D online journal of David Corn

SUBHEADINGS

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 23:26:21 EST

The Harrah’s Casino and Jonah Creighton cases taught me a valuable lesson indirectly through the analyses we were assigned to perform on them. After receiving poor grades on both of them, I approached our TA, Meredith, to help me get my subheading problem under control so that I might avoid the same mistakes on the final draft of my Learning Plan. To my surprise, and embarrassment, subheadings were intuitive and a useful tool for organizing the papers I turned in for management. In addition, I found that they were a simple way to eliminate the fluff and challenge of eloquent transition sentences and a handy method to keep paragraphs succinct, detailed, and organized. Similarly, subheadings make reading other people’s work easier and more productive, specifically when we had to review our classmates Learning Plan Part II drafts a few weeks ago. After revising my Learning Plan to include subheadings, I found that I was able to elaborate more on areas I thought were complete, ultimately furthering my understanding of myself and what I want to accomplish with my life.

There is sometimes an “one” in team

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 23:25:54 EST

This semester, everyone on my HR simulation team was constantly overburdened with work. Despite this, all of the work got done and at that, it was of decent quality. We all contributed to every assignment and all of our opinions were taken into account when making decisions. While most of the team neglected to acknowledge it, there was one of us who persistently devoted extra time and effort to everything that the team received credit for, the team leader. In class we have been enlightened on the functioning and importance of teams, but not much has been said about the team member that holds the team together and ensures that everything is completed and polished. When this person contributes the way he or she does, without want of reward or recognition, any group of people can be augmented into a team and any team could be made stronger. Whether or not this is merely the role/description of a true leader, I believe that this person’s presence and influence on the success of the team should be recognized mentally, if not audibly.

A good example of a team sticking out for each other

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 23:25:16 EST

The quarter seven output from the HR simulation brought my team a very unpleasant surprise. The fourteen point increase in quality we had earned in the sixth quarter, to a quality index of 74, had been reduced to a 63, our morale had dropped seven points, and our grievances had gone up by over 100. The weekly meeting was depressed and the team was confused with why the quarter had gone so badly. After a few minutes of complaining and blaming various outside sources, we got down to business and began compiling the numbers and making decisions. As we progressed down the list, one of our team members made the observation that our safety budget was over $50,000 below the allocation we had agreed on the previous week. Every member of the group was certain of this and so we found relief in the fact that our poor performance was due merely to input error. The importance of the whole situation is that the team was able to put the bad news aside and finish the work we knew we had to do. It was after moments like these that I realized how well we all worked together.

Skeptical about the presentations…

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 22:37:09 EST

I was always a little skeptical about the presentations that we had to attend outside of the regular class period. Before the last one that we had, the one on 360 Degree Evaluation, I promised myself that I would try and have a good time because I was convinced it would be the only thing I got out of it. When the speaker announced that he was going to have a few of my management classmates teach us about the “abc’s”, I knew I was going to be able to keep my promise. To my surprise, it wasn’t until the actual class period that I gained the appreciation for the presentation that I was meant to take away. I thought that the tie-in to the HR simulation and the second annual report was an intriguing was to incorporate what we were learning both in and out of the class. It felt good and reassuring to know that my evaluation of myself and my team members was on the form we had created.

HR Simulation was FUN

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 22:22:19 EST

93 end of year two Morale Index...you read that correctly.

Training Day

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 22:02:28 EST

While I thought that the training exercise day was a fun alternative to our usual class discussion, I felt that it was a little anti-productive. My biggest criticism is that creativity was stressed and I think that was interpreted by the class as permission to implement any sort of ridiculous ideas into their plan. While it was a breath of fresh air to hear some of the humorous plans by the other groups in the class, I couldn’t help but feel bored by the more serious plans presented by some of the groups, which were in my opinion all terrific. My problem with this is that in reality, a creative training program would get the job done, and by that I mean provide adequate training to employees, and be cost efficient at the same time; many of the presentations that I enjoyed were neither of these things. What I am trying to say is that while I appreciated the entertaining ideas that my classmates came up with, I enjoyed, as well as appreciated, the realistic ideas that my classmates presented even more.

Human Resources Simulation

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 21:42:04 EST

After preparing some analyses to use in our annual report, I found it fascinating to compare our results to the industry average. One of the most interesting observations was made by the team leader, who pointed out that our quality index was very close to the industry average while our budget for quality was almost 50% of the industry average. This is interesting because it shows that the quality of output is not completely dependant on the amount of money that is spent on improving quality. This highlights the importance of other factors on quality, for instance wages, which is what my team focused on. My team increased wages more than the industry on average every quarter; while this didn’t prove to increase our quality index as much as the industry average, we were able to accomplish nearly the same results while improving other things like turnover and morale without spending as much money. If any other groups have not check out this strategy, they should consider it.

Harrah's Casino

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 19:36:59 EST

I thought that the Harrah’s Casino case was an interesting exercise and a unique view into the inner-workings of an entertainment firm like Harrah’s. My overall opinion of the firm and the case was that the solution to Harrah’s problem motivation problem was simply spreading the reach of the gain sharing program to target other problems they wanted to solve. In a sense, I think about this tactic as sort of a binding procedure of the employees to the company’s success, much like contactors and employees in other industries are bound to make them liable for the materials or machinery they are using. I think that combining monetary rewards with non-material rewards like contributing to your company’s success is an excellent way to motivate employees. Basically if Harrah’s broadened the reach of its gain sharing program, Winn would have to look no further for a source of motivation.

Red Roof Inn: We're Raising The Roof and Painting It Red

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 13:27:40 EST

I write this to you as a changed person. In my last set of blogs I was a member of a group. Now I am the member of a team.

Business Ethics

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 12:57:56 EST

I think about management a lot when I'm not in class.

Teams: An Important Foothold In Evolution

Sun, 09 Oct 2005 13:11:50 EST

I’ve been thinking a lot about the discussion we had in class about the difference between groups and teams. I believe that a team is a subclass of group. In class we outlined the difference between teams and groups; I think that it is important to distinguish a second subclass of group, a body of people that acts very similarly to a team, something I like to refer to as a “functional group”. In many cases, functional groups are somewhat of enigmas; they often lack all of the positive characteristics that describe a team but produce identical and sometimes better productivity and quality results. Usually the only noticeable difference between a team and a functional group is the intangible and unspoken sense of “self” that binds and orients its members. It is not possible to have a functional group without the satisfactory accomplishment of a goal or task; a functional group that fails to achieve their goal is not functional, it is just a group.

After our class discussion about groups and teams, I applied what I learned to what I already knew about functional groups, and the thought came to me that teams, though necessary tools and learning instruments, are analogous to training wheels, in the evolutionary sense, on the long bike ride that is maturity. Throughout my study of the theories of evolution and natural selection, the notion of “survival of the fittest” has been a foundation for most explanations to the questions of how and why the world works as it does. The success of species, traits, even genes, has been dependent on relative superiority over similar individuals.

When considered hierarchically, the aggregation of experiences of being a member of a team is an important step in individual advancement, followed by the aggregation of experiences of being a member of a functional group. In terms of survival of the fittest, teams, at first glance, seem anti-progressive, allowing free-riders, opportunities for complacency, and a decrease in net individual progress; however, as noted in class groups serve as opportunities to learn the difficult skills of creating a purpose that is greater than that of the job at hand, finding more ownership in work, expecting greater learning and personal fulfillment, and self-advocacy. These skills are essential for the survival of individuals yet are difficult to acquire as individuals. Essentially, teams facilitate the acquisition and exposure of individuals to these skills, in an effort to teach them and enhance their abilities. As individuals begin to retain these skills over time, they find themselves starting to form or act out roles that are characteristic of functional groups, when placed in situations one normally expects to find teams. When this is the case, the sense of “self”, or spirit, normally present in team members is absent in these individuals and they often appear stubborn or uncooperative in team-building exercises and situations. It is important to keep in mind, however, that members of a functional group or individuals who act with the functional group mindset are aware of and understand the inner-workings, dynamics, pros, cons, benefits, and downsides to teamwork and team membership; a team is merely a stepping stone of understanding in the development of a human.

MBTI = More Than I Bargained For

Sun, 09 Oct 2005 10:51:00 EST

I’ve been thinking about my MBTI results for about a week or so now and I'm puzzled because I feel like they describe me very well, but only part of the time. I think the important thing to realize about the MBTI, and this wasn’t really stressed explicitly in class, is that everyone has the ability to change their type. The MBTI is powerful because it basically helps you to realize that you as an individual have a vast potential for focusing creative energy and applying it in countless ways. Similarly, and this is what I think makes the MBTI most useful, is that it acknowledges the different shortcomings and negatives qualities that you might have; I don’t think this section is included to humble the reader, but rather serves as a caveat, keeping the reader attuned to both the positive and negative possibilities of their type. With this said, I don’t treat my MBTI results as a sort of roadmap or outline, but rather as a diagnostic tool for my being at a specific point in time. As a few members of the class have had the benefit of realizing, the true power of the MBTI can be harnessed when used to track personal changes over time. This is subject for further investigation.

Hiring A Bank Teller*

Sun, 09 Oct 2005 10:32:10 EST

I had mixed feelings about the exercise we went over in class about the disabled woman applying for the job as a bank teller. The background of this story was one I was very familiar with; I had a part-time job my freshman year as a bank teller at the First Miami Credit Union, at the time one of only eight entirely student run credit unions in the country. The job of a bank teller is one that requires above all other things, trust and communication skills, two qualities that Anna clearly possessed. However, I feel it is important to note that Dave was trying to hire an employee for a specific job, one that required lots of movement. In this light I feel that Dave is still at fault, but rather for the unspecific advertisement. While Anna has the skills and confidence required for the job of being a teller, she doesn’t fulfill the mobility requirement of the job that Dave is hiring for; this is a difficult scenario, I think honesty from the start would have saved the awkwardness.

Glue Is Important Too

Thu, 06 Oct 2005 20:38:33 EST

Knowing your role is the glue that holds the team pyramid together.

Networking Session

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 23:53:46 EST

While I feel that there were some important points made and skills learned during the networking session that was held the other week, I couldn’t help noticing that there was an underlying notion among all of the tips and tricks that all of the guest speakers hinted at, but never explicitly said: networking is extremely phony. As I reflected upon the words of wisdom imparted to the class, I worried to myself that I might not have what it takes to shoot the breeze with a stranger or write up a short thank you note expressing my gratitude for a lovely conversation that was really just a masked attempt at me desperately trying to get a job; I can do the work, crunch the numbers, and play by the rules, but I have a big problem with the run-arounds and games that appear to be integral the process of getting a job.