Thematic Analysis Presentation

Kaitlyn Upson
November 12th, 2023
OGL 482
Dr. Janice Lawhorn
Introduction
For this project, I used a variety of exercises, self-assessments, projects, and reflections
to learn more about myself and what I value in my life. I used this data to develop ten
themes as well as a vision and a mission statement. This gave me a better
understanding of who I am as a person and what motivates me. I am proud of the
themes that I have developed and I look forward to sharing my findings in this
presentation.
Research Processes and Methods
To develop my themes, I first looked through all my sources and highlighted phrases
and words that were descriptive. I looked specifically for statements that described
my traits and values. Then, I compiled all the data into one document and looked for
commonalities. I used the commonalities to code the statements into themes. Lastly, I
assigned supporting data to each theme.
 My Data Sources
In the following slide I will present and define the data sources that I used to
provide evidence to support my themes.
My Data Sources
● Kuder Career Interests Assessment (CIA)- Asks a series of questions in order to determine a person’s career interests.
● Kuder Skills Confidence Assessment (SCA)- Asks a series of questions to determine what skills a person is most confident with.
● Kuder Super Work Values Assessment (WVA)- Asks a series of questions and ranks work values 1-12 based on results.
● Career Anchors Assessment (CAA)- An assessment where I rate each factor between 1-10 (1 being not true, 10 being very true) which
determines the needs I should prioritize when choosing a career.
● Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test (HJTT)- Asks a series of questions where a user can either answer YES, yes, uncertain, no, or NO
and sorts user into one of sixteen personality types based on results.
● Kiersey Assessment (KA)- Assessment that uses personality traits and characteristics to sort taker into one of four temperaments:
Artisan, Guardian, Idealist, or Rational.
● DISC Personality Test (DISC)- This assessment asks the taker to select two options from a list of four things, one that describes them
the closest and one that describes them the least. It then uses the answers to provide a percentage for the amount of dominance,
influence, compliance, and steadiness.
● Values Checklist (VC)- For this activity, I picked 10 values from the list and then narrowed it down to 5 to identify what I consider
most important to me.
● 3 Questions (3 Qs)- For this activity, I answered the following questions: “What gives me joy?”, “What am I good at?”, and “What does
the world need me to do?”. These questions helped me identify what I value in life and how I can make a difference.
● Inspiration Book Project (IBP)- A project I completed where I read a book and related its themes back to my leader identity.
● OGL 320 Baseline Assessment (BA)- An assessment I completed where I described my expectations and goals for the course.
● OGL 200 Course Reflection (CR)- A reflection of what I learned throughout the course and how it has contributed to my
development as a leader.
 My Themes
In the following slides I will present my ten themes with supporting data,
contradictory evidence, and reflection.
Theme 1: Goal Oriented
● Theme Statement: I am motivated in my life by setting goals that drive me to
achieve greatness.
● Supporting Evidence:
○ I have high enterprising interests which means I am motivated to achieve personal and
organizational goals (CIA).
○ I have high enterprising skills which means I take interest in activities that allow me to fulfill
personal and organizational goals (SCA).
○ Advancement and promotion is one of my top values which supports that I use goals to motivate
me to move forward in my career (VC).
○ In my assessment for OGL 320, I set goals for what my expectations are for the course and how I
plan to achieve them (BA).
○ In my OGL 200 Reflection, I set goals for how I want to use the knowledge I gained from the course
in my future (CR).
Theme 1 cont.
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ I did not identify any contradictory evidence for this theme while completing my research. Across
the sources utilized, goal orientation was a common theme.
● Reflection
○ Setting goals is an action I do frequently in my life. I have found that this allows me to hold myself
accountable to completing important tasks. Being goal oriented also motivates me to go after what I
want in life. I do not think I would be where I am today without this motivation. I will be
graduating college with honors and starting my career with an organization I love because I have
worked to accomplish my goals. I will continue to be goal oriented to motivate myself and bring
myself success.
Theme 2: Close Relationships
● Theme Statement: Building and maintaining close relationships has been a
constant theme in my life.
● Supporting Data:
○ I am confident in developing relationships with others (SCA).
○ I value having co-workers that I can get along with and potentially have personal relationships with
(WVA).
○ I enjoy building connections with others who have similar interests to me (CR).
○ Having close relationships is one of my top values in life (VC).
○ Spending quality time with friends and family brings me joy (3Qs)
● Contradictory Evidence
○ My personality type explains that I am a private person and I am not very forthcoming which can
affect my ability to create personal relationships (HJTT).
Theme 2 cont.
● Reflection:
○ Developing close relationships with people around me is something that I constantly strive to do.
These relationships bring meaning to my life and I hold them close to my heart. In a professional
setting, I strive to have personal friendships with my coworkers. I have noticed how this makes
work more enjoyable. Along with that, it makes me even more motivated to achieve team
objectives. My personal relationships have positively impacted my personal and professional life.
Theme 3: Leadership
● Theme Statement: I have a desire to have a leadership role in an organization.
● Supporting Data:
○ Leadership is one of my top values (VC).
○ I have confidence with my leadership skills (SCA).
○ Managerial Competence was my top career anchor which means I strive to advance to a position of
leadership in an organization (CAA).
○ Advancement and promotion was another one of my top values which supports that I eventually
want to promote to a leadership role (VC).
○ For the Kiersey self-assessment, my results identified me as a Guardian which means I am
comfortable in positions of responsibility (KA).
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ I lack assertiveness which can affect my ability to lead effectively (DISC).
Theme 3 cont.
● Reflection:
○ Throughout my life, I have strived to be a role model and enjoyed being in positions of
responsibility. From my first experience in a management position, I discovered that I have a
passion for leading and developing others. When I am able to lead others to success, it gives me a
sense of achievement and makes me feel like I accomplished something important. From then on, I
have made it a goal to have a leadership role in the organization that I work for so that I can fulfill
my passion.
Theme 4: Security
● Theme Statement: Feeling secure in many aspects of my life is important to me.
● Supporting Data:
○ I am anchored in the security of maintaining employment at the organization I work for (CAA).
○ I seek the security of frequent flow of wages in my life (CAA).
○ The security an organization provides is something that I consider when choosing an occupation
(WVA).
○ Guardians seek security and are not fond of change without notice (KA).
○ One of my top five values is having economic security (VC).
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ Throughout my research, I did not find any contradictory evidence. Security is important to me and
that is demonstrated through several of my data sources.
Theme 4 cont.
● Reflection:
○ As a child, I did not have much security. My family constantly moved from place to place and we
struggled financially. Because of this, as an adult, security has become very important to me. I never
want to feel like I am scrambling for money and I like staying in one place. Because of this, it is
important to me that I am a part of an organization that will give me the confidence that my job
will be secure. Having this security makes me feel more content with my life.
Theme 5: Knowledge
● Theme Statement: I am motivated to constantly acquire new knowledge.
● Supporting Data:
○ My personality type, INTJ, seeks out information on topics that interests them and effectively
retains knowledge. (HJTT)
○ In my Inspiration Book Project, I discuss how I want to retain the lessons from the book and apply
them to my life (IBP).
○ In my assessment for OGL 320, I discuss my desire to retain the knowledge that I gain from the
course (BA).
○ In the career anchors assessment, I rated “Becoming more knowledgeable in my field is a great
source of pride and satisfaction” as a 10/10 (CAA).
○ In my course reflection for OGL 200, I expressed my gratefulness for the knowledge I gained from
the course and how it will contribute to my leadership (CR).
Theme 5 cont.
● Contradictory Data:
○ As an INTJ, I tend to stick to what I know which means that it can be difficult for me to go out of
my comfort zone and seek knowledge from outside my field (HJTT).
● Reflection:
○ Throughout my life, I have recognized the value of knowledge and have looked up to others who
are knowledgeable. Because of this, I strive to be an expert in my field and constantly ask questions
to build my knowledge. I want to be a person that others recognize as intelligent and use as a
resource. My desire to seek out knowledge has helped move my career forward as it demonstrates
my interest of the organization and my dedication to the role.
Theme 6: Achievement
● Theme Statement: I strive to have a sense of achievement in my life.
● Supporting Data:
○ Achievement is a high need for me based on my work values results (WVA).
○ My anchor in managerial competence requires me to be promoted frequently in order to feel a
sense of achievement (CAA).
○ For the career anchor assessment, I answered very true on the prompt “Supervising others and
leading them to the achievement of targets and results is very important to me” (CAA).
○ I strive for achievement because I have high confidence with enterprising skills (SCA).
○ I desire to have a career where I can work to achieve economic gain as well as organizational goals
(CIA).
Theme 6 cont.
● Contradictory Data:
○ When developing my themes, I did not find any data that was contradictory to this theme. When
combing through my data, achievement came through as a clear theme.
● Reflection:
○ Achievement is something that I constantly strive for in all of my endeavors. I have a competitive
spirit and achievement gives me a sense of fulfillment. My drive has allowed me to be successful
academically and professionally. Because of this, I desire to work in an environment where I am
motivated to achieve team and personal goals.
Theme 7: Structure
● Theme Statement: Structure is important to me in many aspects of my life.
● Supporting Data:
○ My highest career interest was conventional which means that I prefer to follow established
guidelines and practices in my role (CIA).
○ Guardians are keen on making sure that proper procedures are followed (KA).
○ Organization is one of my strengths which supports that structure motivates me (3Qs).
○ I answered the prompt “I have difficulty following organizational restraints” with not true for the
career anchors assessment (CAA).
○ Time management is another strength of mine which supports I need structure to operate (3Qs).
Theme 7 cont.
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ I did not find any contradictory evidence for this theme during my data search. My need for
structure aligns with the other themes presented.
● Reflection:
○ Structure has been a constant theme throughout out my life. I am not a “go with the flow” type of
person. I need to know the plan at all times otherwise I get stressed out. My mom tells me that even
as a young child she had to give me the itinerary for the day in order to ease my mind. In a work
setting, I feel comforted when there are set procedures and practices in place. My need for structure
has impacted me positively as it has made me a responsible person.
Theme 8: Meaningful Work
● Theme Statement: I strive to produce meaningful work in my life.
● Supporting Data:
○ My high steadiness and high compliance explain that I hold myself to high standards regarding the
quality of my work (DISC).
○ In my inspiration book project, I discuss my desire to produce meaningful work and how it
motivates me to work hard (IBP).
○ One of my top five values is meaningful work (VC).
○ As an INTJ, I am known for being a perfectionist and not settling for mediocre which comes
through in my work (HJTT).
○ When developing projects, I enjoy taking my time to ensure that I am satisfied with my work and
that I am producing something worthwhile (DISC).
Theme 8 cont.
● Contradictory Data:
○ My need for efficiency and achievement can hinder my ability to produce meaningful work as I can
get impatient at times and rush to completion (IBP).
● Reflection:
○ I have always been dedicated to producing meaningful work. I consider myself a perfectionist and I
hold myself to high standards when developing a deliverable. Seeing the finished product of
something I have created where I contributed my best efforts gives me satisfaction. This theme has
impacted me as the work I have produced has helped me be academically successful which will be
beneficial for my career.
Theme 9
● Theme Statement: I desire to feel valued by the leadership of the organization I
work for.
● Supporting Data:
○ I ranked Supervision as my third highest work value which means it is important that I have boss
who recognizes my value (WVA).
○ In my OGL 200 reflection, I discuss how it is important that I feel valued as an employee (CR).
○ I desire to feel respected by a leader as I believe it helps me be successful (BA).
○ I seek guidance and affirmation from my leader in order to feel valued by them (DISC).
○ I answered 10/10 for “I need to belong to an organization to feel satisfied in my work life” and
feeling valued by the organization’s leadership allows me to feel a sense of belonging (CAA).
Theme 9 cont.
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ I did not find any evidence that contradicts this theme. Feeling valued by leadership is important to
me and this showed in many of the data sources utilized.
● Reflection:
○ Feeling valued from those in roles above me is a non-negotiable for me. I have worked in places
where the leadership treats employees like they are replaceable and it is not a good feeling. Because
of this, this is a major deciding factor for me when it comes to choosing to work for an
organization. I seek out places that have a strong focus on employee development and recognize the
value that employees bring to the organization. This theme has also contributed to the kind of
leader that I strive to be.
Theme 10: Dependability
● Theme Statement: I pride myself in being a dependable person.
● Supporting Data:
○ INTJs are known for being reliable people (HTTJ).
○ I have high social skills which means I am comfortable being there for others (CIA).
○ Guardians are considered dependable and will take on tasks with pride (KA).
○ On the career anchors assessment I answered the prompt “Knowing that my work is contributing to
the well-being of others is…” with an 8/10 (CAA).
○ I strive to be a leader that my team can count on and come to me when they are in need (CR).
● Contradictory Evidence:
○ I did not find any contradictory evidence for this theme when combing through my data. My
dependability is represented throughout my data sources.
Theme 10 cont.
● Reflection:
○ Dependability is something that I want to see in myself and others. I want the people close to me to
feel that they can count on me and I want to feel that I can reach out to them as well. As an
employee, I strive to be someone that the leader can trust with certain responsibilities. It makes me
feel like a vital member of the team which is important to me. Having this trait has allowed me to
build trust and connections with those that I work with which has helped me move my career
forward.
My Mission Statement
● I will constantly seek out opportunities of growth and advancement throughout
my career. By creating goals and obtaining knowledge, I will accomplish this and
achieve professional and financial success.
● Reflection:
○ In order to develop this statement, I thought about what I strive to do throughout my life. After
reviewing all my themes, I found that I am very career focused. Because of this, I determined that
my mission should be career related. I used what I learned from Good-to-Great to assist me in
developing my mission statement. I thought about what I envisioned in my future and the kind of
people that I wanted to surround myself with. Through this process, I learned how valuable having
a career is to me as well as how I see my ideal future. This statement will motivate me to bring this
mission to life.
My Vision Statement
● I strive to be a role-model for those around me and help others fulfill their
accomplishments.
● Reflection:
○ Developing my vision statement was a difficult task as I really had to dig deep and think about what
my purpose in life is. To start the process, I utilized the learning materials to understand what my
vision statement should encompass. I thought about what I would want to be remembered for and
what gives me a sense of achievement in life. From here, I figured out that I want to make an impact
on others by using my accomplishments to influence others to achieve their own goals as well as
help them get to where they want to be in life. This vision has provided me with an understanding
of what I most value and how I can use it to make a positive impact in the world.
Conclusion
This project has allowed me to understand myself more thoroughly. Evaluating the
data has allowed me to see how these themes have occurred throughout my life and
how they have made me into who I am today. I have also been able to define my vision
and mission statement which will guide me to how I live my life from now on. Overall,
I have enjoyed completing this project as it has allowed me to understand what I truly
value and what I strive to accomplish in the future.
References
Disc personality test result - free disc types test online at 123test.com. Free tests that take you further! (n.d.).

https://www.123test.com/report/B6XPEFHF2PBTDNQTAA/

INTJ. INTJ Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging. (n.d.). https://www.humanmetrics.com/personality/intj

Learn about guardians. Keirsey Temperament Assessment. (n.d.).

https://keirsey.com/temperament/guardian-overview/#:~:text=Guardians%20are%20meticulous%20about%20schedules,and%20

look%20before%20you%20leap.