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

I think that Tom’s analysis of why kindergarteners perform better than MBA students on the spaghetti challenge is accurate. MBA students tend to be a bit more competitive, more direct, and more opinionated than kindergarteners, all of which would impact the performance of the team. In general, kindergarteners do a very good job of thinking outside of the box, along with using their imagination and creativity. Kindergarteners are also very like-minded and think in the same terms without letting their egos get in the way of the task. I think another reason why kindergarteners might perform better is because they have very good collaboration skills. They tend to get along almost immediately with others of the same age while sharing ideas and working together as a team.

In my opinion, CEOs with an executive assistant perform better than those without one because of the outside perspective brought into the group, and also because it’s a different skillset contributing to the project. Just as CEOs require strong skill sets in business, strategic thinking, and leadership, executive assistants have creative thinking, they effectively multitask, and have strong organizational skills. When these two skill sets are teamed together they are much more effective than those of a CEO alone.

This video teaches that collaboration and communication among team members are perhaps the most important factors in team performance and effectiveness. Kindergarteners are perhaps the epitome of collaboration and communication, which is why they work so well in teams. During process intervention, collaboration and communication make up the backbone of this strategy and allow team members to realize what they need to do better, how to do it, and what the outcome should look like. This takes solid communication and teamwork to be able to go through this process.

The biggest take away from this video, in my opinion, is solidifying the fact that collaboration is increasingly important to organizations, not only teams. Collaboration entails relationship building, communication, teamwork, and putting yourself in the place of others. Kindergarteners seem to do all of these exceptionally well, except for putting themselves in the place of others. Once professionals like MBA students, executives, and managers get over their egos and learnt to truly work with one another to accomplish a goal, the results are much more positive and substantial. 

A630.6.4.RB - 50 Reasons not to Change/The Tribes we Lead

I’m a fairly big proprietor of change in an organization for several reasons, so when I hear a co-worker, manager, or team member list a reason or excuse from the “50 reasons not to change” list, I get a bit disgruntled. I would be lying if I said I have never used some of these excuses, but I haven’t lately since starting my career with Target. There are too many resources available for people in my organization to not create change. For the most part, the culture within my organization is very accepting of change and handles it well. Communication is very strong in our building, so it makes it much easier to change a process or system because of this. The reasons why I like change so much is because it keeps processes interesting, fun, and challenging; it also ensures that the organization is staying competitive, efficient, and effective through their processes.

In my experience the biggest factor in helping with the change process is showing examples of how it has worked, and being detailed in the work and resources involved with doing it. It’s hard to give a presentation to a team of professionals about possible change if no facts, details, or results are shown. Organizations want to know that the time and money being spent is going to be worth it, and the employees feel the same way. They also want to make sure that the results and changes are in line with the organizational objectives, goals, and mission.

I have to agree with Seth’s concept about tribes driving change. It seems that in every organization there is a group of people passionate about something, reluctant to change or initiate it because they lack know-how, leadership skills, or position associated with this change. All it takes is one person in that organization to show the same interest and lead them to pursue it. When this occurs, it helps getting others bought into the concept because so many people already believe in it. It’s hard to disagree with or resist a group of people that share the same passion and drive toward something, so it definitely aids the change manager in the process.

In my organization, I have more often than not used senior management to help me drive change. After watching this video of Seth sharing his tribe concept of change, I realized that there are several individuals that I work with who are passionate about the same things I am in regards to process improvement and change, and I could be utilizing them instead of senior management. This would help because it would be peers talking to one another about the change, not senior managers talking to lower level managers. It would also help me build relationships with these other managers and use their leadership strengths to accomplish organizational goals.

                                                                                                                               

A630.5.4.RB - NASA Culture Change

The main objective of Sean O’Keefe in his address to his employees is to build and communicate a foundation for the NASA culture going forward. He started off his address by stating that the culture and practices at NASA are good, as expressed by its employees and compared to outside organizations, but not nearly as good as they could be. In my opinion, this should be typical of any organization when introducing any major change that will affect the employees and the culture. This isn’t something that can be communicated through an e-mail, or even a meeting, but by the top leadership, the ones who are making the change. I believe he also did it in light of the Columbia incident. Realizing that there may have been a disconnect in the focus areas for the organization, it was wise of Sean to address the employees directly to show his dedication toward bettering the culture and lines of communication in his team.

I think that Sean’s address was genuine and that he truly believed in the principles he was conveying onto his organization. It’s extremely important to come off as genuine and believable, because if not, it would be very hard to get the organization bought into the culture that was he was trying to build. Some employees could say that he was only doing it because of the Columbia incident if he did not appear to be genuine. Organizations see this quite frequently, where an executive says or does something as a formality, not because they truly want to.

The reason Sean talked about NASA values is because these values are going to be the foundation for the culture of NASA. This means every best practice, every safety rule, every compliance issue will be carried out to fulfill the values of the organization. The values entail not only what the organization does, but how it does it and why.

My biggest take away from this video is that genuineness and communication not only go hand-in-hand, but they are the backbone of corporate and organizational culture. The values, goals, mission, and priorities of an organization need to be communicated and reinforced through actions by the leadership team. Employees need to know what the focus areas are for that day, or week, or month and they have to be consistent with the values of that organization. Effective communication can often be overlooked by organizations, so it’s crucial to have programs in place to address employee concerns and keep them informed of any changes.

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

Effective decision making in an organization affects not only the executives but the lower level employees as well. In my experience, decision making can contribute to employee engagement if these employees are involved in the decision making process and if the decisions made affect them positively. Employees want to feel a sense of ownership in the decisions that are being made in organizations. They want to be a part of the process to ensure that their opinions and feelings are being valued, and if they’re not, it will be hard getting them bought into the decisions that are being made. The quality factor of decision making affects employees the most, so if they are high in quality it could contribute to employee engagement.

I think the biggest impediment to good decision making is time. Organizations of every industry are forced to make split-second decisions that have significant impacts on their business, but often times it’s hard to make a quality decision in so little time. That is why organizations hire managers who have good decision making and critical thinking skills to be able to do this and have the most positive impact on the ones who are affected by the decisions. Another impediment is failure to collaborate amongst the organization. With so many different opinions, levels of experience, and perspectives on decisions it can be hard to agree upon a decision that is best for the organization. Collaboration and teamwork on all levels of decision making is essential organizational success through decisions.

I agree with Blenko when she states the four elements of decision making. In my opinion, quality is the most important because it has the longest lasting effect on the organization and its employees. A bad decision could make or break an organization’s culture, financial sheet, and reputation. Speed is the next most important because often times it’s what makes a decision good is when it’s made. In a world where competition is fierce quick decision making skills are an asset for any organization. Yield and effort go hand in hand, due to the fact that the amount of effort the organization places on implementing the decision has an impact on what the result will be from that decision.

I think the biggest take away from this video is knowing the elements of the decision making process and learning how to use them in everyday decision making, not just when making extremely important ones. I am in a position where effective decisions have to be made very quickly, so knowing this process and finding out that speed is a critical element will help to incorporate quality, yield, and effort into my decisions. 

A630.3.3.RB - A Day in the Life of the Culture Committee by Southwest Airlines

The culture committee at Southwest Airlines appears to be effective in establishing cultural norms. The employees who are part of the committee look at it as "just doing their job" and supporting the company and its goals. This was just a small glimpse of what the culture committee does for the entire organization, and it seems to have a significant impact on the flight crews and those involved in this program.

I think that the purpose of the culture committee at Southwest is to improve employee morale, give employees an avenue to recognize and thank their co-workers, and to show appreciation for the backbone of the company, the flight crews. In many organizations it's not easy to recognize employees and peers for their work, especially in an open forum like this one. I think this appreciation that Southwest and the culture committee are giving to employees is extremely valuable and is one of the biggest reasons the company is so enjoyable to work for. 

Culture committees in general seem to have a mission of making the workplace enjoyable for all employees, which is why they employ such a wide range of activities and events to help them. In my current organization, we have a culture committee, more recognizable as a Fast, Fun, and Friendly event team. They help to organize events, activities, and social outings for employees. Most of the events take place at work while the employees are clocked in, so everyone is getting paid while having fun. I think one thing that could be added to the agenda of this team is to incorporate different recognition methods for employees throughout the year. There are some already in place, but it would be good to have an on-going event in which employees could be recognized and rewarded. It wouldn't have to be individual employees, but rather teams and departments where more recognition is being awarded. Culture committees seem like a necessity to me for organizations. The value that they add and the joy that they bring to employees is beyond the resources it would take to implement one.

I think I can start appreciating employees more and showing it in my daily routines after watching this video. All too often certain areas or departments of an organization go unnoticed and feel unappreciated. Southwest Airlines is a perfect example of what happens when employees are told and shown that they are the organization's number one asset. 

A630.2.4.RB - 21st Century Enlightenment

I think that this video was labeled "21st Century Enlightenment" because it describes ideas and actions that can and should be taking place in order for this world to make a smooth transition into a new era of thinking. The ideas and ways of thinking that have been used in the past, both in a personal and professional setting, may not work and do not create the effect that we want or expect going into the future. 

If we want to live differently, such as living with different principles, values, morals, standards, we have to change the way we think. These areas in which we will live differently need different priorities, they need different value, we need to deem them important, not important, or somewhat important. The word that comes to mind for me is open mindedness, our ability to think outside the box, at different points of view that are not considered normal or traditional. 

I think what Taylor is saying is to create an open mind toward different ideas, those that we have not tried before or are looked at as being strange by societies, organizations, family, etc. Often times these ideas turn out being beneficial, even though the thought of trying them was treacherous. My organization has one norm that they feel is effective, although not very orthodox. The senior leadership likes to put managers in very uncomfortable situations to help them with their leadership development. They know our weakness from regular developmental meetings and relationships, so they use these to put you outside of your comfort zone, whether you succeed or not it's good for development as a leader. I find it effective, but in the moment it seems cruel. 

I agree that we should be looking toward empathy, not away from it. Is this not a trait that we wish all of us would possess? What good comes from degradation? I think it's a good idea but not possible in a society where differences of opinion, values, character, morals, are so broad. Some people could care less degrading people, while others would gasp at the idea of it. I think empathy is something we should all work on displaying and using in everyday life.

I think the biggest take away from this video is that being open minded, accepting differences, and training yourself to think outside of the box is crucial to personal and professional survival in the future. Organizations are seeking individuals with the ability to think differently, act differently, in such a way that they lead others to do the same through results. It's not easy, but it's worth it. 

A630.1.4.RB - Board of Directors

In my experience, it is possible for an organization to become stagnant and not allow change from the power and authority of a few individuals in that organization. 

In my current organization, I was leading the #1 performing team in the building in regards to productivity, and our department was ranked #3 in the entire pyramid of distribution centers for Target. One of my team members came up with an idea to increase productivity even more in our department, enough so to take us to the #1 spot in a few months. The idea was a strong one, however, it would require everyone on our team to work a little bit harder and work outside of their comfort zones for these few months in order for us to gain the top spot. After communicating the idea to the team, everyone was on board except for 2 individuals who seemed very negative about the change because they wanted our routine to stay the same, and because they were not willing to put in the extra work needed to increase productivity. After talking with them one-on-one about the new initiative, I found out that they did not care enough about the organization or the rest of the team to work harder. Not only that, they thought that even if they worked harder the goal was still unattainable. This disappointed the rest of the team, but they eventually talked the 2 individuals into adopting the new initiative, despite the chance of failure. Productivity increased throughout those 6 weeks, but not enough to take the #1 spot from the other building. On a positive note, this idea was beneficial because it enabled the team to work together toward a common goal and test themselves and their abilities in their roles. They had fun with it and were proud of the work they accomplished. They changed a process for the betterment of the organization and team, and that process is still in effect today. 

I think that it is common, but not necessary, for an organization to have its power players, visionaries, and pessimists. I think an organization will always have them, but ultimately good employees are attracted to those that lead effectively, create good ideas for the betterment of the team, and communicate those ideas to the team in a way that keeps them engaged and interested. I have worked with both positive and negative employees in regard to organizational change, and I enjoy the challenges and brain power involved with this change.