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Archives of Business Research – Vol. 11, No. 9
Publication Date: September 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/abr.119.15542
Ward, J. G., Ward, Y. D., Wells, J., & Bejot, K. (2023). Superior Performance Competencies Achieved Through Destination
Imagination Experiences. Archives of Business Research, 11(9). 219-235.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Superior Performance Competencies Achieved Through
Destination Imagination Experiences
James G Ward
Robbins College of Business and Entrepreneurship,
Fort Hays State University, Kansas, United States
Yaprak Dalat Ward
College of Education, Fort Hays State University,
Kansas, United States
Johnny Wells
Destination Imagination, United States
Kimberly Bejot
Destination Imagination, United States
ABSTRACT
Today’s workforce not only requires specific content-area knowledge and skills
achieved through formal education but also, and most critically, superior
performance competencies including distinguishable behaviors. While formal
education prioritizes easily detectable and measurable content-specific knowledge
and skills, superior performance competencies such as cognitive, affective, and
motivational skills remain secondary unless students engage in extracurricular
activities in real-world settings. This qualitative study investigated the
phenomenon of achieving an array of superior performance competencies through
learning by doing, at one of the 2023 Destination Imagination events. This study
marked the first fieldwork in which the principal researcher directly observed the
event in its natural setting. Data were collected, analyzed, and interpreted
concurrently during the event by means of observations, ordinary conversations,
and an informal interview. The inductive data analysis included analytic memos,
and midway hypothesis coding which confirmed the significance of immersing in
such activities and resulted in two major findings: 1) participating in such
meaningful real-world activities cultivates distinctive behaviors that drive
exceptional performance, positioning participants to stand out among their peers;
and 2) this involvement also equips students with the capabilities to excel upon
entering the workforce, ensuring superior employee performance in their roles.
Keywords: Destination Imagination Educational Experiences, Destination Imagination
Global Finals, Learning by Doing, Superior Employee Performance, Real World Activities,
Workforce Skills.
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Archives of Business Research (ABR) Vol. 11, Issue 9, September-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
INTRODUCTION
Ample studies indicate that formal education hardly prepares students for superior
performance described as “one standard deviation above average performance...roughly the
level achieved by the top 1 person out of 10 in a given working situation” (Spencer & Spencer,
1993, p. 13) unless students make an effort to improve their superior competency
characteristics by means of learning-by-doing, involved in experiences such as extracurricular
activities (ECA) in real world settings which promote character building/strengthening, life
learning skills, interpersonal skills and cognitive abilities. Although these skills are listed as the
most critical skills by numerous companies, “business schools have been criticized for not fully
developing critical thinking and analytical skills” (Daspit & D’Souza, 2012, p. 666) which also
applies to other school programs. In general, formal education is designed to prepare students
for effective performance described as “minimally acceptable level of work” (Spencer & Spencer,
p. 13). However, a competitive and continually disrupted labor market demands superior
performance competencies, not only when hiring but also following the hiring process, in
expected roles and responsibilities.
The significance of this study derived from the gaps in formal education and the impact of
extracurricular studies in real-life circumstances regarding positioning participants to stand
out among their peers; providing them with capabilities to excel in life, and upon entering the
workforce and as they perform their roles. In addition, there was limited research on
Destination Imagination (DI) Educational Experiences directly related to superior performance
competencies. Moreover, this study marked the first fieldwork in which the principal
researcher directly observed the event in its natural setting.
This particular program was purposefully selected 1) due to the DI’s organizational mission,
vision, and the numerous messages it conveyed to K-12 and higher education students and their
parents: “the Destination Imagination global community is united by a core belief that when
students have the freedom to grow and collaborate without boundaries, their confidence
explodes and the world opens up to them in new ways.” (DI, 2023, para. 1) and 2) due to how
DI is making a difference in the lives of students.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the phenomenon (Patton, 2015) of super
performance competencies by means of a DI experience, in this case the 2023 DI Global Finals
event. It is important to note that DI Educational Experiences are made up of both Team
Challenges where teams find solutions to challenges and the Tournaments where solutions are
showcased. The core research question was: What are the superior performance competencies
achieved through a DI experience?
To be able to collect reliable data, it was critical to first understand the organizational context
and the experience of the participants attending the event. For this reason, the principal
researcher was invited by a DI Team Manager from Nebraska, Unites States to attend the 2023
affiliate DI challenges. With this first fieldwork, the researcher employed pre-identified
questions to be able to effectively observe and reflect on the event which prepared the
foundation for the second fieldwork which took place at the 2023 DI Global Finals event in
Kansas City, the Unites States.
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Ward, J. G., Ward, Y. D., Wells, J., & Bejot, K. (2023). Superior Performance Competencies Achieved Through Destination Imagination Experiences.
Archives of Business Research, 11(9). 219-235.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.119.15542
Textual data were collected at the 2023 DI Global Finals and included observations, ordinary
conversations and an informal interview, and were collected during this second fieldwork. Data
collection, analysis and interpretation were completed concurrently (Bogdan & Biklen, 2003)
during the fieldwork. Due to the professional background and expertise of the principal
researcher, the field notes were in the form of analytic memos. Hypothesis coding was applied
midway. As a follow up, official documents and organization videos were reviewed to reinforce
the principal researcher’s interpretations. Additionally, for member checking (Creswell &
Guetterman, 2019), the interpretations were shared with the DI Team Manager in Nebraska
and the DI Director of Education, resulting in confirmation of the findings. Two findings derived
from the data analysis and interpretation and included 1) participating in such meaningful real- world activities cultivates distinctive behaviors that drive superior performance, positioning
participants to stand out among their peers; and 2) this involvement also equips students with
the capabilities to excel upon entering the workforce, ensuring superior performance in their
roles.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The workforce is continually forced to adopt and adapt to new technological advances
(Flanding, Grabman, & Cox, 2019) necessitating new knowledge, skills and literacies not only
from employees but also from job seekers. For job seekers, given the disruptions and
competition, adding more transversal or cognitive skills to be able to work across jobs and work
contexts (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2021a) becomes
an added bonus to core personality characteristics which promote distinguishable behavior.
While upskilling in companies becomes essential in improving technical skills and new
literacies, the foundation of such adaptability lies in the strength of one’s core personality.
Skills and Competencies
This research makes a distinction between skills and competencies which are often used
interchangeably by many. Skills are described as “the ability to perform a certain physical or
mental task” (Spencer & Spencer, 1993, p. 11) and make up one of the competency
characteristics. Competencies, however, are the “underlying characteristics of people...a fairly
deep and enduring part of a person’s personality and can predict behavior in a wide variety of
situations and job tasks” (Spencer & Spencer, p. 9).
In addition to skills, the other four competency characteristics include 1) motive, described as
“the things a person consistently thinks about or wants that cause action,” 2) traits, described
as “physical characteristics and consistent responses to situations or information,” 3) self- concept, described as “a person’s attitude, values and self-image,” and 4) knowledge, described
as “information in specific content area” (Spencer & Spencer, 1993, pp. 9-10).
Knowledge and skills learned through formal education are considered part of a surface
competency and are not only measurable but are also easily detectable on job applications and
at interviews. However, competency characteristics which are the most complex and are
challenging to understand are the parts which make up the core personality of a person and
include traits, self-concept, and motive. These characteristics are hidden and cannot easily be
detected. Because the hidden parts predict personality characteristics (McClelland, 1973), at
interviews, they can be deciphered by experts. One way of detecting these characteristics is by