Declan Sperry

Arizona State University

OGL 455

2 October 2021

Course Final Reflection

What have you learned about being innovative and making changes?

Over the course of this semester, I have learned quite a lot about being innovative and making

change. Prior to this course, I was not at all familiar with most of the key concepts such as

strategic management, competitive advantage, or other related concepts, so every module

presented me with brand new information and perspectives. With regards to innovation, I feel

like I learned a lot about the more practical and logistical sides of what being innovative in a

business setting entails. I came in with a sense of what innovation looked like from the creative,

big ideas side of things, but not from a more practical standpoint. Through learning how to assess

the internal and external factors acting upon a business through SWOT analysis, I now have a

clearer understanding of how to enable innovation. By being able to assess opportunities and

threats, as well as strengths and weaknesses, I now understand how to come up with more

innovative solutions to utilize opportunities and overcome challenges and have a more realistic

idea of what doing so entails. Additionally, learning about competitive advantage has helped me

to understand driving forces that motivate innovation and how thinking outside of the box can be
beneficial to a business. With regards to making changes, I have learned how to assess risks and

potential obstacles before doing so, to make changes in a way that is strategic, thought out, and

accounts for external and internal circumstances that will affect the implementation of change.

What does strategy mean to you?

To me, strategy means taking methodical and logical actions to move a business towards

achieving its goals and vision, with all decisions being informed by the data and analysis derived

from research, such as SWOT analysis or reflecting on how Porter’s 5 Forces apply to your

specific organization. Strategy is the underlying objectives your organization aims to achieve and

the general processes and procedures through which your firm intends to achieve them. Each

time the organization makes a change or implements a new process to move forwards towards its

goals, those moves would be in alignment with the overall strategy and should be understood in

the context of the larger picture of overarching goals. It is the commander’s intent of the business

world.

What have you been able to implement in your current life?

I have been able to implement some of the ideas and concepts we have been learning in this

course into my role as a trainer at Starbucks. When training new hires, I try to have intention

behind everything. I say and do and like to highlight the importance of standards and procedures

by tying them back to the bigger picture of our company’s mission. Learning about strategy and

how should ideally guide and inform the different actions taken by those in the organization and

how it should be common knowledge amongst employees and should be a core value has

motivated me to tie different aspects of my training into the bigger picture. When my trainees
understand the significance of their role as it relates to the general mission of Starbucks, which

is, “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a

time,” I find it is easier to get them to consistently perform at a higher level in terms of customer

connection and to encourage them to go above and beyond in creating positive customer

experiences.

What are you going to do differently tomorrow because of this class (besides sleep)?

One thing I will do differently tomorrow because of this class is that I will generally be more

intentional with my daily actions to have them better align with my overall strategies and goals

for my life and trajectory. I will apply the underlying ideas relating to strategy and vision and

will apply them to the context of working towards the life and future that I want for myself,

rather than to the context of a specific organization. This means framing my daily actions into

the context of the bigger picture of living the life I want. This means approaching my current job

and course work as places to develop myself and my skills to be better prepared for future

endeavors, such as attending the master’s program in management and sustainable tourism that I

want to complete after finishing my bachelor’s degree. Understanding my current tasks in the

context of how they serve my greater educational and career goals makes me feel more

motivated and makes everyday tasks less of a drudge.