presented by Eduardo Briceño. (Eduardo Briceño is the CEO of Mindset Works, an organization he co-founded with Carol Dweck, Ph.D., Lisa Blackwell, Ph.D., and others to equip people with the core beliefs and learning strategies needed for success). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaiwGb0csas ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ You are also encouraged to draw on at least one other source authored by Carol Dweck. This material can be accessed by using Google Scholar or YouTube using search terms such as ‘growth mindset or ‘Carol Dweck’. The following article is a good option but you are not obliged to use it if you can find an alternative source you prefer. It is not her most recent work, but it provides a good overview of the theory and practical implications of a growth mindset. Also it is one of her few works that can be provided as a PDF document on the StudyDesk without breaching copyright. Dweck, C 1998 ‘The development of early self-conceptions; their relevance for motivational processes’, in J. Heckhausen & CS Dweck (eds.) Motivation and self-regulation across the life span. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ You may also find the following selected reading of interest. It is called ‘Mastering Self-Management’. It lists specific strategies individuals can use to encourage themselves to do necessary but unattractive tasks. Adopting a growth mindset will only impact your academic performance if you act on it and actively manage your study processes. This reading has some starting points that may be of interest. Neck, CP 2013 ‘Rough Roads, Detours and Roadblocks’ in CP Neck, & CC Manz, Mastering self-leadership: empowering yourself for personal excellence, 6th edn, Pearson, Boston, Massachusetts, pp. 14-38. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________MGT1000 Organisational Behaviour and Management Assignment 1 4 4 Refer to 02.01 Selected Reading Assignment 1 Tips which includes notes on how to approach Assignment 1 for more information about how to complete this assignment. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ASSIGNMENT 1 TEMPLATE AND PRESENTATION GUIDELINES Please note I have created a template for Assignment 1 and placed it on the StudyDesk with other assessment relevant materials. You will incur a penalty if you do not format your assignment as indicated by the template. Please use the template to ensure you do not lose marks unnecessarily. The template includes the marking criteria sheet, a cover sheet, space for the essay and a List of References as well as other essential information about the presentation expectations for your assignment. One of the reasons I made the template was so that we would not have to waste time discussing presentation issues. If you do have a question about the presentation of your assignment please refer to the template before you ask. The answer will probably be provided by the template. SUBMITTING YOUR ASSIGNMENT ELECTRONICALLY If you are an incarcerated student you or your representative (usually your Education Officer) may negotiate an alternative form of assignment submission with the Course Examiner if necessary. For all other students your assignment must be submitted as follows. Your assignment must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format. Please note that you are only allowed to submit ONE Word document file (docx) electronically. The file size of your document must not exceed 1 MB. No hard copy assignments will be accepted. Please do not submit PDF files as they will not be marked. Please do not submit additional files. Your Course Examiner (or marker of the course) will only mark one file per assignment. Please do not submit files of excessive size containing photos and other large graphic presentations. Finally, very occasionally there are problems with the Moodle system. You will not be penalised if the problem originates from USQ. If you are having a problem submitting your assignment do not panic. In the first instance contact the ICT HELP desk telephone +61 7 4631 1900 Fax +61 7 4631 2798 or email a message to [email protected] for technical assistance. If the problem is likely to impact on your progress in your studies, contact your Course Examiner to discuss your options. Also contact your Course Examiner if it is a problem likely to impact on other students. Hopefully, other students enrolled in the course can then be notified that the problem exists and that the Course Examiner is aware of the problem. This can reduce everyone’s anxiety levels.MGT1000 Organisational Behaviour and Management Assignment 1 5 5 ASSIGNMENT 1 MARKING SHEET Criteria Communicates clearly and concisely Marks HD (High Distinction) 43-50 marks The four sections of the assignment read seamlessly as a unified whole with a clear unified meaning. Only very few, very minor lapses, in logic, phrasing or structure are evident. Virtually all content contributes meaningfully to the paper. Eloquent, clear turn of phrase evident throughout. No significant wasted words or sections. /50 A (Distinction) 38-42 marks The four sections of the assignment have a clear overall meaning and continuity, if not completely seamlessly. For example recurring minor errors are evident in the form of for example awkward segues between sections, awkward turns of phrase, but these distract without dramatically compromising meaning . Virtually all content contributes meaningfully to the paper. Clear turn of phrase evident, if not always eloquent throughout. No significant wasted words or sections. B (Credit) 33-37 marks The four sections of the assignment are slightly fragmented, not completely integrated. But the assignment retains a unity. Recurring minor errors may be evident as well as the occasional significant error such as the presence of a small but contradictory passage, an incomplete argument or an ambiguous section. Most content contributes meaningfully to the paper. Clear enough turn of phrase evident throughout the whole paper, possibly with some eloquent passages. C (Pass) 25-32 The four sections of the assignment are slightly fragmented, not completely integrated. But the assignment retains a unity. Some loss of meaning through ambiguous phrasing or incomplete thoughts or arguments. Most content is relevant to the paper, but is not always sufficiently crafted to make a real contribution to the message of the paper. Clear enough turn of phrase evident. Not particularly eloquent. May include some passages that need reworking to improve their relevance. F (not yet a Pass) There is no clear meaning and or structure to the various sections of the paper. Some sections may have some clear descriptive passages, or some clear reflective passages but on balance these are not enough to give the paper a clear meaning. Intrusively large numbers of grammar or typing errors may be evident. Significant amounts of the paper need re-working to make their relevance obvious. Criteria Applies theory and reflective practice to garner insights about the self HD (High Distinction) 43-50 marks Crafts the presentation of the theory so that the most relevant sections are showcased, without compromising accuracy. Makes significant links to self in identifying past instances, and speculating on future impacts in some depth. Identifies links that are not obvious but important. Integrates theory into the discussion logically using the correct protocols. /50 A (Distinction) 38-42 marks Crafts the presentation of the theory to suit the author’s priorities without compromising accuracy. Makes significant links to self in identifying past instances, and speculating on future impacts in some depth. Integrates theory into the discussion logically using the correct protocols B (Credit) 33-37 marks Accurate presentation of the theory with some attempt to highlight the most important features of the theory given the author’s priorities. Links to the self may be uneven with some moments of depth and some descriptive passages. Integrates theory into the discussion using the correct protocols to a ‘good enough’ standard C (Pass) 25-32 Accurately reports theory and makes basic or obvious links between the self and the theory, although there may be more description of theory than reflection. For example uses past events or future events to illustrate the theory with no consideration of the implications of the theory. For example the discussion may primarily describe a changed set of assumptions and a proposed new set of study behaviours with no consideration of the very real challenges associated with making these changes. Awkward integration of theory into the discussion, with a ‘good enough’ use of referencing protocols. F (not yet a Pass) Theory may not be presented accurately. Links to the self may be minimal or absent. Theory not integrated into reflection. Total /100 Marker’s comments: