Identify the top three to five most important takeaways from this course. Are your perceptions of the field any different than they were in the first week? If so, how?There are many important takeaways from this course as it relates to the field of organization development including motivation, assessment and evaluation, conflict management, resistance, theories and models of change, and culture. One key takeaway I had was regarding assessments and the value they can bring to an individual and an organization. Assessments can be used in the diagnosis and evaluation phase to allow the consultant to better understand what is going on within an organization and then provides more data for the consultant to make a plan for an intervention (Rothwell, 2015). Additionally, focusing on the employees and what they bring to the table is valuing the most important asset a company has, which is their personnel (Chopra, 2017). Using an assessment such as Clifton's StrengthsFinder and the 360 degree feedback assessment can add to the consultant’s evaluation of employees and the organization as a whole. Self-reports and other reliable measurements add to the data that the consultant needs to gather in order to formulate a plan moving the organization forward (Rothwell, 2015). Another takeaway gained from this course is related to theories and models of change. Theories offer a framework for the consultant to work from as they determine what is best for an organization depending on their presenting issues. Theories and models that are grounded in research add credibility to the consultant's work. Theories drive and inform practice and best practices are what is needed in the field to effect sustainable efforts (Jex & Britt, 2014). Utilizing a theory lays a foundation for applying principles practically. Working from a theory helps the consultant stay grounded in a framework and ensures adherence to evidence-based practices. A theory can also assist management in better understanding what the consultant is proposing to do. Theories and models allow the consultant to stay focused and connected to current literature on what works best. Lastly, the consultant needs to adopt a personal theory that they work from to guide their work. This provides a lens through which the consultant can view an organization, employees, conflict, resistance, and motivation (Rothwell, 2015). Another key takeaway from this course is the concept of the mastermind group and specifically how they were designed to help like-minded people reach their goals and take their career to the next level (Gaining Traction, 2015; Ornstein & Baum, 2012). I appreciated the concept of the mastermind group as being to increase people’s confidence to reach their goals, adding a unique perspective to a problem or issue, and fostering respect and authenticity among colleagues (Ornstein & Baum, 2012). The research shows that mastermind groups produce positive outcomes as it relates to goal setting and generating additional insights for the person participating as well as increased confidence (Ornstein & Baum, 2012). What professional development activities will you pursue in the next 6 months?A professional development activity that would be worthwhile to pursue would be a conference related to the OD field. The goal would be to network with other professionals in the field, hear experts speak on a variety of topics, and learn about the most current best practices. Attending a conference can also lead to the identification of a personal theory, which is a goal of mine. Practicing a theory and its principles is an important part of building a professional practice (Zentis, 2017). Subscribing to a journal related to the OD profession is also an easy activity to undertake that can keep me current in the field and lead to other opportunities for learning. Also, looking within my own community for a mastermind group, whether related to the OD profession or not can enhance my focus on my career goals as a consultant. Identify one or two key takeaways from the assessments (Strengths Finder and EIQ-16R) you completed in Week 1. In particular address the following two questions: How has your learning and growth during this course helped you improve and/or reinforce the assessed skills? How can these assessments, and similar ones, be used by OD consultants to benefit individuals and organizations with which they work?One key takeaway from the assessments is that the results promoted self-awareness for me. It also gave me a new perspective on how it might feel as an employee to take an assessment on strengths and emotional intelligence. It is important for the OD professional to understand the assessments they may be asking employees to take. Having a high level of self-awareness is a key characteristic an OD professional needs to possess (Cheung-Judge, 2018). Additionally, it keeps the consultant close to the work and not so removed as the expert. They can be more relatable and humble when they have experienced it themselves. The same way the consultant will be possibly asking management to increase areas of emotional intelligence based on their results, they should be able to speak from a similar experience of recognizing areas of strength and opportunities for growth. The results of these assessments have helped me focus on a strength-based perspective, practicing identifying the strengths of those I work with and pointing out how the differences on my team are beneficial to us rather than a liability. A competency of the OD professional is the ability to help the organization identify its inherent strengths and increase their confidence in their ability to overcome their specific issues. The consultant fosters independence and creative thinking to problem solve their issues. When the consultant can point out and emphasize what the organization is already doing well and the strengths they naturally possess, the organization benefits as they begin seeing each other as being on the same team as opposed to adversaries. Assessments give the consultant a place from which to start and a potential path forward based on the results (Rothwell, 2015). For example, if the consultant discovers that a management team scores fairly low in an area of emotional intelligence that they think is impacting some of the current struggles of the agency, they can use the results of the assessment to promote an intervention that targets those areas for growth. References Cheung-Judge, M. (2018). The future of the organization and implications for OD. HR Magazine. https://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/article-details/the-f...Chopra, R. (2017). 360 degree performance assessments: An overview. Global Journal of Enterprise Information System, 9(3), 102–105. https://doi.org/10.18311/gjeis/2017/16029 Gaining Traction. (2015). What is a mastermind group? [Video file] Jex, S. M., & Britt, T. W. (2014). Organizational psychology: A scientist-practitioner approach (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Ornstein, H., & Baum, N. (2012). A mystical evening with the bright future of our profession. Podiatry Management, 31(2), 185. Rothwell, W. J. (2015). Organization development fundamentals: Managing strategic change. Alexandria, VA: ATD Press.Zentis, N. (2017). Future trends in organization development [Blog post]. https://instituteod.com/future-trends-organization...

Identify and BRIEFLY summarize the article. The whole paper is not a summary, but you need to include one. It should be no more than one paragraph in length and should be near the beginning of the essay. As stated above, if all you do is summarize the article I'm not reading it and assigning a failing grade.Identify the author. Who wrote the piece, or who is taking responsibility for the message?Identify other important information about the piece—when was it written, where was it originally published? You may need to do some online research to answer these questions.Identify the probable audience. Who is the article attempting to target? How do you know? What specific things does the writer say or do to give you this information?Identify the purpose. What is the central goal of the article? What other goals might the author also have? How is the author attempting to do this? Why is the author attempting to do this? What might these goals do for the success/effectiveness of the article?Identify the major/main claims made in the article. What other smaller/minor claims are there? How do you know? What kinds of claims are they?Identify the rhetorical appeals (pathos, ethos, logos) at work in the article. How are they targeting the audience (or intended to target)? How are they working toward or against the effectiveness of the article?Identify other rhetorical devices at work (tone, word choice, repetition, etc.) How are they working toward or against the effectiveness of the article?What evidence/support is provided by the author to reinforce or “prove” the claims?What conclusion(s) is/are the audience supposed to reach? Are they likely to do this? Why or why not?Use evidence and well-developed arguments to support your own claims. In other words, indicate what you’re “reading” from the article and how you’ve come to your conclusions. Go beyond the surface answer of what might be obvious. Do a thorough, college-level analysis. I also attached a copy of the essay which am to analyze

For this activity, explore the changing role for the airlines in the transportation of mail over the last 100 years, beginning in 1918. Use information from a credible source and use your new knowledge gained from your course textbook readings to compare and contrast past and present for this topic. In your initial post (must be 150 words), show a clear connection between the news story/event and the course materials. If there is no connection to course materials, you will lose 40 points. State the title of the news story and include the link so that others can access the story. You may apply any lens you wish to use when constructing this assignment: historic, scientific, technological, engineering, or math. Summarize the story and explain the cause and effect relationships for your chosen area (lens) of aviation for this assignment.