Tues Nov 25th

I found today’s class to be very fun and appealing. Everyday we are faced with decisions that may impact the rest of our lives, our future, and our loved ones, but how often must we think about our ability to survive tomorrow. Our focus is usually on our ability to survive in the long run. Today’s activity helped me to realize how we all make crucial decisions everyday that impact our survival for tomorrow. The activity we did in class was done individually and then in a group. In most cases, decisions made as a group were much more effective than decisions made alone. This is because 2 heads are better than one; people who come from different backgrounds and who go through different experiences can help an individual who has not undergone certain experiences. For example, someone like me, does not understand the purpose of steel wool. I thought it was merely a tool to scrub dishes, whereas someone who has actually used it as a tool to help start a fire will tell you it can be a lifesaver. What does all this mean? It can be concluded that when making decisions, individuals should always consult with others as it can often be more valuable than damaging as seen in today’s class. This can be generalized to the business world when making decisions on what product to market, who to market to, how to package, how to price, etc. The bottom line is that it is always important to consult with others, and work with others when having to make significant decisions. This is what I took away from today’s lecture, and had we not completed this exercise today, I would still be making important life changing decisions on my own, but now that I know the difference a group effort can make, I will surely ask others for their input.

I cannot think of many strengths that I can bring to decision making, however, I can think of a few challenges. For starters, I believe that I am a very emotional person, and by doing the MBTI test, my suspicion has been confirmed, as I scored very high on the feelings portion. Being emotional is not always good as many of my decisions are impacted by how I am feeling, and what mood I am in, opposed to what is right for me, and what is right for others. Secondly, I tend to make decisions very quickly as I am a very rash and impatient person; I like to get things over with so I can move on to other issues, therefore I do not spend too much time on making decisions. Thirdly, I tend to experience a phenomenon referred to as mental set, in which once I have an opinion on something, it is very hard to change it; in other words, once I firmly believe something, it will take a lot for me to change my mind. Mental set occurs when a problem solver keeps using the same solution that he or she has used in previous problems. If I think I have a solution to a problem, I will stick to that solution. I think I act this way because I do not want to second guess myself and have doubts about my decisions, I don’t want to spend time obsessing over my decisions, in other words, I do not want to experience cognitive dissonance.

In order to become a better decision-maker, I need to try and be less emotional, and perhaps spend more time making decisions. This will help me in the business world, for example, as I will learn to make more effective organizational decisions, opposed to rushed ones. In addition, I should ask the opinions of my coworkers who come from diverse backgrounds, as they can offer some insight, this may help get rid of my cognitive mental set, and help me open up a bit more. Perhaps I should also engage in exercises in which I can reduce my way of thinking. For example, I took a cognitive psychology course in which people who experienced my mental set problem were instructed to perform an activity (refer to the 2 figures below). People have difficulty solving these problems as they experience functional fixedness, a subset of mental set, where they fixate on representing the object according to its conventional function and fail to represent its novel function, as people cannot think outside the box; this is something that also occurs during decision making, when you are convinced there is only one correct way to solve a problem, or one correct decision due to past experiences and biases. By engaging in the activities mentioned above, I will be able to open up my mind and engage in more effective decision making.

Figure 1:
Maier (1931) Two-string Problem:
Problem solver is asked to tie two strings together that are hanging from the ceiling. Because the strings are too far apart to be held at the same time, one of them needs to be reformulated as potential pendulum. The solution is to tie a heavy object (I.e. paint brush) to one of the strings, set it into motion, and then grasp the other string.

Figure 2:
Duncker (1945)-Candle Box

Candle box problem diagram
In a classic experiment demonstrating functional fixedness, Duncker (1945) gave participants a candle, a box of nails, and several other objects, and asked them to attach the candle to the wall so that it did not drip onto the table below. Duncker found that participants tried to nail the candle directly to the wall or to glue it to the wall by melting it. Very few of them thought of using the inside of the nail box as a candle-holder and nailing this to the wall. In Duncker’s terms the participants were “fixated” on the box’s normal function of holding nails and could not re-conceptualise it in a manner that allowed them to solve the problem.

november 18th

Conflict occurs in every aspect of everyone’s life; whether it is with family, friends, work, social institutions such as churches or shopping malls, conflict is here to stay! The important thing is not how many conflicts you have, but how you resolve them. The way I deal with conflict depends on my power over the situation. For example when I have conflicts with friends or siblings, I am more likely to use a forceful style in which I may try to win at someone’s expense. If, however, I have a conflict with a professor or a parent, I am more likely to use an accommodating or avoiding style. The former referring to me giving in to others, and not paying attention to my own interests, and the latter referring to avoiding conflict altogether.

In order to improve my conflict resolution skills when working in a team, for example, I should make sure that all rules and procedures are clarified before hand so that misunderstandings are reduced. I should also reduce interdependence among group members, which may be hard when completing an assignment together, but if I am aware prior to the assignment that I will be working with people who I find hard to cooperate with, I should perhaps take on more work that is independent, and less work that requires me to work with others. If the technique mentioned previously does not work, I should try to improve communication with the rest of my group members by talking our differences out in a mature manner. Another technique, which I have used in our MGM300 career project group, was reducing differentiation. As I mentioned in my previous blog, we all went out for dinner and found that we have common backgrounds and experiences; for example we are all interested in accounting! I think another really important technique that is used more often than we think is emphasizing superordinate goals, in which all members agree on common objectives that are more important than individual differences and or goals; this in turn helps to reduce the problems group members have with each other as they are focused on getting the task done. For example, in university everyone is concerned with marks, and it is everyone’s common goal to get a good mark, this is a superordinate goal. Conflict arises, however, when people have differing definitions of what a good mark is; for example good mark to me is anything above an 80, but to others it is anything above a 60 or a 70, and for some it may be anything that is a passing grade! To solve this problem, I would need to use one of the other techniques mentioned above such as improving communication and understanding in which I may ask all group members to write on a piece of paper what mark they hope to obtain in the assignment, and then communicating an average of all the desired marks, so people are more clear on how much effort is needed for the assignment.

The case scenario given in the blog jog was “If I was a manager and two of my direct reports were arguing over who had lead responsibility for a project I just assigned to them, what would I do?”

I would improve communication and understanding by clarifying the fact that no one has a lead responsibility over the assignment, and the two individuals are expected to work together. To help the two get started, I would help them to clarify the work that needs to be done, and help them make a checklist of all the tasks, and then I would tell them to divide the work up evenly and create deadlines for each component to ensure that everything is done on time. Finally, I would encourage (NOT force) the two individuals to go for lunch so that they can get to know each other better, and see if they have common backgrounds and experiences which will help them to collaborate more effectively. Some drawbacks of this approach is that maybe by going out for lunch the two will not find any common ground, and will dislike one another even more. In addition, by not assigning someone to be the leader, both individuals may slack off on the project as there is no one keeping track of who is doing what.

Nov 11.08

Communication is a very integral part of our daily lives. Yesterday we discussed the theory behind communication as well as its implications. In addition, we used real life examples to help depict how difficult something simple as talking to one another can really be. Before yesterday’s class, it never occurred to me that there was one particular aspect of communication that I find challenging, but after going through all those examples in class, I think I would have to say that it is probably the sending feedback to the sender stage. I feel that a lot of times I skip this stage and may not show the sender that I have received the message, and that I understand it. I believe that at times, I don’t engage in back-channelling when I should, which may cause the sender frustration, as he or she may be under the impression that I am not listening to him or her. For example in our career project group, an individual was giving out tasks to everyone, so he said to me, “You are responsible for finishing you part by October 25th”, and I did not nod, or indicate to him that I understood, so he had to ask, “did you hear what I said?”. If I had perhaps given him the appropriate feedback, he would have felt that I was listening to him.

I find that there are many challenges I face when it comes to communication; for example, I see the world through my own eyes, and not through those of others. When someone makes a point, or does something, I may not understand why they are doing what they are doing, and may think that it is unnecessary as I can only see the world through my own eyes. For example, our group had dinner at the Keg, and one of our group members who worked there, wanted to leave a huge tip, which I found to be completely unnecessary, I was shocked at how much he wanted to leave, as it was much greater than the standard 15%; later on when I thought about it, I realized that maybe he felt obligated to as he worked with our waiter, and it may have looked bad, if he did not leave more; but at the time when he did it, I could not see why, as I was only looking at the situation through my lens.

Selective listening is another big challenge that I face with my friends and family. I find that both my parents are so busy multitasking, that they only hear certain bits and pierces of what I say, and then I end up having to repeat myself later because they claim that I did not tell them earlier. I find this completely and utterly frustrating, but I doubt it will ever change. I think they are so use to doing multiple things at once, that it is now hard to have a conversation with them in which I do not have to repeat myself. For example, when my mom is driving, and someone is speaking to her, she hears like only 2 words, because she is trying so hard to concentrate on the road; so now if anyone is in the car with her, they just avoid talking altogether!

Although I mentioned several challenges to communication above, I believe that these challenges can be defeated using a few strategies that I commonly find myself engaging in; one very important one would have to be active listening. Active listening can only be done if you have mutual trust and respect with the other party, and if you are able to empathize with him or her. You cannot actively listen to someone you do not want to listen to; i.e. someone you do not respect or trust. In addition, you have to be open with one another and give each other feedback, as this opens up the lines to effective communication. For example, when I am in a group meeting, and I want to show the speaker that I am actively listening, I ensure that I do not interrupt him or her, I show that what he or she is saying is interesting by giving the speaker non-verbal feedback (i.e. eye contact), in addition, I show that I empathize with the speaker by being able to relate and understand what he or she is communicating, and I would clarify their message in the end by asking follow up questions. An example of this process would be as follows:

I am having a conversation with my best friend “Mary”, who is speaking to me about her frustration with her boyfriend “John”.

Mary: Nurin, I just don’t get it, he does not call me unless I call him! Like I mean we have been….

Nurin: (does not interrupt, and lets Mary continue to speak, but shows Mary eye contact, and uses facial expressions)

Mary: We have been going out for 6 years, and John still never calls me on his own.

Nurin: (waits for a gap in which she can provide feedback): Mary, I totally understand what you’re going through, I know how annoying it can be when your boyfriend does not call you, it makes you feel frustrated, right? (Follow up question)


The steps I outlined above are what I use when I show that I am actively listening to a friend, family member, acquaintance, co-worker, etc.

nov 4

In my experience, I have learned that leadership is the key to success. Tuesday’s lecture was all about leadership and the various styles individuals might employ. I believe the styles that would work best if a manager wanted to motivate me would be a supportive and participative style. I suspect that these two are best suited for me because of all the traits and characteristics I have learned about myself throughout this course. For example I have a high EQ (emotional intelligence), and a supportive manager who is encouraging, highly approachable, shows concerns for my needs and well being fits in appropriately with my personality. In addition, when I am assigned to a team, I feel that it is necessary that I am included in the decision making process, as this makes me feel more needed, and important. A participative leader would encourage me to help make decisions, and will consult with me, as well as ask for my suggestions and opinions on certain topics. This will in turn motivate me to do a great job, as I will feel the obligation to prove to my manager that I value the organization as much as the organization values me.

My manager in the summer had a directive and participative style of leadership. She used a more directive style with the summer employees, as we were more inexperienced than the normal staff. This sometimes made me feel worthless and unmotivated, as she would only consult the permanent staff with decisions. A lot of times I would overhear her asking the staff for their input on certain ideas, and I would find myself interrupting the conversation because I had the answer to her questions and concerns. Sometimes I felt less motivated to complete tasks as I felt that she did not respect me because she was under the impression that I had no experience; I would have definitely preferred a more participative leader who would ask for my input, and value my opinions.

Presently, I feel that I am more of a task-oriented leader; I prefer to get things done, and I don’t care too much about other people’s feelings during the process. I realize that this is not the best style, and I need to have a balance of both worlds, as it will help me in future group work. Currently, my group members may find me demanding, and would therefore be less motivated to complete work, but maybe if I was a bit more people-oriented, they may be more inspired to complete tasks. In order to become more people-oriented, I will need to have trust and respect for my group members, have concern for their individual needs, listen to their suggestions and advice, and support their interests. I think the hardest part will be to ask my group members for advice, because at times I feel as though I have all the answers. I must admit that sometimes I have the attitude “it’s my way or the highway!”, and this obviously needs to change if I want to become an effective leader. I can definitely start by asking for more input and advice from my MGM300 career project group members.

oct 28

The topic of discussion for Tuesday’s lecture was recognizing employee effort. If being a student was thought of as a job, the job characteristics that would score the highest would be task identity as student work generally requires completion of a whole identifiable piece of work such as an essay. Task significance would score high as well, as most work done in school is very important and affects our learning and abilities. Feedback, autonomy, and skill variety are all negligible as these are dependent on the course and instructor. This course, for example, has high skill variety as we are expected to complete various tasks that are all different and use many of our skills such as reading, writing, analytical and research etc. Autonomy is also a big characteristic in university especially for students transitioning from high school to university as a lot more independence is expected. There are however some courses in which there is limited independence as the instructor may give a lot of direction and instruction; this however, is not a bad thing at all. In this course for example, our instructor has created an outline for notes for us, she has given instruction on what we should focus on, this reduces our autonomy a little bit, but it increases task identity and task significance. This course also requires us to have autonomy, as our career projects are very independent and flexible on our schedules and preferences.

Professors in general could maybe explain tasks and how they relate to the course and why they are significant; this in turn will help to increase task significance as well as task identity. A big problem I find is that sometimes professors do not incorporate a variety of assessments to test our various talents and skills, and generally use only limited means of evaluation such as exams and essays. If professors increased the variety in which students were evaluated, this would help to increase skill variety which would use students’ various talents and abilities, and in turn help to increase self-confidence, among other things.

As I have mentioned previously in this blog, in the summer I worked for Toronto Social Services as a Support Assistant and performed tasks such as making phone calls, filing, scheduling appointments, mailing out letters, making photocopies, etc. This job had skill variety because I was able to use different skills and talents to complete various tasks, but at times it did get somewhat dull, as I found myself repeating some tasks more than others which was frustrating as I felt as though I could do a lot more with my time and knowledge. This position did offer a lot of autonomy, as a lot of the work was independent, and based on personal deadlines. There was definite task identity because we always had to start and finish something; nothing was left undone. Although it was hard to visualize task significance at times, I guess I could understand the importance of my job because I was dealing with customers frontline. How I treated and responded to customers would affect their overall view of the city of Toronto. Sometimes clients would call back and send cards to show their appreciation; this is an example of feedback from the job. Overall this position did include all five core job dimensions, even if it was sometimes hard to recognize.

class on Oct 21

Last Tuesday’s class was all about motivation. What gets people motivated at work? At school? In general? What motivates me to complete school work, including the career assignment for this class? What we learned in class today will help to answer the questions posed above.

First we talked about Maslow’s hierarchy. The needs that I am currently focused on would have to be all 5 of them: physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem and self-actualization! I don’t quite agree with the basic assumptions underlying this theory, but I do agree that all five stages are universal needs. I need food, water and shelter to survive (physiological). I need to feel safe and secure, and my environment has to absent of threat and illness (safety). I need love and affection from my friends and family (belongingness). I have the need to achieve and accomplish certain tasks such as finishing school, and getting a great job, furthermore, I need people to recognize my achievements (esteem). Finally, I have the need to help others, such as engaging in community service, which is something I do on a weekly basis (self-actualization). I feel that at all points of my life, these needs will be in existence, and they are all extremely important to me.

My motivation is impacted by my equity sensitivity. Equity sensitivity describes my perception of fairness in the distribution and exchange of resources. When I feel that I am doing a lot or most of the work when working with a group, I feel very unmotivated and frustrated. It annoys me to see social loafers, as I feel that it is not fair that they are getting a free ride. Although I feel less motivated to finish the assignment/task at hand, my need for achievement (esteem) kicks in, and I will complete the task anyways, as I do not want to risk receiving a poor mark. This can help me with current and future group projects by finding out what people’s needs are in my group, and trying to fulfill them. For example if everyone in my group wishes to get a good mark, and has a need for esteem and belongingness, I can make it clear to them that they have to put their fair share of work into the assignment in order to be well liked by others, and in order to receive a fair grade!

Motivation is an outcome of my expectancy for certain outcomes to occur. When I know an outcome is going to be positive, I am very motivated to perform the action which leads to the outcome. For example, I know that if I put my time and effort into my career assignment, I am likely to receive a good mark; this motivates me to work extra hard and receive a good grade as it significantly contributes to my final mark. The thing that puzzles me about expectancy theory is that if one’s outcome is likely to be negative, why bother performing at all? For example I use to work at Ontario Place, and one of my coworkers use to travel from Ajax to work, and she said it use to cost her $200 a month just for transportation. A typical cashier only made $500-600 a month as we got limited hours. In the end she was left with $300 per month with a job where she had to work very late hours and deal with angry customers; this was a very negative outcome, and I could never understand why she even bothered taking on the job. I would not perform a task that leads to a negative outcome, but I guess not everyone sees the world the way I do.

week six

Many perceptual factors have affected my impression of people, events, and situations. I feel that once I form an impression of someone, I keep that impression, and it takes a long time for me to think otherwise. First impressions are very important as I form ideas and generalizations about individuals and situations; this is referred to as the primacy effect. I also have formed as well as learned stereotypes about certain individuals or groups of people. Stereotypes can be seen in the media, as well as learned from your friends, family, or acquaintances. At times, stereotypes hinder my ability to see past a group or individual, as I find it hard to get past my assumptions; in the end, I am the one who loses out because I may not give some people a fair chance. For example I stereotype all boys as being immature, so if a really nice guy asks me out, I may reject him thinking that he is like all other boys-immature. A final perceptual factor that influences my opinions is the halo effect. If someone I just met has one outstanding factor, I am likely to presume that they also possess several other quality characteristics. Of course, real life has taught me that this is not the case at all!

I enjoyed learning about the Johari window today. I believe that my biggest quadrant would have to be “mysteries of life”. I feel that I may have a lot of qualities that I cannot see, and nor can others; or maybe I just can’t see them, and everyone else can, in that case my biggest quadrant would be blind spots. My smallest quadrant would probably be open area (public domain), because I believe that I do possess a lot of qualities, but it is very difficult for me to identify what they are as I do not just excel in one area, I find that I am pretty well-rounded; I believe that others see this trait in me as well.

The emotional intelligence survey confirmed my suspicion that I had a high EQ. I always knew that I was in touch with my feelings, and that I could express them very easily. I’m also aware that I can hide my feelings when necessary. I scored a whapping 113 on the questionnaire, which means that I have a strong ability to perceive and express emotion, understand and reason with emotion, as well as regulate emotions in myself and in others. There have been situations in which I have had to regulate my emotions, for example, I was let go from my first job, and I was so upset about it. I felt useless and depressed, but I couldn’t let my employer see that, so I had to hide my feelings. I think people who are very close to me would agree that I have a high emotional intelligence, but people who are acquaintances would probably guess that I would have a low EQ as I regulate my emotions around strangers. My emotional intelligence is definitely seen more by my friends and family than my coworkers, as I am more likely to express my true thoughts and feelings with people who are closer to me. In addition, I find it unprofessional to express your emotions in the workplace, many decisions should be made with your head and not your heart (for the most part), and by involving your emotions at the workplace, you can sometimes get so caught up with your feelings that you cannot look past certain things; as a result, your decision making skills are partial and biased.

lecture five

Yesterday’s class was pretty much a review for me. In second year I took a course called personality psychology, and in that class we learned a lot about ourselves. It was good to see how consistent my personality has remained over the past two years, especially in relation to OCEAN; or how the textbook addresses it: CANOE. The Myers Briggs inventory was new to me, and it was interesting to see where I stand relative to my peers. My personality type was XNFJ which means that I am both introverted and extroverted, and I use intuition, feelings, and judgments to make my decisions. This knowledge will help me to match my personality to a career that is best suited for me.

The textbook and lecture helped me to learn that I am more likely to set higher personal goals for myself, and I’m more motivated and have higher performance expectations than individuals with low levels of conscientiousness. In addition, I am more likely to provide better customer service. Now that I look back at myself, I can agree with all the statements above; I do set personal goals for myself, and I am very motivated when it comes to school.

The case we discussed today, “Pushing Paper Can be Fun”, is a classic example of what goes on in the workplace. No matter where you work, everyone always wants to do the fun stuff, but no one ever wants to do the dull and boring tasks. This goes for volunteer work as well. For example, most of my volunteer positions involve filling out a bundle of paperwork, following my shift, and I often find myself leaving these tasks to the last minute, as I do not want to complete them. I found that this one agency I volunteered with solved this problem during training. The agency made it clear that if we could not complete the paperwork, then we could not volunteer, as a big part of our job was ensuring that we had accurate and up-to-date paperwork in case of a lawsuit. I think that this is the best way to go about the problem in the case study. During training, potential officers need to be sure that their paperwork is complete, clear, and concise, as someone’s life may depend on it. Paperwork should be a requirement of the job, and it should be stated along with the job description. As for current officers, they should all be retrained in how to write and complete paperwork, and the importance of this task should be stressed during their training. In addition, the department should notify all officers that their job description has changed, and it is now absolutely mandatory for all officers to complete paperwork; if an officer does not fulfill these requirements, he or she will have to deal with the consequences (i.e. go through retraining, or work the graveyard shift etc.)

The MARS model we learned in lecture today helped to identify problems and issues in everyday situations. I found it to be extremely useful when analyzing the Pushing Paper Can be Fun case. I’m glad that we learned this model, as I will be able to apply it to everyday situations including my career project. Following my research, I will be able to see if I am motivated, have the ability to work as CA, what my role perception of the field was before and after my research, and what types of situational factors will effect my possibility of becoming a CA. This analysis will help me to evaluate if the career is indeed a perfect fit for me.

week four

When I get into the workforce, I would like the organization I work for to have a very strong culture. Having a strong culture will motivate me, and it will make me feel a part of the organization. I hope that the organization will have rituals and ceremonies such as rewarding employees for their hard work, dedication, and commitment.

I would like to be part of an organization that encourages teamwork, where employees work well together, where all employees are treated fairly and equally, and where management works hard to keep employees motivated and happy. In addition, I would like my organization to be innovative, and always experimenting with new ideas, and I would like my organization to be a fierce competitor. I think it would be great to work for a company that encourages employees to engage in social activities with one another both inside and outside the workplace. For example, my brother works for an insurance company that makes monthly trips to various destinations. Last month my brother and his coworkers took a bus trip to Niagra Falls, where they enjoyed a buffet dinner and a night of fun and games at Fallsview Casino. I think this really brings employees closer together; it’s easier for coworkers to find a common ground outside work if they have shared interests. This can ultimately help their relationship at work because they will work better together.

If I was a leader, I would make sure that social activities were arranged for all employees on a monthly basis. Furthermore, I would ensure that the structure of the building helped to promote social gatherings, i.e. having staff lounges with pool tables and fuse ball tables. I worked at Toronto Social Services this past summer, and every time it was someone’s birthday, or someone was leaving the team, the social committee would organize a big party in the staff lounge. Yes that’s right, we had a social committee!! They did a wonderful job with our events, and to raise money for the events, they would have a 50-50 draw every payday where staff members could buy a raffle ticket for $2, and half the money would go to the social committee, and the other half would go to a lucky winner. If I were a leader, I would definitely organize a social committee; I think it’s a great idea.

I found the readings for this chapter to be very informative. I was never aware of Realistic Job Previews (RJPs). I never thought that organizations would be willing to give out this type of information to potential employees. Before I work for an organization, I would very much like to have an idea of the organization’s balance of positive and negative information about the job and work related conditions; this will help me to decide whether or not the job is for me. If I were a leader, I would make sure that all potential employees receive an RJP; this would reduce overall employee turnover rates because employees will know what to expect. I believe that RJP’s prepare individuals, as well as give them a realistic view of what to expect. It should be mandatory for all organizations to provide this information to future employees.

In the readings, I also came across Scotiabank’s idea of a buddy system. I for one am very impressed with this concept. I think it’s a wonderful opportunity for newcomers to meet and make friends with the rest of the workforce. It’s sort of like a mentor-menti relationship. I would be very scared starting out a new job, but having someone to help me get use to the new procedures and rules would make all the difference in the world.

My final thoughts today are about the case discussed in class “Consolidated Life”. Basically Mike was having a hard time conforming to new organizational rules and standards. This organization was no longer a good fit for him; I think this whole ordeal could have been prevented if Mike was just given an RJP before he rejoined the organization; this way he could have seen all the changes and restructuring that took place during his leave. All in all, I am very proud of Mike’s decision to leave, and start off his own business, this was a very brave move on his part, however I still do have to side with Jack. When an organization starts off, there is a mission, and a vision, with this, there is a strategic plan that outlines the actions the organization will take, and how the organization plans to take on these actions. If someone in management is not abiding by this strategic plan, then they are being unfaithful to the organization’s vision and mission. I understand that Mike had talents that were incongruent with the organization’s strategy, but I think there was still a way for Mike to pay more attention to administrative duties and forgo his bad habits, and at the same time utilize his own management styles and skills; and this is where Jack comes into play. Jack was very inflexible and unwilling to find a balance between his management style and Mike’s management style; it was his rigidity that led to the ultimate downfall of Consolidated Life.

lecture trois

The case discussed yesterday, “Peter Dean”, was an excellent example of the types of dilemmas individuals face throughout their careers. I for one wanted Peter to go back to school and get his PhD. The case talked about how it was hard for Peter to find a job with other companies as his skills were too specialized in one area, and he could not fit into any position that other companies had to offer. This should have been the main indicator to Peter that he may have some tough time in the future with the skills he presently possesses. In the future, his job may become obsolete and he would be left with a small range of skills. He would not look very attractive to employers as he has only specialized in one area. He should have gone back to school to broaden his skills, and at the same time he could have earned a PHD, as well as gain a sense of satisfaction and completion. I understand that he does have a family to support and money could be an issue, however, many of our professors at the University of Toronto teach part-time, and work somewhere else. Peter could have been a part-time consultant, and a part-time professor; that way he could increase his skills, earn a doctorate, and not have to worry about money, as well as establish a name for himself. His potential clients would be very impressed if he was a professor because that would mean he has an abundance of knowledge in a particular area of interest.

The remainder of yesterday’s class was very helpful as we were able to explore our skills, and where they could come into play for potential careers. Today I learned that organizations are delayering at a fast pace, and hierarchies are becoming obsolete. I found this idea to be somewhat threatening because it would mean that there is very little room for movement within an organization. I always liked the idea of employee > supervisor > manager > director etc. To me, this meant that I would be able to work my way up. If I were to work for an organization that did not have a hierarchy, I would not be motivated to impress my boss because I would feel that no matter what I do, I will be in the same position for the rest of my life! I guess a solution to this problem is incentives. If organizations can no longer give out promotions, things like stock options, bonuses, etc would be excellent motivators.

Yesterday’s class has prepared me for what to expect when I graduate. It has familiarized me with how organizations have changed, and what potential recruiters are looking for. Knowing what kind of person I am, and what skills I possess will help me to look for an organization that I will nicely fit in with; one that has similar norms and values as me, one that is cultured, and well rounded, and finally one that lets me take on new and exciting challenges!

MGM300 thoughts on lecture numero deux

Today in class we did a few exercises on knowing yourself and on appreciative inquiry. Taking these self quizzes made me realize that I am a very organized and a methodological individual. I also learned that I may not be the best listener, and I react defensively to criticism. I think I react negatively to criticism because I may be under the impression that when people are giving me feedback, they are shutting down my ideas and they disprove my ideas; I need to realize that they are not necessarily disagreeing with all my ideas, but merely trying to broaden my horizons, and make me see things in a wider perspective.

From the appreciative inquiry exercise, I learned that I have worked well with many teams, and it was very difficult for me to pinpoint one in particular that I thought was the best. After thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that it was a group I worked with last year on a project called Inn at the Falls. This team had everything; Everyone participated actively at our meetings, team goals were understood and agreed upon by everyone, everyone listened to one another attentively, we all carefully worked through solutions to problems, everyone supported one another, and we communicated with each other effectively, no important decisions were made without consulting all group members, we were organized, and everyone was focused on making this project the best that it could be! And that it was!

Some improvements that could have been made were that the work was not split up evenly at times; some members took on more than others, so perhaps it would have been better to assign more duties to those who did not have very much to do.

These self assessments help me in my future in that they give me an idea of the type of person I am, and they help me to outline my strengths and weaknesses. It’s a good time to start setting realistic goals for myself, and I can practice these goals with my current team members. For example, when my group is giving me feedback, I shouldn’t take it to heart; I should use it to my advantage. Furthermore, I need to develop better listening skills; this is essential in the business world, as you are always working with groups. It’s very important that I take into account all my group members’ thoughts and opinions.

In lecture we talked about many topics, but one that struck me in particular was the idea behind social loafing. In almost all groups that I’ve had, I have experienced an individual who was a “social loafer”, and yes, I must admit, that I have been that person once or twice. Sometimes it is just easier to say let somebody else do it, especially when you have a team leader who is more than willing to do all the work, and insists on it. I blame the team leader and the person who is slacking because the team leader should not do all the work, but instruct and help “lead” the team in the right direction; the slacker on the other hand, needs to tell the team leader that he or she cannot take it upon him or herself to do all the work. It all boils down to communication!!! I find that social loafing occurs in situations where teams are big, and it is unnecessary for the team to be big. I have rarely experienced social loafing in small teams, because it is apparent and obvious so individuals are deterred from taking on this role. Teams should be limited in size, and usually no bigger than 5-6 people depending on the nature of the assignment. In the end it also does come down to effective communication; this is a skill that will never grow old.

MGM300 thoughts on lecture 1

OB is a multidisciplinary field as it contains theories from psychology, sociology, anthropology, etc. OB considers how people think, feel and act within organizations specifically. Taking a contingency approach to OB is very important as every situation is different, and no two problems are the same. There are no guidelines as to how to deal with every single situation, especially since every person is different, and will have a different view on how to deal with certain situations. Each problem should be given as much thought as the previous one. There are no shortcuts!

Some experiences that I have had that related to concepts and theories in this course include having to work with people in a team, having to accept workplace diversity, having to take on a leadership role, and being able to communicate with both members of my team, as well as outside sources. At an individual level, I have had to face issues dealing with ethics and values, such as having to choose whether or not I should report misconduct. I have also been in situations where I have had to choose whether I was willing to risk my job to help satisfy the needs of others. In addition, I have had the pleasure of working with individuals with thoughts and opinions very different from mine; and I use the word pleasure loosely, as at times it was very difficult and frustrating, but in the end it was worthwhile as we have learned in the first lecture that conflict can be a good thing within organizations. Being able to work with individuals whose opinions are different than yours helps you to become more well rounded, and it opens up your mind to new concepts and ideas. If everyone thought the same way as you, you would never learn anything.

I look forward to this course in that I hope to learn more about myself, and learn about the various changes taking place in organizations. I hope to learn new approaches to teamwork, and what it means to be an effective leader. Finally, I hope that this class will help me become better suited for my future career for whatever it is I decide to become.

This course so far seems very different from my other courses in that it seems more guided than most university courses. The professor has helped us by giving us an idea of what to look out for in the textbook by making an outline of our “bare bone” notes. I have never had a professor put so much work into a course, and I look forward to this class because I feel that the more a professor puts into the course, the more knowledge I can get out of it.

A challenge I may face is the group work component of this course, as I am usually use to being able to chose my own groups; however I look at this not as a drawback, but a learning experience as in the real workplace, people cannot choose who they do and do not work with.

Introduction

stay tuned for my thoughts on first lecture and the first chapter!