Archives for the Month of November 2006 on Brendan Walsh's Blog
Management Class
On the first day of classes I was very enthusiastic about having the opportunity of taking a management course. I was not sure what to expect or what type of projects we would do, but I figured that it would be a very interactive course. Unlike other courses that I have taken at Case, management class has been very “hands on”, yet lectures are still present.
I enjoy the fact that we do not have exams in management class; however, this can also be a disadvantage.
One aspect that I did not enjoy about management class thus far was choosing random assignments without knowing what they entitled. I think it would have been less stressful if we would have had descriptions of each assignment and knew more specific details about each. I felt as if I was choosing the fate of my grade blindly by picking these assignments and then signing a contract to promise that I would complete them.
Overall, I have had a decent experience in management class, and I look forward to future sessions.
Training Programs
A good training program is the leading foundation for any company. The effectiveness of the training not only plays an important role on the company, but also on the trainee. A well trained employee will benefit a company and push it to further limits.
The type of training program that a company decides to institute is crucial. Most training is boring for the trainee, some methods are ineffective, and others are too time and money consuming. Companies must go to great lengths in order to pick the correct program.
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Jonah Creighton and Discrimination
The Jonah Creighton Case was a very unique case because it was more realistic than some of the other cases we have read thus far. It involved racial discrimination in the workplace against a recruit of the company. However, the grey area of this case was due to the fact that the discrimination began overseas. Even though it began there, it also spread to the U.S. because no one wanted to due anything about it, except for Jonah.
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Feedback
During the last class session we spoke about feedback. There are two properties of feedback, giving and receiving. I think that it is much harder to give feedback than to receive it. For instance, during a job one does not want to create bad tension with another coworker. Sometimes it is hard to approach one of these situations without appearing to be rude and pretentious.
Goals and Dreams
Yesterday in class, there was an activity which required students to write down their goals and dreams. I found that the best way to perform this activity correctly was to write and think fast. This was not an activity designed for people to sit and ponder their ideas. I enjoyed this activity because it reminded me of the goals that I have unknowingly set aside. Many of these goals are small personal goals which were lost in the clutter of college life. Nonetheless, I have now been refreshed of these aspirations and will work to achieve them.
I have actually set a new goal for myself since this class session. I plan to perform this activity again in the future. I think it would be interesting to see if I have new goals and dreams after I graduate from college. I would also like to go as far as revisiting the activity once I have been working for about five years.
Nevertheless, I think that this activity will be very beneficial for completing the second part of my Individual Learning Plan.