Unit 10 Reflecting on Administrative Competence
Overview
Welcome to Unit 10 where we focus on the application of all the principals and insights gleaned in this course. This unit will serve as a summary but will also focus on skills practiced during the course and demonstrated in the final assessment.
Topics
This unit is divided into the following topics:
- Summary of Key Points and Principles
- Application for Life and Organization
- Demonstration of Learning in Final Assessment
Learning Outcomes
When you have completed this unit, you should be able to:
- Review and analyze the key points in each of the units of this course
- Describe three administrative competencies you will apply to your own life as a leader
- Develop a plan to implement three change initiatives for greater effectiveness of your organization.
Activity Checklist
Here is a checklist of learning activities you will benefit from in completing this unit. You may find it useful for planning your work.
Learning Activities
- Use the chart provided to review key points of this course.
- Write one specific application from each unit that will benefit you and/or organization.
- Select three areas of prioritized application for your organization and answer the questions provided.
Assessment
- Final Paper (30%)
- Presentation (10%) (Please confirm assignment instructions in Moodle)
Resources
Here are the resources you will need to complete this unit.
- Bright, D. S. & Cortes, A. H. (2019). Principles of Management.
- Other online resources will be provided in the unit.
10.1 Summary of Key Points and Principles
In this course, we have grappled with some important concepts in administrative competence.
Here are some big ideas or themes you are encouraged to consider as you review the course material:
An administrator must harness leadership knowledge, skills and experiences to effectively manage small and medium sized organizations.
Leaders are responsible for setting the direction, coordinating everyone’s work, and holding people accountable for their performance and growth in organizational settings.
An administrator must use entrepreneurial thinking to help overcome barriers that cause organizational stagnation.
Leaders everyday administrative work involves balancing the tension, bringing order to chaos.
In addition, here are some essential questions to consider as you apply what you’ve learned:
What is the place of management in leadership? When do they intersect?
When do leaders “manage” and when do managers “lead”? and to what extent?
How do leaders manage in a toxic organizational culture? What is the role of leadership in creating a motivating work culture and environment?
Activity: Review and Reflect
The linked review chart provides a summary of all the key points covered in the 9 units of this course. Download the chart and use it as a guide to revisit/refresh/review these key topics. Place a tick mark once your review of each unit is completed. In addition, jot down some key insights or questions to help you.
Note that for your synchronous session this week, you may be asked to work in groups and help each member understand the key points of each unit. Be sure to bring your notes!
10.2 Application for Life and Organization
Look at the big ideas and essential questions from the previous topic, as well as your review notes. How do the concepts apply to your current personal or professional life? How will you apply them in the future?
10.3 Demonstration of Learning in Final Assessment
In this course you have demonstrated your learning of the course outcomes through various assessments, such as team memos and discussion forums. You’ve had the opportunity to engage with ungraded learning activities, as well as participate in class sessions where you have connected with and learned from your peers.
What skills have you learned or practiced during this course? Various means of communication, such as video, interviews, presentations? Business writing skills for reports, memos, emails? Team management skills such as leading, planning, organizing?
As you reflect on this course and prepare for your final assignment, consider not only the key concepts you can now explain, but also the skills you can apply.
Activity: Preparing for the Final Assessment
From the completed chart above, select three areas of prioritized application for your organization. How will you use the content of this course to develop your organization in these three areas? What changes and initiatives are needed? How will you implement these? What will be your role? How will you evaluate for success in these three areas?
Unit 10 Summary
In this unit, you have had the opportunity to summarize the key points of this course and focus on specific application steps for the greater effectiveness of your organization. This unit culminates in your final assessment that contains three specific areas of change you will implement towards this goal.
Assessment
Before participating in the assessment for this unit, consider how you might apply what you have learned.
- Identify 3 challenges, or areas of change that need to be addressed for greater effectiveness of your team/organization,
- Spell out solutions, actions, initiatives, skills (gleaned from this course) that you will initiate and apply to bring about these changes in your teams or organizations.
Checking Your Learning
When you have completed this unit, you should be able to:
- Review and analyze the key points in each of the units of this course
- Describe three administrative competencies you will apply to your own life as a leader
- Develop a plan to implement three change initiatives for greater effectiveness of your organization.