A630.9.4.RB: Hiring and Recruiting

• Does Schmidt's description of the Google Culture make sense to you?
  Overall it makes sense to me; however, I did get the impression that he feels it doesn't really matter if the newly hired employees get along with their co-workers. He uses the example of Benchmark Capital of what they do not do. I have heard a lot about the Google culture and researched it for other courses; the culture at Google is referred to as being Googly, with minimal interference from managers and a bottom-up approach to leadership (Anonymous, 2013). 
• Is this a reasonable way to view the work that most people are doing in your workplace?
  I definitely got the impression that Schmidt wanted to empower employees to do work independently and seek help only when needed. I think this works with the right employees; however, some positions I think still often need frequent supervision and monitoring.
• As a leader, does it take courage to have and to implement this point of view?
  It definitely takes courage to implement this point of view, because in a way you are removing some of your own role as a leader by empowering employees to do things on their own without you. I think it takes a confident leader to be willing and able to do this, and do it effectively by knowing when it is appropriate to step in and handle an issue.
• Could this approach backfire?
  I could see a couple of ways this approach could backfire. First, in a way a leader  could work himself or herself out of a job if their leadership is no longer needed. Secondly, if you are not hiring the right people who will work well independently, it may be too late before you can recognize there is an issue and address it.
• What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?
  I found his conversation regarding the appropriate number of interviews a candidate should have before making a hiring decision very interesting. 5 interviews seems high to me, at least with regards to how we do interviewing at my workplace. However, I think his argument could help support the fact that a hiring committee would be more beneficial, and even to set up smaller individual interviews among the hiring committee rather than one or two larger interviews.

Reference
Anonymous. (2013). Google grows on people: Bottom‐up leadership and minimalist management inspire innovation. Strategic Direction(29) 9, 16 - 18.

A630.8.4 - Build a Tower, Build a Team

• Do you agree with Tom Wujec's analysis of why kindergarteners perform better on the Spaghetti Challenge than MBA students?I think he makes two great points - first, MBA students are looking to be in charge. Obviously, they are seeking an advanced degree in management so they are looking to be the manager/leader rather than working to get the task accomplished. In addition, MBA students are seeking the one right answer. There may be multiple good answers out there that can succeed.
• Can you think of any other reasons why kids might perform better?One reason is that the kindergarteners do not feel the pressure to perform and succeed that the MBA students do. Obviously if they are seeking an advanced degree, they are high performers who probably put a lot of pressure on themselves. On the other hand, the  kindergarteners are probably just having fun, and this relax approach allows them to be creative and more effective overall. In addition, there also has been a lot of talk in the news and education lately about school stifling children's creativity; while there is not hard scientific evidence supporting this, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence discussing this possibility (Beuke, 2011). If this is indeed true, then kindergarteners still have their creativity intact before being negatively affected by organized schooling.
• In your view, why do CEOs with an executive assistant perform better than a group of CEOs alone?As Tom states, the admins manage the process and facilitate the employees. They probably are also not interested in being the "leader" so they are willing to do the work that needs to be done. This ensures that while the CEOs may be arguing over whose idea is the "right" idea, that someone is actually taking the time to implement the ideas!
  If you were asked to facilitate a process intervention workshop, how could you relate the video to process intervention skills?
  One of the big lessons is that you do not necessarily need to be the leader or be in charge. It goes back to the old cliche of "there's no 'i' in team". It matters less if YOU are right than if your TEAM does the right thing, and so it's important to remove the personal feelings from these types of situations to ensure that you are doing what is best for the team overall. 

What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?
As I mentioned above, this was a good reminder that the team is often more important than being "right" or having the "winning" idea within the team. This connects back to some of the process intervention strategies mentioned in the chapter reading - it's important to listen, provide support, and coach (Brown, 2011). These will be much more productive than focusing on finding the one "right" or "best" answer.

References

Beuke, C. (2011, November 5. Does education stifle creativity? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/youre-hired/201111/does-education-stifle-creativity
Brown, D. (2011). An experiential appraoch to organization development (8th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

A630.7.4 - Mastering the Art of Corporate Reinvention

• Michael Bonsignore, CEO of Honeywell, states that Honeywell will not be an extension of the old Honeywell or Allied Signal. He is creating a new culture that blends the best of the merged companies of Honeywell and Allied Signal. He says that Honeywell will compensate and reward people that look for best practices from both companies in creating a new corporate culture and punish those who do not. Do you predict Honeywell will be successful?
  I think there will definitely be some growing pains as Honeywell goes through this transition. Changing the culture of an organization is challenging at best, especially when facing resistance to change from employees who are used to doing it the way it has always been done. However, if Honeywell can persevere through the initial transitional phase, I think they will emerge stronger at the end. This type of approach helps to "clean house" in a way by keeping the strong people who are seeking change that rewards them for their good work, and will "weed out" those employees who are simply existing within the organization. Research shows that changing the culture of an organization is harder than instituting a new culture (Sims, 2000).
• What barriers do you see based on what you observed in the video?The chapter reading identified multiple reasons for people to be resistant to change in an organization; often, they are hesitant because something new is something scary. Also, they are concerned about how the changes will affect them and their position (Brown, 2011). Change is often scary for people, especially when it has the possibility of negatively affecting ones' livelihood.
• What critical success factors should Honeywell consider as it crafts its organizational strategies around a new culture?Obviously, any  company is interested in profit. The company should review if the financial investments are worth it, and if profit margins are improving as a result of the changes. In addition, the company should review employee satisfaction surveys, performance, and turnover. These can all affect profit as well, for better or for worse!
• What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?I think it's important to evaluate the culture of my organization. While I cannot institute a major cultural change on my own, I still think it's important to do this. The culture of an organization cannot remain stagnant, so I can work to evaluate and improve the culture in my own department as a start. I do have the ability to change this and influence this!

References

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

Sims, R. (2000). Changing an organization's culture under new leadership. Journal of Business Ethics, 25(1), 65-78. 

A630.6.4.RB - 50 Reasons Not to Change/The Tribes We Lead

• How do you react when you hear colleagues using some of the excuses listed in the 50 Reasons Not to Change graphic?I find it really frustrating when I hear my colleagues using some of these excuses. For example, when someone says "it works fine the way it is!" I think to myself, "but what if it could be better?" The goal should never be to just be fine. Also, it's frustrating when an idea is raised and then shot down because of technology. I do not feel that technology should ever be a barrier from achieving change and goals.
  
• Do you ever use any of these excuses yourself?Sadly, I can admit to using some of these excuses. For example, I can find it personally frustrating when new people come into my department or organization and immediately start to point out what's wrong and what should be done differently. It can be hard to separate myself from these comments, not take them personally, and recognize when an idea is good and change is valid. However, I do think it is important to have enough information before recommending change, as sometimes these suggestions for improvement are based on incomplete or incorrect information which can lead to discrediting the person who proposes the change in the first place.
• How can you overcome the thinking that creates those responses to change efforts?One big approach is to get all of the information (or as much as possible) ahead of time. I know it is not always possible to get all of the information, so a reasonable amount is needed. Also, I believe it's so important to explain WHY the proposed change is needed, and HOW the change will benefit the person, the department, and the organization as a whole.
• Do you agree with Seth Godin’s concept that change is driven by tribes?Overall, I think the concept is valid. Part of the chapter reading mentioned that one of the best ways to motivate change is through participation of members (Brown, 2011); basically, if someone wants to bring about change, they need to encourage others to see that the change is necessary. These people would be in your tribe - they would share in your idea and follow you as their leader. This is essentially what Seth is trying to say in his talk. It connects to what Taesung (2015) states in his article "Diffusion of changes in organizations". His argument is that the best way to bring about change is to find a few people who really agree as well as people who strongly disagree and work on those people. Taesung also states that those who want to bring about change need to find those who are formal leaders, and also those who are informal leaders in the organization as well.
• What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?This course is constantly reminding me that I need to remain open-minded and willing to change when change is necessary. The 50 Reasons not to Change graphic was a great reminder of what NOT to say. It's easy to get complacent and use any one of the excuses listed on the presentation but I need to avoid that and be open. 

References
Brown, D. (2011). An experiential approach to organization development (8th ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Taesung, K. (2015). Diffusion of changes in organizations. Journal of Organizational Change Management 28(1), 134-152.

A630.5.4.RB - Change at NASA

• Why did NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe address NASA employees to describe the plan to bring about proposed changes to NASA's culture?
  Changing an organizational culture involves a large effort and everyone must be included. Thus, it was important for NASA Administrator O'Keefe to brief his employees regarding the proposed changes because it would affect all of them and be ineffective without their participation and support.
• Was he believable? Is it important whether he appeared to be believable?
  Overall, I think he came across as believable. It is very important that he appeared believable because he is asking for his employees to be on board with large organizational changes. He spoke about how the organization had stated values, but they were not necessarily being implemented and carried out throughout the organization. As a result, if he did not appear to be believable, his entire argument would lose its power and effectiveness. It was very powerful for him to be as open and honest as he was, because "the external image of organization reflects, in part, leadership practices within the organization" (Paus, 2013, p. 73). He recognized how his leadership affected the organization, and he demonstrated an honest and concerted effort to make a change to improve the organization.
• Why did he talk about NASA values?It was important for NASA Administrator O'Keefe to talk about NASA values because he mentioned "If we truly are a NASA family" that the organization will be able to make the changes needed to be successful and safe moving forward. In addition, the stated values include safety being of the highest priortiy, although they are not being implemented in practice to their fullest extent. He stated safety must be a "fundamental requisite", however "this is what we say" but "we don't act it". This was a very powerful statement to all NASA employees that all employees must practice what they say they practice. In addition, he noted that while employees respect each other in theory, they were not respecting each other in practice and how their work matters. He was able to use a large amount of data that was obtained through surveys with NASA employees; this was a very important evidence collection step in the diagnostic process, which Brown (2011) identifies as a crucial step in the OD process. I would imagine the survey results were very eye-opening for Brown and others in leadership at NASA to see how the culture varies from the stated values.
• What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?
  I have respect for NASA Administrator O'Keefe for being open and honest with his employees. He even identified that leadership, including him, were not as strong as they need to be in order to best lead the organization. This open admission creates a sense of "we are all in this together" and "we all have areas we can improve on". This humble approach really is powerful coming from someone in such a high leadership position, and I can imagine that it would have great influence on his employees. As a result, I will remember that it is important to recognize that no matter what type of leadership position I find myself in, I should always be willing to admit my mistakes and weaknesses when they come up in order to improve the quality of the team as a whole.

References

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

Paus, V. (2013). New media and leadership: Social media and open organizational communication. Manager, (17), 73-78.

A.630.4.4.RB - How Companies Can Make Better Decisions

• 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?As Blenko stated, companies that are more efficient at making decisions are more engaging places to work. I know that it is often frustrating for me in the workplace to feel like my own position and the work I need to do is being held up by waiting for others to make decisions. Conversely, organizations that are able to make good decisions and make them quickly are able to keep moving forward. This is very engaging - it makes the employees feel that they are working for a company that is making progress, moving forward, and making a difference. This is a very engaging factor for employees - they want to feel like the work they do matters, and that they are not merely hamsters stuck in a wheel not going anywhere! Macey and Schneider (2008) agree with this sentiment, finding in their research that employees are more engaged when they are "doing work that has positive motivational attributes" and "have the presence of a transformational leader who behaves fairly and engenders trust" (p.25). Obviously, in order to be a transformational leader, one must also have decision effectiveness!
• What are some impediments to good decision making?
  As Blenko states, companies are becoming more and more complex, which makes it unclear who is responsible for making a decision, who made previous decisions, and even making sure that those who should be making the decision are receiving the proper information in roder to make that decision. In addition, sometimes decisions are being made without receiving the appropriate feedback or information - I noted this in the next bullet as an element that is missing from the four elements of good decisions.
• 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?
  I think one element that may be missing is "research". What types of research are people doing to make decisions? Are they seeking feedback from other people, looking into what has worked or not worked in the past, or are they bringing in experts (such as OD practitioners)? While people may be able to "accidentally" make the right decision, this will not always work and so it is important for those in the decision-making role to be well-informed before making a decision.
• What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?The four elements that Blenko mentioned are good to keep in mind when I am faced with any important decision. I should look for quality, without sacrificing speed. However, I should not move so fast to make a speedy decision that I neglect to focus on the yield or the effort elements.

Reference
Macey, W. H., & Schneider, B. (2008). The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial & Organizational Psychology, 1(1), 3-30.

A630.3.3 - Southwest Airlines Culture Committee

• Is the Culture Committee at Southwest effective in establishing cultural norms?The last flight attendant interviewed in the video noted that "This is what Southwest is all about" - that statement speaks volumes about the effectiveness of the Culture Committee! Also, by setting it up as random surprises for the employees rather than expected rewards, this can help create lasting benefits throughout the organization as employees tell their colleagues about their experiences. Interestingly, many research studies have found that financial rewards often are not very effective for employees when compared to other types of rewards (Gohari, Ahmadloo, Boroujeni, & Hosseinipour, 2013); as a result, this is most likely a cheaper and more cost effective reward system for Southwest to use on its employees!
  
  
• From what you can tell, what is the purpose of the culture committee at Southwest?
  I think the person in the video said it best - the purpose of the culture committee is "People appreciating people".  It always means a lot to people when their colleagues recognize the hard work that they do, and I believe it's even more rewarding to know that this is sponsored by Southwest on a corporate level. As Brown notes in the module reading, often culture comes from top leadership, and employees can sense this through such corporate-sponsored events (Brown, 2011). It's just a great way to remind the employees that what they are doing matters, it's being recognized, and it's greatly appreciated. The small investment that Southwest makes in this Culture Committee is likely to reap great dividends.
• 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)?
  We do have a similar type of committee at my current place of employment, although I think they could benefit from the "surprise" strategy noted in the Southwest video. It is great to be recognized and the committee at my organization does that, but it would definitely make my day to come in and not expect such a reward and be able to just relax for a few minutes and enjoy a free lunch while someone else takes over! As a result, I think a good mission for a culture committee at my organization would be to "Frequently recognize the hard work and effort of employees through a variety of methods."
  
  
• What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?
  The big thing I took away from this video is that I can do a better job of showing those I work with that I appreciate them. We are all very busy and so it's easy to get bogged down in the work I am doing. However, something as simple as bringing in donuts to surprise my employees can make a huge impact!

The big question I had after watching this video is how the Culture Committee at Southwest is set up. Are these volunteers on their days off? Are they given "work release" to participate in these events? I would be very interested to learn more about how the committee is run.

References

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

Gohari, P., Ahmadloo, A., Boroujeni, M. B., & Hosseinipour, S. J. (2013). The relationship between rewards and employee performance. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, 5(3), 543-570.