A633.9.3.RB - Polyarchy Reflections

The oligarchy leadership model, as much as I do not think it is right for most organizations today, may still prove to be effective for some organizations out there. I do not think that it is completely redundant and irrelevant yet, as some organizations are farther along in the process of handing over power and control to their employees and leaders, rather than a few key people in the organization having it. For example, an organization with few employees may have an easier time making the transition from oligarchy to polyarchy than a large organization would because of the dynamics involved in the process. This does not mean that the oligarchy leadership models are redundant, it simply means that they have yet to be phased out become they still may provide some value to the organizations that currently have them. They may use them because they are not ready for the transformation in leadership models, or because what they currently have it still useful and effective.

I am fortunate that I work for an organization that is making the transformation to the polyarchy leadership model where employees and lower level leaders have more control and responsibility of their daily job tasks and routines. However, this poses a challenge because the organization was not always like this, so there are still employees who are adapting to this new style of leadership. What this means for me and other managers is that we are having to bring employees along through this change because they have been subjected to a certain style for so long, and in some cases it is quite hard to do.

I do not foresee having to go back to the old leadership styles in the near future. However, there will be employees and managers alike that prefer that style over the new one, so it will be my job to ensure that they see the benefit of the new one and become accustomed to it. From a strategy standpoint, the old leadership style certainly makes it easier for leadership to control a situation and establish expectations because authority and power is very top down. I prefer the new way as it challenges me and forces me to think outside of the box to motivate employees, along with empowering them to own their development and success at work. I also believe the strategies involved with the new leadership model make employees happier as they feel as if they a part of something bigger because of their part in the processes at work. 

A633.8.3.RB - How do Coaches Help

Coaches in the workplace are focused on helping other find solutions to problems, development of their talents, and improvement in particular areas. The most effective way of doing this is by understanding the client and what their strengths and opportunities are, followed by asking open ended questions to allow the client to think critically about their development and how they can help themselves. These open ended questions, along with the approach of the coach, are what separate a coach from an ordinary leader or manager as they are focused more on helping the client through self-reflection and revelation. Coaches have a unique way of helping others understand what is lacking, what is needed, and the steps necessary to accomplish the goal.

Coaching is important in leadership because it helps both the coach and the person being coached in any situation. It allows the leader to hone skills needed to develop others, while the person being coached is benefiting from these conversations. In my experience, coaching is a much more effective tool for development and organizational growth than traditional disciplinary methods. If an employee is coached through an issue rather than just being told what they are doing wrong or being given the answer by a superior, it helps the employee improve in this area and equips them with additional knowledge that they did not have before, along with developing critical thinking skills through the coaching process. In addition, coaching helps to develop relationships between employees and their leaders as they feel more valued when they are invested in.

Throughout the Target network, coaching takes places on a daily basis and is engrained into the culture of the 350,000 team member strong organization. Leadership is taught the basics of coaching when they first start and are given the opportunity to improve on these skills throughout their career. Coaching dynamics are very interesting within Target, simply because not every employee is the same. For example, the way to coach a lower performing team member could be different than the approach taken with a high performing team member. The skill and will of an employee also affects the approach taken for a coaching conversation. It is all of these factors combined that make coaching a very fluid and trainable leadership skill. Having worked in an environment like this for nearly three years, I still have much to learn as the workforce is becoming more dynamic every day. Employee needs, wants, and motivational factors differ greatly in today’s workplace, which ultimately affect the coaching process. As organizations develop and the changing workforce becomes much more noticeable, I think coaching will become standard for large organizations.

A633.7.3.RB - Leader Follower Relationship

Overall, I feel that my relationship with my follower team is a strong one. The team that I manage has been open to change in the time that I have known them, even though there have been times where they were curious about the change and wanted to ask additional questions about it. The team also trusts me and my ability to lead them through change without impacting them beyond what they can handle, so that certainly helps my ability to get them bought in to change. I am still working on engaging them more and ensuring that they fully understand the process changes before they start, but I have been transparent about this and they understand it is an opportunity of mine.

My thinking has changed slightly, mostly in the area of identifying where my leadership style lies and my strategies surrounding change within my organization. After doing some of the activities that revolve around strategy, I came to the realization that I am more of a driver when it comes to change, focusing more on the end result than how people accept the change. This stems from my experience with my change and personal views toward it. I more very resilient and adaptable, so implementing and going through change in any capacity is not difficult. In fact, I enjoy it because change represents improvement for me. This course has helped me identify this and formulate ways to change it and improve upon it. In addition, this last module has helped me with my personal leadership style, as I believe myself to be involved in change. I am very results driven, and even though I have some opportunity with inspiring my team around change, I am very involved with processes and lead by example, as I have seen great success with showing others through visual interaction.

This is important to me in my developmental journey as a leader because it sheds some light on the opportunities within my leadership style, some opportunities that may not be as apparent in the workplace by those who are involved with me on a daily basis. The activities and assessments embedded this course, especially this module, have been helpful in my developmental. One of my short term goals in my organization is to get promoted to a senior level management position with our distribution network. Senior level managers deal more with the people side of the organization, coaching and mentoring, so being able to uncover these opportunities now will help me on my leadership journey in my professional life. 

A633.6.5.RB - Circle of Leadership

The “vicious circle for leaders” is something that is very familiar to me. I have seen it quite often in other organizations that I have worked for, not necessarily because employees were not skilled enough, it was because leadership was inconsistent with expectations and often had conflicting priorities. This forced employees to be unconfident in their decision making and competencies. In my current organization it has happened but with me in the leadership position. When I first arrived at the building I currently work in I found the skill and job knowledge levels of most managers as very low. Naturally, I found myself ‘in the weeds’ from day one at the building and have yet to come out. This may be acceptable for new managers, but the problem with this is that the managers have been in their positions for some time and they have false perceptions about their job knowledge and skills, so when I became heavily involved into their business they were not very open to it. Now, because of my involvement, they almost rely on me to help them with tasks they should be doing on their own. I started to re-educate all the managers, set expectations with them, and now I’m holding them accountable to be able to do their jobs without me interjecting.

The effects on an organization when this cycle takes place are negative. The intent of the manager may be good, but the employees loses confidence, loses empowerment and motivation, it hinders creativeness and ingenuity, and employees could lose respect for managers who micro manage too much. In addition, it could create a situation where employees become too dependent on a manager, so when they are not present for any reason the results are not the same. For example, if a team performs well when a manager is involved and does not produce the same results when they are gone, the employees become dependent on the manager and a sustainable plan is not present.

An ideal cycle for a leader and a follower could look like:

- Leader reiterates expectations (Recognition or feedback)

- Follower takes initiative to meet or exceed expectations

- Leader is afforded opportunity to give employee space

- Leader adopts a hands-off approach

- Follower’s confidence stays constant

I think that this cycle could last anywhere from a few months to a year. The expectations setting phase could serve as an annual or quarterly review where the employee is rewarded for performance or given feedback for not meeting expectation. This is assuming that if the employee does not meet expectations after that first phase, they will not be around to complete the other phases. 

A633.5.3.RB - Reflection on Chaos

The chaos game was very surprising, to say the least. Initially when I thought about it as the facilitator was explaining the instructions I couldn’t have imagined that the team would have been able to do it any faster than 5 minutes. The instructions were simple, but given the variables and how many people there were, it seemed impossible to do in the first place, much less in under a minute.

What this means to me and the impact that it has on my understanding of the chaos theory is that if teams are given clear instructions and parameters to work within, the outcome of their work may be quite surprising. However, I can relate to this chaos game and the results of it, as the manager that I have now leads using a very simple approach: educates, sets clear expectations, and holds people accountable. The educating and setting clear expectations part of his leadership approach is very similar to the facilitator giving the instructions to the members of his team and setting the parameters by which the game will be played. What makes this even more interesting is that my peers are given instructions and expectations, just as I am, but we are all driving business metrics and focus areas while working with one another and staying consistent with how we lead our teams. Much like the players in the chaos game have to adjust when their focus areas adjust, we also have to do the same with the multitude of variables in the workplace. The funny thing is we manage to work on our own, meet the goals, and do it in a timely manner without someone taking the role as the lead.

The implications that this game has on strategy is that is forces leaders to take a different approach with the way that we lead our teams, especially in today’s workplace where the dynamics are much different than they were just a decade ago. It also means that strategy on the lower levels of organization has been proven to be successful, and if left to figure something out, employees will tailor the strategy that they have based on the parameters and instructions given to them from their leadership. I am positive that not everyone in the game had the same strategy in mind when starting, and some of them took a different approach to ensure that they met the goals while following the parameters and instructions. I think that is why organizations are performing at a higher level now, because leaders are acting more as coaches and facilitators, rather than micro managing every little process and move made by an employee. The authoritative and direct approach to leadership is still present in today’s workplace, but the more cross-functional and flat organizations are slowly taking over. 

A633.4.3.RB - Changing Dynamics of Leadership

Leadership is becoming more and more dynamic every day. In today’s workforce the role of a leader is much different than it was a few decades ago, mainly because of the changes organizations are going through to stay competitive and keep employees performing at a very high level. I believe the three biggest contributors of this revolve around change: change in organizational culture, change in industry competition, and change in the workforce.

Employees expect organizations to support them in different capacities today, and different motivational factors have to be used to keep employees performing. The change in the makeup and structure of the workforce, along with the need to support a healthy culture are helping to drive this change in leadership. Organizations are becoming diverse enough that leaders have to formulate strategies to satisfy the needs and wants of their employees while meeting the goals of the company. In addition, several industries are becoming competitive, forcing additional responsibilities and unique roles on leaders today. This places leaders in positions of constant change within their organizations. My organization is certainly going through changes like these right now. The retail industry is highly competitive, so leaders are being tasked to take on larger, more integrated teams, along with the entire organization going through constant change in processes and practices.

Leadership dynamics have to be altered to help facilitate and promote change within organizations. This change could come in the form of structure and leadership responsibilities, or it could be in the form of compliance practices for the USDA. Either way, leaders in any capacity will be tasked to help lead employees through this change, from the bottom up. In addition, the ideas generated to drive the strategies needed to help organizations stay competitive will come from lower level employees. This is because they have the continuity, consistency, and knowledge to drive the business forward, and do it in a time frame that the organization needs.

Strategy is going to be absolutely necessary for this change. For example, a change within an organization could represent something significant for employees, so the strategy needed for communication, processes, involvement, etc., could be different than what is was in the past, based on employee culture, tenure, and acceptance level. The ideas could be generated from the bottom level of the organizations, but the strategy behind the ideas has to come from the leadership level to be successful.

A633.2.3.RB - Butterfly Effect

The butterfly effect is something that has fascinated me since I started in a leadership position several years ago. I remember making a small change to my daily routine and seeing the impact it had on employee satisfaction and organizational culture. Because of this, I am a firm believer in testing small changes in the workplace to prove their overall effectiveness.

In a recent experience with the butterfly effect, the team that I work within posted a tracker on one of the organization’s folders to hold managers accountable to certain routines and practices. This was never posted to a public place before, and before it was posted the building was being scored “red” in several areas of operational effectiveness. Since posting it to a place where the results are pronounced and made public, performance has improved by 8% in the last 8 weeks and engagement and performance with the building’s compliance practices have improved by 5%. The small change will continue to help in these areas and also help with accountability.

In another recent example our team initiated a new process that would help with quality within our building. It represented a small change for those actually doing it, taking an extra 15-30 minutes of their time throughout the day to help complete the process with the help of someone else from another department. This small change has helped decrease the amount of defects per million by 9% in just one week, without the team members ever really thinking about the small amount of extra work put into it every day.

The complexity theory represents competition and progress within my organization. For example, the routines we build, the processes we establish, the culture we maintain, and the reputation that we have all stems from the complexity theory. What appears to be chaos and complexity to some is actually everything the company wants it to be with order to it. This complexity is what helps with strategy within our organization as it forces us to take necessary steps to stay competitive. The complexity of our industry and the customers we cater to causes us to think outside the box to maintain our success. If we use the complexity theory as a gauge of how to drive performance, we will constantly be looking to evolve and change into something better, through culture, processes, practices, and strategy.

A633.1.2.RB - Leadership Gap

Before joining the workforce in a professional capacity, I knew very little of the term leadership as applied to the workplace. I assumed leading people was a skill that could be learned through school, much like the skills and knowledge that an engineer develops in an undergraduate program. I was sadly mistaken shortly after being thrown into a leadership position while in the military in a war zone. I soon realized that leadership was something much more difficult than I could have ever imagined, and I feel the same way about the topic today. I have a deep respect for those who can empower others to do something greater, making themselves and those below them better at what they do.

There is a changing trend in the way leaders are viewed. In today’s workforce it is not strange to see young leaders in roles with great responsibility. This is because of the dynamics of leadership roles and the education programs that support these dynamics in the workplace. This was not as common even a decade ago when the workforce had less formal education and managers earned their position through years of work in lower level positions. The responsibilities that leaders now have are much more involved in the operations, the people, and the development of others. A narrow job description for leaders in today’s workplace is absolutely the exception and not the rule.

I think that this attitude toward leaders has evolved because the role of the leader has changed so much in the last few decades. Leadership programs in educational institutions get more attention than ever, leaders are being tasked to develop their peers and those below them, and they are being challenged with possessing technical skills in addition to human skills. I believe that leadership roles are merging and will continue to do so. There are fewer organizations with technical and developmental leaders, as most are migrating toward merging the two into one powerful leader.

I believe there is a gap in the quality of our leaders because the expectations of a great leader are outpacing the actual abilities and knowledge of great leaders. The current workforce of leaders is also mixed between a generation that has a plethora of experience and virtually no education with a generation that has education but almost no real world experience. One way to help bridge this gap would be to ensure each leader across the major organizations is trained consistently with processes and education that have proven to be effective in the leadership realm. People expect some consistencies across leadership, but this does not always happen as every organization is different in what they request from a leader, and these leaders change their style based on this. There has to be some consistency in the way we approach and lead our workforce.  

References:

http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/dec2009/ca20091214_346828.htm

A634.9.5.RB - A Reflection of Learning

The course proved to be very beneficial in several ways and offered dozens of lessons that can be applied to my professional and personal life. The three lessons that I thought to be the most impactful were ethical relativism, moral speculations, and slippery slope arguments.

Ethical relativism helped me understand the implications of adopting one moral code, and highlighted the moral and ethical differences between cultures, religions, countries, etc. It helped me become more open minded toward the subject and offered insight on the arguments for or against relativism. Learning about moral speculations and the factors that alter our moral expectations were also new material which could help me better evaluate and understand people better from a moral standpoint, and possibly understand an organization better as well. Slippery slope arguments are something that I hear and say quite often, but arguments that I did not know that much about. The logic of these arguments and impacts they have are quite substantial, and living on slippery slopes could prevent someone from truly living to their fullest potential because it reinforces comfort and safety for an individual.

The topics described above were the most interesting, and in my opinion, the most beneficial in the course. I feel that the course was value added and helped equip me with the tools I need to help lead others in and out of the workplace from a moral standpoint. I also feel that it will help me understand others better and make more moral and ethical decisions because I have more knowledge and understand the impacts better. I think that real world scenarios and training would prove to be very beneficial for the students of this course, but that’s easier said than done in an online environment. I think that more team activities would help to promote learning as students have different opinions about the subject, and merging these opinions into something productive and positive is somewhat challenging. Overall, I thought the class was helpful and value added. I fear that courses like these could be offered more with the workplace transitioning from managers to leaders. 

A634.8.3.RB - Gun Control: What is the Answer?

The ethics behind gun ownership, in my opinion, revolve around the individual. I do think that individuals should have the option of owning guns. The reason being is that guns are purchased for several different reasons, with hunting being a very popular one. With that being said, would it be ethical to prohibit the sale of hunting guns because of what people may do with the rifle that does not involve hunting? I don’t think so. In this country we cannot prohibit the sale or use of something because of the fear associated with misusing it. And I don’t think it would be very practical to prohibit the sale of certain types of firearms either, as they can all be used for different activities. Handguns can be used on the range for fun or in the home for self-defense, rifles can be used for just about anything, semi-automatic firearms are a bit more aggressive but can still be used for recreational purposes.

The argument that guns should not be legal because they can be used the wrong way can be applied to other laws in our country. For example, alcohol consumption is legal for anyone over 21 years of age, but alcohol poisoning can kill a person and drunk driving has proved to be a problem in our country (Banks, 2013). Just because someone can kill someone else while driving drunk, or even kill themselves from alcohol poisoning, does that mean we should ban alcohol consumption?

Arguments for gun control include making our country safer, exercising a right that was established more than a century ago, and creating security and comfort for families and individuals. Those who argue against it state that guns create more homicides, assault weapons are not used for sport, and most gun incidents involve firearms that are sold legally. There are too many variables that play into both sides of the argument. There is no data out there to support the claims from either side because the laws in our country have never been consistent enough, or followed enough to support these claims. It is hard to say whether or not gun control will make our country safer. A good example may be to look at countries that do not support gun use and their crime rates. However, these countries enforce strict punishments for broken laws, which is the opposite of justice system because some states have very relaxed gun laws.

Only the individual will know if they are truly buying a gun for its intended purpose, whether that be hunting, self-defense, recreation, and so on. No legal gun sales are made with the intention of selling a gun to an individual for the purpose of harming another individual, just like no alcohol sales are made with the intention of the buyer driving drunk and causing bodily harm to someone else. There is also no accurate way to track the safety of the arguments for or aginst gun control. The ethics lie solely on the individuals purchasing them and selling them, not on those controlling the sale or prohibition of them.

References:

Banks, J. (2013). Gun control debate: the argument that every gun owner needs to start making. PolicyMic. Retrieved from http://www.policymic.com/articles/72067/gun-control-debate-the-argument-that-every-gun-owner-needs-to-start-making

634.7.4.RB - Ethics and Behaviors

Target has several values that it embraces and promotes in the work place, with some of the biggest ones being diversity, a friendly work environment, and community involvement (mission & values, n.d.). These values are what drive everyday business decisions and keep a team of more than 360,000 team members happy and challenged.

Diversity is very important at Target. The organization values differences in the workplace and ensures that every team member, regardless of race, religion, gender, etc., feel valued. One of the biggest ways they promote this is by organizing diversity teams in each store, distribution center, or headquarter unit to celebrate the differences of each team member. A month ago one of the managers organized an event where we celebrated breast cancer awareness month through team member involvement in community events, along with smaller events inside the distribution center like “pink-out” days.

A friendly work environment is key to success at Target, so they typically go the extra mile to ensure team members are treated with respect, given a chance to succeed and develop themselves, and have fun while working. Our building held several events throughout this past year that helped the workplace more enjoyable, like dunk tank challenges with the executive team, holiday meals, and bowling and basketball tournaments. These events promote friendship and relationships and allow the teams a chance to connect on a personal level, something that is rare in a lot of organizations.

Lastly, Target is extremely proud of its community involvement. They donate 5% of their earnings to the community in some fashion, and thousands of volunteer hours across the country. Target affords employees time to volunteer and coordinates events through local partnerships to allow team members the chance to give back. Some of the programs include 5K and 10K walks and runs that are sponsored by Target, school mentoring programs, educational assistance to local schools, and holiday community programs. My manager is involved so much in the community that he has received several awards for his efforts for the county where are building is located, and is next in line to be the president of the local chamber of commerce.

References:

Missions & values. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://corporate.target.com/about/mission-values

A634.6.3.RB - What are Virtues?

The virtue test concluded that I am on the right path but I could certainly pay more attention to being more clean and orderly. The three virtues that I am going to reflect on are cleanliness, moderation, and sincerity.

I chose cleanliness because I was marked down on it in the virtue test. This is an area that covers almost every aspect of life. Dirty habits can be formed in your professional or personal life, along with personal hygiene and living conditions. I am by no means a dirty person, nor do I think I have dirty habits, but this is simply a matter of opinion. Men typically get a bad rap for being sloppy and careless about their hygiene, but I do not feel that this accurate, especially in my case. I could, however, take better care of my physical body a bit more and eat cleaner. I think confidence and the development of one’s life are also lumped into this virtue (McKay, 2008). Being more conscience about what we eat, how we live to benefit our mind and body, and acting confidently are all ways to improve in this area.

                                               

Moderation is one virtue that I struggle with. I tend to take the all or nothing approach with several activities in my life, resulting in myself overdoing something to the detriment of myself or others. I push myself very hard in sports and physical activities, I encourage my children to be the best at what they do, and I live each day as if it was my last. I am a man of extremes, and this sometimes hurts relationships with others because of my attitude when something is not done as hard as I would like. Taking it easy at times and understanding that not everything has to be done in an extreme manner is one of my goals. My wife is a perfect partner for this as she is at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of living in extremes.

Sincerity is also something I struggle with from time to time. I feel like I have been through a lot in my life, physically and emotionally and have a hard time commiserating with others when they experience something similar, or showing sincerity and empathy toward them. I also sometimes speak very honestly where someone could be hurt by my words. Being mindful of the impact words and actions could have on others is the key in helping me through this. Sincerity should be something that is afforded others without little effort as the feelings, emotions, and viewpoints of others change so much we must learn to adapt.

I am by no means perfect, as highlighted above, but I think I am aware of what I need to work on from a virtue standpoint and how to incorporate them into my daily life.

References:

McKay, B. (2008). The virtuous life: cleanliness. The Art of Manliness. Retrieved from http://www.artofmanliness.com/2008/05/04/the-virtuous-life-cleanliness/

A634.5.4.RB - Is Marketing Evil?

Marketing, especially in today’s business world, is a very cutthroat industry. Marketing firms specialize in tempting customers and convincing them that they need something, which is rarely ever the case. Because of this, I feel that marketers do what they need to for an organization, which is selling their product or service and making it a necessity in the lives of the consumers. As stated by Sayed and Ghazaly, some people believe that they make decisions in an organizational environment that are less ethical than their own values and beliefs. So, could it be that marketers go against what they believe in to satisfy their organizations and the consumers? It appears so.

                                       

However, marketers do not have to be untruthful about the products and services they promote. Honesty and integrity are preached in most business environments and this should include the content and manner in which marketing is used to make an organization successful. Being truthful is something that is respected by consumers, even if the product or service is not the best on the market. It is a quality that the business environment needs more of at the moment. One of the biggest ways to combat this need to be unethical to win is to give realistic goals for marketing teams and support healthy competition. If we are giving marketing teams goals that are only attainable by taking shortcuts in some capacity, we are encouraging unethical behavior.

I do not think it is ethical to track buying habits of individuals. This exposes the consumer in some fashion and on a personal level without consent. This form of marketing is borderline manipulation, as it gives retailers an opportunity to tailor coupons, specials, and marketing efforts to your needs and wants and creates desire by doing so. It may be beneficial for a retailer to know my birthday, eating habits, favorite sports team, and my marital status, but it is quite invasive. All of this to get me to buy a product or service? Where is the ethics in that?

As a leader, the most powerful step I can take is to lead by example and promote an honest work environment with strong personal and professional integrity. Like I stated earlier, the profession does not have to have a negative connotation attached to it, marketing teams can choose to be the opposite of what the general public perceives them to be. 

A634.4.4.RB - Is Affirmative Action Ethical?

I have never been a big fan of affirmative action. In a country where opportunity is something that is bragged upon, why do we have to give preferential treatment to minorities or women? Having come from a family of fourteen children, poor, and underprivileged in my opinion, should I not have deserved special treatment when applying for jobs or college scholarships after graduating high school? There is nothing ethical about giving preferential treatment to a certain race because we feel that that they are still oppressed from something that happened decades ago. All we are doing is oppressing that race even more by affording them a crutch to lean on when they encounter something that has proven to be tough on every American: applying to get into school and obtaining a promising job.

Some of the arguments for affirmative action include having the government assist with something that they may have messed up earlier, drawing certain races to industries of work that they may not have been interested in before, and allowing minorities a boost because they are disadvantaged. I do not think that many of these arguments for affirmative action are credible. What happened a long time ago by our ancestors should not be something that we are currently paying for. I understand fully that the way we operated during this time when black Americans were oppressed was not right, but what more can we do without hindering them from being responsible adults and overcoming challenges that many other Americans face? Shelby Steele, a black American, opposes affirmative action for several reasons and I agree with most of them. He states that in a blog that "affirmative action is cheap, but good education in the inner city is expensive.....so we have a system perfectly designed to keep the people who were always oppressed still oppressed, still backwards." It's not that we as a country are discriminating against black people, but we may be focusing our attention on the wrong things, with affirmative action being one of them. The more support we give minorities the more dependent they become on these programs, so what are we teaching them? Is it acceptable to rely on the government for education and jobs in a country where opportunity seems to be endless?

I think that affirmative action is an unethical approach on our government's behalf to right a wrong that occurred a long time ago when no one today was involved with it. We are creating a society that makes it acceptable to give preference to minorities for jobs and education, almost as if it were a form of racism against white Americans. Having felt like I was a minority due to my background and approaching the real world after I graduated high school, it never once crossed my mind to give up and rely on someone else to help me through life. I did what I had to do to get my education, serve my country, and obtain a job that supports my family. 

References:

The Ethics of Affirmative Action (n.d.). Santa Clara University. Retrieved from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v5n2/action.html

A634.3.5.RB - The Harder They Fall

Power seems to be the culprit of many of life’s dilemmas. In politics, countries build up a military force that is often used as a scare tactic against others, although that may not be the main reason for it. In the workplace, individuals tend to abuse power when they get to a position where they are able to have control over the behaviors of others. In personal life, there are many struggles between parents and children, brothers and sisters, teachers and students, law enforcement and ordinary citizens, most all revolving around power struggles.

Power struggles at work seem to be commonplace in today’s age. People are becoming more and more educated, technology is allowing workers to become more and more capable and less dependent on one another, and everyone seems to know the right way to do something, whether it be changing a water jug or developing the next best video game. I think as the workplace evolves into something that is extremely diverse, competent, and inpatient in almost every industry, there will be power struggles. Power struggles are one of the biggest sources of conflict in the workplace today, and it all stems at having control is some capacity (Matusun, 2012).

An area that we tend to overlook is power struggles and conflict at home. Why is it that something like the need for control and power can spread so far in the lives of almost every human being? One of the reasons may stem from the need for power as described by David McClelland. His need for power theory states that we like to have control over others, enjoy winning arguments, enjoy competition, and appreciate recognition (McClellands, n.d.). In a world where so many people have this need, it’s easy to identify the conflicts in all areas of life. This need is certainly amplified as activities like school sports, competitions, and debates are becoming commonplace.

References:

Matusun, R. (2012). Conflict in the workplace: can’t we just put everyone in timeout? Fast Company. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/1810877/conflict-workplace-cant-we-just-put-everyone-time-out

McClellands Human Motivation Theory (n.d.). Mind Tools. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/human-motivation-theory.htm

A634.2.4.RB - Theories of Ethics

Consequentialism on its own appears to be a very good theory. I often make decisions in terms of satisfying the highest number of people involved. For example, if a group of people were deciding on whether or not they should purchase hamburgers or hotdogs for an events at work and I were part of the group, I would say that the majority vote rules because then the highest number of people are being satisfied. I do not do this in every scenario, but I do it often enough to make it a trusted theory of mine. The reason I said it was a good theory on its own is because when matched against deontology it seems a bit selfish and narrow. Deontology and consequentialism differ because deontology deals with morals, regardless of whether or not the outcome is favorable, whereas consequentialism seeks to satisfy the most people and allows them to define the morality of the situation.

For example, if a group of my peers were walking around downtown and became thirsty, shortly after realizing that only one of us had his wallet on him, consequentialism would determine that the person with the wallet pay for the drinks if the majority agreed. This is because the outcome for the majority of us is favorable, and we are determining that the outcome is moral, even if they one paying for the drinks doesn’t think so.

Even though I often side with consequentialism, I must say that it lacks a solid foundation when dealing with unique circumstances. What if the best outcome is one that is looked down upon by everyone else accept those benefiting from it? Does this not make it unethical or immoral? I feel that there will be times where selfishness and personal agenda will drive the decisions and moral compasses of others. According to ethical egoism, a subdivision of consequentialism, lying, stealing, and even killing would be morally permissible as long as the agent benefited and was not caught. This clashes with traditional moral intuitions because those who believe in this theory would agree that personal interests should count for something (Consequentialism, 2001).

I think that finding a balance between the two may not work for everyone, but it does for me. I find myself siding with consequentialism much more than deontology but feel that much of my decisions are driven by what I feel is right and wrong, often coinciding with the morals and values of the others affected by the outcome.

References:

Consequentialism (2001). Retrieved from http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/Consequentialism_link.html

A634.1.6.RB - The Buck Stops and Starts With You

Business schools are looked at as being the ones who lay the foundation for executives in the biggest and most powerful organizations worldwide. With this power comes great responsibility to look after shareholders, employees, consumers, and the general public. Until a series of ethical dilemmas arose in the business world, all with respectable organizations and executives, business schools were only concerned with the technical aspects of the business world and how they were perceived by the outside world. Now, as the business schools are being blamed for the financial meltdown half a decade ago, they have no choice but to be putting more emphasis on ethics, sound decision-making, and corporate responsibility in their programs.

In my opinion, tailoring business programs to not only capture ethics training but to also educate these future leaders on how to make effective decisions that benefit everyone involved in the organization. MBA programs typically consist of courses that revolve around finance, management, accounting, marketing, and even human resource management with little to no emphasis on ethical leadership practices. Schools are currently warming up to the idea of doing this, and some have even revised programs to accommodate this need. For example, Columbia Business School has revised required courses to highlight business ethics, and the school has even created a new course about the future of financial services, along with adding a course study that educates students on GM’s route to bankruptcy (Business Schools, 2013). It may not be enough just to educate students on what to do and when to do it. Perhaps implementing required internships with organizations where students are required to engage in important and ethical decisions would be helpful. This would allow the students to know the feeling of being in that role and equip them with real-world experience before they start their careers.

The financial meltdown, along with other ethical dilemmas, cannot be blamed solely on the educational foundation of its employees. The organization is just as responsible for mentoring and molding young employees and executives as are our educational institutions. Engaging in ethical decision-making should be commonplace for every organization, a way of life for every employee to practice. 

References:

Business schools use financial meltdown to teach ethics (2013, Sep.). Retrieved from http://www.metromba.com/2013/09/business-schools-use-financial-meltdown-teach-ethics/

A632.9.3.RB - Role of Emotion in Decision-Making

A few days ago I was having a healthy debate with a co-worker about a new process I wanted to roll-out in his department. The process had been tried at other buildings with inconsistent results, so I wanted to modify the process enough to fit with the culture of our team and still get strong results from it. I had done my research, I felt confident with the data, and I was certain that the process was going to be a win for our building, even though the results were yet to be determined. I was very passionate about the material I was presenting to him during the debate, and it seemed that my passion for the material and results was passed off onto him toward the end of the discussion. He was not completely won over, but felt that he was in a much better position than when we started and his comfort level with the process had increased. I assured him that I knew the process would work and benefit us in the way we expected. He told me my confidence and passion behind the matter was quite convincing, even for him as he is not easily swayed.

One emotional reaction I experienced during the discussion was confusion, as he initially told me that I was not going to tell him something that he did not already know. I thought this to untrue and I was surprised that he said that without hearing me first. Another one was fear, as I was a bit fearful that he was going to remain close-minded throughout the discussion. This emotion quickly subsided as the discussion went on and he started asking interesting questions. The last emotion I felt was passion for the subject. I as completely convinced that the process would help us and I wanted to convey that to anyone else who cared about it.

In an example of not having as much confidence, I was making an attempt to give some hard feedback to a co-worker of mine who I also considered a good friend. This was a bit uncomfortable for me and because this was first time doing it, I felt nervous and unconfident. I approached him and started the message very nervously with a soft delivery. I think he picked up on this and told me that if I needed to tell him something to be straight forward with him and give him the message, even if he wouldn’t like it. I changed my approach and was very honest and up-front with him. His reaction was very calm and he thanked me for giving him the feedback.

In this case, nervousness was the biggest emotional reaction I felt before the message was delivered and during it. I was unsure how he would take the feedback and it showed in my approach. Another one was happiness, as I was very pleased to learn that I could tell him anything without it damaging our relationship. The third emotional reaction I felt was relief. I was relieved after giving the message, only to find out he was grateful for it and welcomed the opportunity to get feedback that would help him.

A632.8.3.RB - Reflections on the Cynefin Framework

The Cynefin Framework is a valuable tool for any leader, as it provides a solid foundation for decision-making in almost any setting and scenario. I have used it before in my current organization without even knowing it, and I have observed many benefits from it. For one, it gives clear and concise instructions to the decision maker in a variety of scenarios and takes the guesswork out of determining what future action looks like. Secondly, it prevents the leader from knowingly acting inappropriately and taking the wrong course of action, which could have severe impacts on the outcome. Thirdly, it provides a list of danger signals that can be used to prepare for what’s next.

On one of the busier days our distribution center has seen this year, our carton sorter that drops cartons down into individual trailers completely shut down. This resulted in nearly fifty team members coming to a complete stop because they relied on this piece of equipment to run to keep them productive. This situation was chaotic, as I had to immediately find work for these fifty team members spread throughout four different departments. I partnered up with all of the department managers and communicated a plan to them. We quickly took action and made several adjustments to our original production plan to keep them productive while meeting our level of service goals. We realized that our plan was good because we planned for the worst and the sorter ended up being down for about two hours. Once the sorter started again, we made more adjustments and worked seamlessly the rest of the shift. Our communication was key to our success, along with effectively acting first and then determining if it was good or not, rather than waiting around.

In another example using the Cynefin Framework, I made a decision in a complicated environment. One of our events that we were having in the distribution center, which was forecasted for so many cartons to be processed, came in much heavier than expected. We had limited resources because we planned for the forecast amount of cartons, so me and another department manager sat down that morning during planning to determine the best possible plan for the day. We analyzed the information we had and matched it with the workload and available resources. We created an unusual plan that had never been done before, with the expected outcome of keeping our level of service within threshold and maxing out available resources. Our plan turned out being successful, which came as somewhat of a surprise being that we tried a new process and were unsure of the outcome. We took the appropriate steps by first gathering data, analyzing it, than responding with a plan of action. This may not have been the only right answer, but it was ours and it worked.

There are several ways in which the Cynefin Framework can improve decision-making skills. It offers a framework that can be used for almost any situation, whether it be a routine or chaotic environment. This framework takes the guess work out of action steps and decisions. It also forces a partnership with others depending on the environment, which could improve the overall decision by adding outside perspective. This could improve teamwork and collaboration skills for some leaders. The framework also challenges leaders to think critically in different situations. Because there may be times where there are no cause and effect relationships, or even a known response, it forces leaders to think outside the box for a solution on their own. The framework may also help organizations form best practices for simple situations, making decision-making more predictable and less stressful. These best practices could establish rotuines and processes for the leader to follow in each instance. 

A632.7.4.RB - Collaborative Decision-Making

Stakeholders can help you make better decisions for all of the people involved because they allow you to think through a multitude of scenarios and factors in a decision. They often consider almost every possible detail of the decision and the impacts of the decision if made a certain way. To help bring this to life, I had to make a decision about a process I was trying to improve at work. I thought of the improvements myself and never lobbied them to the team they were affecting before officially starting the new process. The improvements were good, but they could have been better had I partnered with some of the team members first, being that they were considered experts in that department and it was affecting them, not me. I was trying to get them bought in to the new process, but this was not possible without first using their ideas and opinions in the improvements.

Stakeholder involvement in decision-making can benefit me in 5 ways. First, it ensures fairness in my decision-making by making sure that everyone is involved in the process and gets a shot at contributing. Secondly, it ensures that all viewpoints and critical areas are considered when making the decision. Thirdly, the stakeholders will more than likely provide challenging arguments and questions that ensure the best decision is being made for everyone, not just one individual. The fourth benefit is building the relationships with the stakeholders through involvement and collaboration. By allowing them to be involved in the process, respect and trust will improve. The fifth benefit is accountability. If everyone takes part in a decision, then everyone will share the consequences associated with that decision, whether they be good or bad.

I achieved my objective in this case, but it took longer than expected because I refrained from bringing the group into the decision-making process. There was not one individual that would have made this decision process better, but rather the entire group as they all have had different experiences and bring something unique to the table in terms of decision-making.

The first thing I learned from this process was to involve the group before the process even started. I should have shared with them my vision, as illustrated in the second step of the resolution cycle, so that we could formulate a plan around my vision, if they all agreed with it. The second learning for me was keeping them involved throughout the process and ensuring that they get input. This ensures that all topics are being covered and they feel like part of the improvement process. Thirdly, I could have recognized them for their efforts and tracked the success of the improvement after it was implemented to show how their collaboration was a success. When doing this in the future, I’m going to ensure that each affected team member is involved in the process, from the beginning to the end.