I found an article worthy of note on the Harvard Business School's website. In the beginning of the semester we spoke a lot about leadership. The preferred type of leadership, how leaders influence their organizations and whether leaders are made or born were some of the discussed topics. According to one Harvard professor and recent studies her and her colleagues conducted, at times, introvert leaders can draw the best results. That can all depend on the type of environment and the employees lead. According to Gino(the mentioned professor), an introverted leader can have a great effect on his subordinates because he tends to talk less and listen more than his extroverted counterpart. As a result, this gives room for a lot more conversation, creativity and communication between the leader and his employees. Not only can this lead to greater employee satisfaction, but also to improved productivity and a higher work output. On the other hand, some say that an introvert or extrovert behavior can be adjusted depending on the situation at hand. Whether you agree with that or not, its eye opening to hear that one does not need to be an outspoken, loud or an extroverted leader to be a good leader or manager.
You can find the article here: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6494.html
gabriela j.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Leadership Training at CUNY
Hi Everyone,
Below is an article describing a new leadership program developed for the librarians at CUNY. I find it surprising that at the end of the first paragraph it says that in order to thrive in this economy CUNY librarians need to adopt an MBA mindset. As you read the article you will notice that the benefits mentioned about the training are similar to those aspects we used to describe the nonprofit sector in our class comparison between nonprofit and private sectors.
I do not really understand why an MBA mindset is necessary to thrive in this economy. As Wilma, Molly, and Ken collectively explained a few weeks ago, the nonprofit sector has to deal with the realities of funding every year not just during tough economic times. A good example of this is the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon which has, in spite of the tough economic times, raised $50+ Million dollars in donations for the last 14 years.
For a public institution such as CUNY I would think a nonprofit mindset would be more appropriate than a MBA mindset which may or may not have been responsible for this economic crisis in the first place. Your thought?
LEADERSHIP TRAINING AT CUNY
June 7, 2010 | News
In most academic libraries, promoting library faculty based on the usual formulas for tenure is matter of course. But finding ways to encourage an innovative culture of leadership often resists an easy solution. CUNY, however, has answered this challenge. In partnership with the Metropolitan New York Librarian Council (METRO), it has created a leadership program called “CUNY Librarians Learn to Envision Alternative Directions” (L.E.A.D) to help librarians thrive in this economy by adopting an MBA mindset.
In the first phase of the L.E.A.D. training program, CUNY introduced 30 of its most promising librarians to a two-day course, which concentrated on topics identified by the CUNY chief librarians in response to a leadership training needs survey. Among the topics covered were leadership in libraries today, principles and practices of effective leadership, improving your effectiveness and emotional intelligence.
In his welcoming remarks at the Graduate School of Journalism on May 6-7, University Librarian Curtis Kendrick told participants that the L.E.A.D. training program is unlike any other because it has been created with CUNY librarians in mind. “You have been hand-picked to attend this workshop because you have already demonstrated leadership and the potential for more.” said Kendrick. “The investment we are making in your future is really an investment in CUNY’s future.”
Kendrick added that he expects participants to gain “a broader understanding of the university” from the training and that this new perspective will enable them to work “even more effectively at their local campuses and with one another.”
The L.E.A.D. workshop grew out of a Council of Chief Librarians retreat two years ago, which identified leadership training as a strategic initiative and formed a committee to develop the programming. Chief Librarian Consuella Askew, Graduate School of Journalism, was elected to chair it. Committee members (University Librarian Curtis Kendrick and CUNY chief librarians Arthur Downing, Baruch College; Julie Lim, CUNY School of Law at Queens College; and Larry Sullivan, John Jay College) shared their vision for the leadership training and together with METRO Executive Director Dottie Hiebing and Maureen Sullivan, METRO trainer, developed the workshop. The Office of Library Services provided the funding to launch the first of the seminar series.
The pilot program was open to all CUNY faculty librarians. Program candidates were nominated by their Chief Librarian based on three criteria: an interest in assuming leadership roles in their libraries, a willingness to risk and be accountable, and prior experience in a leadership role.
Maureen Sullivan, a popular organizational development consultant and the 2010 Academic/Research Librarian of the Year, conducted the training. She explained that the impetus for the course came out of a recognition that the library world is undergoing tremendous changes and there’s a greater need than ever for libraries to keep up with the ever-widening array of technologies and constituent needs. That and increasing pressure for return on investment means that more librarians must take initiative for leadership in order to sustain their library’s future. “Leadership comes from opportunity taken,” said Sullivan. “I believe that every supervisor, administrator and manager has to become an effective leader.”
Participants were exposed to a number of key management principles and asked to develop a personal action plan utilizing the new concepts they had learned. A key lesson was how to capitalize on their core competencies. Librarians have been contributing to undergraduate learning for decades, without getting much credit for it. “Short of writing the paper, librarians have always been a key resource to students,” Sullivan said. In the digital age, when their expertise in finding critical information is invaluable to many professional disciplines, it is particularly important for librarians to market themselves more effectively. “As librarians we must learn to be effective in describing what we do and communicate our value,” said Sullivan.
Dr. Askew would agree. Librarians must begin seeing their work from a consumer perspective and consider new ways of providing services. “We need to continue placing ourselves in the middle of things,” said Dr. Askew. “We’re competing with the Starbucks age. Users are coming in to browse books in the library, like in cafés. So one solution is for libraries to provide more spots where students can come in and read a book comfortably.”
While the L.E.A.D. training program is still in its early stages, feedback from workshop participants indicates they find the workshop content to be highly relevant to the performance of their jobs. “What was most valuable to me was that leaders in CUNY libraries showed that they value each of us enough to invest in each of us,” said Beth Evans, librarian at Brooklyn College, who completed the workshop. “I find that there is always one moment, sometimes more, when I remember something that was said at the training that serves as a reminder of how to move ahead.” Adds LaRoi Lawton, librarian at Bronx Community College: “This was the first time in my experience at CUNY that the Office of Library Services, the Council of Chief Librarians and METRO teamed up to invest in librarians who have exhibited leadership. A job well done across the board!”
Another benefit of a leadership workshop, of course, is in bringing participants together, and getting them to share their best practices and war stories with a small cadre of colleagues. “CUNY has its own way of doing things,” said Dr. Askew, and after taking this workshop, librarians will have learnt “to place themselves in the university system.” She hopes that the graduates of this workshop, as well as future ones, will create “a community of practice” at CUNY, where librarians can come together for support and share practical advice on leadership.
Ultimately, she hopes to see a shift in organizational culture, where senior leaders learn, cross-fertilize and share ideas with everyone on their staff, regardless of ranking. “My hidden agenda is to see an organizational culture shift where we as librarians become open to new ideas and trends in terms of providing service to our users,” said Dr. Askew. “Leadership is a learned behavior and leaders come from bottom and middle. That’s my personal philosophy. That’s the whole new mindset for the 21st and 22nd centuries.”
–Irene Gashurov
Gaurav "Mike" Bawa
Below is an article describing a new leadership program developed for the librarians at CUNY. I find it surprising that at the end of the first paragraph it says that in order to thrive in this economy CUNY librarians need to adopt an MBA mindset. As you read the article you will notice that the benefits mentioned about the training are similar to those aspects we used to describe the nonprofit sector in our class comparison between nonprofit and private sectors.
I do not really understand why an MBA mindset is necessary to thrive in this economy. As Wilma, Molly, and Ken collectively explained a few weeks ago, the nonprofit sector has to deal with the realities of funding every year not just during tough economic times. A good example of this is the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon which has, in spite of the tough economic times, raised $50+ Million dollars in donations for the last 14 years.
For a public institution such as CUNY I would think a nonprofit mindset would be more appropriate than a MBA mindset which may or may not have been responsible for this economic crisis in the first place. Your thought?
LEADERSHIP TRAINING AT CUNY
June 7, 2010 | News
In most academic libraries, promoting library faculty based on the usual formulas for tenure is matter of course. But finding ways to encourage an innovative culture of leadership often resists an easy solution. CUNY, however, has answered this challenge. In partnership with the Metropolitan New York Librarian Council (METRO), it has created a leadership program called “CUNY Librarians Learn to Envision Alternative Directions” (L.E.A.D) to help librarians thrive in this economy by adopting an MBA mindset.
In the first phase of the L.E.A.D. training program, CUNY introduced 30 of its most promising librarians to a two-day course, which concentrated on topics identified by the CUNY chief librarians in response to a leadership training needs survey. Among the topics covered were leadership in libraries today, principles and practices of effective leadership, improving your effectiveness and emotional intelligence.
In his welcoming remarks at the Graduate School of Journalism on May 6-7, University Librarian Curtis Kendrick told participants that the L.E.A.D. training program is unlike any other because it has been created with CUNY librarians in mind. “You have been hand-picked to attend this workshop because you have already demonstrated leadership and the potential for more.” said Kendrick. “The investment we are making in your future is really an investment in CUNY’s future.”
Kendrick added that he expects participants to gain “a broader understanding of the university” from the training and that this new perspective will enable them to work “even more effectively at their local campuses and with one another.”
The L.E.A.D. workshop grew out of a Council of Chief Librarians retreat two years ago, which identified leadership training as a strategic initiative and formed a committee to develop the programming. Chief Librarian Consuella Askew, Graduate School of Journalism, was elected to chair it. Committee members (University Librarian Curtis Kendrick and CUNY chief librarians Arthur Downing, Baruch College; Julie Lim, CUNY School of Law at Queens College; and Larry Sullivan, John Jay College) shared their vision for the leadership training and together with METRO Executive Director Dottie Hiebing and Maureen Sullivan, METRO trainer, developed the workshop. The Office of Library Services provided the funding to launch the first of the seminar series.
The pilot program was open to all CUNY faculty librarians. Program candidates were nominated by their Chief Librarian based on three criteria: an interest in assuming leadership roles in their libraries, a willingness to risk and be accountable, and prior experience in a leadership role.
Maureen Sullivan, a popular organizational development consultant and the 2010 Academic/Research Librarian of the Year, conducted the training. She explained that the impetus for the course came out of a recognition that the library world is undergoing tremendous changes and there’s a greater need than ever for libraries to keep up with the ever-widening array of technologies and constituent needs. That and increasing pressure for return on investment means that more librarians must take initiative for leadership in order to sustain their library’s future. “Leadership comes from opportunity taken,” said Sullivan. “I believe that every supervisor, administrator and manager has to become an effective leader.”
Participants were exposed to a number of key management principles and asked to develop a personal action plan utilizing the new concepts they had learned. A key lesson was how to capitalize on their core competencies. Librarians have been contributing to undergraduate learning for decades, without getting much credit for it. “Short of writing the paper, librarians have always been a key resource to students,” Sullivan said. In the digital age, when their expertise in finding critical information is invaluable to many professional disciplines, it is particularly important for librarians to market themselves more effectively. “As librarians we must learn to be effective in describing what we do and communicate our value,” said Sullivan.
Dr. Askew would agree. Librarians must begin seeing their work from a consumer perspective and consider new ways of providing services. “We need to continue placing ourselves in the middle of things,” said Dr. Askew. “We’re competing with the Starbucks age. Users are coming in to browse books in the library, like in cafés. So one solution is for libraries to provide more spots where students can come in and read a book comfortably.”
While the L.E.A.D. training program is still in its early stages, feedback from workshop participants indicates they find the workshop content to be highly relevant to the performance of their jobs. “What was most valuable to me was that leaders in CUNY libraries showed that they value each of us enough to invest in each of us,” said Beth Evans, librarian at Brooklyn College, who completed the workshop. “I find that there is always one moment, sometimes more, when I remember something that was said at the training that serves as a reminder of how to move ahead.” Adds LaRoi Lawton, librarian at Bronx Community College: “This was the first time in my experience at CUNY that the Office of Library Services, the Council of Chief Librarians and METRO teamed up to invest in librarians who have exhibited leadership. A job well done across the board!”
Another benefit of a leadership workshop, of course, is in bringing participants together, and getting them to share their best practices and war stories with a small cadre of colleagues. “CUNY has its own way of doing things,” said Dr. Askew, and after taking this workshop, librarians will have learnt “to place themselves in the university system.” She hopes that the graduates of this workshop, as well as future ones, will create “a community of practice” at CUNY, where librarians can come together for support and share practical advice on leadership.
Ultimately, she hopes to see a shift in organizational culture, where senior leaders learn, cross-fertilize and share ideas with everyone on their staff, regardless of ranking. “My hidden agenda is to see an organizational culture shift where we as librarians become open to new ideas and trends in terms of providing service to our users,” said Dr. Askew. “Leadership is a learned behavior and leaders come from bottom and middle. That’s my personal philosophy. That’s the whole new mindset for the 21st and 22nd centuries.”
–Irene Gashurov
Gaurav "Mike" Bawa
Are CUNY financial woes a management or personnel issue?
Hi Everyone,
I do not know if many of you read this week's Ticker (the school newspaper). On the front page was an article on the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovative Act or PHEEIA for short. The article had a rather positive tone to it. It essentially suggested that PHEEIA, which would give CUNY the ability to raise its own tuition instead of waiting for the legislature to do it, was a positive thing and that it should be passed.
I took great exception to the message of the article mainly because neither the CUNY Board of Trustees nor the individual campus presidents have made student services a priority. For example, in December of 2008 the Board recommended an annual tuition increase of $600 to help close budget gaps. However, the impending budget gaps were not an issue when the Board voted to give raises to the vice chancellors and campus presidents in September of 2008. Chancellor Goldstein himself is making $550,000 a year. That is nearly double his salary when he was first hired in 1999. Two weeks ago it was reported that the Newman library had $125,000 cut from its budget. Crippling the library's ability to purchase new textbooks for student use.
Furthermore, on page 7 of this week's Ticker Tanvir Hossain, former USG president, wrote an article about the negative treatment of student organizations in regards to using campus space. I find it hard to believe that if PHEEIA is approved the administration will magically begin considering student services has their number one priority. Now, what does this have to do with our class?
We have been discussing effective management techniques and have learned a great deal about what makes a good leader or manager. Our most recent consideration was teamwork. We have an idea of what the structure of an effective organization should be. Based on our class material to this point I ask you, are the financial woes of CUNY a management or personnel issue? Meaning is the structure of the system of to blame or the people running the system?
I have been a part of CUNY for both my undergraduate and graduate education and can say with some confidence that the ideas we are being taught are not being followed by our own institution. I would like your viewpoint on this issue and will respond by expanding on my own opinion.
Gaurav "Mike" Bawa
I do not know if many of you read this week's Ticker (the school newspaper). On the front page was an article on the Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovative Act or PHEEIA for short. The article had a rather positive tone to it. It essentially suggested that PHEEIA, which would give CUNY the ability to raise its own tuition instead of waiting for the legislature to do it, was a positive thing and that it should be passed.
I took great exception to the message of the article mainly because neither the CUNY Board of Trustees nor the individual campus presidents have made student services a priority. For example, in December of 2008 the Board recommended an annual tuition increase of $600 to help close budget gaps. However, the impending budget gaps were not an issue when the Board voted to give raises to the vice chancellors and campus presidents in September of 2008. Chancellor Goldstein himself is making $550,000 a year. That is nearly double his salary when he was first hired in 1999. Two weeks ago it was reported that the Newman library had $125,000 cut from its budget. Crippling the library's ability to purchase new textbooks for student use.
Furthermore, on page 7 of this week's Ticker Tanvir Hossain, former USG president, wrote an article about the negative treatment of student organizations in regards to using campus space. I find it hard to believe that if PHEEIA is approved the administration will magically begin considering student services has their number one priority. Now, what does this have to do with our class?
We have been discussing effective management techniques and have learned a great deal about what makes a good leader or manager. Our most recent consideration was teamwork. We have an idea of what the structure of an effective organization should be. Based on our class material to this point I ask you, are the financial woes of CUNY a management or personnel issue? Meaning is the structure of the system of to blame or the people running the system?
I have been a part of CUNY for both my undergraduate and graduate education and can say with some confidence that the ideas we are being taught are not being followed by our own institution. I would like your viewpoint on this issue and will respond by expanding on my own opinion.
Gaurav "Mike" Bawa
How to Manage Your Stress
Stess can happen at everywhere and at everytime. It is so dangerous that it can effect your work, your family, you health and your life. It is not easy to manage the stress, but we need to learn how to manage it and make the best of it. Just like we have learned in the class, the optimum stress level actually is good, but over the optimum stress level will do a lot damages. There is website that explains guildes you how to handle stress. Please see the following steps:
- Avoid stressful situtation
- Avoid extremes
- Change how you rect to stress
- Set priorities
- Set realist goals
- Take control of the situtation
- Manage how stress affect you
- Discovering new relaxion techniques
- Change how you see the situtation
- Figure out what is most important
- Exercise
Basily, it is the same theories that we have learned in the class regarding how to handdle stress. However, this article mentions to use stress is very interested. It means that if you really can not avoid the stress, then try to flow with it and be more productive.
You can view this article at http://www.studygs.net/stress.htm
Yu Mei Wu
- Avoid stressful situtation
- Avoid extremes
- Change how you rect to stress
- Set priorities
- Set realist goals
- Take control of the situtation
- Manage how stress affect you
- Discovering new relaxion techniques
- Change how you see the situtation
- Figure out what is most important
- Exercise
Basily, it is the same theories that we have learned in the class regarding how to handdle stress. However, this article mentions to use stress is very interested. It means that if you really can not avoid the stress, then try to flow with it and be more productive.
You can view this article at http://www.studygs.net/stress.htm
Yu Mei Wu
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Is work worth the sacrifice?
An article featured last week on management-issues.com and timely given our look at factors that play a role in motivation and stress at work. More specifically, it would appear from the study that the recession has brought about new perspectives on what is truly important in life...
Is work worth the sacrifice?
20 Oct 2010 | Brian Amble
Amid continuing uncertainty about job security and the never-ending pressure to deliver more with less, the Great Recession has prompted a growing number of Americans to question whether the sacrifices they have made name of work are really worth it.
That's according to a new study led by Florida State University Professor, Wayne Hochwarter, which examined the recession's role in changing employees' attitudes towards work, their commitment to their families, and the pursuit of a more balanced lifestyle.
Hochwarter and research associates Tyler Everett and Stuart Tapley quizzed more than 1,000 full-time employees across a range of occupations and career stages. What they found is that employers' demands for more output with less support and fewer rewards is leading to some striking changes in thinking.
For example, almost half the employees questioned said that the recession has increased their appreciation of their family. A similar proportion said that it has helped them recognize the value of people over things.
"Many of the people that we talked to felt that having less faith in work afforded them opportunities to direct more faith toward other often-neglected areas of life, and in most cases, it was family and friends," Tyler Everett said.
Four out of 10 felt that most of what happens at work is out of their control, regardless of the commitment and effort they put in, while more than a third (37 per cent) said that they now feel that work isn't as important as it once was in the grand scheme of things.
In addition, a quarter felt that the recession has brought home to them that their work-life balance has become too skewed toward work at the expense of their family and leisure time.
As Stuart Tapley pointed out, however, the very fact that many employees have begun to evaluate the importance of non-work factors may be the first step in reducing the stress associated with their imbalanced lives.
The study also suggests that recession-related stress tends to manifest differently in men and women.
"Digging a little deeper into the data, it was evident that men's reflective, and often remorseful, thoughts were driven by recession-related job insecurity and its subsequent role in encouraging hostile work treatment," Hochwarter said.
Women's thoughts, on the other hand, were triggered by more by conflicts between work and family obligations. Women said that their job obligations have increased in recent years, resulting in them having fewer hours to spend on family life.
The researchers add that attitudes towards work are also markedly different across different generations. For Millennial Generation employees in particular (those born roughly between the mid-1970s and the early 2000s) work-life balance is an issue that is not going to go away, with work sharing equal (or lesser) status with friends, family and leisure.
As one study participant, a 44-year-old accounting director, put it:
"I've learned a lot from the younger people we hired here in the past few years. I've learned that there is a big world out there away from work where there are fun things to do and people who care about me not because I pay the bills, but because I'm Dad. I wish management around here would take their lead, or better yet, let them run things. Everyone would feel less stressed out!"
Original URL: http://www.management-issues.com/2010/10/20/research/is-work-worth-the-sacrifice.asp?section=research&id=6070&specifier=&mode=print&is_authenticated=0&reference=
Valeria Bonanome
Is work worth the sacrifice?
20 Oct 2010 | Brian Amble
Amid continuing uncertainty about job security and the never-ending pressure to deliver more with less, the Great Recession has prompted a growing number of Americans to question whether the sacrifices they have made name of work are really worth it.
That's according to a new study led by Florida State University Professor, Wayne Hochwarter, which examined the recession's role in changing employees' attitudes towards work, their commitment to their families, and the pursuit of a more balanced lifestyle.
Hochwarter and research associates Tyler Everett and Stuart Tapley quizzed more than 1,000 full-time employees across a range of occupations and career stages. What they found is that employers' demands for more output with less support and fewer rewards is leading to some striking changes in thinking.
For example, almost half the employees questioned said that the recession has increased their appreciation of their family. A similar proportion said that it has helped them recognize the value of people over things.
"Many of the people that we talked to felt that having less faith in work afforded them opportunities to direct more faith toward other often-neglected areas of life, and in most cases, it was family and friends," Tyler Everett said.
Four out of 10 felt that most of what happens at work is out of their control, regardless of the commitment and effort they put in, while more than a third (37 per cent) said that they now feel that work isn't as important as it once was in the grand scheme of things.
In addition, a quarter felt that the recession has brought home to them that their work-life balance has become too skewed toward work at the expense of their family and leisure time.
As Stuart Tapley pointed out, however, the very fact that many employees have begun to evaluate the importance of non-work factors may be the first step in reducing the stress associated with their imbalanced lives.
The study also suggests that recession-related stress tends to manifest differently in men and women.
"Digging a little deeper into the data, it was evident that men's reflective, and often remorseful, thoughts were driven by recession-related job insecurity and its subsequent role in encouraging hostile work treatment," Hochwarter said.
Women's thoughts, on the other hand, were triggered by more by conflicts between work and family obligations. Women said that their job obligations have increased in recent years, resulting in them having fewer hours to spend on family life.
The researchers add that attitudes towards work are also markedly different across different generations. For Millennial Generation employees in particular (those born roughly between the mid-1970s and the early 2000s) work-life balance is an issue that is not going to go away, with work sharing equal (or lesser) status with friends, family and leisure.
As one study participant, a 44-year-old accounting director, put it:
"I've learned a lot from the younger people we hired here in the past few years. I've learned that there is a big world out there away from work where there are fun things to do and people who care about me not because I pay the bills, but because I'm Dad. I wish management around here would take their lead, or better yet, let them run things. Everyone would feel less stressed out!"
Original URL: http://www.management-issues.com/2010/10/20/research/is-work-worth-the-sacrifice.asp?section=research&id=6070&specifier=&mode=print&is_authenticated=0&reference=
Valeria Bonanome
Monday, October 25, 2010
Effective Advertising?????
This is not directly relevant to the course, but there was a previous post about whether humor is an effective way to convince people to act in a certain way. And given that we are a week away from election day I was interested to see what you think about the following ad:
NOTE: I took down this very annoying video which started automatically and couldn't be stopped!!!
Anyway, see Brandon's comment below about the effectiveness of humor. And the NYT has a similar blog thread. See:
When Does a Fake Political Rally Turn Real?
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/10/28/when-does-a-fake-political-rally-turn-real
John
NOTE: I took down this very annoying video which started automatically and couldn't be stopped!!!
Anyway, see Brandon's comment below about the effectiveness of humor. And the NYT has a similar blog thread. See:
When Does a Fake Political Rally Turn Real?
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/10/28/when-does-a-fake-political-rally-turn-real
John
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Business Blogging as Part of Your Content Strategy - Amanda Watlington
I am not a blogger and have never blogged before, so I thought it was interesting to research the importance of blogging. This link explains a little about having an effective content strategy. I can understand the importance of this if you are trying to improve your strategy in social networking. I guess you have to be a technical savvy person to stay on top of all the new technology that is so quickly evolving. Enjoy Amanda Watlington's take on why blogging is important.
www.youtube.com/watch
www.youtube.com/watch
In this video interview, social media specialist Amanda Watlington explains that having an integrated and well-thought out content strategy is at the base of a good business blog. She offers tips on how to make a business blog more effective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9vbmJotQg0.
Victoria Warren
A couple more sports stories
Oddly enough, I am not a sports follower, but two recent articles in the NYTimes (I am a daily NYTimes reader) caught my attention, particularly after our shared reading about Mr. Steinbrenner.
First, an article about the owner of the Jets, Woody Johnson. In 2000, using a fortune based on his Johnson and Johnson inheritance, he bought the Jets from the Hess estate. The article details Johnson's relatively low-key personality and how he has changed this in great part in order to serve the transformation of the Jets from second-tenant of another team's stadium into a marquee team garnering all the attention.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/sports/football/28owner.html
Second, an article about the Wilpon family, father and son, who own the Mets. Fred first bought into the team in 1980, owned fifty percent since 1986, and has been the sole owner since 2002. The article is a criticism of the Wilpon's alleged interference with team management and suggests they find the best general manager and then let him alone to run the team.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/sports/baseball/05vecsey.html
Both articles seem to have in common a human resources frame: the best approach to sports management seems to be to hire the best people (with a good fit to the organization) and then support them as they lead the team to success. Of course, perhaps this makes sense in team sports--how better to create a team than a focus on the human resources and management? Perhaps this was the point of the Steinbrenner article as well?
On the other hand, I have a feeling that we will find many connections between team sports and the symbolic frame as well.
Russell West Jr.
First, an article about the owner of the Jets, Woody Johnson. In 2000, using a fortune based on his Johnson and Johnson inheritance, he bought the Jets from the Hess estate. The article details Johnson's relatively low-key personality and how he has changed this in great part in order to serve the transformation of the Jets from second-tenant of another team's stadium into a marquee team garnering all the attention.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/sports/football/28owner.html
Second, an article about the Wilpon family, father and son, who own the Mets. Fred first bought into the team in 1980, owned fifty percent since 1986, and has been the sole owner since 2002. The article is a criticism of the Wilpon's alleged interference with team management and suggests they find the best general manager and then let him alone to run the team.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/sports/baseball/05vecsey.html
Both articles seem to have in common a human resources frame: the best approach to sports management seems to be to hire the best people (with a good fit to the organization) and then support them as they lead the team to success. Of course, perhaps this makes sense in team sports--how better to create a team than a focus on the human resources and management? Perhaps this was the point of the Steinbrenner article as well?
On the other hand, I have a feeling that we will find many connections between team sports and the symbolic frame as well.
Russell West Jr.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Training on Managing Up
Well timed after our class discussion on managing up, I received an e-mail from The Support Center about an upcoming training of theirs:
Managing Up: How to Enhance Your Effectiveness with Organizational Leaders
Wednesday, November 03, 2010 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM (Eastern Time)
In class we had some different perspectives on what this means and if it has a positive or negative connotation. My first experience with the concept earlier this semester made it seem like your boss is not doing their job to the fullest extent and therefore, you need to push them along to make things happen as they should. Now I feel that it has different meanings and you should be more clear when talking about it so others understand which perspective you are coming from.
This training puts a positive spin on it, similiar to how in class we spoke how it can be a tool toward promotion.
By attending this workshop, you will:
• Learn how to communicate more effectively with your manager and other organizational leaders
• Better understand how your organizational position impacts your perspective
• Gain an enhanced understanding of multiple organizational perspectives
• Learn how to communicate more effectively with your manager and other organizational leaders
• Better understand how your organizational position impacts your perspective
• Gain an enhanced understanding of multiple organizational perspectives
So, in case you are interested in learning more and want to see it more positively, you can attend this workshop! If you enter this discount code (SC30NOV), you get 30% off the normal cost to participate.
-Monica
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
A Fallen Hero
Former JetBlue fight attendant Steven Slater is expected to plead guilty in a Queens courtroom today. We are all familiar with the story. Disgruntled employee faces off with ornery traveler and makes history by expressing his frustration through on over-the-top act of insubordination marked by the inflation of an escape mechanism by which he slides off into the sunset.
For a while Steven Slater was a hero to service workers throughout the country. Afterall, who hasn't wanted to "jump ship" after an unsavory moment with colleagues or customers? But as facts began to replace fiction, it appeared that he was simply waiting for an excuse to behave badly. More importantly, it appears he made the whole thing up. Was this his way of sabotaging JetBlue? As a frustrated worker, was this his way of creating bad publicity for a corporation he had nothing but disdain for? Was this his last ditch effort to "adapt" to frustration in the workplace?
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/JetBlue-Flight-Attendant-Expected-To-Plead-Guilty--105226589.html?dr
Amanda
Monday, October 18, 2010
Combining the Structural and Human Resource frames through Steve Jobs
I recently came across this interview by John Sculley (former CEO of Apple) about Steve Jobs. In the interview, he talks in-depth about Apple's successes and failures and the reasons behind both. What was of particular interest to me was his description of Steve Jobs as a leader. He attributes most of the company's success to Jobs, noting that it was (and is) through his unique methodology, the "Jobs methodology" as it's been dubbed, that Apple has thrived as a leader in the tech world.
The profile of Jobs, as depicted by Sculley, is one of a man who isn't just an effective leader but a visionary and a perfectionist. The article really strings together the two things we've talked about in class so far - the structural and human resource frames.
The "Jobs methodology," which is essentially the belief that "the most important decisions you make are not the things you do – but the things that you decide not to do" separated him from many of his contemporaries. Unlike Bill Gates, who was more "interested in being able to dominate a market," Jobs was always focused on creating products from the "vantage point of being a designer." The user, and not the bottom line, was the most important part of informing his process. "User design" as it's known now is precisely what has made Apple stand apart from its competitors.
What's also interesting is how the "Jobs methodology" has informed Steve Jobs' management style.
From a structural perspective, he has created an extremely close-knit team. "Steve had a rule that there could never be more than one hundred people on the Mac team." He was intent on keeping the Mac team, which would eventually become the product development team, small so he would know everyone on the team personally. This would enable him to "touch everything." He didn't have much respect for large organizations as he believed they were "bureaucratic and ineffective." He hires the best and the brightest people for the Mac team and even now that Apple has grown considerably, Jobs keeps the product development team small so he can have a hand in all the decisions.
At the same time, from a human resource perspective, Jobs created an environment that fosters creatitivy while nurturing it so it can continute to thrive. Because Jobs was so focused on perfecting the user experience, he has been known to challenge his team to go above and beyond what they think is possible. On the one hand, "he would be almost merciless in terms of rejecting their work until he felt it had reached the level of perfection that was good enough.." In most instances, I would think this would create a hostile working environment for his employees. But on the other hand, he "would shift between being highly charismatic and motivating and getting them excited to feel like they are part of something insanely great."
As a leader, Steve Jobs' vision for creating beautiful and efficient products is what has driven Apple to the forefront of the tech world. As a manager, his ability to properly structure the organization and foster creativity for his workers is what may have made the company a real success.
This article is incredibly detailed and really very interesting. If you can get the time to read it, I highly recommend that you do.
Conchita Campos
The profile of Jobs, as depicted by Sculley, is one of a man who isn't just an effective leader but a visionary and a perfectionist. The article really strings together the two things we've talked about in class so far - the structural and human resource frames.
The "Jobs methodology," which is essentially the belief that "the most important decisions you make are not the things you do – but the things that you decide not to do" separated him from many of his contemporaries. Unlike Bill Gates, who was more "interested in being able to dominate a market," Jobs was always focused on creating products from the "vantage point of being a designer." The user, and not the bottom line, was the most important part of informing his process. "User design" as it's known now is precisely what has made Apple stand apart from its competitors.
What's also interesting is how the "Jobs methodology" has informed Steve Jobs' management style.
From a structural perspective, he has created an extremely close-knit team. "Steve had a rule that there could never be more than one hundred people on the Mac team." He was intent on keeping the Mac team, which would eventually become the product development team, small so he would know everyone on the team personally. This would enable him to "touch everything." He didn't have much respect for large organizations as he believed they were "bureaucratic and ineffective." He hires the best and the brightest people for the Mac team and even now that Apple has grown considerably, Jobs keeps the product development team small so he can have a hand in all the decisions.
At the same time, from a human resource perspective, Jobs created an environment that fosters creatitivy while nurturing it so it can continute to thrive. Because Jobs was so focused on perfecting the user experience, he has been known to challenge his team to go above and beyond what they think is possible. On the one hand, "he would be almost merciless in terms of rejecting their work until he felt it had reached the level of perfection that was good enough.." In most instances, I would think this would create a hostile working environment for his employees. But on the other hand, he "would shift between being highly charismatic and motivating and getting them excited to feel like they are part of something insanely great."
As a leader, Steve Jobs' vision for creating beautiful and efficient products is what has driven Apple to the forefront of the tech world. As a manager, his ability to properly structure the organization and foster creativity for his workers is what may have made the company a real success.
This article is incredibly detailed and really very interesting. If you can get the time to read it, I highly recommend that you do.
Conchita Campos
Sunday, October 17, 2010
"Don’t Lose That Start-Up State of Mind"
Every Sunday in the Business section of New York Times, there is a "Corner Office" columns that publishes an interview with different top executives about their challenge leadership and management skill. Today, it publishs the interview with Jenny Ming, the CED of Charlotte Russes-a clothing chain, who was was the formal President of Old Navy and Gap. I think it is very interested and I want to share it at his blog.
In the interview, Ms. Ming talks about the she likes to look at the company as "start-up" because it makes "you hungry" and you want to prove that "you can do that". It makes her to be prioritize correctly because resources are limited. No matter how big the company is, never "Lose that start-up of Mind" and that is how she has helped Old Navy and Gap to grow. She has learned from her first job that she needs to be honest to her workers and she is willing to listen. It reminds me the secret of successful leadership is "honesty and fair dealing.." (Groucho Marx). Ms. Ming's ideal organizational structure is "flat" because she wants to be in control and make sure that everyone is "all aligned". She also realized from previous job experienced that the different treatment in the company between male and female employees when the promotion opportunity pops up. One other interested points that I am amazed is the way she recruit her staff. She prefers to have conversation with the candidate in the interviews because the best candidate will the one that she can learn from him or her
You can view this article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/business/17corner.html?ref=business.
Yu Mei Wu
In the interview, Ms. Ming talks about the she likes to look at the company as "start-up" because it makes "you hungry" and you want to prove that "you can do that". It makes her to be prioritize correctly because resources are limited. No matter how big the company is, never "Lose that start-up of Mind" and that is how she has helped Old Navy and Gap to grow. She has learned from her first job that she needs to be honest to her workers and she is willing to listen. It reminds me the secret of successful leadership is "honesty and fair dealing.." (Groucho Marx). Ms. Ming's ideal organizational structure is "flat" because she wants to be in control and make sure that everyone is "all aligned". She also realized from previous job experienced that the different treatment in the company between male and female employees when the promotion opportunity pops up. One other interested points that I am amazed is the way she recruit her staff. She prefers to have conversation with the candidate in the interviews because the best candidate will the one that she can learn from him or her
You can view this article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/business/17corner.html?ref=business.
Yu Mei Wu
Friday, October 15, 2010
What does it take to bring the leader out of you?
We all heard the emotional story of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped in the San Jose mine for nearly 70 days. For the first 17 days before they knew they would be rescued, the miners faced the worst primitive fears humanity would ever face. Within the dark, cold walls of their cavern, they faced chaos, hopelessness, and despair. Without any knowledge of whether the cavern would become a forgotten tomb, one man became the inspirational force that motivated the miners to work together to survive and not give up. Luis Urzúa is commended with being the leader that rose in the underground darkness to save the lives of the 33 miners. After being rescued, he described the struggles the miners faced to remain calm and collected, while facing the possibility of not seeing their families ever again.
Immediately after the collapse, Urzúa’s leadership qualities arose as he sent men to investigate the collapse and assess the danger they were in. After figuring out their situation, he initiated a meeting among the men to work out a plan of action. They would share and ration their food supply, which consisted of a small piece of tuna each day. One group of men were placed in charge to organize and ration it, while another group was placed in charge of taking care of the trucks and other operational machinery. The group of trapped miners became a fully-functioning organization for survival.
It is not easy to remain united when confronted with the situation the miners lived under. Rumors of at least three divided groups are slowly starting to come to light. It must have required a lot of emotional intelligence and faith to have kept Urzúa composed enough to lead his miners. I can imagine many men slowly losing faith, fighting starvation and dehydration, while others struggling to place their own interests above the groups’. Fights, mutiny, and rebellion are usually not characterized with operating organizations, but for Urzúa and his 32 other coworkers, it was a possible reality. When asked how he was capable of keeping the men united and organized, he simply stated, "You just have to speak the truth and believe in democracy… everything was voted on.” Allowing every miner to have an equal vote and opinion kept the men assembled till the end of their ordeal.
Janet Echeverry
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Maslow's Hierarchy of needs updates!
Hey guys, guess what this is! This is Maslow's updated "hierarchy of needs" since the 1990s, with 3 new additions: Cognitive needs, Aesthetic needs, and Transcendence.
As you know Maslow said that needs must be satisfied in the given order and he has made some additions to the hierarchy either through more reflection and examination of the human race or as a reaction to evolving social cultures that have put more importance to additional needs such as Aesthetics.
Either way, his addition choices are quite interesting, particularly, transcendence which is the need to help others reach their self actualization the altruistic need.
Take a look at this link for further explanations of the 3.
Helga Nyanffor
Mark Zuckerberg 100 Million Dollar Donation To Newark
I don't know if any of you know who the creator of facebook is, but his name is Mark Zuckerberg and he has recently been all over the news because of the Social Network movie which is fictional depiction of the the start up and rise of Facebook. At age 26, he has recently also been deemed the youngest self made millionaire by Forbes magazine, . Finally, he has also been getting acclaim for his recent donation of 100 million dollars to the City of Newark, NJ.
All these events are taking place around the same time and some have wondered if it was more than a coincidence. Many say Zuckerberg decided to make a large donation to take away some attention from the Movie and Forbes ranking, because he wants to promote a much more humble and accessible image. The Movie is not exactly flattering, depicting him as a friendless genius ego-maniac, and Forbes ranking as the 35th riches person makes him look inaccessible and greedy for money and power.
After watching some of Mark's interviews, I was torn over the sincerity of his public demeanor, whether it was business ploy to protect the facebook friend image or if he was truly modest and believed in connecting people around the world? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfTaAqmfS6A. this is a link to a more recent of him being interview by Diane Sawyer.
Anyway the latest NewYorker article on Mark, discusses theses events and the reader comments about his donation went wild. I was shocked by the crazy accusations about his intentions and blatant slandering of the Facebook network. Further commenter's for this article and many others keep asking why he chose Newark.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2010/09/zuckerberg-the-philanthropist.html
Hello! Newark has had a notoriety of being one of if not THE poorest and most dangerous city in the country. Many people have felt like it is an abandoned city of NJ (lost cause). Speaking of which, if you would like to learm more about this city, there is a wonderful series called Brick City on the Sundance channel that documents the daily struggles of the Newark administration. http://www.sundancechannel.com/brick-city/
So how does this relate to the class. Frankly, I think this story is worth knowing, but it also shows yet another manager's take on leading and the repercussions. I find Mark Zuckerberg fascinating and recommend the Social Network to everyone.
Helga Nyanffor
All these events are taking place around the same time and some have wondered if it was more than a coincidence. Many say Zuckerberg decided to make a large donation to take away some attention from the Movie and Forbes ranking, because he wants to promote a much more humble and accessible image. The Movie is not exactly flattering, depicting him as a friendless genius ego-maniac, and Forbes ranking as the 35th riches person makes him look inaccessible and greedy for money and power.
After watching some of Mark's interviews, I was torn over the sincerity of his public demeanor, whether it was business ploy to protect the facebook friend image or if he was truly modest and believed in connecting people around the world? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfTaAqmfS6A. this is a link to a more recent of him being interview by Diane Sawyer.
Anyway the latest NewYorker article on Mark, discusses theses events and the reader comments about his donation went wild. I was shocked by the crazy accusations about his intentions and blatant slandering of the Facebook network. Further commenter's for this article and many others keep asking why he chose Newark.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2010/09/zuckerberg-the-philanthropist.html
Hello! Newark has had a notoriety of being one of if not THE poorest and most dangerous city in the country. Many people have felt like it is an abandoned city of NJ (lost cause). Speaking of which, if you would like to learm more about this city, there is a wonderful series called Brick City on the Sundance channel that documents the daily struggles of the Newark administration. http://www.sundancechannel.com/brick-city/
So how does this relate to the class. Frankly, I think this story is worth knowing, but it also shows yet another manager's take on leading and the repercussions. I find Mark Zuckerberg fascinating and recommend the Social Network to everyone.
Helga Nyanffor
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Lincoln Electric in the news
The Pfeffer article begins by praising the efforts of Lincoln Electric - having had no layoffs since 1948.
The company is once again highlighted in today's news -SmartMoney, http://www.smartmoney.com/investing/stocks/3-companies-prospering-without-layoffs/
Also noted by Pfeffer is the fact that despite a drop in sales, the company remained "intact" by offering guaranteed employment to worlers after two (and now three) years on the job.
Could such a tactic work for a non-profit though? Can Lincoln's tactics of "redeploying" employees transfer over to the public sector? How do you do so if the only product you have is your mission? Does the reliance on public/private funding make this assurance impossible?
Valeria Bonanome
The company is once again highlighted in today's news -SmartMoney, http://www.smartmoney.com/investing/stocks/3-companies-prospering-without-layoffs/
Also noted by Pfeffer is the fact that despite a drop in sales, the company remained "intact" by offering guaranteed employment to worlers after two (and now three) years on the job.
Could such a tactic work for a non-profit though? Can Lincoln's tactics of "redeploying" employees transfer over to the public sector? How do you do so if the only product you have is your mission? Does the reliance on public/private funding make this assurance impossible?
Valeria Bonanome
Monday, October 11, 2010
Skillful means for dealing with difficult people
After watching the video in class last week about dealing with difficult people in the workplace I felt troubled. Intellectually, I understand that maintaining equanimity in tense situations is a useful means of avoiding conflict. Yet, despite being a trained yoga teacher, I still find it very challenging to practice neutrality and compassion when dealing with difficult situations in the workplace. I also wonder, like many of our classmates vocalized, if conflict has a healthy role to play in workplace dynamics. From this perspective, equanimity practiced to the extreme may result in avoidance, which as Bolman and Deal point out, is not an effective means of interpersonal relations.
In order to resolve this concern, I looked to Buddhism, which holds non-violence as one of, if not, the sacred truth. However, Buddhist philosophers have long recognized that practicing non-violence is a formidable and complicated task. Perhaps in order to guide the struggling practitioner, the Upaya-Kausalya Sutra, written the first century BCE, advised that skillful means can take many forms, even the form of outright violence. The Sutra tells the story of the Buddha incarnated as a sea captain transporting 500 merchants across a body of water. Through clairvoyance the Buddha learns that one among of the merchants intends to kill everyone on the boat and steal their wares. Faced with this difficult situation, the Buddha decides to kill the man in order to prevent him from becoming a mass murderer, even though the Buddha knows that he himself will suffer a karmic penalty as a result of that act. Yet, in that situation, it was the most appropriate way to act because it saved the lives of the other men and, more importantly, it saved the would-be murder from committing a heinous crime.
The Upaya-Kausalya Sutra (translates to "The Skill is in Means Sutra") teaches the student of Buddhism not to take the teachings too literally - the compassionate choice may not always appear so. Applied to the study of management, these teachings suggest that there is no one "right" way to deal with difficult people; rather, the skillful way to respond to a particular situation is context dependent. In one situation, skillful means may be to remain neutral; in another, skillful means could involve confrontation or seeking recourse through a mutual supervisor. However, the skillfulness of any action ultimately resides in the motivation of the actor. The Buddha did not kill the man to save his own life; he killed the man to stop him from the suffering he was about to inflict on himself and others. Thus, as Denhardt, Denhardt and Aristigueta advocate, managing effectively implies knowing oneself well and adhering to high ethical standards. As managers we must continually reflect on the choices we make in dealing with people and situations, asking ourselves why we are choosing to take one action over another. Through self-reflection we have an opportunity to attain peace of mind while also identifying appropriate, if varied, ways of responding to difficult situations.
On the Upaya-Kausalya Sutra:
http://books.google.com/books?id=-Vu4E1xPJRIC&pg=PA17&dq=Upayakausalya+Sutra&hl=en&ei=ZsOzTOLABIX7lwe08diNCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Upayakausalya%20Sutra&f=false
Molly Flanagan
October 11, 2010
In order to resolve this concern, I looked to Buddhism, which holds non-violence as one of, if not, the sacred truth. However, Buddhist philosophers have long recognized that practicing non-violence is a formidable and complicated task. Perhaps in order to guide the struggling practitioner, the Upaya-Kausalya Sutra, written the first century BCE, advised that skillful means can take many forms, even the form of outright violence. The Sutra tells the story of the Buddha incarnated as a sea captain transporting 500 merchants across a body of water. Through clairvoyance the Buddha learns that one among of the merchants intends to kill everyone on the boat and steal their wares. Faced with this difficult situation, the Buddha decides to kill the man in order to prevent him from becoming a mass murderer, even though the Buddha knows that he himself will suffer a karmic penalty as a result of that act. Yet, in that situation, it was the most appropriate way to act because it saved the lives of the other men and, more importantly, it saved the would-be murder from committing a heinous crime.
The Upaya-Kausalya Sutra (translates to "The Skill is in Means Sutra") teaches the student of Buddhism not to take the teachings too literally - the compassionate choice may not always appear so. Applied to the study of management, these teachings suggest that there is no one "right" way to deal with difficult people; rather, the skillful way to respond to a particular situation is context dependent. In one situation, skillful means may be to remain neutral; in another, skillful means could involve confrontation or seeking recourse through a mutual supervisor. However, the skillfulness of any action ultimately resides in the motivation of the actor. The Buddha did not kill the man to save his own life; he killed the man to stop him from the suffering he was about to inflict on himself and others. Thus, as Denhardt, Denhardt and Aristigueta advocate, managing effectively implies knowing oneself well and adhering to high ethical standards. As managers we must continually reflect on the choices we make in dealing with people and situations, asking ourselves why we are choosing to take one action over another. Through self-reflection we have an opportunity to attain peace of mind while also identifying appropriate, if varied, ways of responding to difficult situations.
On the Upaya-Kausalya Sutra:
http://books.google.com/books?id=-Vu4E1xPJRIC&pg=PA17&dq=Upayakausalya+Sutra&hl=en&ei=ZsOzTOLABIX7lwe08diNCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=Upayakausalya%20Sutra&f=false
Molly Flanagan
October 11, 2010
Working With an Ill-Informed Public
This is a topic that we have not yet discussed, but it is one that I have been interested in as of late. The interest in largely in response to two specific cases: the recent MTA fare increases and the TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program, commonly known as the bank bailout bill) legislation. Neither of these policies are popular among the public, but at the same time the public does not have a very thorough understand of their necessity or their outcome.
The very nature of a “public” organization is that they are public. They exist to serve the needs of the public, which makes them very reactive to the voice of the public, but what how should an organization react when the public is ignorant to the situation and effects of an organizations decisions?
Let’s first briefly look at the TARP Legislation. The legislation caused a massive negative reaction throughout the public, and for largely good reason, but ask someone about the effects of the legislation and they are likely to have their facts wrong. The bill will not cost anywhere near the $700 billion figure that is thrown around, and may in in fact, yield a profit the national government. And most importantly, there is a near consensus that the bill prevented a complete financial meltdown and likely prevented a “depression.” So, the bill was effective, but unpopular and a similar bill is likely to never happen again. So my question is how does a public organization react to a situation where the public is upset when they have effective policy?
Next, I want to mention the recent MTA fare hikes. The MTA is far from a perfectly run organization, and they share a large amount of responsibility for their current budget woes, but what the public does not understand is the MTA’s relationship with Albany. Year after year Albany reallocates dedicated funds from the MTA to other projects to fill a budget gap. This loss of hundreds of millions of revenue from the State plays a massive role in the budget gap at MTA, but very few straphangers grasp this notion and lay blame completely at the feet of the MTA.
When pressed with these facts, people feel a certain level of cognitive dissonance resulting in them clinging more firmly to their incorrect beliefs. How can a public organization, serve the public when the public doesn’t want to understand the facts?
Below are a few links discussing the woes of TARP and the MTA
http://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/10/08/the-know-nothingness-of-new-yorkers/
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2010/10/foreclosures
The very nature of a “public” organization is that they are public. They exist to serve the needs of the public, which makes them very reactive to the voice of the public, but what how should an organization react when the public is ignorant to the situation and effects of an organizations decisions?
Let’s first briefly look at the TARP Legislation. The legislation caused a massive negative reaction throughout the public, and for largely good reason, but ask someone about the effects of the legislation and they are likely to have their facts wrong. The bill will not cost anywhere near the $700 billion figure that is thrown around, and may in in fact, yield a profit the national government. And most importantly, there is a near consensus that the bill prevented a complete financial meltdown and likely prevented a “depression.” So, the bill was effective, but unpopular and a similar bill is likely to never happen again. So my question is how does a public organization react to a situation where the public is upset when they have effective policy?
Next, I want to mention the recent MTA fare hikes. The MTA is far from a perfectly run organization, and they share a large amount of responsibility for their current budget woes, but what the public does not understand is the MTA’s relationship with Albany. Year after year Albany reallocates dedicated funds from the MTA to other projects to fill a budget gap. This loss of hundreds of millions of revenue from the State plays a massive role in the budget gap at MTA, but very few straphangers grasp this notion and lay blame completely at the feet of the MTA.
When pressed with these facts, people feel a certain level of cognitive dissonance resulting in them clinging more firmly to their incorrect beliefs. How can a public organization, serve the public when the public doesn’t want to understand the facts?
Below are a few links discussing the woes of TARP and the MTA
http://secondavenuesagas.com/2010/10/08/the-know-nothingness-of-new-yorkers/
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2010/10/foreclosures
Starbucks CEO: We can be insecure
Let's see if I pick this week's photo! Corner Office interviewed the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, this week who said:
"I would say one of the underlying strengths of a great leader and a great C.E.O. — not all the time but when appropriate — is to demonstrate vulnerability, because that will bring people closer to you and show people the human side of you."
In addition to what is above, he said that most CEOs feel insecure about their ability to be a CEO.
I think this is interesting given our recent conversation on different styles of management are most effective. Given this article, I would say that Schultz agrees most with consultative. He does not believe in being someone who is authoritative and bossy, but rather listens to his employees and foster their own creativity. He also seems to understand that work can be personal and emotional and that you need to create a safe space in order to allow for creativity and success. His efforts include having his office near the roasting plant in his early days and spending a lot of time with new hires working directly under him in their first months. His goal was to make himself somewhat vulnerable, but most importantly, trustable.
I think there is something to admire about a model that allows for a CEO to be vulnerable and not a dictator. Someone who is willing to listen rather than saying things must be his way. I would assume some of the most successful companies are ones that have more group work involved (like with Saturn... until.... that model didn't work anymore) rather than one-(wo)man shows.
-Monica
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Liz Lemon's Management Style
I was watching the most recent episode of 30 Rock on Hulu (http://www.hulu.com/watch/181110/30-rock-lets-stay-together#s-p1-so-i0) and once again, it features Liz Lemon being undermined by her staff of mischievous writers. After complaining to Jack, her boss, about the writers' persistent practical jokes, she complains that, "I'm all for a joke but I'm their boss and this crosses the line." Jack responds, "Lemon, if you're about to say you don't get any respect, you're right." It's a hilarious portrayal of what happens when a manager has lost control over their employees.
I've always enjoyed watching 30 Rock (Tina Fey is genius!) but since taking this course, I've observed how our class topics actually relate to the show. After last week's discussion on management styles, I thought about why Liz Lemon might not get respect from her staff. I came up with a couple conclusions. For one, the show seems to always emphasize how overworked the writers are. Their workload pressure results in the animosity they feel towards their boss, Liz Lemon. In return, they taunt her with practical jokes and consistently undermine her authority. In this particular episode, her co-worker is promoted to co-head writer, in response to an affirmative action demand from congress. Although Liz believes this will help her better manage the staff, she ends up feeling even more
unappreciated and disrespected as she sees the new co-head writer receiving more respect and credit. This could be because the staff thinks of the new co-head writer as "one of them." Liz, on the other hand, always seems to play a more authoritarian type role, as opposed to acting like "one of them."
Liz Lemon's character is also generally negative and although the humor may hide it, she can be quite mean too. I doubt this attitude brings about the "positive emotions" needed to foster more creativity. There was an episode last season where she tried to shift the staff's animosity towards her onto another source. In an attempt to get on the staff's good side, she made up a character and blamed him for all the problems they were experiencing. A lack of accountability is definitely bad management practice. Gaining the staff's trust is essential in having a healthy management-employee dynamic. When the manager is not accountable for her mistakes, the staff loses that trust.
There are a bunch of useful observations about management one can make from 30 Rock. I may explore these even further for the Popular Media Review.
Conchita Campos
I've always enjoyed watching 30 Rock (Tina Fey is genius!) but since taking this course, I've observed how our class topics actually relate to the show. After last week's discussion on management styles, I thought about why Liz Lemon might not get respect from her staff. I came up with a couple conclusions. For one, the show seems to always emphasize how overworked the writers are. Their workload pressure results in the animosity they feel towards their boss, Liz Lemon. In return, they taunt her with practical jokes and consistently undermine her authority. In this particular episode, her co-worker is promoted to co-head writer, in response to an affirmative action demand from congress. Although Liz believes this will help her better manage the staff, she ends up feeling even more
unappreciated and disrespected as she sees the new co-head writer receiving more respect and credit. This could be because the staff thinks of the new co-head writer as "one of them." Liz, on the other hand, always seems to play a more authoritarian type role, as opposed to acting like "one of them."
Liz Lemon's character is also generally negative and although the humor may hide it, she can be quite mean too. I doubt this attitude brings about the "positive emotions" needed to foster more creativity. There was an episode last season where she tried to shift the staff's animosity towards her onto another source. In an attempt to get on the staff's good side, she made up a character and blamed him for all the problems they were experiencing. A lack of accountability is definitely bad management practice. Gaining the staff's trust is essential in having a healthy management-employee dynamic. When the manager is not accountable for her mistakes, the staff loses that trust.
There are a bunch of useful observations about management one can make from 30 Rock. I may explore these even further for the Popular Media Review.
Conchita Campos
Friday, October 8, 2010
Bankrupt Cultures
Related to Isil's post on bullying is an article from the Wednesday NYT on the organizational culture at the Tribune Company. We will talk more about organizational cultures under the symbolic frame, but given that we have started this conversation, I thought I'd pass this on now. According to the article, "[Randy] Michaels’s and his executives’ use of sexual innuendo, poisonous workplace banter and profane invective shocked and offended people throughout the company. Tribune Tower, the architectural symbol of the staid company, came to resemble a frat house, complete with poker parties, juke boxes and pervasive sex talk."
What is fascinating about the "case study" is: 1) the usual debate about whether this style is in fact effective. One board member says, “Randy is a tremendous motivator, very charismatic, but he is very nontraditional, He has the kind of approach that motivates many people and offends others, but we think he’s done a great job.”; 2) the fact that although it sound like a "boys club", female executives also perpetuated the culture (see incident about half way through the article).
The full article is at:
At Flagging Tribune, Tales of a Bankrupt Culture
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/business/media/06tribune.html
John
What is fascinating about the "case study" is: 1) the usual debate about whether this style is in fact effective. One board member says, “Randy is a tremendous motivator, very charismatic, but he is very nontraditional, He has the kind of approach that motivates many people and offends others, but we think he’s done a great job.”; 2) the fact that although it sound like a "boys club", female executives also perpetuated the culture (see incident about half way through the article).
The full article is at:
At Flagging Tribune, Tales of a Bankrupt Culture
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/business/media/06tribune.html
John
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Vicious Cycle of Workplace Bullying
We talked about workplace bullying in the last class. This video tells about it, saying that a bullied employee can turn to unions or HR Dpt, but in most cases the superior who bullies gets worse. If the law does not protect employees against bullying, then who/what will?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSLtIwBlsYM&feature=related
Isil Nart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSLtIwBlsYM&feature=related
Isil Nart
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Body Language & Emotions
After last night's discussion on emotions in the workplace it occured to me as we were ready to move on - what about the importance of body language and the impressions we give off, as well as perceive? This is SO important. When dealing with difficult people sometimes we might not realize that even when we are trying to remain calm, professional and collected, we sometimes betray our emotions unconsciously. We may also read what people are trying to hide from us.
Check this out: http://www.enotes.com/management-encyclopedia/body-language
Over time I have discovered that perceiving body language has a positive side, and a negative side. In the link above the example of someone with a migraine headache "may squint, look down and grimace..." thus giving a false impression. How do we discern the difference? Is it appropriate to ask a person if what you are perceiving accurate or not? I don't think it is because the person can so easily lie, or in the case of a difficult person it may lead to conflict. However, I am really curious what all of you think about body language and non verbal communication? Anyone ever confront someone about something there were perceiveing?
Yesterday I made the point that sometimes expressing anger can be really effective! But I ask you all - in what circumstances is it appropriate to get mad, and when is it not? Anyone have any stories?
I once fired someone because he was verbally disrespctful to me and other colleagues, and he took smoking breaks when we all were working. After trying to talk to him several times and getting no where I fired him "effective immediately" one afternoon. BUT, I shot myself in the foot because I was so angry at that point I was yelling. This guy went over my head to my supervisor, who then actually made me keep this guy on. I'll tell you what happened next at the end of this post.
And, what about email? Email lacks visual cues...although sometimes THIS IS CONSIDERED YELLING...but, sometimes people think that is for highlighting a particularly important point, not yelling. A colleague of mine actually did this for the longest time. She is in fact a very difficult person and one day I was really annoyed with her HIGHLIGHTING, and I told her so. We actually argued over the email! My point was that in my actual in person interactions with this individual her body language always conveys hostility, so in email I find myself reading her HIGHLIGHTING as if it were written with hostility. She thought I was being too sensitive, and I pointed to the tone. Even in email there can be subleties, so how one conveys themselves in person, as well as how one is perceived is all too important - in my opinion all are intertwined and related. With the increasing speed of technology will we be able to keep up with communication styles? How do we need to adjust in a fast paced world where most often we do not have time to make every message (in person, or electronic) "nice" but rather need to get to the point?
Your Thoughts?
Re: the guy I fired..., he did have a track record, and my boss actually agreed with me, but because I reacted impulsively and angrily he felt we needed to keep the guy on. Fortunately the guy was only contracted for a few more weeks so were able to not renew!
-Ken
Check this out: http://www.enotes.com/management-encyclopedia/body-language
Over time I have discovered that perceiving body language has a positive side, and a negative side. In the link above the example of someone with a migraine headache "may squint, look down and grimace..." thus giving a false impression. How do we discern the difference? Is it appropriate to ask a person if what you are perceiving accurate or not? I don't think it is because the person can so easily lie, or in the case of a difficult person it may lead to conflict. However, I am really curious what all of you think about body language and non verbal communication? Anyone ever confront someone about something there were perceiveing?
Yesterday I made the point that sometimes expressing anger can be really effective! But I ask you all - in what circumstances is it appropriate to get mad, and when is it not? Anyone have any stories?
I once fired someone because he was verbally disrespctful to me and other colleagues, and he took smoking breaks when we all were working. After trying to talk to him several times and getting no where I fired him "effective immediately" one afternoon. BUT, I shot myself in the foot because I was so angry at that point I was yelling. This guy went over my head to my supervisor, who then actually made me keep this guy on. I'll tell you what happened next at the end of this post.
And, what about email? Email lacks visual cues...although sometimes THIS IS CONSIDERED YELLING...but, sometimes people think that is for highlighting a particularly important point, not yelling. A colleague of mine actually did this for the longest time. She is in fact a very difficult person and one day I was really annoyed with her HIGHLIGHTING, and I told her so. We actually argued over the email! My point was that in my actual in person interactions with this individual her body language always conveys hostility, so in email I find myself reading her HIGHLIGHTING as if it were written with hostility. She thought I was being too sensitive, and I pointed to the tone. Even in email there can be subleties, so how one conveys themselves in person, as well as how one is perceived is all too important - in my opinion all are intertwined and related. With the increasing speed of technology will we be able to keep up with communication styles? How do we need to adjust in a fast paced world where most often we do not have time to make every message (in person, or electronic) "nice" but rather need to get to the point?
Your Thoughts?
Re: the guy I fired..., he did have a track record, and my boss actually agreed with me, but because I reacted impulsively and angrily he felt we needed to keep the guy on. Fortunately the guy was only contracted for a few more weeks so were able to not renew!
-Ken
When some people are laid off, the 'survivors' do not remain very happy
I came across this article in New York Times by Prof. Robert J. Shiller, professor of economics and finance at Yale and co-founder and chief economist of MacroMarkets LLC. Here is what he talks about:
In a period where lots of people are being laid off due to economic instabilities, many corporate managers try to clear out the less important employees at once (so that they do not need to do the same again), and they keep the “core” team members. Then what is needed to be done is keeping these members happy and fully paid.
However, remaining workers must work harder, taking on some of the work of their missing colleagues, and productivity rises. They also feel guilty that they are kept in the organization and some of their friends were let go. Also, they work strictly in track of the regular work process. A manager says, “There is more uncertainty, and everybody is afraid. Do your job. Keep employed. Don’t come up with a new idea.” In his own company, the manager said, “Everybody is doing the same thing.”
So, new problems arise. Decreasing company’s expenses for personnel services might increase productivity, but maybe it is not going to be a long-term trend. Performance of remaining employees might go down because they are required to accomplish more than they used to, their colleagues are gone, and they cannot try new things in their job.
What can be a better solution? Not ending too many people’s job at once seems logical. I think decreasing everyone’s salary in a small percentage and trying to keep as many as people working in the company might be considered. Trying to change working times –assigning part-time or project-based work to each employee every so often so that they come and work when they are really needed might be an alternative, too.
You can read the article here:
Isil Nart
Monday, October 4, 2010
The video in this post is slightly inappropriate, but Prof. Casey endorsed it!
I couldn’t think of a better title to get you to see the video in my post (sorry to throw you under the bus, professor).
Many of us were recently inspired by our class discussion on women as good leaders/managers... and I recently found an interesting and slightly inappropriate case example to add to that discussion….
Through an organization called The White House Project, I heard about a new campaign targeting sexism in the media – specifically on behalf of women running for office – by calling out male public office candidates on harassing comments and holding them accountable publically. The campaign is called, “Name It, Change It”.
The campaign website contains quotes from current male Rep. & Dem. candidates that are inappropriate (so you can get a sense of why this is an emerging issue) and proves a valid point that a movement like this one is necessary and timely.
I think the campaign’s video does a good (and humorous) job of capturing a very real perception of women as leaders in public office positions. Check it out: http://www.nameitchangeit.org/
What do you think about this campaign?
Shikha Dalal
Sunday, October 3, 2010
"Measuring Success by Mission, Not Profit"
Today I came to across this article "Measuring Success by Mission, Not Profit" at New York Times-Business session, and I want to share it with my classmates. The author changes her job from a vice-president of a financial form to a senior director of facilities initiatives in National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. At her new job, she immediately noticed the difference between the private and not profit organization. In profit organization, how much profit has been make is the key to determine the degree of success However, in not profit organization, it is measured by completion of mission.
I am agree with the author regarding the measurement of success in private and not profit organization. I worked at a small private whole sell company at my pervious job, Eight years later, I still remembered clearly that my manager, also the owner of the company, kept asking the quantity of the order we received everyday. If he heard the small number or no order at all, he would go back to his office and closed his door behind him. The sales would become nervous.I have been working for the not profit organization for almost 8 years now. Our company mission is to "support CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external external support (Pre-ward) form government and private and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award)." According to the 2010 annual report, award excess 375.5 millions compare to 344 millions last year. :) I am enjoy with what I am doing now just like the author.
You can read this article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/business/03pre.html?ref=business
Yu Mei Wu
I am agree with the author regarding the measurement of success in private and not profit organization. I worked at a small private whole sell company at my pervious job, Eight years later, I still remembered clearly that my manager, also the owner of the company, kept asking the quantity of the order we received everyday. If he heard the small number or no order at all, he would go back to his office and closed his door behind him. The sales would become nervous.I have been working for the not profit organization for almost 8 years now. Our company mission is to "support CUNY faculty and staff in identifying and obtaining external external support (Pre-ward) form government and private and is responsible for the administration of all such funded programs (post-award)." According to the 2010 annual report, award excess 375.5 millions compare to 344 millions last year. :) I am enjoy with what I am doing now just like the author.
You can read this article at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/business/03pre.html?ref=business
Yu Mei Wu
Managing Relief For The BP Spill
On a 60 minutes episode that aired on October 3, 2010 Ken Feinberg manager of relief effort for BP was interviewed giving viewers an inside look into what his job entails on a day-to-day basis. This interview was fascinating because Feinberg was challenged daily by the people who were directly effected by the disastrous spill on the gulf coast. In the interviews Feinberd stated that is credibility is only as good as the last program he administers. This statement holds true largely in the public sector of management. Feinberg was praised for his efforts post September 11th attacks for dispensing the relief funds to families, emergency workers, rescue crews, and other lives that were effected by the attack. Although Feinberg has a good track record it was clear in this 60 minutes episode that the victims of the BP spill were not concerned about Feinberg’s previous accomplishments. Although he has developed a two step claims process to disperse the 20 billion dollars in relief funds, people were not please about how long it took for them to be compensated.
As a manager of this effort Feinberg is facing some immense challenges. The business culture of fisherman is not to keep documentation for transactions. As stated in the episode most fishermen accept cash transactions and a handshake as an agreement for payment. With this idea it is not easy to determine the total loss caused by the disaster.
Another conflict is the hostile nature of the victims in meetings and forums designed to understand the public need and here the public’s grievances. People are angry; their businesses are failing, and they feel that they are not being helped in a timely manner. Another issue is fraud. People who are seeking to receive benefits from this relief effort without having been directly effected, They claiming to be fishermen, or claiming to have lost revenue from the spill.
While watching this episode I constantly thought about how I would address each conflict individually in this situation to ensure that citizens get what they deserve while also working for the other client, BP. In reality Feinberg was hired to help BP avoid future litigation. As a manager how would I devise a plan that will successfully address all of these issues.
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