Americans w/ Disabilities Act - Workplace Impact

Workplace environments have changed due to the implementation of the ADA. Most of the changes have been positive but as with any rule there can be effects that end up being used as negative influences.

The positive effects of the ADA is the people who are disabled are being given equal opportunity to contribute in the workplace. Whether physically or mentally disabled everyone should be given equal opportunity to attain a job. The concern is that what happens when there are definite restrictions that prohibit a particular disability from being able to perform a job.

The issue for organizations is that if a disability makes it impossible for someone to perform a particular job they are not able to make a decision based off that but more often than not they are expected to do whatever is necessary to make it possible. What is the line that is crossed when it is no longer about trying to accommodate a disability but rather compromising the position? This same scenario can occur with any type of diversity if the person working in a position is given it because of the goal of diversity and not because they are the most qualified.

Respect is Earned

I am amazed when I see people who hold a certain position or wear a certain uniform who don't understand they have to earn respect. It is not enough to just have a title or wear a uniform you have conduct yourself in such a way that exhibits a demeanor which deserves respect. This is a constant struggle for anyone who is part of cultural group and represents that group in their community and lives.

Whether it is a police officer, military personnel, religious leaders or team leaders in an organization the respect for the position is not the same as respect for the person who holds the position. The individual who holds the position has the earn the respect that comes with the position and if not they will find it difficult to lead their organization effectively to achieve their goals.

Affirmative Action - Positive or Negative

I think Affirmative Action can be guilty as just as much discrimination as what it is trying to prevent. I am all for everyone getting a fair shot at a job that they are qualified for but if and when it comes to the point that someone is put into a position that is not qualified for that position we have problems with the system.

I don't see where affirmative action should replace the process of interviewing and selecting the right candidate unless there are known issues with candidates being overlooked because of discrimination.

Proxemics

Proxemics is the cultural, behavioral, and sociological aspects of spatial distances between individuals.

I am reminded of position I once had in a retail business. We trained all our sales staff that they were to greet any customer who came within 10 feet of them. This was a tool we used to make sure that our sales staff was engaging the customers but also served the purpose of making sure our customers did not leave feeling ignored and disrespected.

Across cultural lines the distance between people when the are talking, the act of greeting someone when the get within a certain distance and whether to shake hands, hug or bow are all factors of proxemics that can cause communication challenges if not understood and addressed appropriately.

Cultural Perceptions of Time

Monochromic time is characterized by schedules and strategic planning. There is a sense of order and purpose to every decision.

Polychromic time is characterized by many events happening at one time. Time is seen as a collection of moments rather than a period of time.

Across cultural lines these two systems of understanding can cause great confusion and frustration. For someone who is from a culture that works in the monochromic style to participate in polychromic cultural event would seem like chaos and confusion. In contrast someone from the polychromic culture could feel controlled and restricted if immersed in the monochromic culture. As with other cultural differences it is critical to understand how your own culture is perceived by others and how others may differ from your own.

Diversity - Physical Factors

Physical factors of diversity can include everything from hair color to height. Hair color is difficult to judge anymore because of how much people change their color on a somewhat regular basis but blondes are still treated as less intelligent while redheads are expected to have a fiery personality. If hair color was not such a factor there would be no need for hair dyes so that people could change there "personality" type or get rid of the gray.

Weight issues also lead to issues of diversity. Look at how many shows on TV are focused on healthy eating and exercise. There was enough the new "Bachelor" on TV this summer with what would be considered an overweight man and overweight women as the contestants. The promotions for the series labeled them as "normal" contestants this time around. So does that mean the other bachelors were exceptional. The cultural representation of normal affects how we perceive and relate to one another.

Personal Responsibility - Marriage

I think the American viewpoint on personal responsibility absolutely factors into the marriage and divorce rates in our culture. There is a sense in the American culture that if a marriage is not working out it must be someone else's fault because I did all I could to make it work. There is no responsibility taken for our actions and how they affect things but rather our actions are justified because of the other person. Personal responsibility is not a value that is expected or taught any more. From the highest levels in government, organizations, school and even families there is no responsibility taken for ones actions but rather a plan for justification because of someone else's actions.

I think it also comes down to the attitude in America that you must always look out for yourself because no one else will. So, following that logic, if a marriage is not working for you then do what you need to do to make yourself happy.

Cultural Value of Communication Styles

Parables can be used in a very effective way in cross-cultural communication. Parables are the method of telling stories to illustrate an idea or objective. The challenge that can turn parables into a negative in telling a story that is not relevant or appropriate for the other culture. Using parables and not telling them in a context that is relatable can create even more confusion in the conversation.

Argot is a secret or minimally understood language using real words from a language but changing the understanding and/or meaning of the words for the purpose of conversing. This method of communication is used throughout crime networks to work with the members of a network without exposing their intentions to outsiders. This communication method can be a difficult barrier to overcome if you are not closely affiliated with those already speaking it.

Kinesics in Intercultural Communication

I do not have a lot of intercultural experience throughout my work experiences but I think I can relate. One of the things that has stuck out to me over the years is different cultures and their respect for the local police officers. I grew up in a relatively small town with my dad working as in the local police department. It always impressed me that there were so many people around town who knew and respected my dad because he did his job. I am convinced that my dad knew more people around town because he had arrested them or got them home safely from a wrong night out.

This trend did not continue when I moved to a large metropolitan area. The police in this community was seen as the enemy and people went out of there way to avoid contact or communication with them. The reaction to those in law enforcement differs from culture to culture depending on how the law is perceived and enforced in those cultures. Realizing this difference did cause some difficulties because I found it uncomfortable to tell people what my dad did as a career due to their lack of respect for law enforcement.

Culture as Computer Software

Culture is the characteristics and behaviors that define a specific group based on ethnicity, age, social demographic, etc. The relation of culture to computer software can be illustrated through the exploration of compatibility issues. With computer software there are programs that work with certain operating systems better than others. A program may work well with MacOS but not with Windows. It may work optimally with WindowsXP but not with Windows98. There are compatibility concerns with word processor documents also because a document created in one program may not look the same when opened in a different program. The programs are not compatible with each other.

With cultures we can run into the same issues. One culture may be compatible with another because of similarities in their beliefs but not with another that has differences in their work ethics. Every culture has little differences that can cause compatibility issues and the task for us is to address these differences and work out the bugs in our software.

Managing Gender Roles

I think there is a major difference between a man thinking his wife "should" stay at home and a man "supporting" his wife in her desire to be a mom. These are two very different viewpoints to look at this from. If the man is believing this to the point that it becomes a controlling issue then there could definitely be issues with him working in an organization where his supervisor was female. He would have a difficult time having respect for and submitting to the authority of someone who he felt did not deserve the job.

On the other hand if the man was of the belief that he would support his wife in staying at home and being a mom, like myself, then he would not have a problem working for a female supervisor. Having the respect for his wife to support her in her decision will also help him to respect other women and their choices. I have no problem working for a female supervisor as long as she does her job and deserves the position.

In the workplace you could run into either one of these scenarios so there needs to be a policy in place to address the respect for authority. No matter the gender, race or age if the person is in a position of authority they must have employees working for them who are submissive to their leadership. If their support staff does not submit because of an issue of diversity they should be reprimanded accordingly.

Media Stereotypes Affect Diversity Consciousness

I think that for the most part the portrayal of stereotypes in the media are detracting from the cause of diversity. I don't believe that stereotyping is ever a positive thing. From news stories to sit-coms the media representation of stereotypes is typically done in a negative manner. As is typical for news stories the majority of reports are done from a negative perspective and when they involve individuals of various races the media paints the individuals as a representative of their race and puts them is a box of expectations. There are certain news items that are expected to be done by or including specific races which leads to dangerous assumptions on the ethnicity.

On a national level the promotion of diversity in the workplace is tough to judge because it depends on the field of media. Within national news organizations the diversity is severely lacking but when you look at national sports news organizations their are high levels of diversity represented. I think that there is much more promotion of diversity in the workplace at the regional and local levels. Depending on the demographic of the audience there is a more conscious effort to promote the diversity.

Diversity Decisions and Their Lasting Impact

The Roe v. Wade case of the early 1970's has led to over 25 years of controversy and discussions. No matter which side of this issue you come down on there are numerous arguement's for and against the right of a woman to have an abortion. With organizations from Planned Parenthood to Right to Life the supporters of both sides are passionate about their views. Although this decision has had a direct impact on the topic of abortion what has it affected outside of this area?

This decision has done more than just affect the abortion question. This case from 1973 has led to other discussion and eventual rulings on the rights of individuals to make medical decisions for themselves. Just one example of this is the assisted suicide law in Oregon that gives doctors the ability to help an individual end their life if they choose to do so. Without the decision of Roe v. Wade would this future ruling have been as acceptable. It again comes down to an individuals right to choose. The direct or indirect impact of Roe v. Wade has had and will continue to have an impact on the rulings made in our country.

Orientation to Time

The factor of time can be difficult to manage. It is possible that you may not realize what challenges time management will pose until you are in the midst of a project that is time sensitive. Managing this cultural factor comes down to a manager knowing their employees and delegating responsibility appropriately. Having staff that comes from different sides on time management can make any project difficult to finish in a timely manner. If you know you have team members who are not as motivated to get done with a project it may be necessary to assign them pieces of the project that are not time sensitive and/or do not factor into other pieces getting done.

I think the other way to look at this is not how fast or motivated are they to get the project done but are they completing the project on time and to sufficient standards. To say that the US culture is busy and rushing from one thing to another is an understatement. If the project is still getting done on schedule then the time management and work ethic of those working on it may not be of as much concern.

Culture is Learned

It can be very difficult, if not impossible, to change someone's habits that they have learned from family. You have to be careful when trying to change cultural tendencies learned from family because it can be seen as a slight against an individuals family. There is a balance between learning new ideas of respect while still respecting the teaching and authority of an individuals heritage.

Within the workplace it may be easier to teach someone about respect from the standpoint of a company value rather than changing a family value. As the individual learns what respect in the workplace looks like they may find ways to apply this in their personal life as well. Approaching the topic of respect this way will help it to come across as a positive learning experience rather than a negative towards the learning they have had up to this point.

Benefits of Diversity

I believe that one of the greatest assets of diversity is that it helps us to understand that there is more than one response for any situation. It is comfortable for us to rely on our experiences or cultural traditions and think that there is not another way to handle a situation. For many of us we get into our comfort zone and don't take the time to look for other options to the situation.

Experiencing diversity helps us to learn about other ways to respond to situations and analyze from another point of view. As we learn to see situations from other points of view we will develop our personal and professional understanding of working with and within other cultures. This will allow us to have a more thorough and respected response to any situation we come up against.

Cultural Diversities - Consistencies & Challenges

One of the things that seems to be consistent across cultures is the importance of and respect for family. This is actually something that the american culture could learn to have more appreciation for. There needs to be more respect given to family and the role it plays or should play in our day to day. In most cultures the support and respect for family is such that through times of negative or positive experiences the family is involved and supportive. Having this connection across cultures is conducive to a development of understanding and appreciation for other cultures.

Within the workplace there can be challenges faced when various cultures are working together. From one culture to another the work habits and business ethics can be much different. This is not only evident from culture to culture but also from generation to generation. While one culture or generation may have the work habits that are self-motivated and require little management oversight another group may have much different habits. For business ethics there may be one group who works on the whatever it takes to get it done philosophy while another may be more aware of how their decisions are affecting those in the organization.

Building Diversity Consciousness

Building our diversity consciousness can be done by putting people in situations where they have the opportunity to learn about and experience the diversity around them. Within my organization there is not a lot of cultural diversity but there is a wide range of diverse personalities. We have had many situations where these personalities clashed and caused a ripple effect within the organization. Last summer we sought out a coach to take our leadership through a day of analization of and education on the various personalities represented in our organization. Doing this gave our leadership several tools to work with. First off they had a better understanding of their own personality. They also were aware of what the other team members personalities were. Lastly they knew how their personality was compatible or incompatible with the others.

This same process can work for diversity consciousness. We first need to realize what things we do that are cultural tendencies. These may be things we don't even think about but others see as representative of our diversity. If we can learn to recognize these things in ourselves it will be easier to identify and understand them in others. Which leads us to the next step of realizing the diversity of those around us. The last step in the process is to learn and appreciate how the diversity of ourselves and others affects the situations we are in. This will help us to understand work habits, family priorities, religious practices and cultural communication differences that we may or may not have ourselves.

Respect for Cultural Diversities

The ability to relate to and appreciate others and their diversities is key to our personal growth. One of the challenges I think we face when it comes to diversity is what exactly the term relates to. More often than not when diversity is discussed it is in the realm of racial or ethnic backgrounds. To limit the discussion on diversity to only this topic is to miss the bigger picture of all the cultural differences that can separate one from another.

No matter where I have lived or worked there is always something that creates diversity within the group. I grew up in a family that at times could be very discriminating on basis of race but would bend over backwards to help someone who lost their job or had a medical emergency. I worked in an organization that one person was ridiculed and ignored because they were gay yet one of the most respected and liked people was disabled. I live in a community that goes out of their way to help single parents but when a couple decide that the mom wants to not work to raise their kids they are seen as irresponsible.

Any group of people will have some level of diversity in it. Our responsibility is to have a level of respect for the diversity even if we can't or don't understand it. Relating to and attempting to understand those who are different from ourselves will give us the opportunity to grow and learn about other cultures, communities, families, businesses, etc. We will all be better for it.

The Priority of Open Communication

I agree that open communication should be a requirement not a goal for effective organizational management. When a manager puts forth the idea of open communication as a goal there may be other motives for it. Managers make communication a goal to give their staff a sense of opportunity for having their voice heard. The problem is that although the manager may allow others to share their opinions they have no intention of letting those voices be a factor in their decision. In this situation communication is not used as a tool but rather as a "carrot" to keep the staff engaged and feeling like they are part of the process.

If communication is not an organizational priority then it should be. If you aren't communicating then you aren't growing, learning or collaborating. How is an organization to continue to develop without those things?

Selective Application of Decisions

If the decision of management cannot be consistently implemented and enforced then the decision shouldn't have been made. When a manager makes a decision and then selectively implements it they undermine and discredit the validity of the decision. As a manager you need to have enough confidence in your decision to apply it consistently.

The other detriment to selectively applying your decision to employees is the sense of playing favorites and everyone not working under the same rules. This will ultimately undermine the managers authority and discredit any future decisions they may make, no matte how good.

Everyone Buys In To A Bad Decision

This IBM story could be indicative of several influences that affect bad decisions being made. The buy-in for IBM was necessary for them to make such a monumental decision and move forward. I think the same influences are affecting decisions being made about bailouts in our government today.

There are several possible influences. First off is the sense of needing to do something. For IBM, they were on the verge of major changes coming in the computer industry and the pressure to be first with the new technology had to be incredible. The same with the bailouts. When everything seems to be falling apart and people are looking to the government for answers the pressure is overbearing. Next is the feeling, for both companies, that doing nothing is not an option. Even if what they do ends up not working the choice of doing nothing will not work because their stakeholders will not accept it. Lastly, the excitement of the situation can cause a decision to be made without fully researching and analyzing the decision.

Is Micro-Managing Ever Necessary?

I don't know that I would say micro-managing is necessary in some environments but I do believe there are some situations that call for it. Micro-managing, as a tool, is more often than not a negative way of managing. When you manage in this way you take away the opportunity for those you are managing to grow into their abilities and you may also miss out on an opportunity to learn from someone else. In this sense I think there are a couple situations where micro-managing can be useful. Micro-management can be used as an instructional tool to teach others how to perform their duties to a higher level of competency. This can also be a useful in training new employees on the ins and outs of the organization.

The responsibility of the manager is to know when enough is enough and the micro-management can stop. If you step back to quickly you risk letting some step out on their own who is not ready. In contrast, if you hold on too long you may frustrate those who feel they can do it without someone always looking over their shoulder. Balance of styles and effective use is the key.

Different Decision Styles - Same Answer

Different decision making styles coming to the same conclusion would be expected if it is the correct conclusion. The differences will lie in the tools and resources used to get to the decision not in the outcome. Each style may take different durations to achieve the goal and more or less people may be part of the decision but the outcome can definitely be the same.

Without the ability for differing styles to reach the same goal it would be very difficult to work together with those who don't think the same as we do. There would be no agreement on the decision that needed to be made unless all those deciding were using the same style. Not very likely and also not an environment that encourages growth and diversity. Variety in the process leads to growth in the understanding of the process.

Do Nothing - The Best Option

I do believe that doing nothing is always an option and sometimes the best option. Doing nothing is not always what it seems. When you choose to do nothing you still have to continue doing what you were already. Considering the current economic situation doing nothing was an, and may have been the best, option. When there is a situation that needs to be acted upon the decision making process must include, as the first step, the decision on whether any action should be taken at all. Doing nothing does not mean you are not concerned but you may have determined that the best action is not act.

My wife is currently 4 months pregnant and she enjoys watching shows on TV about pregnancies and the complications that can arise. During a show she was watching last week a woman was given birth at home without any assistance other than here husband. The baby was ready to deliver but there was a complication. The baby was coming breach, with the feet coming first, which is very dangerous for the baby. If there had been a doctor present or she had been in the hospital at this point they would have done an emergency delivery to get the baby out. As it was she had researched what to do if complications arose and new that if this happened the best course was to resist the urge to push and just let the baby work itself out. She did this and the baby delivered without any harm to it or the mother. A situation where doing nothing was the best course of action.

Habitual Decision Making

Going outside of our habitual way of decision making has a couple of benefits to us.

First off it allows us an opportunity to grow by looking at how others think and make decisions. Although we may always feel right and come to a decision that is successful that does not mean that our decision is the only option. The easiest way to get from point A to point B may be a straight line but it may not be the only way.

Another benefit of breaking habit is the opportunity to see things we may have missed. How many of us drive the same path to work everyday? After so much time of doing this there are things we don't even notice anymore because we just assume they are the same. It is not until we take a different path that we realized things that have changed or see something we didn't see before. The same applies in decision making. Until we look at different ways of making decision there are things we may miss along the way.

We still get a successful result when breaking habits of thinking but no telling what else may happen on the way. They say that stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. If our decision making is not working maybe it is the habits we have developed in our decision making not the decision itself.

Collecting Unbiased Data

Collecting the proper data can be on of the most difficult parts of making an objective decision. When someone is collecting data they have an objective that they are trying to accomplish so the data they collect needs to support that objective. Our subconscious does the same for us as some survey takers do consciously. When looking at results of surveys the question is who did the research. When you find out who did the research it can become clear as to why the results of the surveys came out s they did. I think the same can be said about our decision making. If you look at who made the decision you will see evidence of the intentions and/or objective of them.

The challenge for us is to remove ourselves from the process as much as possible so as to limit the influence of our biases or objectives on the decision. Easier said than done but the goal none the less.

Reflective Thinking

Reflective thinking is like a recap process. What worked, what didn't and what needs to be adjusted for next time. Within my organization there are many times of trial and error in starting new programs. Reflecting thinking gives us the tools to look back over the decision making process and analyze what went into the decision. You can get a better grasp of what data was relevant and what didn't need to be used. Who to consider as important contributors to the process and who didn't add to the process.

Reflective thinking not only gives you the tools to analyze your decision making process but also the decisions of others. Reflecting on the decision of others and how they processed the situation can give you a deeper insight as to their thinking style and decision making tools used thus making it easier to know how to relate to them during the next decision that needs to be made.

Does Every Decision Have Consequences?

I do think that every decision has consequences. The challenge is to not think of consequences as only being negative. Every decision has consequences it is just a matter of whether they are positive or negative in nature. Too many times when decisions are made there is no big picture thinking going on. When the big picture is not taken into consideration there is no thought given to the future impact, residual impact or external impact of the decision. Decisions have an impact that are more widespread than they are given credit for. The critical thinking process gives a basis for looking at the information that is relevant to the decision but we need to make sure we are anticipating and evaluating the consequences of the decision also.

Critical Thinking = Perfect Thinking?

Critical thinking does not equal perfect thinking. No matter how careful and precise you are in the critical thinking process there is no guarantee that the decision made will be the right one. Many things can factor into this not least of all is the fact that the information gathered could be invalid. If the information is not validated and unbiased then whatever decision is made from that information is suspect to being flawed.

Another factor that more often than not comes into play is that people make mistakes. Whether it is a misinterpretation of data, compilation of the wrong data or a misunderstanding of the objective of the decision there is a chance for error throughout the process. Any of these can lead to a flawed decision being made and negative results coming from the decision.

Critical Thinking - Time Factor

I do believe that time is the challenge in applying critical thinking skills. Especially in today's culture where everyone is in such a rush to do anything and wants results yesterday. Too many of us don't feel the freedom to really take time and think about decisions we make.

Look at the current housing downturn. How many of us, when we bought our house 5 years ago, sat down and thought about what we would do if the housing market had issues in 5 years? How many of us felt like we had to buy a house at whatever opportunity we had and make the decision quickly or lose out? There are so many factors that affect our time and the ability to make sound and informed decisions suffers because of this. My wife and I have determined that we do not make any big purchase decisions without sleeping on it no matter how good it sounds. If it is truly that good of a deal it will still be there tomorrow and if not then we probably didn't need it in the first place.

Two Solutions, Time Differences, Same Result

Have you ever been in a situation that you have to selected between two potential solutions that you know for sure that both solutions will achieve the same end-result?

These are situations that you sometimes have to look at as teaching opportunities. Many times when you have two options that will both get you the same result the difference is in the timing. One option may get you a quicker result than the other but you may also loose an opportunity to teach along the way. I look at this in relation to a lesson I was taught by a mentor of mine. He suggested that as a parent when doing projects at home you may have a child who wants to help. The project may take only an hour on your own but may take three with the child's help. The decision you have is whether to allow the child to help and teach them along the way or just do it yourself and get done quicker.

I believe we have the same opportunities at work. There are those who we could be teaching along the way and still get the job done but it may take longer or we can just do the job ourselves and be done in less time.

Does Critical Thinking Build Confidence?

Confidence in our decisions can be gained through experience with trial and error. In making decisions and having them be successful you gain confidence in your abilities. Outside of experience the critical thinking process can also give you confidence in your decisions. The critical thinking process allows you to take the thoughts and actions of others into consideration before you make your decision. Knowing what others have thought before you gives you a basis to work from in making an informed and educated decision. Once you have the basis of your thinking in the analization you are then able to asses the information for accuracy and reliability. This assessment builds upon your confidence even more by confirming and supporting your analization. Both of these steps are essential to developing your confidence in your decisions.

The critical thinking process increases your confidence because, in a sense, it takes you out of the equation. The doubts or questions you may have about your understanding and grasp of the information is removed through the process of critical thinking. You remove yourself from the process and you remove the doubt in the decision. The less the decision relies on your understanding the more assured you are that the decision is correct. Your confidence in your decision grows because you are not a factor in the decision.

Different Types of Thinking

There are numerous factors that affect how people think about things. Everything from personal experience to cultural impact can be factors in how a person thinks. Understanding how these factors impact a persons thinking is essential to having a better grasp on how to relate to and work with individuals. To know the difference in thinking types is to understand how someone responds to and comprehends information.

Within my current employer the leadership staff went through a day long training on personality types. The goal was to get a better understanding of how each other thinks about the decisions they make and why they respond the way they do. One of the interesting things that came of the training was the realization that some people, who seem so different, have similar personality types. Knowing this information helps each of us to work on our weaknesses individually and also to appreciate the differences in others.

Critical Thinking - Does Maturity = Consistency?

Being more experienced in the process can be a positive and negative for critical thinking.

When you are more mature in the process you have an understanding and comfort with the process that makes it easy to apply the steps at a moments notice. You can look at almost any situation and find a way that the critical thinking process can be applied to making the right decision.

When you are so comfortable and versed in the process it can be difficult to see how outside factors may be involved and you may not feel as comfortable making a decision without using the critical thinking process. Decisions are made all the time based on the idea that, "that's the way it's always been done," but just because that is how it has always been done doesn't mean that is the only way to do it. This is how maturity can be a negative. As long as maturity done not get replaced with tradition the critical thinking process can continue to be applied and evolve to fit any situation.

Steps in Critical Thinking - Time Priority

I don't think there is a clear-cut answer on which component will take the most time. Depending on the situation and implications of the decision one component may take more time or less time.

When there is a variety of resources to consider data collection may take the most time. Data needs to be carefully and sufficiently collected to support and substantiate the necessary decision. Not taking the time to effectively gather the appropriate data can result in a decision being made based off information that is not reliable or relative. This first step in the process is critical because if not done correctly the next 2 steps will be useless.

After the information is gathered the analysis of the data needs to be carefully done to make sure that the data is understood and applied appropriately. This step could take more time and attention depending on the depth of the data gathered. Even if all the data gathered is reliable and appropriate if it is not analyzed effectively it will all be for not. An output selection made off hasty analization could result in lackluster results.

The data has all been collected and analyzed. The next step is to make the output selection for best results. The decision on how to act can appear to be the easiest step in the process but this perception can be misleading. The decision is not just how to act but should you act. The critical thinking process is there to lead to an action step but what if the action it suggest is to do nothing at all. Taking the time to make the right call is a critical final step.

In the critical thinking process all three steps are important to the process and the should be given the time and attention necessary. It is the challenge for all managers / leaders to know which step needs more attention based off the importance and weight of the steps information.

Can Critical Thinking be Applied Consistently?

Consistently applying critical thinking skills in decision processes is challenging for several reasons. Depending on the situation there may be time constraints that prohibit thinking through the decision. There may be moral or ethical factors that weigh on the decision that contradict the results of critical thinking. There may also be instances where the decision seems so obvious at first only to have it come back against you when it is not completely thought through.

All of these factors played a part in my families recent decision to not declare bankruptcy. I lost my job last May and my house has been in foreclosure for the past 9 months. We were given the suggestion many times to look into bankruptcy. We put it off for a while but when there seemed to be no other option we met with an attorney to begin the process. Neither my wife or I were in favor of doing bankruptcy but did not know where else to turn. It came to the point of making the decision to file and we had to decide if we wanted to or not. We had time constraints on our decision because we had to decide whether to do bankruptcy before foreclosure moved forward. We had moral difficulties with bankruptcy because we were not disputing that we owed the money we just needed to be a able to develop a plan to get caught back up. Although the decision seemed obvious to many people around us we just did not feel good about the decision.

We ultimately sat down and weighed the pros and cons of filing now and in the future. With kids just few years from college we have to keep that in mind and how bankruptcy might factor in. We looked at our current financial situation to determine if we could work something out and how. Lastly we had to feel morally like we fulfilled our commitments to our lenders and how bankruptcy would affect that. Although filing seemed like the best and easiest way to get back on track it did not feel or seem to be the right thing to do. We decided to try and work with our individual lenders ourselves and have worked it out to get out of foreclosure without losing our house.

Four Functions in Everyday Life

To limit the application of these four functions to use only for business would be a great loss. The concepts that we have been learning about should be able to be used in just about every aspect of our lives to some extent. I think a shorter list would be where can't you use these functions ... can't think of anything right now.

The planning function is vital when setting goals for retirement, raising children even taking a family vacation. A lot of unnecessary stress and frustration can be avoided by making plans that are thought through and that everyone can get behind.

The organizing function will help in community volunteering to know what resources are needed. There is also usefulness of organizing in carpooling with other parents and investing in a house to use resources wisely. Many people today are in fear of losing their homes and some of them didn't organize ahead of time to know what their resources and limitations were.

Everything from parenting, coaching to community BBQ's require leading of some form or another. The knowledge of the various types and strategies of leadership will help to give a basis for stepping up to lead when and where necessary.

Last, but certainly not least in the functions is the controlling function. Everyday there are obstacles and changes that must be monitored and adjusted for. We use the controlling function every day and don't even realize it most of the time. Our culture has slogans to praise it's use, "go with the flow," and "roll with the punches."

The four functions of management, how would we survive without them?

Controlling - Why The Negative

The controlling function has to be used with the right emphasis and intention. Managers are the authority at work and employees understand and respect that when the manager is working in the best interest of the organization. Sometimes the use of the controlling function is seen as managers throwing their authority around and being over zealous with their power. Managers who don't use their authority with good intentions give the controlling function a black eye because they use it for personal benefit and don't take into consideration the impact on others.

I think the negative connotation is perceived when the actions are not tempered with explanations or understanding for why the changes have to be made. Most employees will work with and adjust to changes if they know why they changes need to be made and what it means for them directly. This comes back to the idea of open discussion and communication through all levels of the organization. Implementing a system to keep employees in the loop and understanding the goals of an organization will make the controlling function easier to swallow with everyone being on board from the start. In today's economy the controlling function brings about fear of loss of jobs and uncertainty of job security.

The Impact of Virtual Organizations

For my previous employer I did sales through phone and email communication. I am located in Ohio and the offices were located in North Carolina so I did all the work from a home office. I worked this way for 8 years. I set my schedule and managed my time from an office at home. This set-up was necessary for me to do the job for the organization but more often than not I was envied by my fellow co-workers. They thought it must be wonderful to work from home and not have to commute to work. They failed to realize the negative aspects of this in contrast to the positive.

Although I did not have to commute to work, I was always at the office. They look at it as working from home where at times it felt more like living at the office. You couldn't call in sick. Vacation days were a waste. These were all things that made it a challenge to enjoy working from home. I enjoyed the freedom to do this but at time missed the traditional office environment.The changes in virtual business practices give the opportunity for more freedom in the workplace that in turn can turn into more committed and motivated employees

Controlling & Leading

I have never understood this technique of regional or executive management visits. If you want to truly see how people are working and experience what customers are experiencing it would seem to me that an un-announced visit would be the best way to do this.

When I studied psychology we were looking at the effects of positive and negative reinforcement. Research has shown that people respond better to random acts of positive reinforcement. If you give a positive award on the same day every week employees will make sure and show up and give there all that day because they want to get paid. Whereas if you gave positive awards once a week but the day was random employees will show up every day and work because they want to be there to get paid whenever it happens. Too bad we can't do pay days this way or people would show up every day to work not just on the payday.

With my leadership experience and training in staff development / team building I have been asked to consult on guest experiences. I have always asked that I not be announced or introduced ahead of time so that I can get the true experience of what the environment and guest interaction. Tough to do sometimes but I feel it is a much better representation of the function of an organization.

Leading, Organizing & Layoffs

I saw that you have posted a summary of this discussion but thought that I would contribute my 2 cents anyway's. I have had personal experience with layoffs that I have shared in other posts but I think is still relevant here.

As I have detailed in other posts I was laid off twice from the same company. The first time I was one of 150 employees who were laid off when a division of the organization what shut down. I, unlike everyone else not an executive, was not aware of the decision until it was made. There is no way that the decision to lay people off is easy for anyone. Would I have like to have known sooner, yes. Should I have, no. During the process of making this decision I am sure every opportunity was given for the company to succeed and continue on. If those who were to be let go would have known what was coming there ultimately would have been nothing they could have done to change the outcome. There was a decision to be made for the best interest of the organization as a whole and we all believed in and trusted our executives to make that decision when necessary.

The second time I was let go we had restructured and were now an organization of 13 people from other on down. Everyone was aware of and contributed on a daily basis to the direction and decisions of the organization. I believed in and supported the vision of the company and wanted to see it succeed whether I was part of the organization or not. When the time came and we ran into financial difficulties I knew the best decision was to layoff someone or the company would not be able to continue on. I knew it was the right thing to do for the overall success of the company and so when the call came to me it was time to move on. The company is still going strong today, a year later, and I hope it does for many years to come.

Manager vs. Leader

There are strengths and weaknesses in each role that when developed and collaborated can be highly effective. I find it interesting that when researching the behaviors of the role of managers more often than not the behaviors are seen as negative. The managerial role is seen as a negative one that people shy away from because they do not want to be associated with the position. This is in direct contrast to the information on leaders which paint them as these visionary unthreatening open book people who always get the best out of their team.

It is challenging, especially in today's culture, to develop someone into a manger. It is much more accepting to develop leaders and hope they can manage than it is to develop managers and hope they can lead. As with many things, it is amazing how the human mind can develop to a point that the negative connotations of a simple word "manager" can cause so much resentment for the position.

I have held the position of manager at many organizations and was always proud to do so. I took the opportunity as a chance to step into the role of a leader and use my abilities and knowledge to guide and nurture the team to success. This should be seen as a positive position not a negative. I do think that leaders can develop into good managers and vice versa depending on the responsibility and maturity of those in the position.

Everyone Gets An "A"

The philosophy of looking for what is on the inside rather than judging by outward appearances can be very beneficial for leaders. When you look for the best in others and give them an opportunity to grow in their abilities you create an environment of growth and possibilities. I think everyone has the ability to achieve and be great but it is a matter of giving them the freedom and support to realize that greatness.

Although I think the "Giving an 'A'" philosophy can be used to great benefit it can also be misconstrued as a way to level the playing field. Within many things today, especially youth activities & sports, there is a big push to recognize everyone and not judge or grade the individuals. Although I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve I don't think that should mean we don't recognize and reward success. When you recognize success not only do you reward those who have excelled but you give others a goal to shoot for. The responsibility falls on the leader to develop and encourage everyone to succeed and achieve. Not everyone will reach the same goals but so leaders need to be able to recognize individual successes among the team.

My Leadership Style

I enjoy the study of psychology and looking at how people respond to situations. The strategy of how a team works together and compliments each other is a challenge that I enjoy developing. I have worked very hard to develop my abilities to read people and figure out what pushes their buttons to get the most out of my team. I believe that there is no blanket method for motivating a team that will work for everyone on the team. Some people respond better to one method over another. This enjoyment of psychology and reading people has developed into my leadership style.

I was not aware of the terminology and names of the different leadership theories. Looking over the three theories my philosophy most closely matches up with the Hersey and Blanchard's situational theory. Having used the theory, without knowing that I was, I can't imagine not taking a persons psychological and job maturity into account when leading a team. I think the LMX theory contributes to the functions of a good leader but I believe it should be used in conjunction with other theories not on it's own. Again, I also see the benefits of the Path-Goal theory but as a tool for leaders to use not as a stand-alone method of leadership.

Do Managers Do More Today?

I don't know that I would go as far as to say that managers today do more multitasking. Over the past 20 years, with the advances in technology and the development of new business models, the expectations of managers has changed. With technological advances the speed at which decisions are made and the amount of information that is available has changed the face of management for all businesses. Managers today are expected to manage not only the brick and mortar side of the business but to also have a handle on the digital aspect of the business. This expectation was not there 20 years ago but that is not to say there were not other challenges. Managers from 20 years ago may not have had the technology to deal with but many of them were expected to much more hands on than some managers are today. Managers of yesterday not only were expected to manage the business but also to be part of the frontline staff that related to the customers on a regular basis.

While the expectations on managers may have changed the amount of work done by managers has not. The type of work being done by managers has changed over the past 20 years and i'm sure the next 20 years will bring even more changes.

Leading a Flock of Buffalo

Within a team of leaders there are going to be various personality styles and gifting's represented. Taking the time to evaluate and share the various styles helps everyone on the team to see where their strengths and weaknesses are. The team members are also able to see who on the team can complement them in their areas of weakness. When leaders take the time to know their own gifting's they can work to build a team around them to support and compliment their weaknesses. When this is done effectively there will be times, like in a flock of geese, that it will be necessary for leadership to change to get through a particular phase in the organization.

My organization has directors over each department and depending on the event or activity that is occurring any one of them will be the leader at that time. Each of the directors understands the expertise and abilities of the other directors and knows when to let someone else lead. This philosophy has helped us to build a team of strong leaders who at any time can lead the organization.

On the negative side I have worked for buffaloes who didn't want to give up their position of authority. These leaders seemed to be threatened by others trying to step up and lead. This caused many to feel they were not needed in the organization and, like myself, moved on to other organizations.

Leadership Theories

The Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory focuses on the leaders behavior towards the group as a whole and also towards the individuals on a personal basis. The LMX theory works to build behaviors such as trust, open communication and mutual respect. These behaviors build a stronger team and one that is more committed and supportive of their leader. The pitfall can come in a blurring of the lines of authority and the possibility of someone feeling left out if they do not receive as much personal attention.

Hersey and Blanchard's situational theory is based on the concept that a manager should consider an employee's psychological and job maturity before deciding which behaviors are most important. Depending on the employees psychological maturity the behaviors of trust, performance or maintenance may or may not fit the situation. The same is true with job maturity. The theory works on the basis that the maturity level dictates which behavior to focus on. A high maturity employee will respond best to the trust behavior knowing they are believed in to get the job done. A moderate maturity level employee will respond best to the maintenance behavior whereas low maturity level employees will respond best to the performance behavior. The challenge for managers is in analyzing the employee and determining the behavior that will bring about the best results.

The Path-Goal theory is concerned with how leaders influence employees perception of their goals and the path they must use to achieve the goals. This theory depends on the leaders ability to provide good direction and coaching to make the path easier to travel so that the employee will experience as little frustration as possible. The leader also needs to develop a reward system to compensate employees for reaching their performance goals. With the Path-Goal theory leaders need to be keenly aware of outside factors that could cause problems for the employee. If the leader is not on top of and proactive to remove or reduce these outside factors the employees can become frustrated feeling that they have been given an impossible task.

Looking at these three theories there are situations where one may work better than others. The task of leaders is to know your staff, know your situation and know yourself. You need to have a grasp on the personalities of your staff to know how to motivate them without discouraging them. The situation you are leading in may require a the tools of one theory over another and knowing the benefits of each will help you to apply them correctly. Lastly, know yourself and your abilities. Don't try to lead in a style that you are not comfortable and knowledgeable in.

Leadership & Employee Engagement

Within my organization our leadership has taken the initiative to look for ways to help staff get more engaged in the business. My organization provides health and fitness programs to our local community. Although there is a lot of focus on being physically fit and exercising we have noticed a mentality that looks at membership and fitness classes as an expendable item that is not high on the priority list for a lot of people. This mentality has caused us to have to re-evaluate our programs and staff needs to support them. Even with the hard economic times we believe physical fitness and exercise is important and beneficial to assist in relieving stress and not allowing physical ailments to complicate things even more during this time.

As my organization has worked through this the leadership teams has challenged everyone to contribute ideas and/or suggestions that could lead to new members or classes. This development would in turn create a need for more staff or more hours for current staff. All of this will hopefully lead to a deeper sense of ownership and support of the vision and mission of the organization.

Leadership and employee engagement can be very beneficial to both the staff and the organization if everyone is supportive and participating in the process.

Leading & Micromanaging

Micro-managing can and should be done when it used for training and development purposes. When someone is new to a procedure or concept and their needs to be some on-the-job training micro-managing can be an effective tool. The decision for managers is to know when to step away from the process and let the employee take off on their own. Micro-managing someone when it is not necessary can be seen a as a lock of trust and/or confidence from management in the employee.

Many people do not work well when they are micro-managed depending on their personality type and level of experience. There may be instances with programs or procedures that managers need to be more hands-on and aware of what is happening but that can be done without micro-managed the process every step of the way. My philosophy, as a manager and non-manager, is that if someone is qualified to do the job then make sure they know the goal and what is expected and then release them to produce. This is not to say that you do not keep tabs and stay aware of progress but there are many ways to get the job done. Just because someone does not take the same steps and process that I would does not mean it won't work. Releasing someone to lead without micro-managing gives them a chance to develop their own leadership style and to grow in confidence of their abilities.

Manager or Leader

In my experience working in sales there seems to be a trend that both hurts the sales of the company and devalues the management position over sales. In most sales departments I have worked in when a position of manager came open it was not the most qualified that was given the position but rather to best salesperson. Promoting the best sales rep to the position of manager, when they are not the most qualified for the position, creates a couple of problems. First off the sales team takes an immediate hit to its productivity because they have just lost their top producer who lead the team in sales and challenged the rest of the team to reach for their level. The second problem with promoting the top sales rep to manager is that when they are not trained or experienced in leading they do damage to the respect and credibility of the position.

In relation to this trend I do believe a manager may not be a leader. Whether it be in sales or in an other organizational structure when someone is given a position of management as a means to appease them and not because of qualifications the whole team suffers. Within the context of sales a salesperson works everyday to achieve their goal knowing that if they do they have contributed their part to the overall success of the team. When this same person is put into a position of management and does not have the leadership abilities and training for the position they may struggle. They may not have the leadership abilities to understand why others cannot perform at the level they were or know how to motivate a team. This may cause those on the sales team to struggle with motivation to do the job and not fully get behind the manager because he seems to be in it for their own gain.

I have worked under some very good managers who had seen others before them manage in such a way that they were able to learn from their example. The culture of the organization was such that they wanted to see everyone succeed. The management of the organization was not threatened by others success. I had one manager I worked for tell me, "the measure of my success is teaching those who work for me to be better at my job than I am." I have carried this philosophy with me ever since. A corporate culture where the leadership is secure enough and encouraged to teach others creates an environment where not only can you have top sales reps succeeding but you can develop managers who are equipped and ready to lead.

Organizing Function & Morale

Employee morale can be affected by so many things it may not be as obvious to consider the impact of an organizations structure on morale. Depending on the experience level of those within an organization and their willingness to share in the credit some organizational structures will boost morale and some may hurt it.

With a team of highly experienced and educated mangers the matrix structure may seem like a slap in the face for all their hard work. The matrix structure seeks to give everyone a chance to contribute and be part of the decision making process no matter their title or experience. For someone new or trying to move up in the company this may seem like a great environment because they are not limited by their lack of positional title or education level. They will feel excited and welcome to contribute to decisions. The opposite may occur for those with the experience and education. They may feel like they have earned and deserve to be making the decisions and someone comparable experience or education should not be part of those discussions.

While a matrix structured organization will benefit those with less experience and education a functional organization will benefit those with more experience and education. In a functional structured organization those with less experience and education may feel frustrated and forgotten. They do not have the experience and education to move up to through the hierarchal levels of the organization but they are not being given an opportunity to gain that experience either. Whereas someone with higher education and experience will feel justified and challenged within the functional structure because they are reward for all their hard work up to this point.

The Matrix Structure

The challenge of the Matrix structure is both a positive and negative. Within an organization that functions in the matrix structure there is an interconnectedness from one department to another. This connectedness seeks to create an environment where there is not concern over who is getting credit for something but rather are we succeeding to accomplish the goal set before us. This same environment can turn into a negative if those in the organization do not believe in and get behind the structures intentions.

The negative of the matrix structure is the flip side of the concept of not worrying about who is getting credit. When things are going good and succeeding the concern is over who gets credit. When plans do not succeed and someone needs to be held accountable for the lack of success the matrix structure works against the organization. The structure can be used so well to break down walls and get away from turf wars that when problems arise responsibility is not easily determined. In the same way that departments may disagree over credit for success, they may also disagree over responsibility for failure.

I recently saw a quote that read, "You will be amazed by how much you can accomplish when you don't care who gets credit." This is the goal of the matrix structure but there needs to be a system in place for determining responsibility and administering corrections when necessary.

Organizing - Networks

I previously worked for a music distribution company. I worked as a sales rep for the company during a time of transition and restructuring. We were, at one time, a self-contained organization that did everything from recording & mixing to warehousing & distribution. There was not a step in the process that we did not have our hand in. This ultimately contributed to our downfall because we were so concerned about providing every service necessary in the process that we did not excel or specialize in any of them. That is what lead to our restructuring.

After a purging of resources, both personnel and departments, we re-emerged as a strong and focused sales & marketing organization. This was one of our strongest departments and as such we were identified in the industry as having a good track record in this area. This meant though that we had to rely on others with various specialities to support us with the products and services we needed to be successful. In the post-sales needs we hired out our recording and mixing of music to some of the best studios in the industry. After the product was recorded we had partnerships with graphic artists and photographers to develop and create marketing materials and packaging to get the product noticed. Radio marketing and support was provided by a company that only handled radio promotions for our genre of music. Not having the resources available for warehousing we developed a partnership with a fulfillment company who handled all our warehousing, shipping, billing, returns and customer service. After the product was sold into our accounts the booking for artist touring and personality appearances was handled by outside agencies.

In the end we were what we set out to be, a great sales team with longstanding and strong relationships with our accounts. We did sales and we did it really well. We did not record the music, create the advertising, work with radio, warehouse, ship or bill the product. We had strategic relationships with other organizations that had made the same decision we had. They picked the area they felt they could excel in and did it the very best they could. All of us worked together to support each other because without any one piece of the puzzle all pieces could be affected.

Prevalence of Hierarchy Structure

The hierarchy structure of organization is so prevalent because of the adaptability and efficiency of this structure. No matter what type of organization there is the opportunity to use the hierarchy structure within the organization. The hierarchy structure creates the ability to set up various departments or branches within an organization that specialize in certain tasks which are relevant to the overall success of the organization. The specialized tasks lead to an efficient structure which works well for getting the tasks done with a high quality of work.

The hierarchal structure can be easily applied to an organization irregardless of the titles or roles in the organization. In my work history I have worked doing sales where the sales reps reported to the sales manager who then reported to the VP of sales who was accountable to the CEO and then owner. I also worked in a volunteer downtown business association where volunteer workers reported to event chairpeople who reported to committee chairs who were reporting to the board of directors. In either organization there is a hierarchal chain of command that facilitates who is accountable to whom and who is responsible for each departmental piece of the organization.

Team-based, Network-based or Boundary-less

Team-based organizations give the members an opportunity to have more input and ownership on decisions. Team-based organizations can bring together a diverse group to give a more in depth and varied response. This may lead to decisions and plans that are not typically used because of the diversity of those contributing to the group. The team-based structure has positive and negative aspects in the collaborative nature of the structure. The opportunity for team collaboration adds to the diversity of the decisions but can also hinder or slow down the process. Team-based organizations may end up needing more time for decisions because of the need for input from all team members for a decision to be made.

Network-based organizations are dynamic in structure if the right group of network partners can be found. The network-based structure brings together a group of individual organizations that are each specialized and focused on their core business. Each of these core businesses are brought together to achieve the common goal of delivering the goods or services desired. This structure is advantageous because of the ability of each separate organization to develop and perfect their core business to the benefit of the networks overall goal. This structure can pose some challenges though because of the need for a common structure for communication and collaboration. There needs to be a system in place for effective communication and accountability to keep the individual organizations on task for the common goal.

Boundary-less organizations may be the most challenging to develop because of the lack of structure. The information and cooperation in a boundary-less organization flows across traditional structure lines without hesitation. This structure gives flexible to the organization for responding to changes and learning in the development of the organization. The challenge for this structure is that because of the freedom involved it can be tough for those working in the organization to get used to and accept the structure if they are used to the more traditional chains of communication and responsibility.

Allocation of Scarce Resources

Within an organization there are going to be times when resources needed to complete a task are scarce or limited. Whether it is a part needed to complete production, the information available on a new development or even the time availability of employees when organizing the resources necessary there needs to be a plan in place. Having a plan in place for the acquisition, allocation and application of resources will help in making sure that scarce resources are used in the most effective and efficient way possible.

I was on the board for a local business association that organizes community events for our small town. Every year we do an event on a particular weekend in September. Last year our community had the opportunity to host a regional event that was looking for a new permanent home and thought our community might be a good fit. The event just happened to be the same weekend as our previously planned event. Being a small community we had limited resources on volunteers, vendors and locations to work with. Wanting both events to be as successful as possible the boards from both events got together to collaborate on how we could support each other to make both events work. We ended up coordinating our schedules so that activities did not compete but rather complimented each other. We structured our schedules in such a way that the need for volunteers was high at one event while lower at another and vice versa. Vendors were shared between events by using common locations for the available resources. The collaboration between the two boards and the effective organization of our limited resources worked out great for both parties and ended up saving each one in the end.

Defining "Contingency Planning"

I don't think contingency planning should be looked at as strictly a positive or negative plan. A contingency plan is any plan designed to respond to changes or challenges to an organizations current action plan. When an organization develops a plan for growth there are three options on what can happen with the plan. The plan fulfills expectations and will continue to work going forward. The plan is not successful and adjustments need to be made for going forward. The plan exceeds expectations and adjustments need to be made. When the plan is not successful or exceeds expectations there will need to be changes made to the plan to continue to move forward. I believe this is where contingency planning comes in but it can either be for a positive or negative need.

I have coached pee-wee football for the past 6 years and each year we have a new group of kids come into the organization. There are always adjustments that need to be made because what worked for the team last year may not work this year depending on the personnel and their individual progression in abilities. There are also factors of new coaches coming onto the staff and how that affects the dynamics of the team. Within the league we are in there are 9 other teams that have the same changes and difficulties each year.

As within a business we have contingency plans for our team to adjust to these changes of new players, new coaches and the changes within other teams. Some changes are positive, some negative but all require us to be able and willing to adjust when necessary.

Planning Input From All Levels

I think there are several factors that affect the decision to leave people out of the planning process.

In an organization the responsibility for a task being completed falls on the management and/or executives. If someone on the assembly line does not do their job sufficiently it is not always seen as their fault but instead the fault of the manager for not getting the best out of their team. Because of this reason the lower level employees and ultimately those closest to the work are left out of the planning process by management due to the fact that management is ultimately responsible.

Another factor in people closest to the work being left out of the decision process is that they may be too close to the work to make a objective decision. Working in such close proximity to the situation that the planning is for can make it difficult to make an objective decision especially if that decision directly affects you. For this reason some are left out of the planning process so as not to skew the planning in a direction that is not overall positive for the organization.

The other factor that sometimes, unfortunately, plays a role in executives not including others in the planning process is that they do not see those outside of the executive level as having the knowledge and understanding to make an appropriate decision. This can be a delicate balance in an organization because if not handled properly it can come across as an "us vs. them" mentality. Those not in the executive team will feel like they are not valued and appreciated within the organization and those at the executive level will feel no one can make a decision without their input.

Overcoming these challenges can help to build a stronger and more unified organization. Giving opportunity for input to people at all levels helps to increase ownership and value for the success of the organization and ultimately those within the organization.

Planning & Blinders

Through a grueling day of meetings you have developed a strategic advertising campaign for next months unexpected community open house. You knew it would take all day to get done so you did not have time to get feedback from all departments. Setting aside all other work for the day helped to keep focused and get the plan done in the time allowed but you missed an opportunity to partner with a local non-profit group for a fundraiser that could have brought additional traffic and publicity to your event.

Blinders on a horse are beneficial to the planning function of management in that they work to keep the planning process moving towards the goal. Managers can easily be distracted by other issues within an organization and need to have some system of checks and balances to keep from getting sidetracked and off goal. In meetings and within leadership teams managers who know their strengths and weaknesses will make sure there are those around them to compensate where they are week. These team members will work as blinders for the manager to keep them on task and focused on the goal.

Blinders on a horse are detrimental to the planning function of management because they do not allow the manager to compensate and adjust. If a manager is so focused on the goal that they don't see changes needed or include others in the process then they have missed some of the benefit of the process. Managers need to keep their peripheral vision clear to see situations or circumstances that may require them to adjust.

The idea of planning with blinders reminds me of a lesson a mentor of mine once taught me. He had said how when working on a project that would normally take 1 hour to complete if you allow your 5 year old to help you the project may end up taking 3 hours to complete. The question is how much more valuable is it to have that 3 hours with your child than to get the project done quickly. I have learned to see the benefit in working with others and taking more time over doing it myself and getting done quick. Not always easy but time spent learning with and from others is well worth it.

Sources of Information for Planning

Is it relevant, is it appropriate and how does it apply? In an organization there will be some sources of information that are consistent through all levels but I think of more concern is the content attained from the source not the source itself. A professor at a previous school of mine reminded us at every class that "meaning is context dependent." I think in planning, at all levels, the sources used need to be analyzed for how the information is relevant and appropriate for the level of personnel in the organization.

I was part of the leadership team at a church where the use of different sources of information was both a positive and a negative to the organization. We were a church that participated in not only Sunday fellowship but also home groups that met throughout the week. At one point in the life of the church we were about 350 people with 20 different home groups meeting throughout the week. Each home group leader was given freedom to select curriculum and lead however they saw fit as long as the core goal of the group was in line with the vision and mission of the church. This lead to great growth but it was growth without any depth and ultimately individual groups felt they knew better than the church did and decided to leave. This caused us, as the leadership of the church, to re-evaluate the goal of our home groups and plan out a strategy of how to reach those goals. We created a team that would discern and develop the weekly message topics of which the pastor would teach. Then from that message we developed more in depth study materials that the home group leaders then used to teach the weekly lessons.

From the top down the whole organization was using the same sources but how it was applied differed depending on the audience and application. The pastoral team objective, curriculum and lesson plans were consistent throughout the organization but different sources were used on how to teach to children, teens, families, single moms, etc. This same logic applies in any organization. The overall sources need to have some consistency to them but when it comes to application and the context of the information other sources may or should be used.

The Economy as an External Factor

The economy has not only been a factor in my organizations of employment over the past year it has been and is my biggest hurdle to overcome. The current economic crisis is a factor for my current organization and is the main reason I am no longer with my previous organization.

I was a National Account Rep with a wholesale distribution company for nine years until May of last year. I sold product direct to retailers and to other distributors. We started to see signs of some major concerns 2 years ago and tried to adjust our business to better accommodate our customers and increase the value of our product. As we made these changes we ran into problems because we were a small company in our industry and the larger companies had not made decisions yet on how to adjust. This put us at a disadvantage because until the big players make the changes the retailers don't take notice and follow suit. In January of 2008 we received notice about one of our largest accounts cutting back on ordering and in turn we had to cut back. I was the unfortunate recipient of the some unexpected time off and have been out of full time work ever since.

With my current part-time work at my local YMCA we have also been affected by the economy. As a membership driven business we are sensitive to economic issues because people may see membership as an unnecessary luxury. In my direct position I oversee the youth sports program and our program is supported by community sponsors. With the economic difficulties we had to come up with ways to add value to the sponsorship so that it would be more beneficial for businesses to sponsor. It is not that they don't want to sponsor but some just can't. We also have to be sensitive to families who want to and need to participate in our programs but are financially unable to. We are developing a volunteer program to help them along.

Influence of Internal Stakeholders

I worked under the same manager in an organization for nine years until May of 2008. When I started with the company we were an organization of 150-200 employees and when I left they were down to 13 people. Throughout my time with the organization I saw several changes occur within management but no matter the size of the organization some things stayed the same. The organization had a couple of things going on that would have and did make it a challenging work environment for any manager. Not an impossible work environment but definitely challenging. The organization is privately owned and the owners work in the day to day operation of the organization at the executive level. This placed these particular managers in the position of not only being stakeholders but also shareholders and as such they micro managed my supervisor who happened to be the only executive level manager who was not a shareholder.

When it came to planning for the team my supervisor, who had 20 years of experience in the industry, was not given the opportunity to set goals and develop action plans without someone constantly looking over his shoulder and causing him to second guess what he thought was best for the team. After a plan was in place then the roadblocks appeared because those who were shareholders were very cautious about what resources and employees we used no matter how beneficial they might be to the organization. Working in this environment made it very difficult for my supervisor to feel excited and motivated about the work to be done and in turn difficult for him to lead the team to perform at a high level. Controlling the direction of the team was a catch-22 situation because although my supervisor was on the ball to realize areas needing correcting the actual response could take too long to be effective due to the cautiousness of the shareholders.

As I mentioned earlier the company went from 200 people down to 13 in about 9 years. This changed occurred because of changes within the company but I think in large part a factor was also the value and influence given to internal stakeholders. Unless you are a shareholder or family of them you are not given a voice to contribute to the overall direction and decisions of the company. I don't believe stakeholders should have influence over a manager to the point of the manager not making the best decision for the organization but I do believe that internal stakeholders can provide a perspective that others may not see and should be given the opportunity to contribute.

Outside Factors of Influence

Within my current place of employment there numerous factors that affect management decisions. Through my work at the YMCA we are constantly evaluating and adapting to the needs of our members, the community at large and the schools in our community. As a membership organization we have to be aware of cultural and economical influences that may factor in to the programs and services that we offer. We are also a seasonally affected organization whether it is sports season, weather seasons or school schedules.

When our managers are planning for our fitness programs the season of year must be considered. An outdoor walking program during January in Ohio will not be well attended. While the factors may determine our goals they don't always have to determine how we act upon those goals. Our plan of action for our sports programs are determined by the resources we have available to us and how best to use them. In this way our managers find ways to organize fro the best results. How our managers lead the organization can be influenced by outside influences in that the motivation for why we are developing a program may be in its benefit to those it serves. The most difficult piece to handle of the outside influence can be the controlling of our managers. Our progress as an organization affects so many, outside of employees, that making corrective decisions has to be in a way to have the least negative impact while doing it quick enough to not cause any more problems.

External factors are going to have some influence on an organizations decisions with more or less influence depending on the type of organization. I believe external factors should be given weight in managerial decision making depending on how relevant they are to the decision. The fine line to walk is not letting outside factors have so much influence to the point where it leads to bad business decisions being made. If this starts to occur it may to time to re-evaluate the direction of the organization and why the outside influences are having so much influence on the company.

Who I Am

I was born and raised in Oregon, spent a few months in Oklahoma and have been in Ohio since 2000. I have over 18 years of sales experience in a variety of environments and industries. I have sold everything from music CD's to computers everywhere from Wal-Mart to your local Mom & Pop store. Over the past 8 years I have coached and developed programs for youth sports in football, basketball, soccer and various other activities. I am a licensed Pastor within the Association of Vineyard Churches and hold a graduate certificate from Vineyard Leadership Institute in Columbus, Ohio. I am also a licensed Red Cross CPR/First Aid trainer, the Youth Sports Director at my local YMCA and operate my own artist management / event planning company.

I went right from high school to college but was looking more for a reason to get away from home. I originally went to college to be a high school math teacher but did not give it the focus I needed to. The graduate certificate I earned in 2005 was done through a distance learning program through Vineyard Leadership Institute. I am looking to finish up my bachelor's degree through University of Phoenix by fall 2010 to help develop my own business more and advance in my current positions. Unfortunately I lost my sales job of 9 years in May of last year so I am also hoping this helps me to get back into full time work. This degree will give me the resource and basis to provide for my family while leading by example.

My wife and have been married 16 years as of February. We are the proud parents of 7 wonderful children from 14 down to 2. We have 3 boys and 4 girls with no twins. We love spending time with our children enjoying everything from a weekend camping trip to an afternoon swimming at the YMCA. I enjoy playing with my kids, a nice round of golf, a good book and especially a quiet evening with my wife.

Lifelong Learning

... the continual, lifelong challenge is to apply the mental endurance/critical thinking/problem solving skills from undergraduate program to "As Is" situations in the real world and transform them to the "Should Be" scenarios from graduate studies and discussions with experienced practitioners.

This is interesting because although we are all hopefully looking for ways to build upon what we learn throughout our lives we don't always understand the relationship of our stages of learning to each other. This same philosophy can be applied to so many other scenarios other than just our education process. With raising kids we teach them how to evaluate and understand relationships, hopefully portraying how relationships should be so that when they go out on their own and are confronted with the as is situation they know what it should be like.

Is it possible that in working alongside experienced practitioners they may have lost sight of the "Should Be" scenarios that they once followed? As a new graduate of the "Should Be" institute it may be our responsibility to reconnect the experienced workers in the "As Is" corporation back to the teachings of their alma mater. Or is it also possible that some situations are "Should Is" environments that require a little of both to be fully appreciated?

Attributes vs. Skills

I think that both skills and attributes should be considered but depending on the position one may hold more weight than the other. If you are hiring for a position that requires a specialized skill you might look at a person's skills over their attributes but if you are filling a position that needs to be developed and grow someone for it you might consider skills more. Selecting a candidate on attributes over skills may mean that you have a personality or work ethic that is compatible but they may not have the skills required to perform the position fully. Whereas selecting a candidate on skills over attributes may give you a person who is highly skilled in the required duties but their personality and work ethic are such that it is difficult to work with them.

Although both should be considered I would take a person with the right attributes over superior skill. If they have the right personality and work ethic I believe you can teach almost anyone a necessary skill if they are willing to learn. However, someone who is highly skilled will not always be willing to work with a team who they are not compatible with and may think they are untouchable because of their skill level.

Thanks For The Support

Thank you for all you help and support. Without you behind me I would not be where I am today. You have always believed in me and encouraged me to go above and beyond what I thought I could possibly do. There are too many things to mention that you have supported me through but this past year has to be tops on my list right now. Although I have been out of work for the past year and am still struggling to find a job you never gave up on me. You still believe that there is something bigger and better for me out and encourage me to go after it.

You are the best friend anyone could ask for. Always there when I need you, a shoulder to cry on or a friend to laugh with. For the rest of my life all that I become will be because of you.

Problem Solving - Einstein

"You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created."

I believe this means that you have to remove yourself from the situation the problem occurred in before your can fix it. You have to be able to look at the problem and give it the necessary amount of time and respect to make the right decision for the situation. Removing yourself from the situation and objectively analyzing a situation will give you the ability to make the best decision for solving the problem no matter how personally you may be affected.

When problems are created there is a specific set of circumstances that caused them to happen. Those circumstances make it difficult to fully appreciate the problem and to effectively analyze it.

You can't clean the mud off your shoes while you are still standing in the mud.

— Albert Einstein, Swiss-American mathematician, physicist and public philosopher (1879-1955)

Generations Collide

As you said in your post the generations colliding in our workplaces is similar in discussion to personalities colliding. I think we have to look at the generational differences just like we look at personality differences. Each generation has strengths and weaknesses. If we can take the time to learn about these differences we can find ways to work together and support each other. Each generation has particular giftings that can contribute to the overall success of the team. The challenge for those in each generation is to realize that for them to be at their best is to realize that they (we) cannot do it alone. We have to be willing to work for and with all generations for the overall success of the team. As a GenXer I grew up working, from the time I was 12, in a family business that my grandparents owned so I learned the work ethic from those in the WWII generation that has benefited me all my life. This is just one of many instances where the strengths of another generation have been passed on to me. We should all be open and excited for any opportunity to learn from others who are strong in our weaknesses.

Individual Diversity & Conflict Management

The dynamics of individual diversity within the design of a team working together are both a blessing and a curse to the team. In the make-up of a team having a diverse group of personalities and giftings can be a benefit if the team realizes the diversity they have and use it to their advantage. If a team can take the time to realize that where one person is weak another on the team may be stronger then the team can develop a strategy whereupon in a given situation they will know who on the team is most gifted to lead. The curse of diversity will come if the team members do not recognize and appreciate the various personalities but rather see them as obstacles that they are unable to overcome.

In any group or team there is going to be conflict that arises. The challenging is not in how to keep it from happening but how to address it when it does. For any team to be successful they must have a system of conflict management in place that is diverse enough to be effective but yet simple enough to be efficiently done. Conflict resolution that the team all supports and agrees to can be a great benefit to the team if it is seen as tool for effective teamwork and not a threat to the team members.

Communication Methods

Communication methods are dynamic and different depending on the relationship of those communicating, the content of the communication and the personalities of those in communication. Within the work environment the communication methods can differ greatly from a boss to coworkers. Depending on the size of a company the boss may not be easily accessible to have face-to-face meetings but rather it would be a better use of time to communicate through email or inter-office communications. With co-workers the dynamic will be different and face-to-face meetings could be more effective depending on the efficiency of time needed within the work environment. Communication with instructors will differ depending on the school environment you are working in. Within the format of UofP for online students it will be much easier to communicate through the online forum discussion threads. In a traditional class setting and depending on the topic of the class a face-to-face meeting could be the best option. With family and friends the dynamics are changing with the technology of how we communicate. Many people today are keeping touch with family and friends through text messages and online communities such as Myspace or Facebook. I still believe if a face-to-face conversation is not possible then I prefer to pick up the phone and call them directly.

Within any of the above mentioned relationship the communication methods can be affected depending on the tone of the conversation and/or if there is any conflict being discussed. The tone of a conversation can make a phone call more appropriate than an email with any of audiences. The tone can also make an email or written communication necessary depending on the intensity or volatility of the topic. In my experience I have found that to resolve conflict the best way to communicate, whenever possible, is to discuss it face-to-face. In an email or written communication the tone and intent of a message can be misread or misrepresented to the point of making the conflict worse than it originally was.

Goals

I have been out of full-time work since May of last year. I was with the company for over 9 years and have moved up within the sales division but when the economy took a downturn last spring a couple of our major clients cut back and in turn the company had to cut back. I believe I have the experience and knowledge to take on a position of management and/or leadership within a organization but I do not have the degree that confirms that. My goal for this degree is to further my understanding and grasp of management styles and teamwork within an organization to make myself more marketable within my job. I currently work in a non-profit organization on a part-time basis and would like the opportunity to possible do more within the organization and I believe a Bachelors of Science in Management would give me more to contribute to the overall success of the organization. This degree and class format also gives me the ability to analyze some viewpoints I have on how a team interacts and the benefits and drawbacks to the team of that interaction.

The Relevance of Church

I have been wrestling, for some time now, with the frustration of "The Church" not being what I believe it is called to be. I am going to seek to dig into this concept and share in a weekly blog on what I see happening, why I think it is happening and how I think we can change it.

Relevant (as defined by Webster) is "bearing upon or relating to the matter in hand; pertinent; to the point."

When it comes to work we seek to do a job that is worthy of us being relevant to the success of the company. In friendships/relationships we seek to relate and suppport each other so that to make sure that we are relevant to each others life. In parenting we seek to make decisions and develop our relationship with our children so as to be relevant to them as they mature and move on.

With all the ways we as individuals seek to be relevant to those around us why would we think it is any less important for "The Church" to be any less relevant. This is what I want to explore. This is what I want to seek to understand. This is the roadblock, that I want to break through, that I believe is holding many churches back from truly making the impact we are called to make.

As I journey through this I pray that you will extend me some grace as I seek to understand the relevance of church. I welcome your feedback and pray that as we go forward together we can grow in our faith and understanding that if we, as "The Church", truly want to impact the world around us then we must first attempt to understand this world and what it needs from us.