Capstone Task 1

One strength that can be used in the workplace is the capacity to solve problems. I

predict that I will use this strength often in the workplace since it is not uncommon to

experience problematic and unexpected situations at work. To solve problems, I plan to react

calmly and pinpoint the issue or problem. I can use this skill to identify goals and prepare for

possible hurdles that may come up. This strength will be useful with finding solutions and

solving problems at work. I am hopeful that I will be able to effectively work through problems

at work and create solutions that can benefit the organization and my coworkers.

One weakness that was identified is leadership or some type of direction in the project.

Many times, I focus on my own responsibilities and don’t take the time to learn more about

other roles. It can be difficult to take on a leadership role because of fear of not knowing or

having the information to make changes or suggestions. I feel that once I branch out and

expand my understanding, I will feel more empowered to propose changes or face opposition. I

plan to improve my leadership skills by becoming more communicative with other teams or

departments to learn more about different roles and responsibilities. I will take responsibility

to learn more about how other employees complete their job functions. I will take the initiative

to ask questions of others and volunteer to lead projects. Expanding my leadership skills will

push me to pursue more challenging roles in the workplace.

Research and development were my primary functional role. I took this role very

seriously and worked to be a valued member of the team. At first, I did feel a lot of pressure

because R&D is the first area where decisions need to be made. All the decisions trickling down
were based on the decisions made in R&D. My team members were very supportive and

understanding. This caused me to work harder so that I would not let my team members down.

It took some time, but I was eventually able to learn how to choose the right coordinates for

our sensors. We worked as a team to discuss the decisions and went back to re-do rounds

several times. Overall, I am happy that I was in the Research and Development role and feel

that I learned a lot about taking risks and becoming more confident in my decisions.

One strength of the team was the ability to be flexible. The team members were

understanding and respectful of personal styles of working and communication. The team

understood that everyone has responsibilities and were all willing to be flexible in scheduling.

The team members were willing to adapt to changes, accommodate and make sacrifices to get

the work done. The flexibility of the team was useful to fulfill the requirements of the task.

One weakness of the team could be the eagerness to complete the assignment quickly.

Sometimes rushing through a task can cause more stress than necessary. Sometimes the desire

to finish the assignment quickly prevented the team from thinking through decisions critically

and we ended up making more mistakes. Instead of finishing quickly, we ended up having to

rework many rounds to fix errors. Once we became more realistic regarding timeframes, we

were able to complete the assignment successfully.

One specific value of the team contract was setting guidelines and establishing

expectations up front. This part of the contract opened the opportunity for communication to

understand what the other team members anticipated and how to best understand their

working styles. The team contract set the group up for a positive outlook while setting the
framework to hold each other accountable. Overall, it made making decisions more clear and

made the process more efficient. Although we did not have any issues where we needed to use

any conflict resolution techniques, I believe that having the contract in place assisted with

preventing the issues from coming up. One challenge that we faced as a team was failing

Capsim by one point. It was disappointing and very stressful. We were able to overcome this

challenge by identifying and communicating the areas that needed improvement. As a team,

we looked back and compared our notes to see if there was something that we missed or

misunderstood. We also sought assistance from the course instructor. In the end, we were able

to complete the assignment and felt accomplished that we were able to do so.

The advice I would give to others who were beginning to work on the simulation would

be to seek assistance if you need it. Don’t be afraid to check in with course instructors because

they can provide some pointers on areas that need improvement. I would also advise them to

try things in different ways during the practice rounds. It can be difficult to fully understand the

outcome of your decisions early on when you are still learning. Try to use those rounds to take

risks and try different scenarios. Reset the practice rounds whenever needed if the decisions

you made didn’t work out and try something new. Try to get all the kinks out during the

practice rounds.

Teamwork was crucial during the simulation and will be an important part of my

professional development. Working as part of a team, encouraged me to work harder because

of the commitment I had to the team. We worked to cooperate and support one another.

These skills will be used often in the workplace because I will be working with professionals

who have diverse talents, skills and experience. Working as a team to combine different
strengths and work styles will increase the overall creativity and productivity of the job. It will

be important to communicate efficiently and to encourage feedback in order to develop and

enhance my own personal strengths. Working as a team will allow me to learn from others to

become more proficient in different areas and to understand different work styles. Ultimately, I

aim to be a well-rounded professional who can utilize my strength of problem-solving skills and

improve on my leadership skills. I aim to use the skills that I have learned and to continually

become more knowledgeable throughout my career.