Motivation

This week we have really been focusing on the clean up itself, and we have been deciding on ways that we will film this day. We are so motivated for this clean up that it makes it easier for us to work on behind-the-scene details leading up to this. Our motivation makes all this behind-the-scene work actually exciting because we want this River Clean up to be amazing. We have been able to decide on specific things that we will film the day of the clean up, interviews we will do, and different video editing styles that we are going to employ for our project.

Decision Making & Perception

Perception has played a role in our project from the very beginning. It began when we chose our groups. While our views may have been steered to select a group based on a handful of skills that the members had to offer, we all still based our selections on how we perceived each other. And our choice may have been based on a variety of effects. The halo effect for example may have caused us to choose our group based on one experience with another member. Maybe they worked hard on an assignment in a class that you shared and that stuck with you. Or selective perception may have been used because you both belong to the same social group or went to the same high school. Either way we made our decision. But how did we make that decision? Was it on necessity? Were any biases involved? If there were an anchoring bias we may have only concentrated on the single skills that were required for the group. But what if someone had more to offer? That should also be taken into consideration. However, within our group, our decisions have been mostly solid. There has not been any overconfidence by anyone nor has there been a confirmation bias. Not everyone falls right in line on one person's suggestion. There's always room for discussion and compromise. And while we may have individual differences such as our personalities, we are still able to make it work for the good of the project.

Perception and Decision Making

In Team EPIC, we have all found a common perception as a group - the environment is an important part of our lives that needs to be maintained and taken care of. Because we all share this perception that the environment needs help, we decided to work together as a team to fix this problem. Together, we have gathered information regarding pollution in the Milwaukee River and surrounding water bodies and then decided together to participate in a public clean-up. This perception our group shares has led to our decision to "change the world" by taking this active role in restoring and helping the environment. It is also important to see how our views and decisions are influenced by our personalities, as this is an important aspect of perception. We have seen in Team EPIC many similiar and different personality traits which all work together to our group's advantage. Our perceptions that have led to team decision-making have all been very positive and encouraging, and the results of our work prove to be promising.

So far in our group, are decisions and perceptions have helped us in a positive way not only in organization but also in keeping on task. One key decisions we have made thus far is what outdoor community service project we wanted to take part in. This was a key decision because we all agreed on a project which is helping clean the Milwaukee river and we were also able to agree on a time to perform this project. Having a set agenda and knowing what we will be doing in the future allows us as a group to plan times and dates that will allow us to meet the deadline for the project.

Erik Hosking

Decision Making

In Team EPIC, we have had constructive meetings every week because of our decision-making processes. We recently mapped out how we will be filming the clean up and what we will be doing the day of the clean up. We were able to come up with the ideas rather quickly because we are all good decision makers, and we all perceive each other as good decision makers who have valuable input. Since we are willing to listen to each other's ideas, we are able to agree on the best ideas and come up with a plan rather quickly that incorporates these ideas. This is very positive for our team.

Perception

We perceive others by their attitudes, personalities, and interests. Team EPIC has kept a positive attitude throughout the brainstorming process. Because of this Team EPIC’s decision-making process has been smooth. When brainstorming on a topic to choose, it was easily decided on what we wanted to do. Because our perception on the earth was seen as polluted and non-environmentally friendly we knew we would do something with nature that involved a cleanup. We decided on practical events that we could complete as a team. Team EPIC is going to “change the world” by doing a beach cleanup on Bradford Beach and a Milwaukee River cleanup with the Milwaukee Riverkeepers. By having the same perception about the earth and a positive outlook, team EPIC has made decisions in an effective and productive way.

Personality

The Self-Assessment revealed a few surprises for me but not many. I tend to be a middle of the road type of guy. A "don't rock the boat" type person. I like going with the flow, giving my input when needed. I've never really felt like the type of person that would carry the torch on a project. At the same time I don't want to always be the drone worker carrying out the "busy work". On this project I have thrown out a few ideas. Whether or not they are implemented, I know that I am following the assessment of being a ENTP type person. I may not be a full extrovert in terms of sociability but when I do get into the swing of things I tend to offer mor and more input. I don't really think of myself as creative but I feel that some of my ideas can be tweaked to fit the vision of the team. This shows my agreeableness and my willingness to compromise in order to complete the task at hand. I'm definitely enthusiastic about helping any way I can and performing any tasks that have been delegated to me.

Personality Traits

By taking the Self-Assessment I was able to see how my personality plays in the real world. I am labeled as an ENFJ. This showed me that I have charisma, am outgoing, assertive, and compassionate. These traits have allowed me to be positive in my team. Because I am outgoing, I do not mind speaking my mind on project ideas. My assertiveness is seen through our completion of milestones week after week. When we start filming and creating our video my compassion will be present and seen in a positive way.
From the self-assessment I am also seen as someone who is trustworthy. This trait is very important when working with a team. The fact that my team members trust me every week to hand in the milestone reports reflects in a positive way for the team. Team EPIC shares some personality traits and it can be seen through our goals, communication, and completion during this project.

Josh Filo

Personality Role

Personality plays a key role in the success of any group work or project. People must use their strengths positively to contribute and also recognize the traits that others bring to the team/group. Upon completeing the personality self-assessments, I am able to see how my traits affect my life and role in team EPIC. Being an extrovert, I have been able to bring ideas and suggestions to my group and voice any thoughts I have about our project. I am also a more perceiving person, so I am flexible to what others think and have to offer to the group. The personality assessments also reveal me to be a dependable and trusting person. This is critical when working in a group because we all must be cooperative and work well together. I think all of our personalities have contributed positively to the team. The group members have all shown to be dedicated and responsible people, and I think our group will be very successful in its goals.

My Personality in this group

Thanks to the Self Assessments that we did earlier this semester, I have been able to see how my dominate personality traits are applied in everyday life. My extroverted personality has enabled me to be vocal about my opinions and throw out ideas to the group, which is helping us complete this project. I have also contacted many group organizers for river clean ups. This project also has involved a lot of time and dedication. It is important that we are all on dependable and reliable since we have to complete many tasks in a timely fashion. This is where my conscientiousness has been a factor. Since I am agreeable, this has been a good experience for me because I have listened to my group members and I am able to see how we can all apply our ideas and make this work. I find all their ideas insightful and it makes it easier to complete this project knowing that we are all on the same page.

Attitudes

Helping make the Milwaukee River a cleaner and friendlier environment has helped give our group a positive attitude in more than one way. I believe through strong group participation by every member and the idea that we will help make the Milwaukee River a cleaner and safer environment has given the members of Team E.P.I.C. a strong sense of satisfaction. Listening to each others goals and ideas for this project and giving agendas and tasks to each member helps make each other feel involved and useful in making our project a success in helping make Milwaukee a more Eco-friendlier community. Through the hard work and dedication i have seen thus far from my group as well as my-self i believe our project will become a reality that will greatly benefit the environment as wells as our own sense of pride and accomplishment.

Erik Hosking

Attitude Components

Being involved in a project that can have a positive affect on the environment can definitely make a person feel good about them self. Throughout our planning and eventual execution of our project, we will need to maintain a “can-do” attitude. By doing so, the effort we put forth will be well worth the result. The cognitive aspect of my attitude toward working on this project is fairly simple. I think helping clean the river will improve the quality of the river and all those who depend on it and enjoy it. Whether it’s the wildlife that depends upon its well-being or a canoeist who likes being on the water, having a healthy river is a win-win situation. The affective potion of my attitude in the project is that I’ll be making a difference. For that I can be proud of accomplishing what we set out to do. But in order to achieve our goal, our behavior must reflect our intentions. Hard work and determination with help us meet our expectations and make the difference we’re seeking.

Positive Attitude

As we become more focused on this project and get closer to the day of the clean up, I am becoming even more excited. I strongly believe that this will have a major impact on the community and this belief gives me a desire to work extra hard when we are actually doing the river clean up, and in the mean time make sure that we plan this out properly so we can maximize the positive effect that this will have on everybody. My cognitive attitude is that this will have a major effect on us and the environment. My affective attitude is a feeling of pride knowing that this will be hard work, but it will pay off. Finally, my Behavioral attitude is that I want to take this as seriously as possible and keep this as my main focus. I am counting down the days until we do this river clean up!

Attitudes

My attitudes have played a positive role in our group because I believe in the goals of our group. Because of this, I am happy to take an active role in participating. Our group goal is to promote a clean and safe environment because we believe it is an important part to "changing the world." We were pleased to find a public event taking place in April, which is now the primary goal of our group. We plan to attend the three-hour event during which we will participate and document our activity so that others can see how we have chosen to play our part in making a difference.

Possitive Attitudes

Team EPIC has had one main focus in this project, and that is to change the world through the environment. As a team member of the group EPIC I have cognitively felt that my team members have been fair when listening to my project ideas, structure, and layout. This has affected me to the thought that I like my fellow team members. Because of this, team EPIC has been productive in completing milestones, finding local events, and creating video ideas. By taking on the “leader” role in team EPIC I have noticed that each team member has gathered appropriate information, came up with clever ideas, and assured deadlines are met. I am pleased that my fellow teammates have been working so hard and have had a positive attitude because of it.

Josh Filo