Johnson Wei's Online Journal http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/ Anaylsis from course MGMT250 en-us Sat, 10 Dec 2005 08:58:44 EST Sat, 10 Dec 2005 08:58:44 EST johnson.wei@case.edu johnson.wei@case.edu http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Movable Type v3.121 On Feedback http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/12/10/on_feedback I have always recognized the importance of feedback--it allows for self analysis and then improvement. However, I did not realize... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/12/10/on_feedback MGMT250 Sat, 10 Dec 2005 08:58:44 EST I have always recognized the importance of feedback--it allows for self analysis and then improvement. However, I did not realize there were so many technicalities regardin feedback. Paramount were the classifications of positive and negative feedback. While initially I valued all feedback, regardless, I now recognize when feedback is positive and when it is negative. Thus, before, when I received nergative feedback I would sometimes take it to heart and then react strongly. Now, however, when I see negative feedback, I have learned to take it with a grain of salt. This insures greater productivity in the long run while still being on the road for continuous improvement.

]]> Don't Assume...It makes an a** of "u" and "me" http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/12/10/dont_assumeit_makes_an_a_of_u_and_me I particularly enjoyed the guest speaker who gave the class the test where he told us a story, and later... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/12/10/dont_assumeit_makes_an_a_of_u_and_me MGMT250 Sat, 10 Dec 2005 08:49:14 EST I particularly enjoyed the guest speaker who gave the class the test where he told us a story, and later asked us questions--testing our natural assumptions and how easily our minds made connections. While I had heard the story and question before, I enjoyed the emphasis on objectivity. Almost all careers in our field require a level of objectivity and the speaker's example proved his point. While the story never mentioned the gender of protagonist, the class automatically assumed the character was a male. Such assumption ultimately cloud our judgments and I thank the speaker for showing us how easily we can become biased individuals.

]]> MGMT250 Experience http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/12/10/mgmt250_experience I think I have rolled my eyes at every assignment given in this class...the learning plan, the MBTI, and the... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/12/10/mgmt250_experience MGMT250 Sat, 10 Dec 2005 08:41:57 EST I think I have rolled my eyes at every assignment given in this class...the learning plan, the MBTI, and the blogs. While some of experiences indeed proved to be disappointing , many of them proved to be rewarding. The blogs have forced me to assess what I have actually learned. The MBTI has allowed me to discover who I really am and the environments in which I could excel in the future. The learning plan however, still seems more as a chore than a learning experience. Nonetheless, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages and I have really enjoyed my team in this class.

]]> HR Experience http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/12/10/hr_experience I have really enjoyed the HR simulation this semester. I especially loved getting back my results and analyzing the possible... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/12/10/hr_experience MGMT250 Sat, 10 Dec 2005 08:29:22 EST I have really enjoyed the HR simulation this semester. I especially loved getting back my results and analyzing the possible reasons for affecting the results with my teammates. While we had experienced series of stagnations, generally the results were steady. For the most part we always found the sudden spikes in results most intriguing. To discover the reasons for such spikes, our teams tried to find the relative changes through trend analysis and other such comparisons. One reason however especially stumped us. Quarter 8 yielded a most unexpected drop in productivity, from 223 to 170. This was completely unanticipated. We tried our best to explain for this in our final report.

]]> On Peer Evaluations http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/12/10/on_peer_evaluations A few days ago, I turned in my performance evaluations along with the final HR simulation report. Finishing the performance... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/12/10/on_peer_evaluations MGMT250 Sat, 10 Dec 2005 07:18:59 EST A few days ago, I turned in my performance evaluations along with the final HR simulation report. Finishing the performance evaluations was not an easy task. I was torn between doing the right thing and being a "good" guy. On the one hand, I felt that giving everyone top scores would be unfair to the team members who contributed much more than others. On the other hand, I wanted to make everyone happy. Luckily, I had already considered this dilemma before completing the team evaluations. Thus, with input my teammates, I created three peer evaluation systems. I asked the team to vote on the one they felt best able to represent the work they had done over the semester. The team chose a more qualitative approach to the team evaluations. However, some aspects, such as team participation were straight off the books. As a result I felt comfortable as the peer evaluation stuck a balance between qualitative and quantitative aspects.

]]> Ethical My A** http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/ethical_my_a My understanding of ethics differed from the general consensus of the class. While I agreed that ethics differed from having... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/ethical_my_a MGMT250 Sat, 05 Nov 2005 21:09:58 EST My understanding of ethics differed from the general consensus of the class. While I agreed that ethics differed from having good morals, I disagree that ethics explored the grey areas between the white and the black. Last year, I too had a curiosity for ethics and also regarded ethics as exploring the fine line between "good" and "bad" "things".
However, after taking Philosophy 205, an ethics course, I garnered that ethics was not doing the right thing--which was what Professor Powley had said. Ethics is often a "lose-lose" situation. The best example is the case of the mob boss. Suppose a mob boss came knocking on *your* door, having managed to hack through dorm security doors and somehow bypassing the many hidden security cameras on campus. The mob boss demands to know where your friend is hiding. Do you lie to the mob boss to save your friend, or do you give your friend up, sending him to certain doom? The "right thing to do" is to save your friend...indicative of good morals, or "social norms" as Powley put it. Ethically, however, neither choice is justifiable. Lying is wrong. Sending your friend to his death is wrong. While my professor in the ethics course highly disagreed with a "lesser of two evils" approach, this is what I have come to define ethics as. While not everything is ethically justifiable, go with the lesser of two evils. I must think this way otherwise I would have gone insane long ago. My battles with darth vader are over. I have become the evil I have sought to destroy! muahahahaha ^_^

]]> HR Again - Linear Relationships will not Help You in a 3D World http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/hr_again_linear_relationships_will_not_help_you_in_a_3d_world My previous post explained the relative benefits of linear correlations to the ultimate decisions made in our HR simulations. There... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/hr_again_linear_relationships_will_not_help_you_in_a_3d_world MGMT250 Sat, 05 Nov 2005 20:56:01 EST My previous post explained the relative benefits of linear correlations to the ultimate decisions made in our HR simulations. There is a severe disadvantage, however. We are missing multi-dimensional [so to speak] relationships. Thus, while we can see positive correlations between two variables, we miss the "ghost" variables. In such cases, non-correlated graphs, many of which had been discarded due to lack of significance, may indeed have correlation when three or more variables are considered. Currently, the graphs are only reinforcing what the team and I have already guessed with our instincts. Yes, increasing the quality budget will increase quality. Ok, that was obvious, and we can move on...right?

The most effective graphs however, do more than simply reinforce expectations. I want to look at a graph and say "wait a minute, this variable was what was impacting our stagnation in morale...Great! let's crack open a bottle of...Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider...and celebrate!" In the coming quarters I want to find those hidden variables affecting relationships. I sincerely hope it is just a matter of putting more variables on the same graph and more deeply analyzing the relationships. Otherwise it is time I review my high school math and find the proper graphs to expose multiple relationships within multiple variables.

]]> Beating the Program: HR Simulation Ain't no Thang http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/beating_the_program_hr_simulation_aint_no_thang none of your business *shoos you away with hands*... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/beating_the_program_hr_simulation_aint_no_thang MGMT250 Sat, 05 Nov 2005 20:37:29 EST none of your business *shoos you away with hands*

]]> Harrah's Casino Summary Reflection http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/harrahs_casino_summary_reflection While other casinos attracted customers with “must-see” properties, Harrah’s chose to revolve its casinos around becoming a market-based company. Although... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/harrahs_casino_summary_reflection MGMT250 Sat, 05 Nov 2005 20:25:28 EST While other casinos attracted customers with “must-see” properties, Harrah’s chose to revolve its casinos around becoming a market-based company. Although company objectives have been clearly outlined, proper utilization of company human capital was not.For the most part, company and HR strategies are well aligned. The company’s primary objectives were to generate higher levels of revenue, solidifying its stance as a market/customer based company, and increase share of customers’ gaming budgets. On the other hand, HR strategy entailed creating a competitive environment among employees, hiring the right people which in turn lowers the turnover rate, employee development, and lastly, at the center of the HR plan, the reward incentive program. Lower turnover rates have indicated a strong positive correlation with morale, so as the turnover rates go down, morale will undoubtedly increase. A higher level of morale will reinforce the marketing-focused, customer-obsessed mindset Harrah’s values. Similarly, hiring the right people and developing employees, aside from lowering the turnover rate, will ensure that Harrah’s is run by personnel who can understand the company objective and who can work hard to reach it. Without a strong staff, it would be extremely difficult to increase any level of customer service, regardless of the incentive program. There really is no “misaligned” strategy here—none of the HR strategy directly conflicts with overall company interests. It could be said that the turnover rate in itself has no direct relation to generating revenues, or aiding customer relations. However, it does support factors like lowered absenteeism and morale which do have a direct impact.

]]> Learning Plan http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/learning_plan mmm....it is always nice to have plan. However, plans are useless if redundant, and such is the case with the... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/learning_plan MGMT250 Sat, 05 Nov 2005 17:37:20 EST mmm....it is always nice to have plan. However, plans are useless if redundant, and such is the case with the learning plan. There was nothing I had written that I did not already know. This was not one of those "journeys" where I "discovered myself" as I wrote my learning plan. I seriously doubt I will ever look back, 5 years from now, to re-evaluate my position in life in comparison to my learning plan. Nonetheless, while the learning plan fails to achieve its main objective as a guide, it does, however, give me a chance to become more fluent in my interviewing "vocabulary". I had written a few anecdotes in my learning plan, and such stories will undoubtedly prove useful during a job interview. The plan has helped me organize my thoughts--which is indeed what a plan is supposed to do, but it has not helped me establish or clarify my long term goals in any way. Thus, while the learning plan was ultimately useless to me as a tool for the future, it has become quite the boon for me in the status quo.

]]> HR Update 10/26 http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/hr_update_1026 Quarter 4 inputs were decided today. Aside from the usual programs, we invested heavily in Quality and Safety programs—which may... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/11/05/hr_update_1026 MGMT250 Sat, 05 Nov 2005 17:33:37 EST Quarter 4 inputs were decided today. Aside from the usual programs, we invested heavily in Quality and Safety programs—which may impact our productivity levels negatively, but with Safety as one of our objectives, it was justifiable. No budget was allocated to Fringe Benefits, as we had already done so last quarter, and to address the concern of Internal Promotions resulting in hindrance of new ideas and different viewpoints, all higher levels employees were employed from the outside. Our previous decision to study Compensation Planning gave interesting results: we now know that tying compensation to performance should increase productivity in our firm. While it is clear that we have succeeded in lowering our Grievances, from 73 to 29, it is unknown whether this low value can be attributed solely to our grievance programs or perhaps the influence of Fringe Benefits.

]]> Blog's Driving Me Insane http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/10/08/blogs_driving_me_insane ...start rant I do not consider myself computer illiterate; however, I cannot, for the life of me manage to figure... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/10/08/blogs_driving_me_insane MGMT250 Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:56:55 EST ...start rant
I do not consider myself computer illiterate; however, I cannot, for the life of me manage to figure out the inner workings of this system. I tried multiple times to refresh my page, but it has not displayed the last two entries I have made. Furthermore, I tried posting comments on three blogs: Matt Geis, Amanda Juliano, and Jameson Root and when I click post [I did so multiple times] nothing happens--I get send to the next page...and no comments.
end rant...

]]> Hi I would like to buy "Trust" for $19.99. We're sorry, that "item" is out of stock... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/10/08/hi_i_would_like_to_buy_trust_for_1999_were_sorry_that_item_is_out_of_stock Thursday's discussion on the five dysfunctions of a team was interesting. A week has passed since the initial declaration of... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/10/08/hi_i_would_like_to_buy_trust_for_1999_were_sorry_that_item_is_out_of_stock MGMT250 Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:16:40 EST Thursday's discussion on the five dysfunctions of a team was interesting. A week has passed since the initial declaration of teams, and it is interesting that already, there is advice on how repair trust that has been lost. From experience, trust is much easier lost than gained. In a competitive environment, it may take many months to establish trust among team members, and only one unsatisfactory incident to break it. However, we do not have the luxury of time. Assignments are due weekly, and it is vital that the team work out any differences affecting team dynamic. Professor Powley suggested that trust was the basis—the beginning of the “path to destruction”, however, how can trust be broken if there was no trust to begin with? For now, we are simply individuals working for a common goal—our grade. Unless prior association has created early bonds, there is only room for improvement among team members. Thus, in order to quickly create trust among team members, we must mingle more often.

]]> Frustrations as HR Director http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/10/07/frustrations_as_hr_director It is given that not all students are autonomous and able to perform to the best their abilities without some... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/10/07/frustrations_as_hr_director MGMT250 Fri, 07 Oct 2005 19:24:17 EST It is given that not all students are autonomous and able to perform to the best their abilities without some form of motivation. Thus I recognize that is my job as the HR Director to delegate assignments clearly so each team member understands the task at hand. On the other hand, the primary motivation for team members should be the drive to succeed. The HR Director should not always have to remind team members to finish tasks that are well past scheduled deadlines. Already, I have one team member who has shirked from duty. The member has provided 2 main reasons for lack of contribution: 1. No time to check emails, and 2. Has a large number of essays to finish. While assignments in other classes may indeed make completing tasks much harder, this team member is not the only one who has "lots of homework". It had been discussed in class that open discussion, calling this team member out for the faults committed is suggessted; however, I would like to solve this internally first. Open discussion will be the next step, and it is my wish that it will be settled by then. I do not wish to bother the CEO with matters such as this. It is regretful that the firing of employees is not an option. I must proceed with this situation delicately as to not affect team dynamic. It is my weakness that I react strongly to those who do not carry their weight, and I sincerely hope that my leniency this time will encourage this employee to demonstrate the capabilities I am sure the employee possesses next week.

]]> MBTI http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/09/29/mbti Normally, I highly dislike being placed in a box...to be packaged, identified, and predetermined by a group of unknown individuals... http://blog.case.edu/johnson.wei/2005/09/29/mbti MGMT250 Thu, 29 Sep 2005 13:42:13 EST Normally, I highly dislike being placed in a box...to be packaged, identified, and predetermined by a group of unknown individuals who don't even know who I am. Thus, indignantly, I read my classfication of "ENFP" and surprisingly, I was rather surprised. It was accurate, for the most part, and I felt some satisfication from reading it. perhaps there is a method to this method. I recognize my weaknesses, and I know the qualities I need to complement them.

]]>