Culture Commitee

• Is the Culture Committee at Southwest effective in establishing cultural norms?

 Cultural norms, these are behaviors that are carried out by employees on a daily basis because they are used to doing things a certain way and this is what is acceptable. To establish cultural norms we first have to “understand corporate culture; corporate culture is a system of shared values and beliefs that interact with an organization’s people, structure, and systems to produce behavioral norms (OD pg.64)”. I think that the culture committee for southwest airlines understands the culture of a flight attendant and they understand how hard it can sometimes be to finish a long flight and then have to clean the airplane with perhaps an empty stomach. The life a flight attendant can be a thankless job, I think that the culture committee understands that and makes it a point to change the culture from being an underappreciated employee to someone that feels valued.

In many organizations there are a lot of employees that feel like they are just another number, when people from management show them that they are also important, that gesture can go a long way. Employee’s that feel appreciated in an organizations culture can prove to be an important step in creating a better company environment.

• From what you can tell, what is the purpose of the culture committee at Southwest?

The purpose of the culture committee is to improve employee morale, having strong and positive moral at work can have a lasting effect on any business. In my studies of business I have always been made aware of the fact that it is your employees which have the most contact with your customers. If your employees hate their jobs and are very negative at work than this will have a direct effect on a company’s revenue. If you have happy employees which enjoy their jobs than I believe that you will see sales improve as that positive attitude will be transferred through the employee to the customer.

• What would you see as a viable mission for a culture committee in your place of work (or your last place of work if you are not currently working)?

My job at the railroad as management causes me to have a nice and comfortable atmosphere where we occasionally get fed lunch on the companies dime, I have a heated or air-conditioned office, and I have a break room where I can access all different sorts of food and complimentary coffee. My biggest concern are the people who are out there in the field moving our trains in -30 degree temperatures, they work in the heat, rain, sleet or snow. These people are the employees which I could see needing a visit from some sort of culture committee. The culture amongst these employees is very negative and they always feel as if the company is doing them wrong. I believe that there should be a mission to reach out to our field employees much more often.

I think that it would be nice to create a more positive environment amongst field workers and change that corporate culture. The company needs to show that they care about their most valuable employees which are doing the grunt work. It might be as simple as a fresh box of donuts and coffee at the terminal, or perhaps a bigger bonus at the end of the year. I do believe that there is a lot that can be done to improve our company culture on the railroad.

• What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?

From this exercise I will take with me the compassion which is put on display by southwest airlines. In this video they are letting the employees kick their feet up and relax for just a second while on the job, this is an important message which is being put on display. As managers we do not want to have an impression or a corporate culture of being known as slave drivers or ruling the company with an iron fist. It is important that we show compassion for those which are below us and understand that we were once in their shoes also. Most people which are at the top of an establishment for the most part must remember what it was like to be the person that is working out in the cold or extreme heat. We cannot forget our humble beginnings and the hard work that was put in to climb the ladder of success.

I will try to be as understanding as possible with my crews which are out on the field working their hardest to make my organization the best. When I do climb higher in management I will make it a point to show my employees that I have been in their shoes and I know how they feel. This will be an outlook which I will try my hardest to stay true to as I climb to higher positions in my company.  

Question:

Why would a manager not try to bring company morale to a higher level?

Reference

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

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21st Century Enlightenment

• Why do you think the talk is titled 21st Century Enlightenment?

This was an extremely detailed video with so many thoughts that I would have to watch it about ten more times to truly understand everything that was said. This was also an amazingly talented person which created this video and all of the art work that went along with this production. With that being said I feel that the producer of this video is trying to bring truth to the 21^st century in a world where the truth is often ignored.

To many times I notice in life that people are living in their own worlds unaware of their surroundings. Many people live in a tiny bubble and are satisfied with their bubble as long as they have their comforts, technology and money. The creator of this video was looking for a way to enlighten his public by talking about what is wrong with the world, teach us about our history and talk about his opinion on how we can fix this world. The creator gives us a proposal of what he thinks the world should be like without directly pointing fingers at everyone around him. The creator of this video recognizes that we are in a whole new world in the 21^st century and he feels that maybe he can enlighten us to our own behaviors.

• What does Matthew Taylor mean when he says "to live differently, you have to think differently"?

“Seeing the world in ourselves as a new entity (Matthew Taylor)”, this is what is required of us so that we can live differently. Thinking differently than anyone has ever thought in the past requires us to see that we are living in a new world, we cannot refer to the way things were done in the past too often. Although we must always learn from history we have to understand that in today’s world science has altered many beliefs which our ancestors believed was the truth.

When I think about living differently I know that I have to reflect on myself and correct some of my behaviors which are imbedded into my conscious. I can see myself doing this many times with my children, many times before I council my children I will stop myself and think “Am I being too old fashioned”? This is something which we all must do as adults in the 21^st century if we are to rise to a new sense of enlightenment. This new way of thinking is what will propel us as a human race to reach a new way of living and I think that this is what Matthew Taylor had in mind as he created this production.

• At one point in the video (4:10), Taylor argues that we need "to resist our tendencies to make right or true that which is merely familiar and wrong or false that which is only strange". What is he talking about? Can you think of an example within your company or your life that supports this point?

This is a very similar example to what I stated in my last answer, resisting the temptation to conform to what is imbedded into our brains as children and carry them out as adults only because they feel right. Something that is strange is not always wrong and it is important to stop and analyze what is new to progress in life.

I will revert to my family again for this question because I feel that I can make a big difference with them if I can break my habits of conforming to what I think is right “just because”. Many times I am guilty of scolding my children on things which I think are not right without reasoning. I do it just because I was taught as a child on how certain situations are to be handled by a father. This video has caused me to reflect on who I am as a person and why I do the things that I do on an everyday basis, reflecting on ourselves is what Matthew Taylor was talking about.

• Taylor argues that our society should eschew elements of pop culture that degrade people and that we should spend more time looking into what develops empathetic citizens. Would this be possible?

When I think about this question I believe that a large portion of pop culture in today’s society is developing empathetic citizens. Sometimes I feel that we are becoming a society which is too empathetic causing us to foster an entitlement based society which is far too dependent upon others and government to get them through life. I do feel that even though we are becoming much more enlightened in the 21^st century we are also losing our basic instincts like survival because of a much more empathetic society. Our instincts of survival do not always depend on rather or not we can hunt for game but rather a human can survive in a modern world. I feel that the will to strive and be the best is lost when you have others who will always be there to catch you when you fall. Sometimes not having a safety net can bring out a humans raw instincts and force them to become someone amazing.

To answer the question I do believe that we are currently creating a society which is full of empathetic citizens. It is not wrong but I do believe that there needs to be a balance and there should be a way in which every citizen which wants to participate in our society must hold their own one day and contribute to society.

   

• At the end of the video, Taylor talks about atomizing people from collaborative environments and the destructive effect on their growth. What is the implication of these comments for organizational change efforts?

In organizational development change is a key factor and if we are to stump change within an organization than we are stumping the growth of an organization. Change is key to the success of any organization and those which cannot allow themselves to change might very well be left in the past.

• What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?

This exercise has enlightened me in a way that I never thought a way of thinking could be altered in a matter of ten minutes. The challenge now will be to fight my instincts and put down my pride so that I can continue to grow as a person. If I get stuck to think that life must only follow one course and everything must be done a certain way that it will be hard for me to keep up in the 21^st century. I will take this thought with me to work today and see what I can open my eyes to, as a manager I must especially keep my mind open to many different ideas. I do feel that this could be a life changing moment, my only obstacle will be myself.

Questions-

Does empathy towards mankind always make us better?

Are we living life the right way?

Will we as humans reach a new form of being eventually?

Reference:

21st century Enlightenment [Motion picture]. (2015). You tube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo&feature=youtu.be

    

Looking Beyond

            Vision and power, two powerful words which have guided me through life. Without vision are we just wondering aimlessly through life? It might feel that way if we are content in staying where we are and remaining the same person because it is easier. Power is what will give you the strength to follow that vision and push through any obstacle which you may encounter. When you put power and vision together you will develop a following which will only add to your strength.

            These are some of the beliefs which I live by and I appreciate the way that it is presented in the video called “Vision and Power” by Sally Kohn. Pessimist and pragmatists will only slow down the process of success, not only will people like this slow down progress of a company but the progress of mankind.

            I have been lucky enough to work for a company which has been in this country for well over a century. The company which I work for is called BNSF railroad, this is a company which is the product of many mergers but the base from which it all started is still present. I am proud to be a part of an organization like this because I know that my railroad is a product of vision and power. Something which is done on such a large scale can only be accomplished by people who had a vision and did whatever it took to reach their goals.

            I see how this video can relate to my organization in many ways because recently BNSF has gone above and beyond by investing billions of dollars into infrastructure, development and employee growth. It is easy for a company like this to just sit back and continue to make profit, what is impressive is that we are not content with just sitting back and letting change come on its own. BNSF has invested in America’s latest oil boom in the Bakken Shale and is now enjoying the fruits of their labor. BNSF continues to face challenges head on and has not let minor obstacles stop them from their vision of being able to transport the majority of oil from this location.

            Vision and power are two of the most important keys to mankind which have transformed us from the people of the Stone Age to the advanced civilizations which we are a part of today. Without having a vision and believing in it I nor my organization nor the world would be who and what we are. Pioneers have paved the way all throughout history and I feel that these traits are imbedded in all humans who can look past a challenge. Being able to look past these minor challenges are what create great leaders and further organizational development.

 

Reference

Kohn, S. (2007, November 7). Vision and Power. Retrieved January 15, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZVIWZGheXY

Confidence

            In this video Prof. Baba Shiv goes over the importance of confidence and the effect that it can have on a leader and his or her followers. When a leader is put in charge of a group of people it is important that they act like a leader. People look at a leader for guidance, when in charge of a group Prof. Baba makes it a point to show us that we must transfer our own confidence to those below us.

            I think that Prof. Baba gives a good example of when having confidence is crucial. When he talks about a military commander be shows us the importance of confidence, someone like a military commander will have the lives of others in their hands so it is important that they do not fail to portray confidence. I often knew this when I was in the military but sometimes did not follow through, it was always hard for me to tell those which were older than me what to do and how to act. My military experience was in an air traffic control facility and not a battle field.

            Although an air traffic control facility can feel like a battle field it can be very different in some aspects. Overall the concept was still the same, we all had responsibilities and we all had the lives of others in our hands. I can recall a situation when I was new to working in the tower, on this day I was working ground control which consisted of controlling the aircraft which were taxiing through the airfield. I was still relatively new, I was bit nervous but I tried to sound as confident as possible. I remember having to ask a group of pilots to park their aircraft in a location which they usually do not for a temporary amount of time because we had a lot of foreign traffic in route. One pilot questioned why I was doing things differently on that day and I did not convey enough confidence so this pilot wanted to verify with their supervisor on what the issue was. This pilot slowed traffic down enough to where it became a snowball effect which caused the air field to get severely backed up.

            This is an example of what lack of confidence can do, when your troops no longer want to follow you mass delays can occur and people can be scared for their own safety to follow your lead. During this situation there were many emotional reactions which came with it but it seemed as though they all revolved around fear. During this situation I felt worried, stressed and inadequate, I felt at that young age that I was not good enough to be able to hold these types of responsibilities. This is a constant fear that comes with not having confidence, the feeling of not knowing rather you are good enough can take its toll on a leader and then be reflected through the performance of the group.

            As time went on I feel that I have grown as a person, confidence is something which I am much more comfortable with. Confidence is not always automatic but it is much easier to convey when I am an expert on the subject matter. As a T-ball coach I am tasked with the job of teaching my four year olds and transcending my own confidence to my team so that they want to get up and play. In this situation my job is to teach the kids they are capable of completing any task which they put their minds to. Many times I will instruct the kids on their task and for them to complete it I must sound confident and assure them that I am confident in them. Every age group is very different and you must learn how to push them in the right direction.

            I can recall my first game with my team, we had spent the last two months training them and assuring that they will be able to play well. Before the game started I looked at my team and told them to just have fun out there on the field, this game was all about fun and learning to love the sport. Throughout the season I made sure to never scold any of the children, I knew that it was my job to build their confidence in themselves first. In this situation confidence transcended into fun for my whole team and I could not have been happier with the result. During this time my confidence and my teams confidence brought out some special emotion in me which I had felt during other leadership roles. I had a feeling of honor, pride and most of all I felt very accomplished. It was important for me to feel this way because this last year coaching t-ball had to be one of the most rewarding things that I had ever done in my life.  

Collaborative-Decision Making

            Stewart Levine gives a road map towards resolution in our text, in this book we talk about the craft of resolution and different ways that we can work towards making a decision that everyone will be satisfied with. One of the seven steps of resolution is called “listening for a vision of resolution”, in this step we are taught to listen so that everyone’s concerns may be heard. When we are getting stake holders involved we are now listening to everyone that is part of the team and working towards the best decision possible. When we are listening for a resolution that benefits everyone, one of the questions which we have to ask is if the “preliminary vision fits everyone’s view of the outcome” (Getting to Resolution pg. 137)? This is an important question to ask because as stated before we want to make everyone a part of the team. It is important to get the opinion of everyone who has a stake in the organization because they have a different point of view than you might have and diversity has been known to create good decisions.

            At my job I am constantly faced with many different situations, the job of a Rail Traffic Controller requires someone to move trains in the fastest way possible across America while still favoring priority trains. I have had situations in the past where I have needed to collaborate with many different people that had a stake in the mission. I was faced with a scenario where pushing a priority train would help us make this particular trains scheduled goal; the only down fall was that it would put into jeopardy making goal on about 8 non-priority trains. I gathered a team of individuals who all had a say in the matter and we began to discuss the issue at hand. Eventually we came to the conclusion that laying down the whole railroad for one train was not the most practical solution and decided we could make up some time on our priority train later on. This was an important decision because we saved the company some money and we increased all of the stakeholder’s bonuses in this instance. As a team we made a decision and stuck to it, we took a risk but it was a risk that we all agreed upon which made our resolution much better in the long run. Since we all came to the decision together there was no bad blood between our groups.

            There were many ways that including the stakeholders helped us out in this situation. As I think about it I realized that

-          We were not worried about any repercussions because everyone was on board with the decision.

-          We had the investors on our side and happy to comply with the situation.

 

-          We were given more leeway because all of the stakeholders knew what we were trying to accomplish at the moment.

 

-          We were much more efficient because we had a workable agreement, a shared vision and minimized conflict.

 

-          We were able to be much more creative with our options now that we had the blessings of the stake holders.

In the long run, throughout this whole ordeal I knew that our team work and collaboration helped us achieve our objective. When we brought in everyone that would be involved we all felt a weight come off of our shoulders, we no longer felt the pressure of making the decision on our own and having to face the repercussions later on. We were able to focus and make the best decision possible. The only other person I feel that could have added to the strength of our team was our liaison between the company who’s product we were shipping and our company, unfortunately he was not available on this day. Being able to keep everyone informed is a key part of the resolution process.

This resolution process has shed light on many ways that I have done business in the past. It has taught me many things I like to think that I will use it in the future when working towards a resolution; I will make it a point to have a positive attitude, listen to everyone and also include all members. Sometimes taking on all the decisions yourself can be very stressful and hurt everyone in the long run.  

 

  Reference:

Levine, S. (2009). Getting to resolution: Turning conflict into collaboration (2^nd Ed.).San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

 

 

 

 

Ten principles of new thinking

            About seven years ago I purchased my first home at the age of twenty-two, I was extremely excited that I had the opportunity to make an important investment in my life. I knew that I wanted to get involved in real-estate since I was young and I saw this as my opportunity. I was in the military and at first I knew that this was where my family would live for some time.  Unfortunately I received the news that I would have to transfer to a new duty station a lot sooner than I had expected. I was a bit worried since I knew the home was not ready to sell since I knew it was a fixer-upper and I thought that I would have more time to work on the house.

            I figured that I would take all of the money that I saved from my last deployment and invest it into this home so that I might be able to make a profit when I sell the home. Eventually I figured that I would rent the home since the housing market had crashed and I knew I was not going to get my money’s worth. I found someone who I thought would be the perfect renter; I later found out that I was very mistaken by choosing this person to live in my investment. As soon as I moved out of state to my next duty station she was always late on rent, and I later found out that the furniture that I had let her borrow was destroyed by her cat. Eventually I was tired of her not being responsible and decided to evict her. This is when things got bad, she ended up becoming a squatter in my house and stopped paying rent.

            I was twenty-four years old at this time supporting two different homes and a new born on the way. This conflict was extremely costly, a lot more than I preferred and I eventually had to let the house go to foreclosure. This was a very costly conflict but it was a huge learning experience; if I had the Stewart Levine’s ten principles of new thinking I know things could have been different.

            I think that if I would have believed more in my product, which is my home; I could have sold it right from the beginning instead of trying to rent the home out until the market came back. “Believing in abundance” (Getting to Resolution pg. 47) is one of the ten principles of new thinking. When you believe in your product enough to where yourself and others can get what they need; your product will seem like it is worth much more.

            Another principle I could have used is the principle of “Creating partnership” (Getting to Resolution pg. 47) and “forming long-term collaborations”. These are principles that anyone in the real-estate business should definitely consider. By collaborating with others I could have found a way to get cheaper labor and probably have completed many more projects. If I would have been able to network to a more extensive level then I know that I could have gotten much more value out of my house then I originally thought.

            Throughout this whole process I learned a lot, the ten principles of new thinking require you to learn and be open. I feel that I should have been more optimistic throughout my process, I needed to be more open throughout this whole ordeal. I feel that the new way of thinking is a way to open up the possibilities which many times people in the past might have missed out on. Making decisions and handling conflict can be a lot easier to handle if we can adapt a new way of thinking. Stewart Levine gives us a good map to follow when pursuing a much more successful outcome. 

 

 

 

Reference:

Levine, S. (2009). Getting to resolution: Turning conflict into collaboration (2^nd Ed.).San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.

 

 

 

 

             

             

Protected Values

            Protected values, my way of understanding this is that these are decisions which I make that will never change. I will never have to think twice about making these types of decisions because these are part of my personal values. These values are imbedded into who I am and I can never waiver from holding these protected values to the highest regard. I know that I want to be a successful person but I also have limits to what I will do to attain these goals.

            This is a good subject to go over because it seems that many times once someone gets a taste of success they can become addicted to this feeling; avoiding the thought of selling your soul to become richer is one which must be talked about in business. We have to have boundaries which will not be jeopardized for the sake of some extra earnings.

            With that being said I have given great thought to what my own protected values are as I have become an adult. Some of these values I picked up recently and I think that as a humans, the older and more mature we get the more important our values can become. One of my values which I have gained and would like to have the strength to stand for in my future; would be to have any products which I ever produce to be American made.

            Far too often we forget the importance of having pride for our country and supporting our country. I do see the importance in participating in the global economy but I also see that our nation is weakening because more and more citizens no longer have a sense of pride for their country. If I was to ever become a manufacturer I would make it a point to make sure that I tried my hardest to have American made products. Many people see the negative in this because it might not be as cost effective and it might hurt some of my company’s profit; but there is also a lot that a company can gain from having American made products.

            If we think about which country has one of the largest populations with at least a high school diploma, I think that the USA would definitely be amongst the top countries. It is weird to me that we purchase so many items from countries which only have good educational systems in place for the wealthy. Another reason to support USA products would be the fact that many buyers do have pride in their country and like to rally behind a quality product even if it cost a bit more. It would bring me great pleasure if I knew that I was contributing to our economy and keeping more jobs in the USA to make us a stronger country.

            Another protected value of mine which I know I will not waiver from is being able to not take advantage of the less fortunate. We always hear about companies taking advantage of everyday people which do not have much to offer. How many times do we see these payday loan companies making a fortune off of people who are down to their last dime and their last choice? I think that it is insane to charge someone over twenty percent in interest for a loan that will be paid off within two weeks. This makes me sad because you see people and families who cannot get out of a financial hole because they are reduced to these types of options. If I could provide a service that would charge half of the interest that these other companies are charging, I think that I could make a huge difference by sticking to my values.

            Companies in today’s day and age are ruthless and business men can also follow suit. I have seen too many examples where people will make deals with others knowing that a bad business move will not only hurt this person but it will hurt those that should be left out of their loved ones mistakes. Many times we see families use their children’s credit to apply for loans and many times these creditors know exactly what is going on. One value which I would never compromise is brining family members into a problem which might go south. As business person I might miss out on a lot of money but at least I would  know that my conscious would be clear and I never let my strayed from my values.

            I think that many times we all need to stop and remember why we got into certain businesses and who we were when we were just getting started. In life, even outside of business there are certain values which do not even require a decision to be made because these are part of our values. Dan Gilbert talks a lot about the decision making process which we have, he talks about the irrational decisions which we might make. These irrational decisions are due to many of the values which we have, rather we make good decisions or bad decisions our values and our protected values play a large part in the decisions that we make.

 

Reference-

Hooch, S., & Keunruther, H. (2001). Values and Decisions (1 st ed., Vol. 1, p. 45). Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons.