Week 3

Week 3 Journal

This week started off with an interesting discussion assignment involving a see-saw and staying in balance. I thought this assignment was a metaphor for many different aspects of the business environment. Effective communication, team work, and balancing between training and performance management. I believed the experiment actually tied back into one of the lectures involving a picture of a leader pulling a barrel full of wheels, on square wheels, with the workers pushing the barrel behind him unseen. This image makes a bold statement about how a lot of organizations operate. First off there is a gap between leaders and associate understanding. The associates are following their leaders and assisting them as best they can however the leaders still feel as if they are pulling the weight. Also the associates are in the back pulling the weight without being looked at by the leaders or recognized for their efforts. Also a problem with the diagram is that barrel is rolling on square wheels. Without the proper foundation a business cannot “roll” or function successfully. Also the barrel is full of circular wheels. If the leader or associates took the time to look inside the barrel they could have come up with a solution and worked together to change the square tires. Sometimes the solution to a problem is right in the middle of the team and with effective communication can help put the solution into motion.

Our second discussion of the week discussed our experience with training methods what worked, and what did not work. I believe training methods needs to be tailored not only to the job role, work environment, and type of organization but also to the individual. Different people learn things differently and I think it’s important to consider this when implementing training. The style of training and the way someone learns shouldn’t have a negative effect on their job performance. If individuals are given an equal opportunity to learn the best way for them then it evens the playing field. Computer based training was discussed in my research and seems to be the “go-to” method of training for the organization in which I am currently employed. Computer based programs are the easiest for organizations to adopt as they are able to be tailored to the organization, job role, and individuals needs. They can incorporate videos, lectures, simulations, games, roles plays, and other activities to ensure learning and understanding. This kind of makes computer based programs and all-in-one system incorporating many different training methods to facilitate the training.

The assignment for this week involved creating diagrams and using the analysis methods discussed in one of the lectures this week to form a solution to a problem currently within our organizations. I chose low associate engagement levels because I think it impacts a lot of the productivity and willingness to produce quality work in the work environment. My organizations associate’s hold a low morale and most seem to be just using this job as  something temporary until something better comes along. They don’t necessarily invest in the company and have a positive attitude when coming to work. I think the root of the problem is associate value. Associates don’t feel valued and as if their job role is making a difference with the organization and I don’t believe leaders are doing are they can to value associates and make them feel valued. I think this all starts with recognizing associates for good performance or maybe even just for something random like perfect attendance…these things should be appreciated. With recognition the associate feels important and will start to have a more positive attitude towards the workplace. There are other factors that go into with low associate engagement but I think that is a good place to start in order to implement changes.