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A520.5.3.RB – Forrestor’s Empowerment

            The article, “Empowering: Rejuvenating a potent idea” by Russ Forrester suggest innovative way on handling empowerment within organization. It is mainly focused on the idea that many companies do not know how to make use of it and how it is affecting them. As the article continues, it s obvious that “one-size fits all” cannot be implemented with everyone in the same manner, as everyone needs different empowerment and delegation. Some of the suggestions offered by the article are: “enlarge power, be sure of what you want to do, differentiate among employees, support power sharers, build fitting systems, and focus on results” (Forester, 2000, para. 2).

            Similarly, Whetten and Cameron (2011), chapter on “Empowering and Delegating,” focuses on the importance of learning to empower and delegate others in organizations.  Their main concern lands on making employees or followers, part of a single unit. Moreover, they describe empowerment as a way of making employees want to do their job, rather than making them do it. There is a significant difference when it comes to comparing empowerment and power. Empowerment is described as a way of utilizing authority experience into inspiring or motivation to others. Whereas power utilizes authority to push others into delivering expected results for the company’s benefit. “To empower means to enable; it means to help people develop a sense of self-confidence; it means to help people overcome feelings of powerlessness or helplessness; it means to energize people to take action; it means to mobilize intrinsic motivation to accomplish a task” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 445).

            Additionally, the chapter mentions five core dimensions of empowerment: (1) Self-efficacy, (2) Self-determination, (3) Personal consequence, (4) Meaning, and (5) Trust. These dimensions of empowerment represent a successful empowerment skill where empirical evidence is clear and individuals tend to perform better. When compared to Forester’s article, he mentions six short circuits to organizational empowerment: (1) Precipitous empowerment mandates, (2) Overreliance on a narrow psychological concept, (3) One-size-fits-all empowerment, (4) Negligence of the needs of power sharers, (5) Piecemeal approaches, and (6) Distortions of accountability. The six circuits mentioned before are ways on how to empower others incorrectly. “This is not empowerment; it is a retractable leash. The irony is that these organizations overpower both managers and employees in the name of empowerment. This is not a good way to start” (Forester, 2000, para. 10).

            In conclusion, both the article and the chapter provide a good source of information regarding empowerment and delegation, while demonstrating positive and negative ways to lead an organization. There is an immense misunderstanding about empowerment as leaders or managers believe their power is revoked when they empower others. Empowering is only a mean to enhance the morale of the organization. Providing employees the opportunity to work on their own leadership skills and initiative, empowering them will only help into the organization’s future success. Furthermore, “empowered employees are more productive, psychologically and physically healthy, proactive and innovative, persistent in work, trustworthy, interpersonally effective, intrinsically motivated, and have higher morale and commitment than employees who are not empowered” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 472).

References

Forester, R. (2000). Empowerment: Rejuvenating a potent idea. ProQuest Central August 2000; Retrieved from: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/210518384/fulltextPDF

Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

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A520.4.3.RB – Motivation Beyond Money

            No one can say money is not need it or is not a motivational factor that moves people into doing anything. Nevertheless, when it comes to working for an organization, the existence of additional motivators is a key factor to feel part of a community as Andy Mulholland (2011) explains in his video. Motivation can happen in many ways and not everyone is motivated in the same way, what works for an individual may not work for another. Whetten and Cameron (2011) described how coach Phil Jackson responded after winning the 7^th NBA title when he was asked about the methods he used to motivate the team. He said, “I don’t motivate my players. You cannot motivate someone, all you can do is provide a motivating environment and the players will motivate themselves” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 326).

            In the same way, Andy Mulholland (2011) identified three important motivators that could increase the employees working attitude:

1.     Provide interesting work to employees: In doing so, anyone who works under the demands of other individual will find his or her-self out of monotony and repetitive work. Employees tend to show a better disposition if shown different tasks and if they are kept away from been bored. On a daily basis, my job has so many variants that I never find myself bored. On the contrary, having an interesting job motivates me to get up early in the morning and be happy to be there even when I feel really tired.

2.     Expand the skill set: When employers challenge employees to try new areas and put their skills into practice, the opportunity for knowledge expansion arises. It goes from “tactical issues to learning, developing, and understanding” (Mulholland, 2011). This area has a great impact in my job. Everyday, I am challenged to learn something new, to be better, to be faster, and I can say I am preparing myself to be a well-rounded professional.

3.     Recognize me: Acknowledging the effort of others goes beyond any award. When an employee gets recognized for his or her hard work, the self-steam of that individual increases. If recognition was not part been a motivator, then I would not be able to function properly at work. Is not about been needy but about knowing that hard work pays off. Thankfully, my manager is always there to support me and raise my morale when I think I am not doing well. She is always encouraging me to improve my skills and to emotionally reward me with positive recognition and feedback.

            Moreover, having a sense of motivation provokes curiosity to know what else is out there. As Andy Mulholland described, “Don’t just look, ask yourself what you really want to achieve?” (2011). Therefore, the additional motivators I find important and impact me are: feeling welcomed or part of an organization; achieving personal goals; learning from experienced dedicated individuals who love to share their knowledge; and job security. Definitely, money is not everything but what gets you through your daily responsibilities.     

References:

Mulholland, Andy (2011). The Three Things We Work For (Money Isn't One of Them) video presentation. Retrieved from http://library.books24x7.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/VideoViewer.aspx?bkid=43753

Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

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A520.3.5.RB – Supportive Communication

            As we are all aware, Plato was one of the biggest philosophers and mathematicians in Greece. He believed, “wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” A person with supportive communication skills is capable of listening, coaching, mentoring, and being honest while building a long lasting relationship. Supportive communication has become a key role for the success of organizations. Nevertheless, becoming a supportive leader is can take time. I currently hold a medical assistant position at work, which is not the leader role but I find that supportive communication could be of help.

            Whetten and Cameron discussed some behavioral guidelines that could affect an organization positively. Their guidelines emphasize the importance of counseling situations rather than coaching them. In my current job, my manager already implements the skill of communicating her true feelings without being destructive. Whenever there is something she feels is not done correctly, she pulls the employee aside and talks about it. Like Whetten and Cameron (2011) suggested, being humble and thankful by acknowledging other people’s importance and uniqueness can turn any negative encounter into a positive. Focusing in the positive aspects of a person’s contribution to an organization to then bring up some corrections can make a difference.

            Needless to say, the organization I work for could make improvements by implementing personal management interviews to build strong positive relations with their subordinates by coaching them. Such implementation could improve the relationship between doctors and subordinates. In most cases, doctors do not speak to their employees directly and instead, make use of hierarchy resources and have the manager communicate their concerns to others. Having a direct relationship with a doctor would increase the morale of the entire office and in turn, find a more committed staff. Moreover, if doctors would direct their concerns or disapprovals with the specific person they would avoid future mistakes. Doctors should be willing to talk about the problems they find and express how they one things to change. Whetten and Cameron advice using “descriptive, not evaluative, statements. Describe objectively what occurred, describe your reactions to events and their objective consequences, and suggest acceptable alternatives” (2011, p. 265).

            Another supportive communication that could be helpful is the use of specific rather than global statements. Whetten and Cameron (2011) believe communications should be delivered by pointing out a decisive outcome, either black or white. Merely few individuals know how to acquire this skill. More often than not, leaders know what they want but fail to express themselves correctly and as a result, their subordinates are not capable to deliver the results. If this were implemented in my job, doctors would find themselves with a conjunctive group of employees who follow and understand what the doctors need. “Understanding and problem recognition are the desired outcomes” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 265).

References:

Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.

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A520.3.1.RB – Decision Making

1   What are a few words that describe your decision-making style?

    Direct, honest, fair, ethic, considerate, flexible, and meticulous,

2   What are the opposites of the words you chose?

    Ambiguous, corrupt, biased, immoral, unsympathetic, rigid, and careless.

3   Could you see any benefits to making decision using an approach that is based on either the opposites or somewhere in-between and what outcomes would you expect to see?

   After analyzing the words related to my decision-making style, for the most part it would be almost impossible to base my elections with the opposite words. When I think of making a decision based on ambiguity, I cannot help it but to think my word would have no meaning to other people. In order to made decisions, one of the most important steps is to evaluate your options and once a decision has been reached, be direct with it. Furthermore, honesty has always been a strong component of myself. I can see how been honest sometimes is not always the best option since people can and will get hurt with too much honesty. Maybe the solution for it is not stop been honest, but knowing when is the best time and place to provide it. Nevertheless, there could never be an in-between option when it comes to honesty, fairness, and ethics.

Additionally, been unsympathetic is not a skill to which a leader would like to be known for. On the contrary, decision-making should always analyze who is involved and who will be affected. In other words, having consideration for others will always lead to a more asserted decision-making. Likewise, it is known that some decisions cannot always be black or white, and consequently, flexibility is vital. The willingness to accept other’s opinions and come to a common ground for the benefit of everyone is part of decision-making. Last but not least, being meticulous would not assure someone the perfect decision results but it will avoid headaches in the long run. Meticulous individuals tend to take a little more time than others, but also, people with these skills tend to make better decisions based on facts, background, and patience. On the other hand, been meticulous is a skill that sometimes needs to be used somewhere in-between and not obsess over.

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A520.2.6.RB – Time Management

            While I am a very organized individual, I feel my time management skills are not there quite yet. When I am tired specially, I feel like my tiredness takes over and does not let me progress. I have to say I am a creature of habit and the more I repeat things, the more natural they come to me. Additionally, I believe the majority of the times, I am in a time stressor situation where time is not enough for the amount of work I encounter. Whetten and Cameron stated, “the presence of temporary time stressors may serve as motivators for getting work done, and some individuals accomplish much more when faced with an immediate deadline than when left to work at their own pace” (2011, p. 117). And for the most part, I feel that I have learnt to deal with my bad habits on time management and therefore, I tend to perform a lot better on last minute assignments or duties. Nevertheless, this kind of pressure seems to be a self-inflicted pain and it could be dangerous.

            Locus of control can be described as the belief of having control over events that may or may not affect us. The issues I present with time management have in a way increased my locus of control. The reason is because I know that it is within my power to control how much I can get done if only I organize myself correctly. In other words, the opportunity to management my time comes from know how to balance my lifestyle and its demands. I am the kind of individual who likes to be in control of everything and that is a way to release my stressors, when I am successful at doing it. Moreover, Whetten and Cameron (2011) identify that psychological resiliency is imperative to lower levels of stress. Maddi and Kobasa (1984) came out with three elements that characterized personalities with high demand on stress-resistant. One of them been hardiness. Hardiness results from “(1) feeling in control of one’s life, rather than powerless to shape external events; (2) feeling committed to and involved in what one is doing, rather than alienated from one’s work and other individuals; and (3) feeling challenged by new experiences rather than viewing change as a threat to security and comfort” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 139).

            If I were to modify three areas in which time management would reduce my stress, I would choose to be more organized with school assignments. In addition, I would dedicate time over the week to exercise and keep myself healthier. And lastly, I would try to improve my schedule by creating a routine to do my duties, including going to bed at a reasonable time everyday at the same time.

            In order to make the above improvements I would have to set up an action plan. I would first start by setting up daily short reasonable goals. I would make sure to evaluate my weekly schedule and delegate a couple of hours a day to assure all assignments will get done on a timely manner. Moreover, I would set up alarm in my calendar to alert me when is time to start and when is time to finish. Setting up calendars would provide me with the perfect structure I am in need of. In the same way, this organization of time would allowed me to dedicate more time to myself and household duties such as going to the gym, or for a run and also been able to take care of my house and cook. Furthermore, going to bed at a reasonable time everyday would help me gain energy for my long working hours and as a result all of these would be a way to eliminate stress to a point.

References:

Whetten, D., & Cameron, K. (2011). Developing Management Skills (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.