online class
Instructions for All OM Written Assignments: Your goal in all written assignments is to be thorough and complete while also being brief. Write your answers in complete sentences, answer fully, and provide specific examples. Do not write one word answers.
Remember your goal is to demonstrate competency in your answers. Your instructor will read your answer, and must be able feel comfortable that you are reading the chapter and grasping the material.
If you are ever confused on how to answer a question, you have several options.
First, many chapters have significant video “hints” available to students. Click on “materials” and then “content” and find the chapter area on the left. Within that area you will find a document that lists various “helps”. Please review this first before moving to additional strategies.
If you are still confused, or need direction please participate in the appropriate discussion area. Click on “communication and then “discussion”. Find the appropriate discussion based on the chapter material. Help each other out, offer your own tips and advice. The instructor will check into these discussion areas regularly. Ask your question there, and wait for an answer.
Finally, if your need is more urgent, feel free to email your instructor at [email protected].
Help will be made available throughout the work week. It is very important that you not rely on your instructor to respond on a weekend, so please review all assignments prior to the weekend and get your questions in and answered prior to Friday at noon.
Please reference the course spreadsheet for actual due dates. Note that due dates are normally Sundays at 11:55pm. Dates vary based on the semester. So please reference that as well as the below instructions.
Birkman Related Questions
Operations Managers are assigned to manage their organization’s value chain. This “value chain” includes turning raw materials from the Earth into a product or service. All along the way, throughout the supply chain, the organization must create value. Adding value means they can ration their product or service for a considerable gain – a profit.
Of course, converting a hunk of rock into an airplane, a cow into a quickly made and delivered cheese burger, or an application to a university into a completed 3 credit course requires human beings. Humans…are at the center of transformation…from farm to table, ground to air, humans use their time, talent, knowledge, skills, and abilities to fulfil an organization’s mission.
These humans need to buy in to the organization’s mission. Similarly, they need to be deployed strategically in the most efficient and effective means possible.
Humans, each of us, have a unique set of interests, skills, styles, and preferred environments. If you take ten different people, you will see 10 different combinations that answer the following questions:
What motivates me?
What things am I interested in doing?
What is my preferred organizational focus?
How do I go about getting things done?
What am I most interested in focusing on at work?
What are signs that I am under stress behavior?
What environmental needs best nourish me so that I can be my best self at work?
Results from the Birkman Method answer these questions, and more. Understanding and accepting yourself is key to being able to understand and accept others.
Operations Managers that are keen observers into these questions are able to best deploy their human resources. They then are better at strategically deploying their forces throughout the value chain to add value.
With this in mind, perform the following tasks:
1) Completely review your results in your reports. Read through the lifestyle grid, careers, and stress behavior – everything.
Answer the following questions
1. How should you be deployed in an organization? What kinds of tasks should you be involved in?
2. What are signs that you are under stress behavior? What environmental needs are not met when you are under stress behavior?
3. Think of a time when you were acting in stress behavior. Specifically describe this time, including what environmental factors were not present to help you be at your best.
4. Think of your current, or most recent, employment. How are you/can you be involved in your top 3 interests? What are your top three interests? Describe in your own words…then discuss how you could be deployed within your top 3 interests where you work.
5. Similar to question 4, are there times when you are asked to work in your bottom 3 interests? How are you able to “ever-focus” into your top 3 interests? Perhaps you cannot, and that is common! Sometimes you have to “pay your dues” or “put in time” doing work/jobs that are less desirable. The goal is that 10 years from now, you are working within your “sweet spot” (the top 3 interests).
Submit these questions to the Chapter 4 Dropbox.
Chapter Material
Please reference the guidelines above as to how to successfully submit a written assignment. The questions assigned pertain to the chapters from the required textbook. These questions are at the end of each chapter.
Chapter 4.
Read Chapter 4
Discussion Problems (3&5)
Problems and Activities (2, and choose 1 between 5-9)
Chapter 4 Case – All Questions
Submit the above assignments to the dropbox labeled “Chapter 4”. Please put all of your answers in one document.
Chapter 5
Discussion Questions (1-4)
Problems and Activities (9, 10, 11,12,15)
Take Chapter 4-5 Quiz
All qualitative answers should be thorough, as students know they are demonstrating understanding. Students need to give specific examples whenever possible, write clearly, and when asked draw sketches and designs.
Upload your written work to the Chapter 5 Dropbox
Discussion Guidance: There are no online discussions for Chapter 4 and 5.
The second test on Chapter 4-5 is available in “Assessment, Quizzes”. This test is multiple choice, and application based. There is a full study guide with video help posted in materials, content in D2L.
