SAPA Project: My Personality Strengths

Productivity according to Stevenson (2016) can measure the output over time, this allows the organization to evaluate the performance and determine where improvements can be made. My organization

Gallup has estimated that collectively, disengaged employees could conceivably cost the economy in the U.S. up to $350 billion a year. Research has shown that around 15 to 20 percent of the workforce is currently disengaged. This means that they could be actively bringing down the overall level of performance within their organizations with poor communications or interactions with customers and clients, a low rate of productivity, and a poor record of

Of course strengths matter, but their real value only comes when they are applied to the things that matter. In his book: “The Effective Executive“, Peter Drucker suggested consideration of the following:

What makes you who you are is your personality or so I think. Personality is what makes you special and different from every other person. Personality is what people see in you and perceive what kind of person you are. Personality is defined as individual differences in the way we think, behave and act (American Psychological Association, 2015). One of my strong personalities is that I’m a defender, which means I am willing to defend my loved ones at any time, in any situation. If someone I love is need of me I will not hesitate to be there for them and support them. This may be different from another person’s personality and that’s what makes me special. Having said that, I’m also a loving and caring

Growing up shapes and defines our personalities, our personalities develop the most based on our experiences as young children. I once had a pre-school teacher write about who I was at close to the age of four, this is what she said, “Ivy- she presents herself as being very timid and shy, but can be as rough and tough as any of the boys. She likes to play with the boys and is rumored to have a boyfriend. She also likes to giggle with the girls and becomes very excited to see her friends and her brother Evan. She has the sweetest grin and assures her friends that ‘Mommy will be back soon’.” Even as a young child my teacher was able to gather my personality accurately and some of those traits have stayed with me as a growing adult, I believe they define me and make me unique.

The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon the result of the personality quiz we have taken and to reflect upon how our strongest personality trait is a strength. We are also to reflect on how we can apply this personality trait to the important areas of our lives such as school, work, etc. So, to begin my strongest personality trait at forty points is conscientiousness. Although agreeableness had thirty-eight points and openness had thirty-seven points so these three are all pretty close in strength. But for the purpose of this essay, I am going to reflect on conscientiousness and how this trait is a personal strength for me.

Increased productivity can lead to an organisation having a more sustainable competitive advantage in the market place (Li et al, 2007; Riemer et al, 2009).

Staying ahead of the competition and increasing profits are the fundamental objectives for every organization. However, many firms today continue to invest extensively in business development activities and less on employee productivity. This mindset ignores the firm’s chief asset and its core foundation, which is its workforce.

Employee productivity, also known as workforce productivity, is the backbone of any enterprise. According to Amabile and Kramer (2012), the source of productivity at any company “…is the individual knowledge workers who get things done every day” (para. 1). And according to Axilrod (2015), the typical employee is at his or her desk for an average of approximately five hours a day, paid for by the company. Thus, in the current climate of globalization, outsourcing, downsizing, and pension reduction, it is vital for administration and management to stay on top of what sustains employee loyalty and employee productivity. Several elements contribute to effective employee productivity, including employee job satisfaction and morale (Axilrod, 2015; Manson, 2014; Jarrow, 2013; Kaupelyte, 2013; Turner, 2013; Amabile & Kramer, 2012; Walters, 2010; Bowles & Cooper, 2009). Neely (2013) asserts that “Regardless of the profession or type of work, the central element that has had a stake in productivity, longevity and overall success of any organization [is] employee morale” (p. 13).

When I first saw my results, I was quite shocked. My top five traits were Maximizer, Individualization, Empathy, Analytical, and Belief. Maximizer and Empathy did not seem like traits I had, but after reading the descriptions I see that they are fitting. Maximizer is the strength of pursuing excellence, which is very true for me. I like to do things I am good at, and avoid doing the activities where I do not excel. I cling to others that enjoy what I do, whether that be school work, painting, baking, or simply listening. However, I tend to dwell on the fact that I cannot do everything well. I see others that can do certain things I cannot, and it makes me feel inadequate. But this quiz has shown me my fault, and now I can take those doubtful thoughts and make them about how each person has their own unique strengths.

Employee turnover is an issue that at some point affects all businesses. Employees choose to leave organizations both voluntarily and involuntarily dependent on a wide multitude of circumstances (Noe et al., 2011). Regardless of the reason for separation, employee turnover comprises of both direct and indirect costs that financially impact an organization. There are four basic cost categories related to employee turnover: separation, replacement, training, and productivity (Source?). Separation costs are expenses that are caused when employees or organizations choose to end their partnership and include expenses such as unemployment compensation, legal settlements, extended benefits, and the cost of conducting exit interviews. Replacement costs are the expenses required to refill the vacant position. These costs include items such as position advertisement, recruitment costs, costs of screening and interviewing employees, and any hiring or signing bonuses expensed to fill the open role. Training costs include the time and effort needed from trainers, supervisors, and co-workers to educate employees. Lastly productivity costs include lower productivity of employees prior to leaving the organization, reduced productivity and increased labor expenses of remaining employees to cover the open positions, morale and reputation issues created by employee losses, increased error rates of new employees, and lost knowledge and efficiency of experienced employee that leave

Recruiting and training new employees consumes a substantial proportion of the organization’s budget where losses may even amount to more than two times the person’s salary. There are also various costs that cannot be measured on monetary terms like, disturbances in the day-to-day operations, stress etc. Frequent and unwanted turnover can also create a negative image of the organization. (Singh and Loncar, 2010)

“Newspapers are riddled with stories of deceit and deception from leaders in both the commercial and government sectors” (Wilson, 2009, p. 12). The article raises the growing issue and challenges leaders face with disengaged employees and high turnover rates; and turnover isn’t cheap. For those concerned with the bottom line, it’s important to know that the cost of turnover is estimated to be equivalent to an entire year’s salary of the employee who left, not to mention the cost of lost productivity, absenteeism, and increased health costs. Wilson also indicated that research by Gallup and other organizations indicate employee disengagement is costing companies billions of dollars every year (as cited in Wilson, 2009). Average employee tenure is less than five years, and for millennials- less than three (Morgan, 2015).

In class there was a survey we had to take that would tell us about our  top 5 strengths. Even though the test was very long I was able to learn alot about myself. The top five strengths that were given to me are futurististic, deliberative, significance, achiever, and responibility. Out of those five I chose three because those are the strengths that resembles me the most. My first strength was futuristic, in the strengthsquest quiz it was very accurate because  I am the type of person who always think about the future. Since a young child I always would think ahead of the years , months and days which I will always strive to meet them. Everything I do is for a positive outcome , I sometimes think about the future so much I start to hold myself accountable at a high rate on and off the court, On the basketball court I give it my all because I have big goals to be a professional and the only person who can stop me is me, so i refuse to have a setback because knowing I didn't take care of business and that’s putting me a step behind to reach my goals.

HR issues have been common in many organizations. Productivity is one of the recent issues that a certain organization is facing. The level of production matters a lot in all organizations (Eden, 2015). This is the main aspect that an organization focuses and aims to achieve in its daily operations. The organization has met challenges as it tries to sustain its performance. Productivity management involves the process of monitoring and developing activities in an organization to ensure that there is a gradual increase in productivity levels. In the case study, the organization’s performance has been low for the last two years. Managers and owners of the organization have witnessed a fall in its production (Eden, 2015). As a result, a need