December 06, 2006
Final Annual Report
After the First Annual Report for the HR Simulation my team made an effort to include class materials and discussions in the Final Annual Report. After compiling the second report, I was interested in my teams usage of these materials. Although relevant to the simulation, I was left with the feeling that the simulation did not necessarily reinforce what I learned on topics such as feedback and training. I do not think that I understand these topics any more than I did after discussing them in class. On the other hand, I think the simulation helped me better understand motivation, as my team tried different methods to raise morale. We found that money is not always the best motivator and that other factors such as quality and safety of the workplace oftentimes have greater affect. I think realizations such as these are important parts of the final reflection in the annual report.
Tom Mendola
After discussing the Tom Mendola case in class, I still feel the same as I did when I first read it. Of course, Tom is in an unfortunate situation that compromises his ability to work effectively. He is also younger than his coworkers. With these factors in mind I think it was reasonable for the factory to give him the opportunity to work in different departments in the company. His supervisors tried to find a fit for him that would keep him engaged and efficient. After these special considerations I think it is completely fair, if not expected, that the company release him. As I mentioned in a comment on someone else's blog, if he cannot be motivated by the well-being of his family then the company cannot expect to motivate him with anything else. I find it hard to argue on his behalf, and think that the company made the right decision.
December 04, 2006
The End!
Sadly, or not so much, we have reached the conclusion of the HR Simulation. As we compile the Final Annual Report, I'm finding many of my realizations about the second fiscal year very similar to those we made concerning the first. This is not a disappointing feature, as it makes our supplemental materials very useful in making this report. Our first annual report outlines many of the goals we determined and disregards the neglected methods we set forth in our team plan. The simulation journals, though seemingly meaningless, are handy for recalling which decisions we made during which quarter.
In relation to the in class lectures, it is obvious that certain topics are introduced in class to coincide with incidents in the simulation. This feature is interesting to me because despite how many times we may discuss performance appraisal in class, when presented with a "real life" issue in the simulation, I still find myself defending my original viewpointsand assume that my teammates are doing the same. I suppose if the new information is meant to reinforce current viewpoints, then we have found success, but as far as developing new thought processes, I see very little progress in myself and can only imagine the progress in others.
November 30, 2006
Learning Plan Part II
I found Part II of the Learning Plan surprisingly basic compared to Part I. After wrestling with the precise rubric for part I, the simplicity of part II was certainly welcomed. I have always struggled with structured goal setting, and inevitably, I can rarely take myself seriously in this department. Theoretically, the SMART approach to achieving a goal is feasible and direct, although the types of goals described by SMART are limited to defined one-time achievements. I was interested to hear of a second approach that embraces more long-term, flexible goals. Unfortunately, I was left feeling that longer acronyms (START NOW), do not always make a method more user friendly. Although this theory was a better fit for the kinds of "goals" I had in mind. START NOW certainly did not encourage me to take the assignment seriously through more word associations and parameters on what makes my goal worthwhile. Needless to say, I don't think I got much farther in my goal planning than putting in writing what I already knew I needed to do. I suppose that this accomplishment can be considered a step in the right direction.
November 29, 2006
KeyBank Special Session
Admittedly, I was not overly excited to attend a Special Management Session on the day before Thanksgiving break, but I was pleasantly surprised by the presentation on KeyBank's Performance Appraisal system. The speaker (whose name escapes me) was met with the typical Case Western lack enthusiasm, but I was interested in his ability to engage the begrudging audience in his presentation. I thought that he was an excellent speaker, and that his presentation kept me interested in an only marginally interesting topic. His discussion of the developing performance appraisal system at Key was a relevant connection to our class discussion involving what makes an appraisal system worthwhile. His description of Key's system included qualities that we discussed in class, such as: appraisal based on job description, written communication, using multiple raters, and the documentation of decisions.
November 09, 2006
My Own Motivation
Many times in class we have discussed what the best employee motivators may be. More than once we have mentioned that, although important, money is not always the best motivation for employees. Oftentimes, employees enjoy recognition or increased responsibility as a method of reward for above-average performance. I find myself currently dealing with this issue as I, like many of my peers, look toward employment over winter break. At this time I have two options, one offering sporatic, often stressful hours in a retail environment, and the other more peaceful, full-time work in a plant during its Christmas shutdown. Although the factory work would allow me to work with friends, receive slightly higher pay, and be minimally stressful, I find myself more actively pursuing the "less desireable" job. This means that I will be turning down money for the sake of a more stimulating and personally rewarding work environment. Without realizing it, I have proven to myself the one of the core ideas of this class; that there are many more positive motivators than a big paycheck.
November 07, 2006
Catch Your Dreams
Today in class we did a "Catch Your Dreams" exercise that I found rather interesting. At first glance it was difficult to fathom having more than a handful of dreams at any one point in your life. It was easy to remember what my childhood dreams were, but to think of more than ten current dreams was a task. Once I started thinking I had little difficulty filling up the post-it notes, but after "clustering" the notes I could not decide if each note represented an individual "dream" or moreso was a picture of how my "dream" life would be. Ideally, success in all, or even several, of the noted dreams would mean that my adult life has fulfilled my expectations.
I think these dreams will make an interesting addition to the second part of the Individual Learning Plan, but I think it will be difficult to make a connection between the very career-oriented first half, to a more personal expression of success in the second.