Entr 3110 Am I an Introvert or Extrovert?

Journal Entries #1-3

ENTR 3110

Jing (Phyllis) Liang

100288854

ENTR 3110 R50

October 25 2016

Table of Contents

Journal Entry #1:        2

Title: Am I an Introvert or Extrovert?        2

Date: Sept 22 2016        2

Insights from learning materials or class activities        2

Application of insights on the job        2

Implications for effectively leading organization        2

Journal Entry #2        3

Title: How can perception affects our decisions and teamwork        3

Date: Oct 06 2016        3

Insights from learning materials or class activities        3

Application of insights on the job        3

Implications for effectively leading organizations        3

Journal Entry #3        4

Title: Can we find “rewards” from ourselves?        4

Date: Oct 13 2016        4

Insights from learning materials or class activities        4

Application of insights on the job        4

Implications for effectively leading organizations        4

References        5

Journal Entry #1:

Title: Am I an Introvert or Extrovert?

Date: Sept 22 2016

Insights from learning materials or class activities

I gained a deep insight into myself from today’s class when I received my MBTI results. Nothing surprised me when I received the results. I knew that I would be assessed as an introverted person because there have been some people who don’t know me very well saying that I am a shy and quiet person, and they concluded that I’m very introverted. Indeed, I had once believed that I’m not an introverted person. Before doing the class activity today, I didn’t know what the word “introvert” means. I thought “introvert” is a word that is used to describe someone who is distant, shy, and quiet. However, I think I’m usually very talkative, passionate, and with a good sense of humor. This class activity redefined the meaning of the word “introvert”, while giving me a new perspective on myself. The instructor explained the introverts are a group of people who preferred to regain energy from the inner world of themselves rather than from an outside world (Kirby &Myers, 2015). Extrovert does not mean “talkative” or “loud” while introvert does not mean “shy” and “inhibited” (Kirby &Myers, 2015). I finally realized I am an introverted person. I enjoyed the time I spent with myself. I became talkative only when I have things that I think are valuable to say because I don’t like pointless conversations. Most of the time I learned better through self-reflection than discussing and interacting with others. This activity completely and successfully changed my stereotyping toward introverts.

On the other hand, I also gained an insight from the activity of why people act differently and how these differences cause conflict in our everyday life (especially in the workplace). During the class activity, there was an interesting distinction between introverts and extroverts. When the instructor separated the whole class into two groups of introverts and extroverts, the students in the extroverts group were chatting with others freely just like they have known each other for a long time. In contrast, students in the group of introverts tend to keep each other at arm’s length, and stood together in a circle. The extroverts can’t understand why the introverts can be so quiet whereas the introverts think that it is too noisy on the extroverts’ side.

Application of insights on the job

By participating in today’s activity, I have learned that conflicts and issues that arise in the workplace are caused by the differences in people’s personality. I recognize that both introverts and extroverts have their strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes they don’t understand the reaction from each other. I think that communication is a beneficial way to reduce the conflict between introverts and extroverts. Communication is more than just exchanging information (Robinson &Segal, 2016). It not only delivers information to us, but also the emotions behind the information we received (Robinson &Segal, 2016). Thus, having more interactions with colleagues or teammates is a beneficial way to improve teamwork. I will take the initiative to start conversations with my teammate. By implementing this, I will soon get an understanding about my teammates, accepting the differences between us, and building a positive working environment.

Implications for effectively leading organization

By communicating with teammates, I gain a good understanding about their personalities and an insight into people’s reactions towards issues and problems. Once the teammates know each other very well, the whole team will become more productive and any problems and issues that the team confront would quickly be solved. Communication also allows teammates to have opportunities to reveal their thoughts. Misunderstanding between the teammates would also slow down the process of the teamwork. Thus, it is necessary to have more interaction among the group to create a positive working environment which accommodate both introverts and extroverts.

Journal Entry #2

Title: How can perception affects our decisions and teamwork

Date: Oct 06 2016

Insights from learning materials or class activities

After attending today’s lecture, I gained an insight into what the perception is and how perception impacts on the way we make decisions. During the lecture, the instructor showed some pictures and asked us to find the hidden images. One of the pictures shows a young lady and the instructor wished to know whether we can see anything other than this young lady in the picture. Some of my classmates figured out an old lady hidden within the young lady, but I couldn’t see it. Base on the activity we did in class, I realized that individuals differ in the way they filter information. Their perception determines the information that they take in, and they use the information they adopt to make their decisions. However, these perceptual limitations sometimes can be harmful to team collaboration.