This document discusses the results of the author's StrengthsQuest assessment, which identified their top five strengths as belief, responsibility, developer, futurist, and strategic. The author analyzes how each strength fits their personality and goals. They then discuss how their variety of strengths makes them well-suited for interdisciplinary work, and how different strengths contribute to team success. The author provides an example of how their strengths could help address the complex issue of organic versus non-organic farming.

1. RUNNINGHEAD: STRENGTH QUEST
Strength Quest
Allison Sheats
INTS 3350
Dr James Childers
Texas Tech University

2. STRENGTH QUEST 2
Top 5 Strengths
After taking the strength quest it found my top five strengths are belief, responsibility,
developer, futurist, and strategic. When looking at the theme descriptions it states belief
generally are people that have certain values that are unchanging in their life, meaning their
values determine their purpose in life. I do not find this surprising at all since I am deeply rooted
in my faith, and have always felt my career should be oriented around serving my Lord as well
as following his path laid out for me. My next strength responsibility, people with this
characteristic take psychological ownership of what they say they will do, and are committed to
stable values such as honesty and loyalty. This most definitely fits me as I am a person that
definitely sticks to always doing assignments to my best ability and promptly on time or many
times earlier than due. I am also very loyal to friends and constantly put blame on myself for
issues. My next strength found was developer, these individuals look for the potential in others,
as well as seem places for small improvement and are satisfied when making these improvement.
The part of looking for potential in others definitely pertains to me, as I am someone who likes to
see the best in others. I have done much volunteer work with children in poverty and I feel this
relays perfectly to the developer. With these kids I truly seek to push them to become something
more than they ever thought possible. Futuristic was another strength found for me, these
individuals are inspired by the future and love inspiring others with their visions of the future. I
have always been a dreamer and firmly believe the future can hold so much. For example, I
graduated high school early as I had already planned my future out and could not wait to get
started. Lastly, strategic was found as a strength, people like this like to create alternative ways
to proceed, and can easily spot relevant patterns and issue. I feel this most stick out to my
interdisciplinary quality, as this strength looks outside the “box” and assess all the possible

3. STRENGTH QUEST 3
routes to assess the present situation. By having this wide array of strength I think it makes a
purposeful interdisciplinarian. To successfully be an interdisciplinarian one must be able to
successfully pull from multiple different subjects and make them work mutually together. Same
goes for the strengths, by utilizing all of one’s strengths they are going to be much more
successful in the business world than relying simply on one individual strength. For example, if I
were to posses the strength of futurist but not responsibility or strategic; it would be impossible
to ever get anything accomplished. The responsibility aspect ensures that I will promptly
complete the tasks promised; I could have many great ideas for the future but if I cannot
complete the work nor can concoct a strategy, my ideas simply stay ideas and not reality.
Connection
“A team is a specialized group with a performance objective or goal that required
coordinating activities” (Klein, 2009, p. 24); teams make up a group of people that share a
purpose and have a consciousness of membership. Interdisciplinary team work however, adds a
different spin on the typical team; they operate in a more complex environment (Klein, 2009, p.
27). First off, interdisciplinary teams are an open, not closed system, as well as more
heterogeneous membership that welcomes many individuals from different fields (Klein, 2009,
p. 27). Interdisciplinary teamwork is open minded as well as, allows for free flow of thought
from multiple disciplines and backgrounds. Not only does it bring multiple perspectives, but it
also brings multiple strengths by bringing people from all disciplines to make one cohesive
group.
In order to be successful as teams one “needs a results-driven structure, clear roles, and
effective communication system, methods of monitoring performance and giving feedback, and a

4. STRENGTH QUEST 4
means of recording and making fact-based judgments” (Klein, 2009, p. 29). This is where the
various strengths people possess come into play. For example my strength of responsibility
would be effective in making sure each of these important duties listed above are successfully
being done; such as making sure there are clear roles and monitoring performance. Furthermore,
my strength of strategic could assist in the role of fact-based judgments as well as ensuring a
effective communication system. According to Klein “the greater the level of integration desired,
the higher the level of collaboration required” (Klein, 2009, p. 35), this shows teamwork is
necessary, if individuals in the team are lacking strength in effectively melding with others, such
as consciousness, it would be nearly impossible to effective collaborate, meaning nothing would
be accomplish efficiently or effectively. The article gives an example, stating that teaching is the
typically the lowest area of collaboration, meaning individuals fail to collaborate on areas such
as teaching strategies, reading, materials needs, and testing and evaluations (Klein, 2009, p. 37).
It is easy to see that this could easily be a problem; imagine an elementary school where teachers
never collaborated. Therefore, potentially a second grader with one teacher could have a
completely different learning experience than a second grader that has been placed in another
classroom. It is no secret all individuals possess different strengths, for example if were a teacher
one of my strengths would be futuristic, meaning I would be focusing on pushing the children to
be the best they could be. However, I could be lacking in the strength of positivity, meaning I
would not be enthusiastic about what I am teaching, meaning the children would not absorb the
material effective; essentially meaning my futurist goal for them would not be feasible.
Furthermore, another teacher could posses the strength of activator, meaning they turn thought
into action; therefore, their help and collaboration would make my goal possible.
Complex Problem

5. STRENGTH QUEST 5
When identifying complex problem, an interdisciplinary outlook is the most beneficial.
When adding interdisciplinary teamwork this makes the issue at hand most effectively solved. A
complex problem at hand could be organic foods versus nonorganic foods. This is an issue where
it is imperative to have multiple various disciplinary perspectives. It is important outline the
many disciplines that can go into analyzing the complex problem; examples are agriculture,
environmental, health sciences, finance, business, and marketing. These are important because
it’s imperative to look at the logistic behind it, meaning is it the most efficient way to feed the
world, as well as weighing out the effects on the environment and the health of individuals.
Furthermore, it is important to examine the money making business side of this issue. That is
where finance, business, and marketing come into play. This can look if organic farming is a
marketing scheme to simply sell foods for higher prices, as well as the marketing on the labels to
make individuals believe what they are buying is superior. By breaking it down to multiple
discipline it then can somewhat divide what area of the complex issue each team member needs
to focus on or contribute to. Without doing this, the conclusion on this issue could easily become
biased, or simple not fully analyze before coming to conclusion; which could lead to a possible
incorrect conclusion. Generally speaking people choose different disciplines based upon their
strength, the discipline suits them as it is something they are “good at” because of their strengths.
Therefore, someone with an agriculture background must be strategic as well as responsible.
Furthermore, someone with a business or marketing background would most likely have the
strength of futuristic and focus.
The strength I would have to play into this complex issue would be my belief, meaning I
hold strong morals, therefore, when decided on if organic or nonorganic farming is better. I
would hold tight to what I felt was right, meaning what I felt was the best for each individual as

6. STRENGTH QUEST 6
well as what is best for environment. This would also tie into my strength of responsibility,
meaning I would want to be stable and honest; I would not be able to skew false information in
order to possibly sway an opinion in a way that would be beneficial to me. Lastly, my strength of
being strategic would play a role as well. This strength can spot patterns or issue, enabling me to
see where maybe some information has been glamorized or falsified. It would help me be able to
accurately compare each side of the argument; with this issue each side makes claim completely
opposite of the other side; so spotting patterns and irregularities is imperative to make a
conclusion. Furthermore, the use of my strategic strength could also find alternative resolutions
to this issue that may have not been seen before. Essentially, this would mean possibly finding a
“happy medium”, between these two opposing side. A medium that is sustainable to the
environment, the most efficient and effective way to feed the world, as well as offering healthy
options to the world.
Conclusion
It was found that my strengths are belief, responsibility, developer, futurist, and strategic.
I believe these fully outline who I am as person. I am person who hold strong to her morals and
faith, and through that it truly determines everything I do in life. This meaning, I am honest and
fair, and truly seek the best in other individuals. Furthermore, I follow every task I begin
thoroughly. I am also a dreamer, who thinks the future can have grand plans and overthinks
everything in order to find the most strategic plan to achieve my goals. Furthermore, by finding
these results and carefully analyzing what each strength means; it set me up to be a great team
player. By understanding what I am good at and what I can offer to a team, it allows me to go
into a group setting confidently as well as allows me to be a more effective member of the group;
or lead when necessary. Interdisciplinary teamwork is not just looking at the various disciplines

7. STRENGTH QUEST 7
each team member has to offer; instead it also utilizes the strengths each team member brings
with them. Furthermore, interdisciplinary team work offers an open system versus a closed
system, allowing for the free flow of ideas. Making this kind of teamwork truly the most open
minded. This is especially effective when solving or discussing complex problems; for example
organic farming versus nonorganic farming as discussed above. Interdisciplinary teamwork
allows teams to search through many scopes and views, thus bringing forth more thoroughly
researched conclusions.

8. STRENGTH QUEST 8
Works Cited
Klein, J. (2009). Interdisciplianary Teamwork: The Dynamics of Collaboration and integration.
Interdisciplinary collaboration: an emerging cognitive science, 23-50.

9. STRENGTH QUEST 9
StrengthsQuest Grading Rubric
Criteria
Points
Possible
Points
Earned
General
Paper adheres to APA formatting (title page, citations, references
page, etc.). Filename correct. This rubric pasted at the end of the
assignment.
10
Writing is clear with appropriate grammar, spelling, and
punctuation. Headings are appropriately labeled
10
Top 5 Strengths (500 words)
Clear identification of the student’s top 5 strengths. Student
adequately discusses each of their strengths.
20
Connection (500 words)
Student discusses concept of interdisciplinary teamwork. 10
Student connects 5 strengths with the concept of interdisciplinary
teamwork
10
Complex Problem (500 words)
Identifies and discusses a global complex issue where
interdisciplinary teamwork might be beneficial.
5
Student discusses at least one of their top 5 strengths in how they
might lead an interdisciplinary team in providing potential solution
to complex problem.
15
Conclusion (250 words)
Student articulates a conclusion specific to his/her top 5 strengths
and potential for interdisciplinary leadership.
20
Total 100
Instructor Comments: