A631.1.5.RB_StevensEric

                                                                           A631.1.5.RB_Stevens

1. Do you see value in the EcoSeagate team development process?
2. Why would something like this be necessary in a high-performing organization?
3. Could your organization benefit from a similar activity?

When I first viewed the video I saw that many of the participants in the video appeared to be having a difficult time with the program. The video started out with the introduction of what the issues were and the goals of the program in EcoSeagate.

I do see the value of this unique program because if forces the ideal of teamwork in the groups.  Without successful teamwork the individual teams would not be able to pass the tasks assigned to them.  These tasks were set up with team work in mind and the only way to pass each of these tasks is to depend on the other team members to do their part.  These tasks show individuals who may not have known each prior to this event that with cooperation the tasks can be completed successfully.

I think it is necessary because it allows each of these individuals to see that they are capable of accomplishing a task with complete strangers. I think this is beneficial also to show some people that without team work their ideas cannot succeed. It may also show others to relinquish the control when another with better skills can step up and help the team guide it way to success. This will allow many different scenarios where each of the team members  to contribute in each of their own way and become an important member of the team.

I really believe that my organization can benefit from such an event where you bring strangers together and focus on a common goal. By doing this you do take yourself and others out of a comfort zone where they may have been the big dog back at the office or in the field. You have in essence created an equal playing ground where nobody has a clear advantage at the beginning.  This will allow individuals who may not have been the star in the office to shine. These individuals may now have the best idea on how to accomplish the mission or task successfully. I really feel this is a great exercise in team building and the benefits that the organization has after this event can be astounding. I think that the company as a whole will have employees who have a new self-actualization that they do have the potential to make a difference and give something back to the organization.

A630.9.4.RB_StevensEric

When I viewed the video and I looked at Eric Schmidt’s approach to hiring and recruiting I was confused at the beginning when he talked about what they were looking for in potential employees of the company. His approach to the recruiting and hiring practice was strange in the fact that he was implying that the employees should be hired on strictly the basis of interpersonal skills with other workers. I agree in his analogy that you shouldn’t hire friends because this could lead to the problem that the new employee could be viewed as a favorite of the boss. I do like the culture of Google where the employees have been empowered to make decisions on what direction the company should go in and how the company should operate. This allows the employees feel important and have stock in the company and the direction the company will go in based upon their actions.

In my workplace this is not the manner in which they conduct themselves. My company is structured in a Para-military style of organization and the opportunities to openly express how the company should proceed are only allowed by the command staff through the chain of command. The Sheriff has the ultimate say so on what is allowed as far as changes to the organization. I feel this is a huge difference between public sector employees and private sector employees. Do I feel that some elements of this practice could be incorporated in the public sector and the answer would be yes. I feel that the Sheriff should allow recommendations from the line officers on a regular basis because he would be kept up to date with current policing tactics.

As a leader I feel that courage is a huge part of the process because if you lack the courage to stand up and say that the direction the company is heading in is the wrong one than without this leadership I feel that the organization as a whole could be compared to a large ship floating without any power or direction. This would be a issue where you would be guided by the environment and you could not change course or direction to lead your organization.

This type of approach could backfire because the employees could feel that they can dictate what the company will do and how they will do it based upon popularity not by fiscal or market sense.

I take away the knowledge of hiring the right personnel is important for your organization and having the right people in place to guide the company in the right direction. I also can take away that a strong leader is important and that without a guide or captain of the ship the ship will eventually run aground and lay dead in the water. It is very important that your employees feel empowered and feel vested in the organization and help achieve the goals of the organization.

A630.8.4.RB_StevensEric

When I first viewed the questions that were attached to this exercise I was thinking there is no way that MBA students could be outdone by kindergarteners. But once I listened to the reasoning and the data of the experiment I quickly had the idea that this makes perfect sense. The MBA students were jockeying for the role of leader. The alpha is a title that people with type A personalities achieve to obtain. The type A personality seems to have a hard time sharing in the leadership role with others freely and they tend to come up with great ideas but when that idea is challenged they can become agitated that their idea is challenged.

I feel that kids have not learned the bad habits that adults have in trying to outshine each other. Kids like to have friends and peers that want to play together. The idea of being isolated from friends does not normally go over very well with the kids. The team model of children is not a hope but often is a reality. Kids strive to work together to accomplish a common task. The idea of problem solving and making the ideas work is very exciting to the kids.

In the idea where CEO’s with executive assistants perform better than CEO’s alone is the executive assistants are the doers. These assistants often are the ones that make the company work and the CEO’s just provide direction. I have always understood that the workers of the company are the ones that make or break the company on the basis that a CEO can say this is what we need to get the mission of the company accomplished but it is the workers, executive assistants that actually get the job done.  When you have a lot of chief’s and no Indians the problem of job completion or task completion will come up. The CEO’s will look for others to get the work don and when they have to do the work themselves they may have a problem is actually agreeing on how to start.

I would love to break the groups up and have them problem solve the issue given to them. I would then repeat the same exercise with different team members. I would then present a new task and start in reverse order  where I have the stranger groups work together and then back to their original groups and complete the task. I would than sit down with the group as a whole and allow them to see the results of each exercise.

The idea of working together as a team and not jockeying on the idea on who is going lead the team. I have come to realize that working together for the common goal of the mission is a very important concept and I will apply this to my career. Coming from a para military career I think that if the command structure was downsized the efficiency of the agency as a whole would be greatly improved and the mission statement would be closer to being fulfilled.

A630.7.4.RB_StevensEric

When I first heard that statement from CEO Bonsignore I was surprised at the candor he presented in talking about the organizational change he would be implementing in the company. I felt that he had adopted an attitude that it was his way or the highway. I understand that as a CEO you have to at many times take an approach of the authoritative manager model or you run the risk of losing control of the company. With Honeywell the company did not appear to be in a crisis of employee morale but I can see many employees becoming disgruntled after such a remark. The idea of managing through fear and intimidation came to mind rather quickly. I do however feel that the company will succeed in the end and become a very successful in the future because of the change.

Some of the barriers that I can immediately see from the merger of the companies is from internal resentment. I can say that the CEO’s position is clear and his intentions are clear on where he wants to take the company. The culture of the company is being altered at an extremely fast rate and the chances for success have declined because of this rapid change. I can also see investors of the company being skeptical in the direction the company is moving because of the lack of profits the company is providing. The CEO has an uphill battle to win the support and trust of the shareholders.

I believe that first and foremost that Honeywell should focus on the employee’s acceptance of this change in their culture before trying to move to the next step. The OD personnel should build that trust with the client base on the employee level before implementing major changes to reduce the resistance. I am aware that you will have resistance in any company when you try to make rapid changes but I believe it is very important that the CEO is walking along with each step of the process and explaining why they are changing.

I can take away the reasoning of why things change and the need to do so. In my line of business the need for change is great but the methods often employed by the upper management are often not explained and the resistance is high. I can appreciate the methods used by both of the CEO’s presented in this segment of the module and see the distinct differences in their leadership styles and the similarities on how they manage. I have always been a firm believer in the saying that a happy employee will usually accept change better than an employee who is looking for a reason to complain. I do however understand when the need to negotiate the change and force the change is required based upon the needs of the company at that time are presented. The lesson of the video is that sometimes different tactics are needed when the organization as a whole must adapt quickly in order for that organization to survive.