Reflective Blog: 10-1- Aspects of effective communication

I would have to say that between my work and personal life, 95% of my waking hours are spent communicating. I would like to focus on five important aspects in relation to communication within an organization environment. These points include active listening, emotional control, the importance of manners, email etiquette and the the use of proper language while communicating. I will use some examples based on my working environment within a Law Office.

                                  

Active Listening:

In order to properly and effectively receive a message, it is vastly important to disregard distractions and listen intently to the communication being given. It is important to give full attention to the speaker. I have experienced situations where I have been involved in communication involving a great deal of conflict. Instead of focusing entirely on the person speaking,  in the back of my mind I have been formulating some plan of attack to respond to the individual. In doing this, I have often missed important points being made, which has caused an interruption in the flow of the communication.

http://www.automationworld.com/automation-team/automation-team-manage-your-emotions

Emotional Control:

It is very important to keep a balanced emotional state while you are communicating with others. In an office environment, you are often surrounded by chaos and that can take its toll on your personal feelings and behaviors. The way in which you portray emotions can have a great effect on the way that your organization is viewed by others. The firm’s reputation can be scarred if a legal assistant is notorious for getting outwardly upset in handling a difficult file. I have been in situations at work that have threatened my patience and my ability to handle a particular circumstance. I find that removing myself from the situation, collecting my thoughts and preparing an appropriate response is the best way to deal with an emotionally demanding situation. Emotions can certainly affect the tone of your voice, the speed in which you speak, as well as the organization and format of written communication.

    http://justincaseyouwerewondering.com/2011/08/08/why-manners-matter-more-than-marketing/

Use the manners your mother gave you:

I really don’t think that there is anything worse than dealing with someone who is lacking in the manner department. Bad manners can cause a lack of respect, lack of trust in your ability to handle situations and can negatively affect your reputation. I have been involved in phone conversations at work, where the legal assistant on the opposite side of the transaction has hung up on me, failed to say goodbye at the end of the conversation, and spoken to me through speaker phone for prolonged periods. Good manners can include being polite on the phone, using appropriate language in all communications, responding promptly to voice messages and emails and being respectful of people when language barriers exist.

                                         http://st-caths-web.co.uk/?attachment_id=10657

Email Etiquette:

In my work, a large part of my day is spent constructing and responding to emails. Some important lessons I have learned involve:

-proper salutations;

-using spell/grammar check;

-avoidance of continuous caps lock-all capital emails look as though you are being yelled at!;

-refraining from swear words and other inappropriate language;

-avoiding slang;

-ensuring that your email is being sent to the intended recipient-often times when you begin inserting an email address into the recipient section, it will be automatically filled in. I have experienced this as both a sender and receiver. Sending an email to the wrong person could have disastrous consequences!

                        http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/language-wars-and-proper-english

Proper Language:

It is very important to use correct language in both spoken and written communication. Using appropriate, well organized sentences, shows that you have put some thought into your communications. If you are employed within a high level position at an organization, it makes sense to be portrayed as being professional, educated and well organized. This week at work, I was involved in a telephone conversation with a corporate representative from an office supply company. There were some issues in the delivery of some purchases. The woman was getting frustrated with her computer and said "Oh poop" on more than one occasion. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. That is not something I would say to a casual acquaintance on the phone, let along someone that I was doing business with!

Thank you for following me in my journey of Management 255-Introduction to Management at SAIT.This have been a great first blogging experience for me, and I hope that I was able to offer some insight into the various topics of discussion for management.

Reflective Blog 9-2: My Change Theory-Inspired by Gordon Ramsey

http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/hotel-hell/EP01478786

Last night I was watching a new show on t.v called "Hotel Hell", featuring the infamous Gordon Ramsey. In this particular episode, he visited a high end country estate rooming house that was in desperate need of a transformation. After an exasperating few days of observing the hotel owners fail at their business tasks, Gordon Ramsey confidently stated his objective of instituting some much needed change.

I am inspired by the knowledge and business sense that Ramsey possesses and would hope that I could manage organizational change as effectively as he does.  My own personal change theory includes thoroughly identifying/reviewing the cause for concern, introducing the change to the organization accompanied by positive rewards/benefits and following up the organizational transformation with positive attention and affirmation to the employees.

In the first aspect of my theory, I would ensure that much thought and attention was placed on the discovery and acknowledgement of the problem. I would make it clear that the road to finding a solution would not be possible, unless employees were able to contribute their ideas, concerns and critiques of the situation. I would organize special meetings for various levels of staff and these would be dedicated to identifying the current issues being experienced within the company. I think it would be great to make the employees feel like their opinions matter within the business.

The second aspect would involve incorporating the desired change, accompanied by positive rewards and benefits for the staff. To ease the stress and related issues with the transformation, extra perks would be made available (bonus flex days, extra holidays days, gift cards, company excursions, etc.) These positive activities/monetary symbols would go hand in hand with change. It would help staff to realize that extra efforts and a willingness to conform to new ideas could result in positive outcomes and hopefully they would associate all future decisions with the idea that awards may be available. I personally would be more receptive to contributing to a change process if I knew that my cooperation and good attitude would be awarded.

The third aspect of the theory is my favourite. It involves ensuring that positive affirmation is professed to the employees involved in the change process. I think that it is very important that the staff feel that they are a wanted presence within the organization. Some individuals may feel that a big change would warrant the entrance and exit of employees and it would be beneficial to give them the extra confidence that their jobs would be secure.....with hard work in return of course!
Till next time :)

Reflective Blog 8-2: Critical Incident Analysis

This past year I was involved in an online class, which featured an in depth group project worth 50% of the final course mark. The group consisted of 4 students and the majority of all communications were done through email, texting and telephone conversations. It was a well-known fact that the instructor for this particular class was extremely demanding and possessed a track record for failing students, sometimes more than once.

In the initial planning phase of the project, all 4 team members were enthusiastic to begin the assignment. There were various emails sent that professed everyone’s desire to get an A, not only on the project but on the final course mark. All group members were very motivated and positive about completing the delegated tasks. Over time, the commitment and attention to the group objectives began to sharply decline. Regular team contact (emails, texts and telephone calls) went from every day, down to just once per week. This team went from 4 enthusiastic individuals, down to 2 students who desperately wanted to do well. Two students deviated from the project, dropping out of the class with very little more than a quick email to inform everyone that they were done. I was one of the remaining 2 students and there was a great deal of pressure placed on us to take on the responsibility of completing the remainder of the work. We had to start from square one, going back and re-researching all of the materials, as the two team members failed to forward on any of their information gathered. In response to the changing group dynamics, I contacted the instructor on various occasions and attempted to come up with a solution. Dropping the class was not something that I could do as I would have lost my tuition money in the process. I was also not willing to let my group member down by leaving them alone to complete the remainder of the work.

In the last month of the class, with the project due date quickly approaching, I received an email from the other student informing me that she was unable to provide me with any information and would be dropping the class. I was left with 1 week to come up with the remainder of the project information. This series of events created a very frustrating experience for me in completing this class.

The above description of events describes the particular behaviors and attitudes of certain group members that led to the rapid decline in team unity and cohesiveness. The following questions and answers make up the critical incident analysis for the situation noted above.

1) Why do I view the situation like that?

I have a very negative view of this situation. The actions of the 3 other group members was completely unacceptable, especially for a post-secondary course. The instructor had high expectations for the students, and I also had high expectations of my group members.

2) What assumption have I made about the client or problem or situation?

At the beginning of the course, I had made assumptions that my group would share the same desire to succeed as myself. Through the duration of the course, I began to assume that the other project members were possibly unaware of the extent to the expectations required for the course. I thought that maybe they had not taken courses previously and were not accustomed to the deadlines and quality of work required to pass a college level course.

3) How else could I interpret the situation?

There is no other interpretation for this situation. A series of unfortunate events occurred that caused a lot of stress and confusion.

4) What other action could I have taken that might have been more helpful?

I really don’t think that I could have done anything to be more helpful in this situation. I was a leader within this group and I made a constant effort to schedule deadlines, organize the delegation of work and be a liaison between my work group and instructor. Everyone involved in the project was an adult and therefore should accept responsibility for their own work.

5) What will I do if I am faced with a similar situation in the future?

If I was to face a similar situation in the future, I would approach the instructor sooner than I did. I would analyze the situation from the very beginning and decipher whether or not I was in a group that was going to be beneficial to my own personal outcome. From now on, I will attempt to complete projects on my own, as I would rather do things independently than depend on others who aren’t capable.

6-2: Controlling for Success-The story of Suncor Energy Inc.

Our class was required to choose one company out of a list of 10, that had successfully persevered through the effects of the recession of 2008-2009. After reviewing the list of well known, highly acclaimed organizations, I was immediately drawn to Suncor Energy Inc., formerly led by CEO Rick George. This leader accepted the role of CEO and President of Suncor in 1991. In 1999 he received the prestigious honor of being named “Outstanding CEO of the Year” due to his success in improving the oil company’s overall business. In 2008 he was accepted into the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame (http://www.suncor.com/en/about/889.aspx).

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2011/02/22/libya-suncor-operations.html

Company Info

Starting in 1967, Suncor Energy Inc. was involved in the development of Canada’s oil sands which boasts one of the most prosperous petroleum sources in the global market. Across Canada, American soil and international waters, Suncor locates, extracts and refines natural gas and oil products from both land and sea. In addition to the market of oil products, the company is also very involved in environmentally friendly renewable resources. The company is currently operating 6 wind power projects which significantly decrease Carbon Dioxide emissions into the environment. (http://www.suncor.com/en/about/164.aspx).

Suncor Energy Inc. hit a bump in the road during the Canadian recession, which saw prices of oil plummet from $147 to $40.00. Suncor felt the effects of the poor economic times. Instead of throwing in the towel, Company CEO Rick George made the decision to purchase Petro-Canada, merging the two companies into a force to be reckoned with. This gutsy move cost Suncor $19 billion dollars. Fortunately, the merger proved successful and the company was able to watch oil prices return to a normal level. The CEO was able to see the great potential in being involved in the oil sands and took notice of the great opportunities before others did (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/suncors-george-an-optimist-who-got-the-big-stuff-right/article4246957/).

After reading various new releases, magazine articles and company website information, it’s no wonder that this company was able to successfully fight off the threatening grip of the Canadian recession. Positive measures of control and organizational practices were instituted to allow for success. Long term growth plans were discussed and planned. These along with responsible development initiatives have placed social, economical and environmental priorities at the forefront.  Suncor believes in high standards in company operations and sets extreme but reachable goals for the members of the company (http://www.suncor.com/en/responsible/302.aspx?linkid=sm3).  Progress controls are used, which keep a very close watch on the impacts associated with the social environment, the economic state of the company and its markets, as well as the environmental footprint and its effects on the country  (http://sustainability.suncor.com/2012/en/performance/performance.aspx).

I think Suncor Energy Inc. is a great example of a company that faced expected ruin, but through great leadership and organizational controls, was able to come out on top.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog :)

4-2 Sustainable Policies

http://www.goodman.com/sustainability

Over time, more and more customers and employees of corporations around the world are being exposed to the idea of "sustainability". These are varying factors that work to protect and embrace the environment, promote multiculturalism and social awareness, as well as provide a positive economic benefit for a business (George et al, 2010, p.118). The purpose of today's reflection, is to develop 3 polices that represent sustainability ideals and practices for a company. These topics describe corporate initiatives pertaining to the environment, the human factor and the community.

Policy#1-We will reduce harmful emissions created through the use of unnecessary transportation for the organization and for the daily lives of employees

-car pooling is used to reduce the vehicles on the road of all employees. Company vehicles are provided in various sections of the community and gas cards will be distributed to delegated drivers to assist in the costs involved. This will not be sanctioned as mandatory, but users of this service will reap benefits of less mileage driven on their person vehicles and a reduction in fuel expenses.
-Travel to business meetings and company functions will be by bus and vans that are owned and operated by the organization.

Policy #2-We will promote a healthy lifestyle for all staff members through the availability of nutritional and physical councelling services.

-All staff has unlimited access to the corporate gym facility. This service includes the use of all weight and exercise equipment, as well as the use of a personal trainer.

-Employees are given deductions in cost for accessing physiotherapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and diet consultants. These deductions cover the difference between the fees covered by private/group health insurance policies.
-There is an organized running/walking group that participates in activities over lunch hours. All staff is welcome to sign up for regularly scheduled physical activity.
-Only healthy snacks are available for purchase within the walls of the organization. Vending machines will carry organic products and the cafe will carry made in store meals and organic fruits and vegetables.

 

Policy #3- Our promise is to be actively involved in local community volunteer and charity efforts.

-Ensure that all major community fundraisers are attended by at least 2 business representatives.
-This policy involves volunteer efforts by all staff members. There is an organized scheduled which ensures that each employee reaches their volunteer hour quota.
-Each year our company will choose 3 main charities to donate money to.
-Our company will organize 1 large charity event each Christmas which will benefit a local advocacy group.

3-3 -Managing Ethics and Diversity-Business Sample

Gordon's Bake Boutique

http://www.123rf.com/photo_12624742_wedding-cupcakes.html

Gordon’s Bake Boutique, a family owned and operated business is your “one stop shop” for a wide selection of tasty specialty baked goods. This stylish bakery is located in the heart of High River, Alberta and prides itself on its small town attitude, customer services and quality products.

The main products offered consist of bread, bagels, croissants, muffins, scones, cookies, pies, cupcakes and specialty cakes. Gordon’s Bake Boutique has a delivery service to the town of High River residents, as well as the surrounding areas between Okotoks and Nanton, Alberta. In addition, the bakery provides baking lessons and decorating classes to those interested. It is a great opportunity for introductory bakers and seasoned veterans to come out and learn some great techniques to further their passion for all things baked.

http://business.lovetoknow.com/wiki/How_to_Sell_Homemade_Baked_Goods

While it would be great for the whole business to be surrounded solely by beautiful artistic goods, positive staff and grateful customers, realistically there are many negating factors of running a business that require keen attention to detail and business knowledge. Business ethics are an important dynamic of running a business and helps to ensure that employees are treated fairly in today's diverse work environments. (George, et al, 2010, p.63). When ethical concerns arise within our company, the managing staff is quick to respond. We acknowledge the problem immediately and discuss the underlying issues with the owner and managing partners. Because ethical concerns can adversely affect the company's stakeholders, shareholders and director's meeeting are often held to address and discuss the ethical concerns. In regards to the employees, yearly training sessions are held and an outside Human Resource consultant is contracted to organize and execute these sessions. Our company believes in educating our entire staff about the importance of honesty, equal opportunities and operating a business within the boundaries of the law. Early detection of problems is important, so managing staff has been trained to detect ethical issues and act on their instincts.

In developing the employee manual for the company, it was determined that our corporation must devise a particular code of ethics. The following points are taken directly from "Gordon's Bake Boutique-Employee Manual-2012".

CODE OF ETHICS

-Treat both employees and customers with absolute respect at all times

-Represent the business in a positive manner both inside and outside of the company

-Acknowledge receipt of invoices immediately and promptly render payment to applicable parties

-Respond to customer complaints with empathy and understanding

-Ensure that each product is made and handled with care to maintain consistent quality

http://www.whatisworking.com/2010/12/business-schools-teaching-social.html

In the initial phases of business plan development, the idea of being a social responsible entity quickly became an important priority for the business model. Being socially responsible can be defined as "a manager's duty or obligation to make decisions that promote the well-being of stakeholders and society as a whole".(George,et al, 2012, p.73). Gordon's Bake boutique encompasses social responsibility in many ways. We are most proud of the fact that 80% of the ingredients that our bakery uses are brought in from local sources. We buy products from local Hutterite Colonies, local Farmer's Markets, as well as Health Food stores within 100km of our business location. We strive to keep things local and love the fact that we are able to reduce our envirornmental footprint by avoiding the use of long haul trucks, etc to ship our products. We significantly cut down on emission pollutants when we contract local producers. Our bakery loves to help out the community. Every year we are involved in volunteering at various local sporting events as well as donating fresh goods at silent auctions, etc. Our proudest moments involve donating weekly shipments of goods to the local women's shelter and to the Salvation Army of High River.

The generation that I live in significantly affects my views on operating a business in a socially responsible manner. For instance, I read the book "The 100 Mile Diet-A year of local eating" by Alisa Smith and J.B MacKinnon. The ideas represented in this book helped to influence me to follow suit in my own business and support the local economy and help prevent further environmental effects. The idea of recycling in this day and age also influences the business model. A large majority of people around me choose to recycle as much of their household/office waste as they are able and this motivates me to pariticpate fully in this.There is a lot of awareness and advertising centered around recycling, and the recycling facilities are numerous and very accessible.

 Sources:

George, J.M., Haddad, J.W., Jones, G.R., & Rock, M. (2010). Essentials of Contemporary Mangement (3rd ed.). USA: McGraw-Hill Ryerson.

2-2-Forces & Competition-The Facebook Addiction

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajc1/503165914

When asked to search for a company with a complex, rapidly changing environment, I immediately thought of Facebook. This is a company that I have been incredibly familiar with since I opened my account in 2007. I visit this site every single day and my continued support of this social media phenomenon could be viewed by some as “my little addition”.

http://www.funnystatus.com/articles/facebook-addiction/

Mark Zuckerberg is the face of Facebook. The company founder began this company in 2004 and hasn’t looked back since.  This company provides a social interaction medium for its users. Once you have opened a free account, you are able to add friends, post messages on your wall and that of your friends, add pictures and videos to your personal area, as well as play games, and navigate other interesting applications. It is estimated that there are 900+ million monthly users to this website and roughly 80% of those users are residing in countries outside of Canada and the USA.  The company has approximately 3500+ employees and on May 17, 2012 it became a publicly traded company.(http://investor.fb.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=674637) Please click here for the corporate information page of Facebook.

Some opportunities and threats for Facebook as influenced by varying environmental factors:

Opportunities:

Opportunity with technology- Every day it seems that there are more and more handheld devices being introduced i.e- Iphones, blackberries, IPads, and other tablets. Facebook is becoming more and more accessible to people all over the world.
Facebook is responding to these new opportunities by designing new applications that can be used on a universal level by all devices.

Opportunity with up and coming generations-Just the other day on the radio, I heard that Facebook is going to open its doors to children under the age of 13. Apparently the new accounts will be attached to the guardian/parent's account so that they are able to fully monitor what their children are viewing, who their friends are, what messages they are sending to other, what groups they are members of, etc. I look at this as being one of the largest opportunities for Facebook. The younger generations want to feel as if they are apart of things and this new direction for the website will allow children  <13 to get a piece of the hype!

http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2011/05/20_million_face.html

Threats:

-Threat of technology-I found an interesting article regarding a technology based threat for Facebook.  With the rising numbers of people accessing the site and creating accounts, how is Facebook going to be able to keep up with the demand of space for new members? Maybe the company will face limits to how much space the company can take up on the Internet and people will be forced to join other social media site.
I couldn't actually locate any direct information from Facebook in regards to the issue of space.  I have found various articles on the internet warning internet users that the time is quickly approaching that websites like Facebook and Twitter are closing in on their maximum IP address allotments. It will be interesting to see what the future brings for Facebook and their continued presence on the internet.

 -Threat of Internet scams and phishing schemes. There have been instances where emails have been sent out, being represented as coming from the Facebook company. Account holders are unknowingly giving their personal and financial information away to internet hackers. This can greatly effect privacy regulations for the site and allow fraudulent activity to take place.

Facebook is actively responding to all threats against its internet site. As described by Alok Menghrajani, Facebook employee "we take your security very seriously and have dedicated teams across the company that focus specifically on protecting people's accounts and fighting cybercrime. At the same time, our security team is working with law enforcement and collaborating with email providers and other industry experts to identify and catch the criminals responsible. Western Union also is working closely with law enforcement on scams such as this one." (http://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?post=142604447130)

-Threat of the expanding economy-Imagine getting an email from Facebook (a legitimate email). The correspondence states that Facebook account holders would be obligated to pay a monthly service fee. Since its conception, Facebook has been offered as a free service. Given the statistics listed in the corporate info sheet noted above, how much longer can Facebook offer a no obligation account to its members? The economy is ever changing, services are getting more expensive, as is the cost of hiring a group of passionate employees to operate Facebook.
Facebook is constantly adding more and more advertisements to its site. These companies are obviously paying a fee to promote their business on the site. Between that, and the fact that the company is now selling shares to the public, I foresee Facebook remaining a free service. Amid rumours that Facebook would start charging a fee, company reps and the company founder were quick to dissolve the rumours. I guess we just have to wait and see!

Till next time :)