A630.8.4.RB - Build a Tower, Build a Team

After viewing Tom Wujec’s TED talk, I completely agree with his analysis of why kindergartners perform better at the challenge than MBA students.  When thinking about kindergartners, they are not going into a process with the idea that there is only one way to go about solving this problem.  They may not even look at it as a problem, and more of a task that together, they need to find a solution for.  I took many design classes when I was working on my undergraduate degree, and I remember in a Creative Thinking class that I was in, we were faced with many similar challenges and we had to work together as a group to find a solution.  As a contributor to a group, I always see myself as the person injecting weird ideas or saying whatever is on my mind.  When I learned about 100 mile per hour thinking, where you say whatever comes to your head first, I was hooked and used this method often in groups.  Usually, I don’t receive much attention for my suggestions, but I do recognize that what I do suggest is not going to be the solution for a final product, but they are strategies to help people think outside of whatever area they are too focused on.  When I think about this approach for me, I see a lot of similarities in the way kindergartners and children function and think.  They are thinking about whatever solution comes to mind first and are not concerned with whether or not it will work; its more about the process and refinement of the steps. 

This also plays an important role in the way we are educated and how that works to form our ways of thinking.  Children look at the tools they are given and see nothing more than what they are, whereas MBA students are looking at these tools as tools, cutting off any potential for creative ideas because they are too focused on what each item represents in terms of building a structure.  Children, on the other hand, are not so much focused on the individual pieces, but the way those pieces work together to build a structure.  Through trial and error, they are able to determine what will work best and what wont.  I also think another contributing factor to these results is experience and perceived views of other individuals.  I think most children interact with each other very similarly and are not focused on individual attributes of people, but instead on communicating and working together through fun.  MBA students are too focused on not just themselves, but the other team members, the competition, and the thought of failure.  The pressure, I believe, increases for adults because they are too focused on the goal and if they feel like they are reaching that goal, they go into panic mode.  I think these are learned and develop traits because you don’t see much of this behavior in children, even in sports.  Yes, children want to win at competitions, but they view the competition differently than adults, making their abilities to adapt to the process more efficient.

I think CEO’s tend to perform better with assistances because they are used to functioning in one way and the assistance have more experience in communicating in a variety of different ways, as well as offering strong management of group members and processes.  CEO’s are usually focused on the big picture in a broad sense, but on a daily basis, assistances have to focus on the details of different tasks and activities, making their thought process and ability to manage groups effectively more dynamic. 

The video relates to process intervention in a lot of ways.  I have always been interested in what Tom Wujec is discussing in his presentation.  I love creative ways to get people thinking and actively engaged in a learning experience, and I think group and team building through these types of activities is an effective way of highlighting these process intervention tools.  The first main topic related to process intervention tools includes the ability to problem solve and make decisions.  This always seems like the area where most teams struggle from my experience.  It is important to make sure everyone is heard and that all ideas are shared, while still maintaining progress.  You don’t want to get too stuck on the discussion step in these types of activities because then it becomes too focused on a final idea instead of a process.  Recognizing that, as a group, you are working together in a process and not just a final idea would be a crucial point to make.  What makes these activities more challenging is that through process and refinement, the discussion and group consensus comes from just doing instead of talking about it. 

Another important step would be to probe and ask questions while working on developing the process. If someone is on to something with the spaghetti, asking questions about their process and where they are going could help to spark more ideas and suggestions, furthering the process intervention method. 

Overall, I love the idea that Tom Wujec has shared and I think it can be an incredibly useful and beneficial concept that can help teams in all sorts of areas.  In my immediate career, I can see this being useful when working toward problem solving ideas.  Maybe not doing this exact activity, but utilizing the steps and the idea of process and refine, this would be beneficial in seeing that development of new hires is a journey and not something that happens right out of the gate.  These ideas can also help to build confidence and establish stronger staff in the long run.

A630.7.4.RB - Mastering the Art of Corporate Reinvention

Michael Bonsignore, CEO of Honeywell, provided some interesting insight into his thought process for taking a company that was struggling and turning it around to not only a profitable company, but a place that people want to work at.  He did this through establishing a new company culture, which has directly impacted the efficiency and happiness of the employees working at Honeywell.  From my own experience, I have always believe that if you are happy at a place you work and actually want to go to work everyday, you are going to effect the whole outlook of that company, especially if you are in a position where you are dealing with the public.  Bonsignore stated that he believes that providing recognition to employees and letting them see that they are important and an integral part of the organization will improve customer satisfaction.  He states that as a CEO, it is important to remember the path that got you to where you are now.  By doing this, he is better able to understand the wants and needs of the employees.  The Honeywell company started to give more choices and freedom to employees by asking them what they believed they could do well and then showed each employee the respect by letting them prove how well they could do a certain task.  According to Bosignore, this was a huge success and made a drastic difference in the productivity of the company, as well as the happiness of the employees.

The biggest barriers that I see based on the video is convincing everyone that the merger will in fact be successful and will lead the competition for the future.  Maintaining a strong vision that can help lead the company to success will be crucial in the development over time.  Another potential barrier is just the lack of control the airline industry has on certain aspects like weather and airports.  It can be difficult to have satisfied customers when certain elements are out of the company’s control.  Figuring out a way to compensate for these unknowns will also be critical in setting them apart from the competition.

Critical success factors that Honeywell should consider as it crafts its organizational strategies around a new culture include constant and effective communication, flexibility, customer understanding, incentive programs for employees, always be looking ahead, and embrace globalization and use it to your advantage.  Maintaining your employees’ happiness should be one of the first factors to focus on in developing and maintaining success.  Incorporating new types of structural change within an organization should also consider the effects on the employees.  With that said, a focus on behavioral strategies should be crucial in maintaining a successful transition in organizational structure change.  With changes in the structure, it is inevitable that new technology will be involved as well, so a constant focus on learning and expanding the knowledge of employees is also key in staying ahead of the game. 

Overall, I have experience what it is like to be a part of a company that has merged with several organizations.  Fruit of the Loom acquired Vanity Fair, Spalding, and Russell Athletics and from my experience, has struggled to maintain a positive merger experience.  The biggest issue I see is a lack of cohesion between the companies.  There is a difference in how each section is run, making it difficult for the company to work and build of one another.  They are all working in the same building, but you would never know they were functioning under the same organization.  A lack of cohesion and understanding of how each brand is run makes it difficult for each section to learn and grow.  When I first started working, I was part of a newly formed team that had people from multiple different newly merged brands.  There was a lack of understanding and communication between the individuals in the group because they all worked a different way and struggled to understand the other side.  That experience really taught me a lot about being a part of an organization that is struggling with a merger because I learned as an employee, it is key to always be learning and asking questions, that way you can get a better global understanding of the entire organization, and not just your one section.

References

Brown, D. (2011). An experiential approach to organizational development (8^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

A630.6.4.RB - 50 Reasons Not To Change/The Tribes We Lead

I have been in a lot of situations both in work and in my personal life where ideas have been brought up and discussed, but somehow they always end up in a negative light in the end.  I’d like to think that I am the type of person who enjoy to mix things and up and try out new ideas and when I am faced with a situation where someone doesn’t believe enough in the group or the idea, I feel like we are all missing out on a potential opportunity to learn new ways of thinking and develop new ideas and concepts. 

Recently, at my current job, we were given a new set of company standards that were to be followed.  At first, the standards seemed like unnecessary work to change a system that was already working.  I realized that that way just an excuse and that this might actually be more beneficial.  As I was thinking these things, one of my coworkers stated that she didn’t understand what the point of this was and commented that it was just going to make a situation that is working fine, become more of a hassle and become more disorganized.  She was using the excuse that if it isn’t broken, we don’t need to fix it.  After she made her opinions clear, we had no choice but to move on with the standards.  After several months of putting the new standards in place, the group has already developed a strategy for using the new standards and everything has become routine.  In the end, the situation came out fine.  I have realized throughout my life that I have been faced with doing a lot of things I don’t necessarily want to do, but after I do them, I realized that I actually benefited from the experience.  This has taught me to be more open to new ideas and recognize when I am making excuses to avoid an uncomfortable situation. 

With that said, I still end up using excuses when I don’t want to deal with something or just feel like it will be hassle to start at that point in time.  They are usually little opportunity, but I still catch myself making excuses.  I think the best way to overcome making these excuses is to realize that every opportunity that presents itself to you is an opportunity to learn and develop new ways of thinking that should not be passed up.

Seth Godin brought up some really interesting, and in my opinion, valid points about our changing society and the need for movements to start and be developed.  With the increase in globalization and the onset of social media and the multitude of ways that we can connect with people, mass marketing is just not the answer anymore to creating a real change.  Change starts with an idea and once that idea is voice on a platform that can connect to people, other people with similar thinking will see it and be drawn to it because they are finding individuals who are thinking like them.  This movement of connecting people can be incredibly beneficial to develop and carrying out news approaches and ways of thinking.  The internet has become a huge platform for sharing ideas and can be an incredibly useful tool for exploration and development of skills in different areas.  In my other graduate program, I am working toward an art and visual culture education degree, so these platforms have been very beneficial for me in the discovery of new ideas and potential problems in others areas of different cultures that I would otherwise not be exposed to.  These opportunities have helped me expand and broaden my way of thinking that helps me recognize that the culture I am in right now is not the only one and that there are many people facing similar issues or thinking about similar ideas that have different perspectives.

Brown, D. (2011). An experiential approach to organizational development (8^th ed.).  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Seth Godin: The tribes we lead | Video on TED.com. (2009, February 1). TED: Ideas worth spreading. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead.html

A630.5.4.RB - NASA Culture Change

NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe addressed NASA employees about a plan to bring about proposed changes to NASA’s culture after seeing the results from research conducted on the organizational culture at NASA and it’s potential effects and consequences.  After seeing the results, I think this meeting was held because O’Keefe recognized that there was a pretty large gap in communication and personal connections between upper and senior management and the employees at NASA.  Much of the research showed that upward communication was one of the biggest issues cited within the organization, which in turn, caused a lack of trust and feeling of self-worth within the NASA organization.  (NASA Facts, 2003)

While his thought process was in the right place, the type of change that needs to happen within the organization is better off seen, than heard.  Looking at the audience throughout the video highlighted a look that I am very familiar with, especially in a corporate environment.  At my previous job, I worked at a company that struggled in a similar way with upward communication and respect amongst employees.  I felt like we went through these types of meetings time after time and never really saw any changes.  After awhile, it began to make the situation worse because it felt like our thoughts were clearly expressed and obviously understood by upper management based on the meetings, yet they never came to fruition making it difficult to believe these types of meetings.  The audience in this meeting was no different than what I have experienced.  What makes O’Keefe difficult to believe is not necessarily his honest feelings toward the situation, but the knowledge that big changes need to happen which requiring a lot of self-reflecting for people not on stage with him.  He is one person, but it takes a whole organization to make the changes needed and sometimes it can be difficult to believe that those changes will happen on such a grand scale.  I don’t think anybody necessarily doubted his truthfulness within the speech, as he stated multiple times that he recognized that the change starts with him, hopefully showing a lot of character to the crowd that he is willing to learn and grow from this. I do think it will take action to really reinforce the validity of his speech to some in the audience however. 

The speech and discussion about the results would not be as relevant if NASA’s values were not brought up.  The values represent the ideal of the company culture and without placing a visual goal in mind for the audience and the company; the proposed plan would feel irrelevant.  Without NASA’s company values, there is no focus for the employees.  By reiterating the importance of these values, O’Keefe was working to establish a common ground for everyone to work within and work toward.  O’Keefe made sure to recognize the great things that the company has been doing to meet these values, while also highlighting areas that need work.  This was a great way to make the road to achieving cohesion easier to grasp.

While I am not a huge fan of the corporate meetings where discussions about what we are doing and what we can do to be better are the focus, I do recognize that there is a need for the company to connect with its’ employees and sometimes, when you are so far away from the connection, the easiest way to establish some sort of bond is through these types of meetings.  I also think the fact that NASA was in the wake of such an awful tragedy, it is important to remain a constant figure in the eyes of your employees – showing that you recognize that change needs to happen and that progress will be slow.  This, in some ways, at least keeps the conversation going whether negative or positive, and helps employees remember why they wanted to work there in the first place.  At my previous job, there was a campaign started to improve employee morale after recent layoffs and changes.  To most people it was a waste of money and time, but I noticed that every now and then, there was positivity and in the wake of a serious bump in the road for an organization, bringing about some sort of positive reflection, no matter how big, can make a big difference in the end. 

References

Brown, R. D, (2011). An experiential approach to organization development (Eighth edition.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

NASA Facts. (2003, March). Columbia Accident Investigation Board Member Biographies. (Retrieved from http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/2196main_COL_caib_bios.pdf

A630.4.4.RB - How Companies Can Make Better Decisions

Decision-making is valuable in a company, especially now that companies are becoming more complex and difficult to organize. If companies begin to understand the correlation between employee engagement and decision-making, the success of the company would most likely continue to improve. (Greenfield, 2004) I feel like from my personal experience, there is a definite direct correlation with decision effectiveness and employee engagement.  When employees are engaged, they tend to be more excited and enthusiastic about their work and the goal of their work.  They seem to ask more questions, become more involved, and be interested in sharing ideas.  According to Marcia Blenko, companies that are generally more stimulating places to work tend to have higher employee engagement, resulting in better performance both financially, and with decision making effectiveness.  What makes employees more engaged can be difficult to determine; however, research suggests that companies that have a strong, ethical company culture generally end up with superior financial performance. (Greenfield, 2004)

I feel like it starts with the company culture when working on building employee engagement and positive decision-making.  There are potential difficulties that can make working toward this goal more challenging however.  Some of the obstacles that get in the way of decision-making surround the complexity of companies today.  Companies are working in a way that makes it more difficult to solve problems and come up with effective decisions company wide.  Developing a decision-based approach can help to cut through the complexities of companies by helping the organization clearly establish what decisions really matter and what needs to be done to make those decisions work. (Blenko, 2013)  Other potential areas that could pose a challenge to decision-making also include not having the right talent or leadership working on the decision-making process and figuring out who needs to be involved in the process.

Blenko suggests that there are four elements to good decisions including quality, speed, yield, and effort.  While these elements are crucial to the process, I do think that they are only crucial if the foundation of the company is already set up for success.  Because of that, elements that I think are missing include the development and cultural norms of the company culture.  The culture needs to be set up in a structure that is conducive to developing employee engagement.  I also think that strategy and priority needs to be worked into the elements as well because each company is structure differently, so having a personalized strategy that fits with the company can help to prioritize and determine the more important decisions that needs to be made. 

I never really realized just how important employee engagement was to building a successful company.  It’s interesting because I have worked for very large companies in the past and have seen many unengaged employees, but I never recognized the impact it had on the culture, creating a domino effect on the whole company.  Employee engagement and having a successful company culture is critical to the company because it not only creates an engaging, positive atmosphere, but it helps to keep employees at the company and it also makes outsiders want to come to the company, bringing with them new ideas and perspectives. This helps the company gain new insights and develop new ideas. 

References

 Blenko, M. (2013). How Companies Can Make Better Decisions, Faster. Retrieved September 3, 2015, from https://youtu.be/pbxpg6D4Hk8 

Greenfield, W. (2004). Decision making and employee engagement. Employee Relations Today, 31(2), 13-24.