http://bx.businessweek.com/management-trends/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.innovationexcellence.com%2Fblog%2F2011%2F10%2F31%2F7-strategies-for-generating-ideas%2F
This is a great article that shows 7 strategies companies should use to generate new ideas. The ideas are made up of: Invite everyone in the quest for new ideas, involve customers in the process of generating ideas, involve customers in new ways, focus on the needs that customers don’t express, seek ideas from new customer groups, involve suppliers in product innovation, and benchmark idea-creation methods. These methods are all intended to help organizations create ideas that will keep them active in the market.
The article pertains to this class because a successful OB would consist of all of these different strategies. You definately want all of your employees to know that they are involved in the quest for new ideas. We learned in MQM 221 that it is easier to accomplish creative tasks when you have more minds working on the same task. The next 4 ideas consist of involving customers in idea generation. This makes sense because the customer is who you are trying to satisfy so it makes sense to try to create the things that they desire. Suppliers are an important part of organizations and it is important to try to build a lasting relationship with a supplier that will benefit both parties. And finally benchmark idea-creation methods means making sure that someone is in charge of keeping idea-generation fresh and new. You want to make sure that you are thinking of creative ideas that will help your company grow. All of these strategies would be important in staying ahead of your competition in the business world and are things that I will hopefully be able to utilize in my career.
-Kenny Palmer
Monday, December 5, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Creating Management Practices for Making Work Work
http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/aug2009/ca20090828_011424_page_2.htm
Motivating employees to perform well is a very important skill a manager must have. However, in rough economic times such as these past few years, this has become a difficult task to achieve. It is hard for an employee to think positively and openly when they are more worried about how they can afford to pay off the next bill. Managers are attempting to find alternative processes, programs, and incentives to make the workplace more functional.
This article goes in depth at this current crisis managers are dealing with, and how some companies are trying new things to boost productivity. Some alternative programs discuss in this article include; flexible scheduling for employees, allowing employees to work at home once a week to save transportation costs, offer one-time financial assistance to employees, incentives to employees who manage financials properly, shared "extended-leave" program for all employees, and incentive for health and wellness decisions. All of these programs can help an employee in a crucial time of need, which in turn leads to better morale and workplace productivity. All of these ideas have worked well for the company that installed them. More managers need to think outside of the box and assess what needs to be done to make their work more enjoyable and personable.
I believe as time moves forward, more managers will pick up on these fairly recent trends, and this will become an emerging practice for most companies. The article states "our people are our greatest asset." This cannot be anymore true, because without effective employees, there will not be an effective product/service that is ultimately offered to the customer. The focus of attention needs to be placed to that great asset, and managers are finding multiple ways to convey that message.
Posted by Steven Krygowski
Motivating employees to perform well is a very important skill a manager must have. However, in rough economic times such as these past few years, this has become a difficult task to achieve. It is hard for an employee to think positively and openly when they are more worried about how they can afford to pay off the next bill. Managers are attempting to find alternative processes, programs, and incentives to make the workplace more functional.
This article goes in depth at this current crisis managers are dealing with, and how some companies are trying new things to boost productivity. Some alternative programs discuss in this article include; flexible scheduling for employees, allowing employees to work at home once a week to save transportation costs, offer one-time financial assistance to employees, incentives to employees who manage financials properly, shared "extended-leave" program for all employees, and incentive for health and wellness decisions. All of these programs can help an employee in a crucial time of need, which in turn leads to better morale and workplace productivity. All of these ideas have worked well for the company that installed them. More managers need to think outside of the box and assess what needs to be done to make their work more enjoyable and personable.
I believe as time moves forward, more managers will pick up on these fairly recent trends, and this will become an emerging practice for most companies. The article states "our people are our greatest asset." This cannot be anymore true, because without effective employees, there will not be an effective product/service that is ultimately offered to the customer. The focus of attention needs to be placed to that great asset, and managers are finding multiple ways to convey that message.
Posted by Steven Krygowski
How to Give and Receive Criticism
http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/mar2008/ca20080318_504987.htm?chan=careers_managing+your+team+page_teamwork
This article discusses the fine line between bad and constructive criticism. It is described how badly criticism can come off because if self esteem is low then it makes a person feel even worse. On the other hand, if someone is highly strung and criticized, then they start to question their ability. Either way, the criticism being described is poor criticism. This is bad. A manager should never practice this because it has no beneficial outcome possible. A manager needs to practice criticism that describes what a person has done wrong and how they can fix it. This is good. This way, an employee will come learn from their mistake rather than get down on themselves. Criticism should also never be personal in the workplace. There is no good that can come from this and would be truly unprofessional. This would be ugly.
I believe managers today are starting to understand this concept, but their are still aggressive managers out there. Unfortunately, they will experience the negative effects in their employees ability to solve problems. As we learned in the leadership portion of class, a manager must try to lead by understanding his/her followers.
What do you think the proper way is to go about criticism? Do you believe there is a good and bad form? Or is it all the same?
-Trey Tennell
This article discusses the fine line between bad and constructive criticism. It is described how badly criticism can come off because if self esteem is low then it makes a person feel even worse. On the other hand, if someone is highly strung and criticized, then they start to question their ability. Either way, the criticism being described is poor criticism. This is bad. A manager should never practice this because it has no beneficial outcome possible. A manager needs to practice criticism that describes what a person has done wrong and how they can fix it. This is good. This way, an employee will come learn from their mistake rather than get down on themselves. Criticism should also never be personal in the workplace. There is no good that can come from this and would be truly unprofessional. This would be ugly.
I believe managers today are starting to understand this concept, but their are still aggressive managers out there. Unfortunately, they will experience the negative effects in their employees ability to solve problems. As we learned in the leadership portion of class, a manager must try to lead by understanding his/her followers.
What do you think the proper way is to go about criticism? Do you believe there is a good and bad form? Or is it all the same?
-Trey Tennell
Is Collaboration Dangerous?
Eight Dangers of Collaboration
Chapter 10 (“Conflict and Negotiations") of the book Organizational Behavior, written by Talya Bauer and Berrin Erdogan looks at the different strategies to manage conflict. The chapter explains that “Collaboration” is the strategy that should be used to achieve the best outcome from conflict. Collaboration is high in both assertiveness and competitiveness which are the two characteristics that determine how somebody will handle conflict when it is presented to them. The objective of this strategy is to reach a win-win agreement while challenging points that others make instead of making it a personal attack, and all signs in the chapter point to this strategy having a higher potential for success than Avoidance, Accommodation, Compromise, and Competition, which are the other four strategies.
The article “Eight Dangers of Collaboration,” written by Nilofer Merchant, challenges Chapter 10’s explanation of Collaboration being the best strategy in managing conflict. She recognizes that most of what is written about collaboration is positive, but then goes on to ask a question, “So why is collaboration as rare as it is?” Her short answer incurs that the reason it is seldom used is because it is dangerous. Is it dangerous? Merchant goes on to talk about the “Eight Dangers” that specifically make collaboration as scarce as it is. Read the article above and decide which dangers you think are a real problem, preventing more collaboration among businesses and organizations? Which dangers are not as much the problem as others? Merchant also explains that we cannot manage collaboration well until we acknowledge that it is dangerous. Do you agree with this statement? I think there are many situations in which collaboration works simply because it gets people to do all of these so called “dangerous” things. Just because something is dangerous does not mean that it should be avoided or that people necessarily want to avoid it. Let me know what you think about these “Eight Dangers.”
Ricky Hearden
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
What's Your Leadership Mindset?
http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/jun2009/ca20090619_819188.htm?chan=careers_managing+your+company+page_top+stories
In this interesting article, the author starts out by examining the responses he gets when asking students at a U.S. Naval Academy and a large state university the question "How many of you want to be leaders?" Unsurprisingly, all the students at the Naval Academy raised their hands, and less than half up their hands up at the state university. This was due to the cultural assumptions that leadership is routinely instilled at the Navel Academy and the state university invests in preparing students with knowledge and practical skills. The distinction became clear when he read professor Carol Dweck book Mindset. Her research says that there is "growth mindsets" or "fixed mindsets." People with growth mindsets believe they can continuously get better at something and potential to exceed their current position. However, people with fixed mindsets can only proceed to the extents of their natural ability, and no further. He then insists there are three questions you need to ask yourself to distinct which mindset we are in as a leader. "First, how effectively are you managing your organization's talent? Second, does your organizational culture permit risk taking and mistakes? Finally, are you resting on your laurels as a leader?"
These questions were typically hard for me to answer because I haven't been in a leader position in an organization yet. But I do like the section that explains different mindsets. I have come across people that have growth mindsets and fixed mindsets. I also think that we are capable of having both. I can honestly say that there are things that I am not going to get any better at during my life, no matter what. On the other hand, I believe there are things that I can improve on through hand work and dedication, and leadership is one of them. Hopefully this means I have a growth mindset. Overall, there is some good food for thought in this article.
Greg Calabrese
In this interesting article, the author starts out by examining the responses he gets when asking students at a U.S. Naval Academy and a large state university the question "How many of you want to be leaders?" Unsurprisingly, all the students at the Naval Academy raised their hands, and less than half up their hands up at the state university. This was due to the cultural assumptions that leadership is routinely instilled at the Navel Academy and the state university invests in preparing students with knowledge and practical skills. The distinction became clear when he read professor Carol Dweck book Mindset. Her research says that there is "growth mindsets" or "fixed mindsets." People with growth mindsets believe they can continuously get better at something and potential to exceed their current position. However, people with fixed mindsets can only proceed to the extents of their natural ability, and no further. He then insists there are three questions you need to ask yourself to distinct which mindset we are in as a leader. "First, how effectively are you managing your organization's talent? Second, does your organizational culture permit risk taking and mistakes? Finally, are you resting on your laurels as a leader?"
These questions were typically hard for me to answer because I haven't been in a leader position in an organization yet. But I do like the section that explains different mindsets. I have come across people that have growth mindsets and fixed mindsets. I also think that we are capable of having both. I can honestly say that there are things that I am not going to get any better at during my life, no matter what. On the other hand, I believe there are things that I can improve on through hand work and dedication, and leadership is one of them. Hopefully this means I have a growth mindset. Overall, there is some good food for thought in this article.
Greg Calabrese
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Trusting a CEO in the Twitter Age
http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/aug2009/ca2009087_680028.htm?chan=careers_managing+your+company+page_top+stories
This article discusses whether or not it is a wise idea to trust a CEO in the "Twitter Age" and if it affects a company negatively. Today, it seems as though nothing is a secret and everything becomes public knowledge on social media websites such as Twitter. Unfortunately, this bodes poorly for a CEO of a company. They need to watch out what they post, what they say, what their employees are posting, etc. It is discussed in this article that there are open sessions now over the internet where people can discuss their concerns or questions about anything in regards to the company. The feedback from performing these sessions was positive, but was it healthy for the company? Is there a such thing as going too far with communication within a group? I feel that this age is going to ultimately hurt companies and cause problems between employees and CEOs. There is a point where too much can become public and this is where I am afraid our society is headed and there is almost no turning back.
But, how do you feel...? As an employee, should we worry about trusting our CEO's in this age? Will they try to use this technology to their advantage or will it ultimately hurt the company when doing so in the end? Will this Twitter Age turn out Good, Bad, or Ugly?
-Trey Tennell
This article discusses whether or not it is a wise idea to trust a CEO in the "Twitter Age" and if it affects a company negatively. Today, it seems as though nothing is a secret and everything becomes public knowledge on social media websites such as Twitter. Unfortunately, this bodes poorly for a CEO of a company. They need to watch out what they post, what they say, what their employees are posting, etc. It is discussed in this article that there are open sessions now over the internet where people can discuss their concerns or questions about anything in regards to the company. The feedback from performing these sessions was positive, but was it healthy for the company? Is there a such thing as going too far with communication within a group? I feel that this age is going to ultimately hurt companies and cause problems between employees and CEOs. There is a point where too much can become public and this is where I am afraid our society is headed and there is almost no turning back.
But, how do you feel...? As an employee, should we worry about trusting our CEO's in this age? Will they try to use this technology to their advantage or will it ultimately hurt the company when doing so in the end? Will this Twitter Age turn out Good, Bad, or Ugly?
-Trey Tennell
CSI Normal Activity
1. During this activity, many of the tasks discussed in the chapter came into play while trying to figure out this mystery. First, everyone played the contributor role because we all needed to work together in order to have a chance at coming anywhere near solving this. Greg specifically wrote ideas down which designated him as the contractor of the group. I felt that I fell into the completer role because I always like to take action. In this instance, I helped figure out that we all had different sheets and presented my idea of helping to take action in solving the case. The exercise was beneficial in helping us use these different roles and helping us realize how we use them.
2. It would have been very helpful to have a coordinator in this activity. If we had a coordinator we would have been able to organize our thoughts more efficiently, thus resulting in a quicker solve of the mystery. I believe if we would have had this role covered by someone the outcome of this exercise would have been different for our team.
3.I truly believe that our team is in the Performing stage of team development. We all understand each other and what each person brings to the group. Also, everyone knows what they are best at and we all collaborate well because of this. We communicate well and are efficient in the tasks we perform. Overall we are doing very well in the Performing stage of team development.
-Trey Tennell
2. It would have been very helpful to have a coordinator in this activity. If we had a coordinator we would have been able to organize our thoughts more efficiently, thus resulting in a quicker solve of the mystery. I believe if we would have had this role covered by someone the outcome of this exercise would have been different for our team.
3.I truly believe that our team is in the Performing stage of team development. We all understand each other and what each person brings to the group. Also, everyone knows what they are best at and we all collaborate well because of this. We communicate well and are efficient in the tasks we perform. Overall we are doing very well in the Performing stage of team development.
-Trey Tennell
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