Week 5 Blog Post #4 Chapter 11 Page 356

Phone Rage

The topic of phone rage is discussed in Chapter 11 and I found this topic very interesting because I can definitely relate to this topic on a day to day level. Phone rage is very unwanted and unnecessary in that you are affecting the person on the other end of the phone whether you mean to or not and possibly ruining their day. I know that I have to make numerous phone calls a day and sometimes the people I come across just seem to be flat out angry people. I don't understand how this could happen because this is your job and you are supposed to be professional so how can they treat me this way when first of all they don't even know me, and second, the reason for my call is business. When people are rude to me or angry with me on the phone I know I shouldn't take it personally but it can sometimes get to me and change my mood that day. Also personal issues discussed over the phone are never necessary. For example I once had a lady tell me that her husband had just passed unexpectedly and she went on for about five minutes explaining this to me and why she couldn't get something to me right away. It was very depressing and though I understand she probably needed someone to talk to, it made me feel uncomfortable and guilty for even asking something of her.

Week 5 Blog Post #3 Chapter 10 Page 312

Differentiation

Chapter 10 discusses how organizations use the strategy of differentiation to stand out among competition. A great example that is brought up is Nordstrom. Though there are other department stores that sell the same product as Nordstrom, for some reason this particular company stands out compared to its competitors. I know that people think that Nordstrom is higher end than its competitors and I know that people would rather shop at Nordstrom rather than the other stores even though they sell the same exact products. I feel much more comfortable shopping at Nordstrom than I would shopping at Macy's because I feel the surroundings are more organized and cleaner and the customer service is excellent. There is a huge difference in the atmosphere in these two stores even though if you compared the two the sell almost the same items and even the same brands, with only a few differences. And this is how Nordstrom has effectively used differentiation to separate itself from the others and come out as the number one department store.

Week 2 Blog Post #2 Chapter 9 Page 287

Openness

I enjoyed reading the topic of Openness in chapter nine which talks about communication leadership. I think in order to be a proper supervisor or role model; one must have the appropriate kind of openness with his or her employees. There are five key components that are discussed and I think all of them are equally important. It is very important that supervisors engage with their employees and talk to them during shifts, during meetings etc and are good at giving proper instructions. They must also be very good listeners, for instance when employees are having an issue and have questions that need to be answered or ask for help with a situation. Most importantly effective supervisors don't demand or tell employees what to do, but talk to them and ask them to do something. Supervisors must also be sensitive to the employees that work for them in that if they do something wrong or that needs improvement, they tell them in private rather than in front of other employees which could cause embarrassment. And lastly great supervisors keep employees informed of future changes that will occur or share important information with them. All of these concepts make up an ideal supervisor and these are all very important characteristics to look for in a supervisor or in someone who is being considered for the role of a supervisor.

Week 5 Blog Post #1 Web Lecture

Democracy and Dialogue

Out of the five types of democracy that are discussed in the web lecture, I like participatory democracy the most. This type of democracy requires people do not only vote but to get involved by participating in activities that will help the group achieve its goal. They must be knowledgeable about the opposing group’s ideas and opinions and have a broader view on topics and see through the others eyes. If someone shows great participation in all aspects of an election then I think that they are very much capable of fulfilling the role of a leader to the people of a community.

Week 4 Blog Post #4 Ch. 8 Pg. 248

Management of Conflict and Consensus

Chapter 8 discusses teaming in organizations and on page 248 the topic of conflict and consensus is brought up. I have much experience with this considering I work in a teaming environment every day. Everybody has their own ideas and opinions that won't exactly agree with everyone else's ideas and opinions which can create much conflict. Teams also need to learn that when conflict occurs they need to work together and come up with a consensus or something that can satisfy everyone's wants and needs so that everyone is happy. It is very important that everyone can agree upon something, I know this on a first hand basis because if not everyone can agree on one thing and someone is left unhappy this can affect their work performance. This could also show favoritism among people in a team if one person's wishes are granted and another person's aren't. There needs to be a balance among team members, fairness that way everyone feels they have an impact on the team and are making a difference.

Week 4 Blog Post #3 Ch 8 Page 237

Work Teams

Chapter 8 talks about team-based organizations and the types of teams that exist. I have much experience with work teams. My work has about 20 clients which are split up amongst five different teams. Each team is responsible for taking care of each of their client’s needs and making sure that we keep each client happy. Each team has goals to hit each month with incentives to keep the team focused on hitting the goals. And though each team member has their own tasks and responsibilities, if one team member makes a mistake, it reflects the whole team, not just them as an individual. We are taught that it is not about the work you do individually but how you come together as a team to accomplish what needs to be accomplished. If a team has too many people out for the day, then another team will step in and help this team with whatever needs to be done for the day.

When I first started at this organization, there were only 3 teams. But the company has grown so much already that they have hired enough employees and taken on enough clients to have 5 teams. Lately there has been talk of finding a different and bigger location for our office because we will be expanding even more, by hiring more people, taking on more clients and creating more teams, which is very exciting.

Week 4 Blog Post #2 Ch 7 Page 203

Work/Life conflict

In chapter 7, they talk about work/life conflict and how feminist have adopted different approaches to this idea. Work/life conflict talks about how work can affect one's life, away from work and also vice versa, personal life can affect how one performs at work the next day. Because people think that women are more sensitive they think it is harder for women to balance situations that can cause work/life conflict.

I know from my own experience it is hard to act normal at work if something is wrong in my personal life. Though I shouldn't bring outside work related issues to work with me, it is hard to ignore when something is one your mind. And this goes for work as well. If something stressful is going on at work of if you feel as though you performed bad at work, then it is possible that you will bring these feelings home with you and take it out on the people outside of work that had no part in making you feel this way.