A630.6.4.RB_StevensEric

                                                                      A630.6.4.RB_StevensEric

When I look at the presentations I can say that what I am hearing can be described as a feeling like I have been here before. What I mean is that some of the ideas that are presented are some of the same feelings that I have had before in my organization. The ideas that are presented in this presentation are some ideas that can be effectively be used to make change happen.

 Dr. Watkins presents some interesting ideas in the manner that why we shouldn’t change and the ideas presented are ones that people use on many occasions why they shouldn’t change. The status quo idea is one that many people feel they need in the lives in order to keep things simple. What I mean by this is that people are inherently creatures of habit and when that is threatened they do not accept the change very well. I almost look at this in the same manner as Maslow’s hierarchy where the basic principle of the pyramid is the need for safety and security. People have become accustomed to making habits or routines a part of this safety and security. The need for change can occur and if properly done can help people reach the high point of self-actualization in their lives which for many will be difficult to achieve.

I have used many of these excuses in both my professional and personal life. I was never in favor of change and the thought of doing things in a different manner made me cringe. I can take away from this presentation the idea that change should be reviewed thoroughly on a critical thinking platform and not dismissed right away. Many in the past have held the same views of change and how to resist this change. One example would be the thought that the world was flat. I know this is a novel approach but if we didn’t have the advances in technology during these times how long would of that concept remained true?

Seth Godin made in my opinion an excellent argument that tribes help change the way people think. The idea of 1,000 people sharing the same ideas and principles to facilitate these changes have been used on many occasions. Throughout history we have seen successful leaders use this same principle to benefit their ideas or causes. We all know that some of these leaders have used these ideas for evil and others for good. People in general are like cattle who are told to go in a certain direction without opposition. This may sound like a crazy notion but if you sit and look at the way people respond to simple things for example like a traffic flow pattern. One person is told to go a certain direction a majority will follow behind the lead person or vehicle without any question. These ideals of a tribe operate in a similar manner where a few do what they deem as correct others will fall in line and follow.

I can take away the information provided in these presentations and make an informative decision on which path I should follow. If I believe in a cause then I can use these skills to help convince others to join my tribe. I understand that this idea is not always the easiest path to success but can be the most effective and successful one.

A630.5.4.RB_StevensEric

In this portion of the module I was intrigued by what the survey revealed about NASA. Administrator Sean O'Keefe stated that the survey revealed a culture in NASA that was one of pride, integrity, and performance. O'Keefe said that overall the agency scored high compared to many other companies that have been evaluated in the past. O'Keefe was quick to point out the positives that NASA has been doing but emphasized the negatives and how to improve the agency as a whole.

I think the reasoning behind addressing the leaders of NASA was to have them understand what his goals or intentions were for the agency and to address where the agency needed improvement. O'Keefe said that during the evaluation the agency had problems in communication between not only him and other leaders in the agency. He did a great job in my opinion of clearly articulating his expectations of his leaders and gave them suggestions on how they could improve.

It appeared that he was believable in his presentation to the leaders of the agency. He did a great job of not shifting blame to others. He made them understand that he was just as accountable as the first line supervisor in the agency. O'Keefe made it clear that he had every intention to change what he did day in and day out to improve his own leadership within the agency. I think it is essential that he is believable because of the fact that he needs to convince his subordinates that this idea is a great one. Without the support of his leadership team he may face many hurdles to overcome without even addressing the hurdles faced as a result of the survey.

Administrator O'Keefe stressed the values of NASA to instill that anything can be achieved. This was evident in the core mission of NASA from the very beginnings. He used these foundations of the agency to support his position on why the agency needed change to improve the quality of service to the American Public.

I take away from this exercise the ideals that anything can be achieved with teamwork. Without teamwork the chances for success of change is greatly reduced and the organization will suffer. I believe that I can facilitate some change in my organization by reminding my fellow employees why we chose this career. I feel at times that some employees tend to forget the fundamental core values of my profession. I am in public service and the name in its self is evident of why I chose this career.  

A630.4.4.RB_StevensEric

                                                                  A630.4.4.RB_StevensEric

·         Marcia Blenko argues that decision effectiveness correlates positively with employee engagement and organizational performance. How do you think that employee engagement relates to decision effectiveness?

·         What are some impediments to good decision making?

·         Blenko suggests that there are four elements of good decisions: quality, speed, yield, and effort. In your opinion, is there anything missing from this list?

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

In the video I immediately understood what Marcia was trying to say when she talked about how employee engagement related to decision effectiveness. In the company that has the backing of the employee base when decisions are being made or implemented the likelihood of the employees in essence coming on board with the idea of change without much resistance will greatly improve the efficiency of the organization. With a company where employee engagement is low and management direction is high I can see the issue that the employees will attempt to reject certain ideas or decisions on the basis of bucking the system. This is probably one of the worst case scenarios where the employees of the company themselves are sabotaging the efforts of the management team.

Some of the impediments that I can see in good decision making for the organization are exactly what Marcia said in the video having the wrong people in positions who cannot be critical thinkers or forward thinkers.  This may seem like a no brainer that it is essential to have the right people in place in order to make the organization more effective. The truth is that a lot of companies have senior level managers in place because of seniority at the company or personal influences and appointments. This I believe in my line of work in the public sector is an ongoing issue. The click as many refer to this process is readily apparent and in place in my organization. The term it is all in who you know and not what you know is a hazard in good decision making.

I feel that resources should be included in this list. The question “What are our limitations?” should be addressed in this list. Some companies may have vast resources at their disposal while others may have a very limited amount of resources that could affect one or two items on the list.

I can immediately take away the idea of do we have the right people in place to make the right decisions? If I was a top level manager I would immediately evaluate this position inside my organization. I would definitely want individuals who have the vision to look ahead and possibly identify future problems that we may face. I would also examine these steps and apply them to my career and see how I could change my organization in a positive manner.

A630.3.3.RB_StevensEric

When I viewed the video from Southwest Airlines I had a feeling that there are some employees in the company who wanted to help other employees on a peer level. The idea of Hookie day is a great concept where it allows the employees to give the helping hand.

            In establishing a cultural norm in the organization the employees who participate in this event I feel they are making efforts to strive to establish a cultural norm. I did notice that a majority of the crews that were surprised by these participants say that they had heard of it but never been exposed to it. That made me kind of wonder whether this was a public relations tactic to show the company really cares about their employees. The one flight attendant who was surprised to see the crew and the camera appeared to be really surprised that they were there.

The purpose of the Hookie day event is an effort by the cultural committee to create change on how the employees inside the company view each other. The effort of the committee could be looked upon as the upper management trying to convey a warm fuzzy we care about you attitude. I understand that the upper management probably does care about their employees but the fact that line workers are doing the dirty work with upper management personnel being present strikes me as a weak effort to connect with its employees.

In my organization we have efforts similar to a culture committee where the upper management says they have an open door policy. The upper management tries and reconnects with the employees of the company by coming around to the local sub stations and talk to employees. The upper management has a tradition also where after every joint roll call where the Sheriff and his staff hold meetings quarterly and shake the hands of each and every officer leaving the meeting and tells them they are doing a great job. The flip side to this is that employees jokingly label the shaking of the hands as walking down the gauntlet. This confirms in my opinion the distrust the employees have for the upper management.

I take away the purpose and reasoning of why it is helpful for not only the employees but the management of the company to have an atmosphere of trust and cooperation. Employees helping employees is a very important process to maintain a smooth working environment.

I have observed the efforts Southwest made to show the employees that they care but I still ask the main question. Why isn’t the upper management directly participating in these events?