Individual Reflection – (20%)

Throughout the term we have discussed the importance of strategic decision-making, especially in the world of procurement. We have also discussed that there is rarely a “right” decision and that even when based in logical frameworks, tools, and analysis, most strategic decisions are not fully objective. The personal experience, expertise, values and judgement of team members shape decision-making in procurement and supply chain roles.

The purpose of this assessment is to understand yourself as a decision-maker.

You will be asked to reflect on:

1.      The values/skills/perspectives/influences that shape you

2.      How those factors may influence your strategic decisions, especially in supply chain/procurement roles

This assessment is not evaluating whether your values, skills, perspectives and influences are “correct” or “good.” Instead, it evaluates your ability to critically reflect on how personal attributes shape professional judgement and decision-making.

Required Structure and Content

Part 1 – Personal Identity Map (Visual Component)

Create a visual “Personal Identity Map” that explores some of the factors that shape you. Your visual should include the following three categories:

1.  What I Value (Values)

Identify the personal values or principles that are important to you. Examples may include:

excitement

2.  What I’m Good At (Skills/Strengths)

Identify personal strengths, abilities, or qualities that you associate with yourself and/or how you contribute to your family, friends, job, community, etc. Examples may include:

3.  What Shapes Me (Influences)

Identify what shapes your perspective, values, or development. Examples may include:

How to present this section:

Your visual should help you organize your thoughts and demonstrate meaningful reflection

The visual may take the form of:

The goal is to have a minimum of FIVE words listed in each of the categories. There is no maximum.  Although you are encouraged to be creative in how you present your categories, be sure any words are clear enough to be read.

Your visual component is being evaluated on 2 criteria:

1.  Visual layout, presentation and creativity

2.  Effort: quality and completeness

Examples

Mind Map Format:                                                                           Compass:

Some interesting resources:

•        Ikigai     

•        Schwartz’s 10 Basic Human Values (It’s Wikipedia, but it’s a good overview)

•        Values Sorting Exercise

•        Values & Decisions

•        Values & Mind Maps (A bit self-growth focused, but interesting)

•        Core Values at Work (A good list of core values at the bottom of the article)

Part 2: Written Reflection

Section 1: Identifying the Roots

Choose three values, skills, or personal influences identified in your personal identity map.

For each of the three selected:

A. Briefly explain what the value, perspective, or skills means to you.

       e.g. If you value “loyalty”, what does that mean to you to “value loyalty”?

B. Briefly explain where/how you think this value, perspective, or skill might have developed

e.g., family, culture, religion, sport, work experience, education, hobbies, challenges, personal experiences (tell the story), community involvement, etc.

C. Provide at least one specific example of a situation when this value/perspective/skill influenced or shaped a decision you made. This does not have to be profound and you are not being assessed on whether you made the “right” decision.

Try to move beyond general statements. Instead, demonstrate clear connections between your perspective/value/skill, its roots and its impact on decision making. Tell the stories and be specific.

Section 2: Benefits and Risks in the Professional Setting

Effective leaders and decision-makers must understand their strengths, their areas for growth and the lens through which they see the world. It is important to reflect on the potential limitations, biases, and trade-offs that may influence their judgement in a professional setting.

In this section, critically reflect on:

A. How your values, skills or perspective may positively influence (benefit) your ability to make decisions within a professional supply chain or procurement role.

Ø  Do you value decisiveness?

Ø  Were you raised to be outspoken?

Ø  Are you good at seeing the “big picture”?

Ø  Are you good at being analytical?

Ø  Have you had to make big decisions before?

B. Briefly explain 2-3 specific sourcing situations where you may struggle to make a fair decision because it would seem ambiguous to you, or it aligns /conflicts very strongly with your values or priorities.

Ø  What industries or types of companies would I struggle to work with, or for?

Ø  What industries or types of companies would I have trouble critically analysing/judging?

Ø  Could my decision-making become too ____________ (risk-averse, overly competitive, highly idealistic, overly cost-focused, etc.)?

Ø  Try to clearly identify potential blind spots, preferences or biases that may skew you towards or away from a particular supplier or industry

Examples of connections (Please DO NOT use a table in your reflection):

C. How you may need to adapt when working with people, cultures, or organizations with values different from your own.

Ø  If I must work within a situation I am struggling with, what could I do to make it more successful for all involved?

Ø  During situations when my values may conflict with organizational goals, what would I do?

Ø  How can I stay true to myself, but work with others in a way that accommodates their perspectives? Do I always need to accommodate their perspective?

Ø  What might I need to learn, or practice, to navigate these situations?

Overall, strong reflections will demonstrate self-awareness, honesty, critical thinking, and an understanding that strategic decision-making often involves balancing competing priorities rather than finding perfect solutions.

Your written reflection is being evaluated on 3 criteria (in order of importance):

1.      Depth of Reflection & Personal Insight

The quality of explanations, specificity, storytelling, and meaningful connections between experiences/values/skills.

2.      Critical Thinking & Self-Awareness

Whether you are endeavoring to recognize your potential biases, blind spots, trade-offs, conflicting priorities, and limitations.

3.      Application to SCM/Procurement Decision-Making (Section 2)

Whether you can identify sourcing/procurement/supply chain scenarios in which strategic decisionmaking will need to take place, and personal values/skills might come into play.

Guidelines

• Submissions must be in Microsoft Word or PDF format Ø Submission must include:

1.      Visual(s) of personal identity map

2.      Written reflection

3.      APA-formatted reference list (If necessary)

4.      Gen AI declaration

§  Tool(s) used: (e.g. ChatGPT, Copilot; include version if known)

§  Purpose of use: (e.g. outlining, refining wording)

§  Extent of use: (e.g. minor phrasing support; no content generation)

§  Verification: how factual accuracy and sources were checked (where relevant)

Ø  The written reflection should be around 600 – 800 words (excluding values map, reference list, and any tables/appendices).

Ø  All word counts are recommendations. Focus on quality explanations, not word volume.

You are being assessed on your clarity, reasoning, and critical thinking – not your word count.

Ø  Be honest. This exercise is for your benefit and the only person who will be reviewing your writing is me. I will not be sharing any part of your submission with any other person present or future.

Ø  If you need any references, you must use APA referencing accurately.

This includes:             Correct in-text citations

                                  A complete APA reference list

Proper attribution for tables, figures, and external data sources

6

Expert Help With This Assignment — On Your Terms