Last week, I asked about manipulation vs. influence. It's a hard question, knowing when you cross the line to doing "bad" manipulation vs "good" influence. Like most ethical dilemmas, the line is fuzzy and moves a lot. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a ethical dilemma. We'll continue to revisit ethical dilemmas as we go through the semester, with the idea that keeping an eye on your core values will help you resolve them.
In class this week, you engaged in a negotiation. Did you think you did well in the negotiation? Were you surprised at your actual score on the negotiation compared to the scores of your partner and other members of the class? What kinds of information and influence did you try to bring to bear in the negotiation? Did your preconceived notions of your negotiation partner influence approach? Do you think your performance in the negotiation reflects your general approach to conflicts in the rest of your life? Were you satisfied with your performance? What can you learn from this negotiation (or from the role play you are working on) that informs you interactions with people around you?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Manipulation and Influence...
What is the difference between manipulation and influence?
I think that the difference between manipulation and influence is that influence is using ones personal charisma and powers of persuasion to sell others on an idea or action, whereas manipulation is using deceitful tactics to get others on board with the desired ideas or actions. With influence, its more a tactic of strategic guidance of the opinions or agreement of others, but at their own free will. With manipulation, however, its more sneaky and back handed, so i dont feel like the people being manipulated are necessarily coming to make decisions based on their own volition, but rather as an effect of being mislead either directly or indirectly by the manipulator.
When does it become playing politics and misdirection?
I think that once misdirection is involved, that is when influence crosses over into manipulation territory. Playing politics is tricky because while it can definitely have a stigma attached to it, it is also necessary sometimes in order to compete effectively and be successful in the corporate world.
Where is the line between bad and good – and how do you find that line? As this class arms you with more “weapons” to influence others, we must also take into consideration our ethics. Can you use these "weapons" of mass influence and still stay true to your core values? And, if the easy answer is that it is okay to use these weapons if you are using them in the service of your values, do you need to take into account the people you are using these weapons on? For example, if Google were doing things with their search that influenced people, but for the people's own benefit, would that be okay?
I think that the difference between manipulation and influence is that influence is using ones personal charisma and powers of persuasion to sell others on an idea or action, whereas manipulation is using deceitful tactics to get others on board with the desired ideas or actions. With influence, its more a tactic of strategic guidance of the opinions or agreement of others, but at their own free will. With manipulation, however, its more sneaky and back handed, so i dont feel like the people being manipulated are necessarily coming to make decisions based on their own volition, but rather as an effect of being mislead either directly or indirectly by the manipulator.
When does it become playing politics and misdirection?
I think that once misdirection is involved, that is when influence crosses over into manipulation territory. Playing politics is tricky because while it can definitely have a stigma attached to it, it is also necessary sometimes in order to compete effectively and be successful in the corporate world.
Where is the line between bad and good – and how do you find that line? As this class arms you with more “weapons” to influence others, we must also take into consideration our ethics. Can you use these "weapons" of mass influence and still stay true to your core values? And, if the easy answer is that it is okay to use these weapons if you are using them in the service of your values, do you need to take into account the people you are using these weapons on? For example, if Google were doing things with their search that influenced people, but for the people's own benefit, would that be okay?
Topic 4: Ehtics and Influence
The line between politics and influence can sometime become quite fuzzy and even then the determination of the tipping point will most likely vary from individual to individual, as I am not aware of any universal standard in this regard. In a more broad sense, manipulation is normally used for advancement of self-interest, whether personal or corporate, without any major regards or concerns about individuals.
To determine such line, we will need to look at case by case basis, whether at corporate level or individual level. At the corporate level, we can start by looking at the corporate history, its market position (and how the position was established), and then look at the individual actions taken by it. For example, in the case of Google, to see whether its search implementation is manipulating public or just wholesome goodness or combination of both, some of the important questions we can possibly ask are:
To determine such line, we will need to look at case by case basis, whether at corporate level or individual level. At the corporate level, we can start by looking at the corporate history, its market position (and how the position was established), and then look at the individual actions taken by it. For example, in the case of Google, to see whether its search implementation is manipulating public or just wholesome goodness or combination of both, some of the important questions we can possibly ask are:
- How is Google’s past track record in terms of playing fair games? Does it allow a plain level field or take advantage of its enormous power? Has it taken advantage of its almost monopoly in search? If so, how? If the answer to any of these questions is affirmative, we will have to look carefully, as there might be signs of manipulation and politics.
- How has it lived its motto of “Don’t be Evil”? Has it done any evil yet? If so, how?
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Recruiting Mentors
Love the Corner Office column of the New York Times. I liked this one because he talks about being a leader and needing to recruit mentors. Have you guys ever recruited a mentor?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/12/business/12corner.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=corner%20office&st=cse
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Blogging Topic 4: Ethics and influence Thoughts
I started out by looking up the definition of manipulation:
"to manage or influence skillfully, esp. in an unfair manner: to manipulate people's feelings."
So the act of manipulation is in essence influencing someone, but the key difference is what the motivation for this influence is. Does the motivation for influence exist out of an deceptive or means to hurt the other person. A positive influence is one that drives us to want to do something better for ourselves, our team, company, or group. Whereas a negative one, is one that is driving us to do something to benefit the "manipulator" for some self benefit.
Playing politics is normally when groups, leaders, or individuals come to agreement or make compromise in some way or another to move the whole collective of those involved in that decision forward in some direction. In the case of Google, they were definitely playing politics with regards to appeasing the Chinese government's demands of censorship. If Google were to start filtering search results to a point where they are misguiding their customers to appease censorship completely, then in essence they are misguiding their users.
There is no exact line, normally a company, individual, or group's own values and belief systems will determine that line.
Yes of course you can, and they are the best tools to exert those core values forward. Yes you also do need to look at the big picture, a lot of times we forget about the "side effects" of our decisions which are just as important as the core values we are promoting, in order to remain responsible using our influence.
Google does do things with their search, they advertise directly to consumers to influence them to purchase products from their advertisers. This is exactly how Google makes their money, the higher the paying party with the largest budget, will get the most impressions with the customer.
From their website --> Google's mission: to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
But, the reason people come back, is asides from advertising, Google holds to its core values on search, and show it through the search results not being "rigged", or "untrustworthy". The fact that so many people use them for access to information, means that the quality and perception of their product is just as important as all other factors.
So the act of manipulation is in essence influencing someone, but the key difference is what the motivation for this influence is. Does the motivation for influence exist out of an deceptive or means to hurt the other person. A positive influence is one that drives us to want to do something better for ourselves, our team, company, or group. Whereas a negative one, is one that is driving us to do something to benefit the "manipulator" for some self benefit.
Playing politics is normally when groups, leaders, or individuals come to agreement or make compromise in some way or another to move the whole collective of those involved in that decision forward in some direction. In the case of Google, they were definitely playing politics with regards to appeasing the Chinese government's demands of censorship. If Google were to start filtering search results to a point where they are misguiding their customers to appease censorship completely, then in essence they are misguiding their users.
There is no exact line, normally a company, individual, or group's own values and belief systems will determine that line.
Yes of course you can, and they are the best tools to exert those core values forward. Yes you also do need to look at the big picture, a lot of times we forget about the "side effects" of our decisions which are just as important as the core values we are promoting, in order to remain responsible using our influence.
Google does do things with their search, they advertise directly to consumers to influence them to purchase products from their advertisers. This is exactly how Google makes their money, the higher the paying party with the largest budget, will get the most impressions with the customer.
From their website --> Google's mission: to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
But, the reason people come back, is asides from advertising, Google holds to its core values on search, and show it through the search results not being "rigged", or "untrustworthy". The fact that so many people use them for access to information, means that the quality and perception of their product is just as important as all other factors.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Blog Topic 3: Display of ... what?
I wasn't too sure if I could bring in personal feelings from this game into the blog... It took a few moments, but I believe I was able to draw the conclusion that I took this more as entertainment than a tough task. That seems to be a standard with most situations that may be challenging or uncomfortable. I believe this may have come about after senior year in high school, maybe more so as I started college. The dorm floor I was assigned into was filled with Juniors and Seniors (yeah I can't quite explain how that happened or why there were still in dorms either). These guys were all heavy drinkers/pot smokers/partiers... and I had not even had my first beer yet. Heck, I had barely turned 17. The most illegal thing I had done was ... well, doughnuts in the school parking lot (which was being viewed by the Dean. He didn't appreciate me asking his rating of the show).
I just made situations presented over the next two (mandatory) years in the dorm entertainment. I wasn't too excited by the prospects of being stoned, so having a room full of these guys hanging out and avoiding joining the crew while still living with them somehow evolved into entertainment (avoid private engineering colleges at all costs, forget the rankings). I believe this tactic became engraved in my way of thinking, and it helped greatly during my senior year. I was working with one of the Big Three car companies as a manager to the Union workers. There was a tough situation nearly every day, and it became helpful to think of them as problems that were rather entertaining to solve. I can't guarantee that it portrayed positively to each person that I was working with, but I happened to go my entire duration of employment there without getting written up or having a strike on my hands (a record in that plant). Well, I can say that my group in this exercise didn’t start a riot on me either.. that’s a good thing, right?
I must say that I'm not a very emotional person either. That may be a problem, but we can leave that for another blog posting...
I just made situations presented over the next two (mandatory) years in the dorm entertainment. I wasn't too excited by the prospects of being stoned, so having a room full of these guys hanging out and avoiding joining the crew while still living with them somehow evolved into entertainment (avoid private engineering colleges at all costs, forget the rankings). I believe this tactic became engraved in my way of thinking, and it helped greatly during my senior year. I was working with one of the Big Three car companies as a manager to the Union workers. There was a tough situation nearly every day, and it became helpful to think of them as problems that were rather entertaining to solve. I can't guarantee that it portrayed positively to each person that I was working with, but I happened to go my entire duration of employment there without getting written up or having a strike on my hands (a record in that plant). Well, I can say that my group in this exercise didn’t start a riot on me either.. that’s a good thing, right?
I must say that I'm not a very emotional person either. That may be a problem, but we can leave that for another blog posting...
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Blog Topic 2 (Repost?): Values
I wouldn't venture far enough to say that things are done well only for the sake of personal benefit. But when the majority of society is working hard out of pride, those set with the mindset of personal benefit may have the better chance of coming out ahead..? (but are likely not to be happy or find others not happy with them for long).
My core values seem to shift in order of importance according to the situation presented. In the Blind Square task, the need of local leadership compelled me to push forward ideas, requesting input and participation from those closest to me. The want to resolve problems quickly pushed me to explore the boundries of the rules presented.
From what I can reflect on from the exercise, there are things that I could improve. Perhaps taking some time to determine the bigger picture and how to involve more participants, or exploring if there are better leaders out there in the crowd. Maybe even check to see who may have had experience in this exercise before, something basic that escaped most of us participating!
Ahhhh... so many things to change. Lets just hope this exercise isn't repeated until the end of the semester. There's a lot of learning to do here. :)
My core values seem to shift in order of importance according to the situation presented. In the Blind Square task, the need of local leadership compelled me to push forward ideas, requesting input and participation from those closest to me. The want to resolve problems quickly pushed me to explore the boundries of the rules presented.
From what I can reflect on from the exercise, there are things that I could improve. Perhaps taking some time to determine the bigger picture and how to involve more participants, or exploring if there are better leaders out there in the crowd. Maybe even check to see who may have had experience in this exercise before, something basic that escaped most of us participating!
Ahhhh... so many things to change. Lets just hope this exercise isn't repeated until the end of the semester. There's a lot of learning to do here. :)
Blogging Topic 4: Ethics and influence
This week we had a great guest speaker and we talked about social influence. He mentioned that at Google they are looking at people who have an array of influence skills and strategies. He also mentioned that, as a corporate entity, Google is fighting to maintain a positive public image. Related to that, here’s today’s blog topic: What is the difference between manipulation and influence? When does it become playing politics and misdirection? Where is the line between bad and good – and how do you find that line? As this class arms you with more “weapons” to influence others, we must also take into consideration our ethics. Can you use these "weapons" of mass influence and still stay true to your core values? And, if the easy answer is that it is okay to use these weapons if you are using them in the service of your values, do you need to take into account the people you are using these weapons on? For example, if Google were doing things with their search that influenced people, but for the people's own benefit, would that be okay?
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Displays of Emotion
When approaching last week's class activity, i expected it to be relatively easy: read a card and express a corresponding emotion as dictated by another card. As we started the activity, though, i realized that it was going to be much more difficult than i thought. Aside from the fact that many of the emotions we had to choose from were similar in nature, on several occasions the pairing of the sentences and the emotion that were selected were contradicting, making it exra difficult to convey the emotion while reading the card.
Personally, i did better at the decoding part of this activity than i did at the encoding part. I have never been much of an actor, and so trying to sincerely convey emotions that i wasn't actually feeling was very difficult from me. However, in my social experiences through school, work and family i have learned very well how to read the tone in other's voices, which enabled me to be much more effective at the decoding part of this activity. My family is very expressive, so i grew up in an environment where i was very aware when my parents and siblings were happy, sad, angry, worried, etc. based on both the tone in their voice and, when in person, their facial expressions.
I think that my struggle at the encoding part of this activity is very reflective of my personality and how i am in other areas of my life. I consider myself a very sincere person, and am not one to talk about people behind their backs or be fake to their face. If i am angry at someone, I communicate that to them; if i am sad, it's visible in my eyes and through my voice; if i am happy, it shows in my eyes and my smile. I have been taught to be open with my emotions, and to find rational ways to express and communicate them to others when necessary. I am not good at "faking" emotions depending on my audiences, and even though this was just an exercise i found that my acting skills are pretty poor. :( I am partially proud of that, though, since sincerity and being "real" is something that i value in myself and others, and i similarly have a very low tolerance for two-faced-ness.
Personally, i did better at the decoding part of this activity than i did at the encoding part. I have never been much of an actor, and so trying to sincerely convey emotions that i wasn't actually feeling was very difficult from me. However, in my social experiences through school, work and family i have learned very well how to read the tone in other's voices, which enabled me to be much more effective at the decoding part of this activity. My family is very expressive, so i grew up in an environment where i was very aware when my parents and siblings were happy, sad, angry, worried, etc. based on both the tone in their voice and, when in person, their facial expressions.
I think that my struggle at the encoding part of this activity is very reflective of my personality and how i am in other areas of my life. I consider myself a very sincere person, and am not one to talk about people behind their backs or be fake to their face. If i am angry at someone, I communicate that to them; if i am sad, it's visible in my eyes and through my voice; if i am happy, it shows in my eyes and my smile. I have been taught to be open with my emotions, and to find rational ways to express and communicate them to others when necessary. I am not good at "faking" emotions depending on my audiences, and even though this was just an exercise i found that my acting skills are pretty poor. :( I am partially proud of that, though, since sincerity and being "real" is something that i value in myself and others, and i similarly have a very low tolerance for two-faced-ness.
Blogging Topic 3: Displays of emotion
I would say the coding and encoding game forced me out of my "comfort zone" and demanded a much more expressive communication style that is not my hallmark. In general, I would say I am not that expressive in my display of emotions. For me the most important thing is to make sure that I convey my message well, and how important is display of emotions in conveying a message is debatable.
I thing selecting the correct vocabulary and using the language more effectively can also make a lot of difference in conveying the message. This is not to say that expressions or emotions are not important, they certainly are. Just how much, I think varies from situation to situation and from individual to individual.
I thing selecting the correct vocabulary and using the language more effectively can also make a lot of difference in conveying the message. This is not to say that expressions or emotions are not important, they certainly are. Just how much, I think varies from situation to situation and from individual to individual.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Blogging Topic 3: Displays of emotion
I think Emotional Coding in way can be broken down into the two basic modes that we used in the game. Those emotions that we encode and those that we decode, I am going to break down my personal life and how I use encoding/decoding, and don't use it enough...
1.) Encoding: Projecting my emotion onto others.
This is a very very important one, especially at work... I think I can credit much of what I learned and am learning from my father who is in my opinion a master of encoding/decoding... Since I basically have known him my whole life, and have worked with him for the last six years, I grew up knowing my dad as a father only until I joined the family business.
Having the perspective of knowing him outside of work, and seeing how he encodes messages to our staff has taught me a lot about what works in certain situations and how to encode certain emotions in the tone of voice and general reaction to situations.
Situations that can arise between customers, employees, and our own management. Pretty much any situation and combination of customers, employees, and management can end up in either situations where coming in as the leader and encoding things in the right way are essential so that people "really get the point".
I recently had a situation a few months ago arise where I encoded a message incorrectly to another manager who has been at our company longer than I have. It was about a new idea and way that we were going to change some responsibilities around because of the economic downturn.
I learned a really big lesson about encoding incorrectly... The other manager exploded in a loud verbal attack on me (with profanity included) which other employees heard... I remained quiet, I think he did not understand my intentions nor reasons, it was really in his best interest... I waited till he calmed down. We ended up making the changes...
After a few months... The changes benefitted the whole team, and will most likely lead to him getting a larger bonus than he would have otherwise... (probably double) because he took on some new responsibilities... He recently appologized to me, but I was reflecting on it, I think I encoded that message improperly, as I was excited about the change, but should have encoded it more for how he would had interpreted it up front...
Ive also come to learn that being from an engineering background, a lot of times we can come off a little too square with our message, sometimes we gotta round off the edges off our message since people like soft things, not necessarily those that are purely logical and functional. I'm still working on it... :)
1.) Decoding: Figuring out the emotional communication of others.
This side is especially important when it comes to employees, since they are the largest projectors of emotion. Normally, from my experience, an employee will not come out and tell you something outright. Being a good leader requires that you can read the messages they are encoding to you...
Even small things, avoiding conversation, or saying things in a way they normally don't. Ive learned that if an employee is acting different, chances are he trying to tell you something, before he has to "say it". Or say it the way he really wants to say it...
I recently had an employee that was avoiding conversation, and acting very much more quiet than usual the last two weeks, but different towards his coworkers... I knew something was wrong... Since he has been commuting from Livermore to our facility because the company he came from went out of business over a year ago when I hired him.
I had a feeling about two weeks ago he was going to tell me he was leaving... I could tell just by the way he was encoding messages physically, and in conversation... Nothing bad at all... But more like he had the look that he had something to tell me...
He gave notice to me last week... It was kind of a relief for me, because it gave closure to the last few weeks where I was decoding this... When he told me I was completely relieved and was already prepared, sat down with him, we talked about a lot of things outside of work. I said I understood because I lived in LA for a few years where the commute was terrible...
It was a good decode, I was completely ready for that talk and mentally prepared... I'm glad he gave me the right signals to decode, it made it a lot easier on both of us... He really did not want to leave, but the time in traffic and cost to travel so far, made his decision justified.
So far I'm +1 point decoding, -1 encoding... I guess I should stop writing here to be safe... :)
1.) Encoding: Projecting my emotion onto others.
This is a very very important one, especially at work... I think I can credit much of what I learned and am learning from my father who is in my opinion a master of encoding/decoding... Since I basically have known him my whole life, and have worked with him for the last six years, I grew up knowing my dad as a father only until I joined the family business.
Having the perspective of knowing him outside of work, and seeing how he encodes messages to our staff has taught me a lot about what works in certain situations and how to encode certain emotions in the tone of voice and general reaction to situations.
Situations that can arise between customers, employees, and our own management. Pretty much any situation and combination of customers, employees, and management can end up in either situations where coming in as the leader and encoding things in the right way are essential so that people "really get the point".
I recently had a situation a few months ago arise where I encoded a message incorrectly to another manager who has been at our company longer than I have. It was about a new idea and way that we were going to change some responsibilities around because of the economic downturn.
I learned a really big lesson about encoding incorrectly... The other manager exploded in a loud verbal attack on me (with profanity included) which other employees heard... I remained quiet, I think he did not understand my intentions nor reasons, it was really in his best interest... I waited till he calmed down. We ended up making the changes...
After a few months... The changes benefitted the whole team, and will most likely lead to him getting a larger bonus than he would have otherwise... (probably double) because he took on some new responsibilities... He recently appologized to me, but I was reflecting on it, I think I encoded that message improperly, as I was excited about the change, but should have encoded it more for how he would had interpreted it up front...
Ive also come to learn that being from an engineering background, a lot of times we can come off a little too square with our message, sometimes we gotta round off the edges off our message since people like soft things, not necessarily those that are purely logical and functional. I'm still working on it... :)
1.) Decoding: Figuring out the emotional communication of others.
This side is especially important when it comes to employees, since they are the largest projectors of emotion. Normally, from my experience, an employee will not come out and tell you something outright. Being a good leader requires that you can read the messages they are encoding to you...
Even small things, avoiding conversation, or saying things in a way they normally don't. Ive learned that if an employee is acting different, chances are he trying to tell you something, before he has to "say it". Or say it the way he really wants to say it...
I recently had an employee that was avoiding conversation, and acting very much more quiet than usual the last two weeks, but different towards his coworkers... I knew something was wrong... Since he has been commuting from Livermore to our facility because the company he came from went out of business over a year ago when I hired him.
I had a feeling about two weeks ago he was going to tell me he was leaving... I could tell just by the way he was encoding messages physically, and in conversation... Nothing bad at all... But more like he had the look that he had something to tell me...
He gave notice to me last week... It was kind of a relief for me, because it gave closure to the last few weeks where I was decoding this... When he told me I was completely relieved and was already prepared, sat down with him, we talked about a lot of things outside of work. I said I understood because I lived in LA for a few years where the commute was terrible...
It was a good decode, I was completely ready for that talk and mentally prepared... I'm glad he gave me the right signals to decode, it made it a lot easier on both of us... He really did not want to leave, but the time in traffic and cost to travel so far, made his decision justified.
So far I'm +1 point decoding, -1 encoding... I guess I should stop writing here to be safe... :)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Blogging Topic 3: Displays of emotion
We'll leave behind the Blind Square this week (finally) and talk a little about Emotional Intelligence and the related concepts.
This week in class, you played the Emotion Coding game. Like most of the games in this class, it was designed to challenge you and make easy success unlikely. For some people, it might have been hard to "be onstage" and for others, it might have been difficult to express emotions. In this blog topic, I'd like you to reflect on the Emotion Coding game and how your performance in this game is associated with the rest of your life.
For example, I remember my mom saying (over and over and over) while I was growing up that it "wasn't what you say, it's how you say it" and I cultivated a fairly sarcastic tone of voice during my high school and college years. I didn't realize it until people started saying I was cynical or unsupportive. To me, a core value is being dependable and supportive. If you need, I'll be there. And, another core value is being positive and believing that everything will work out. So, it was hard to hear people think that I wasn't authentic or that I view the world (and the people in it) in a negative way. I had to check myself and what I was saying, especially when making first impressions, to make sure that my values were coming across. I grew up in an environment in which positive emotions were not frequently or easily expressed (or any emotions, really), because that was not my family's way. Realizing that I have this particular cultural background has helped me bemore aware of my emotional expression habits.
This week in class, you played the Emotion Coding game. Like most of the games in this class, it was designed to challenge you and make easy success unlikely. For some people, it might have been hard to "be onstage" and for others, it might have been difficult to express emotions. In this blog topic, I'd like you to reflect on the Emotion Coding game and how your performance in this game is associated with the rest of your life.
For example, I remember my mom saying (over and over and over) while I was growing up that it "wasn't what you say, it's how you say it" and I cultivated a fairly sarcastic tone of voice during my high school and college years. I didn't realize it until people started saying I was cynical or unsupportive. To me, a core value is being dependable and supportive. If you need, I'll be there. And, another core value is being positive and believing that everything will work out. So, it was hard to hear people think that I wasn't authentic or that I view the world (and the people in it) in a negative way. I had to check myself and what I was saying, especially when making first impressions, to make sure that my values were coming across. I grew up in an environment in which positive emotions were not frequently or easily expressed (or any emotions, really), because that was not my family's way. Realizing that I have this particular cultural background has helped me bemore aware of my emotional expression habits.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Blog 2: blind square, leadership, core values
Though I was absent in the Blind Square exercise, I do have a good idea behind its intended purpose of serving as a learning tool for leadership and communication skills.
I think carrying this exercise out as a novice has its own set of challenges and learning opportunities as does someone who is performing it second or third time around. For example, doing it first time, we certainly experience the skills required in initiating a task, communicating and passing along an idea in a new team environment. Performing it thereafter, I think we should focus of establishing some metrics and then measure our progress. For example, some of the goals for performing it repeatedly could be:
- Establish a systematic and methodical approach to accomplishing this task (forming a square) rather than following trail-and-error method of the first time.
- Improve upon different aspects of the task such as improving the overall speed, more effective communication, better coordination, etc.
I personally believe in what Toyota calls "Kaizen" or continuous improvement. The important thing is to keep measuring the progress towards the established set of goals every time we carry the task repeatedly. In the process, we will hopefully gain valuable insights and knowledge of some key leadership and communication skills.
As far as my personal vision of leadership and how do my core values mesh with my actions, I have some catch up to do. Some of the areas that I need to work on are initiating a conversation, effective communication, and planning the agenda. As we work through different aspects of leadership, I hope to make a better assessment of where do I stand in the leadership ladder.
I think carrying this exercise out as a novice has its own set of challenges and learning opportunities as does someone who is performing it second or third time around. For example, doing it first time, we certainly experience the skills required in initiating a task, communicating and passing along an idea in a new team environment. Performing it thereafter, I think we should focus of establishing some metrics and then measure our progress. For example, some of the goals for performing it repeatedly could be:
- Establish a systematic and methodical approach to accomplishing this task (forming a square) rather than following trail-and-error method of the first time.
- Improve upon different aspects of the task such as improving the overall speed, more effective communication, better coordination, etc.
I personally believe in what Toyota calls "Kaizen" or continuous improvement. The important thing is to keep measuring the progress towards the established set of goals every time we carry the task repeatedly. In the process, we will hopefully gain valuable insights and knowledge of some key leadership and communication skills.
As far as my personal vision of leadership and how do my core values mesh with my actions, I have some catch up to do. Some of the areas that I need to work on are initiating a conversation, effective communication, and planning the agenda. As we work through different aspects of leadership, I hope to make a better assessment of where do I stand in the leadership ladder.
Blog Topic 2: Values and Vision Thoughts
Hello Team,
There are definitely a lot of questions in this one. I will try and give my thoughts on them one at a time.
1.) Doing it Repeatedly
I think that by doing the blind square multiple times it allows for a group of people to get to know each other. Most relationships can be formed when people experience or go through something together. The exercise is used as an icebreaker because it allows people to solve a problem and tough through the experience together, thereby forming a common bond. So in essence, I think by doing it repeatedly, you get to be comfortable around new people.
2.) Frustration of Being a Non-New Person
I was in this category, and did not feel frustrated, I think it because I was on the side of the square that was in the earlier numbers and not tangled.
3.) Onder's Experience of Failing Last time
I was not in the group that Onder was in, in my experience we were blindfolded outside in the night (which makes it much more exciting) and we managed to complete the square. I can't remember how long it took though. It was cool because we all felt a sort of camaraderie after.
4.) Incentive for Completing It
I think looking at the exercise from a monetary or "whats in it for me" mentality definitely destroys the whole cohesiveness of the activity. A lot of times in life we have to do things that do not provide any incentive, such as: helping others, teaching others, taking on an understudy or being a mentor at work, doing charitable work, or participating in an activity that helps raise money for a good cause.
5.) Intrinsic Value
Superficially this activity looks like it is just a way to frustrate a group into solving a problem. But below there is the value that I mentioned in number 1 above. Bonding with others to get through something together as a group, and forming relationships in the process.
6.) Motivation
I always want to try and do the best I can at different tasks, also I have learned that customers perception and the perception of others should not be sacrificed for making or getting that short term economic reward. Relationships are just as important, cause at some point we may be in a position when we need help.
If most people did things from purely an economic perspective, the world would look very different. There is nothing wrong, in my opinion with making a decision from an economic perspective, in business most of the time that is the case. We wouldn't need people to make decisions, computers could calculate the highest reward and we would all become zombies, but I don't think we would end up happy in that scenario. :)
There are definitely a lot of questions in this one. I will try and give my thoughts on them one at a time.
1.) Doing it Repeatedly
I think that by doing the blind square multiple times it allows for a group of people to get to know each other. Most relationships can be formed when people experience or go through something together. The exercise is used as an icebreaker because it allows people to solve a problem and tough through the experience together, thereby forming a common bond. So in essence, I think by doing it repeatedly, you get to be comfortable around new people.
2.) Frustration of Being a Non-New Person
I was in this category, and did not feel frustrated, I think it because I was on the side of the square that was in the earlier numbers and not tangled.
3.) Onder's Experience of Failing Last time
I was not in the group that Onder was in, in my experience we were blindfolded outside in the night (which makes it much more exciting) and we managed to complete the square. I can't remember how long it took though. It was cool because we all felt a sort of camaraderie after.
4.) Incentive for Completing It
I think looking at the exercise from a monetary or "whats in it for me" mentality definitely destroys the whole cohesiveness of the activity. A lot of times in life we have to do things that do not provide any incentive, such as: helping others, teaching others, taking on an understudy or being a mentor at work, doing charitable work, or participating in an activity that helps raise money for a good cause.
5.) Intrinsic Value
Superficially this activity looks like it is just a way to frustrate a group into solving a problem. But below there is the value that I mentioned in number 1 above. Bonding with others to get through something together as a group, and forming relationships in the process.
6.) Motivation
I always want to try and do the best I can at different tasks, also I have learned that customers perception and the perception of others should not be sacrificed for making or getting that short term economic reward. Relationships are just as important, cause at some point we may be in a position when we need help.
If most people did things from purely an economic perspective, the world would look very different. There is nothing wrong, in my opinion with making a decision from an economic perspective, in business most of the time that is the case. We wouldn't need people to make decisions, computers could calculate the highest reward and we would all become zombies, but I don't think we would end up happy in that scenario. :)
Blog 2: My reflection
I was not there for the Blind Square excercise, but I have done it before in another MBA elective class. Based on that experience, I would say that I was much more passive than i would have liked to be, and took on the role of an observer moreso than a leader. This was partially because it was my first time completing the activity and I had a vested interest in watching and learning from others who seemed to be more confident in how to proceed as a group, etc. I have a personality where I will first watch and listen and absorb the feedback and thoughts of others on a topic or activity before volunteering my thoughts or opinions. Because i am extremely competitive and I also have a lot of pride, I have learned to be patient and make sure that I am confident in the validity of my opinions and thoughts before offering them in front of a group. I like to hear the rationale of others and why they justify their ideas and opinions, and then reflect on my own personal thoughts before volunteering them.
I think that this is an ongoing struggle for me, though, as often this method of playing observer before contributor results in other people offering the same opinions and ideas that I had already thought of, but then they get credit for them and I lose out on gaining that credibility as a contributing member of the group… and that is frustrating. I think that my go-to method is a way of “playing it safe”, and that is not a mantra that I want to live by indefinitely… eventually I would like to work towards taking more risks and maybe being a little bit more impulsive with my idea sharing and brainstorming, rather than always pre-calculating my next move and word.
To address the question about if we are all only motivated to be successful at something based on a personal benefit or financial incentive, I think that probably varies from person to person. For myself, because I am very competitive, just having “bragging rights” alone is often enough of an incentive for me to keep trying something over and over until I get it right. I think there is something to be said for learning through trial and error and accomplishing a task through sheer persistence and for no other payoff than personal satisfaction.. but that’s just me.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Blog Topic 2: Values and Vision
Here's the thing about the Blind Square Exercise - you'll probably see it again. It is a classic team-building and ice-breaking exercise. So what you can learn from doing it repeatedly? Many of the veterans understood that the frustration of being a new-person at the task is important, but what about the frustration of being a non-new person? Can anything be learned from that? Moreover, thinking about Onder's comment in class - you all apparently failed miserably at the task last time, so what wisdom did you have to impart? Some say there was no incentive for doing the task again - how about to do it successfully? So, you believe that the only incentive for doing anything well is payment? What about the intrinsic
value of a job well-done, of pride? We'll talk about it later in class, but consider what makes you do the things you do and consider whether
if everyone only did things based upon an economic calculation of personal benefit would result in a functioning society?
How did your behavior in the Blind Square task fit with your core values? How do you reconcile your actions there with the visions you have of yourself as a leader?
value of a job well-done, of pride? We'll talk about it later in class, but consider what makes you do the things you do and consider whether
if everyone only did things based upon an economic calculation of personal benefit would result in a functioning society?
How did your behavior in the Blind Square task fit with your core values? How do you reconcile your actions there with the visions you have of yourself as a leader?
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Hello
Hello everyone:
My first blog entry. I could not make it to the class last week, and hope to make more contribution going forward.
Thanks.
My first blog entry. I could not make it to the class last week, and hope to make more contribution going forward.
Thanks.
Blind Square Exercize Thoughts
Hey guys,
Some of my thoughts on the blind square exercise. I had done this exercise once before in one of the other MBA classes I took here at SJSU and found a lot of value in it. Last time I felt that the majority of the people participating had not done it before which kind of gave a little higher level of excitement and energy to the exercise. Also, next time I believe that using blindfolds, makes people take the game more seriously, as they are truly in the dark. I think overall our group was successful, but was definitely having problems with fragmentation and the forming of subgroups.
The problem with fragmentation and why leadership is so important in this exercise is that one solution for one group of students could also create a new problem with another group that is not a part of that local solution. This is why its important that the whole group try different solutions but with some type of centralized communication and leadership.
Personally, I decided that because I was located in the earlier part of the loop, our row of 10 students all stood shoulder to shoulder which allowed us to make sure we were not tangled. Also, I agreed with the idea of the girl who was counting, as it helped verify that all of us were standing sequentially and in line. We then tried to form a 90 degree corner and my number, which I felt helped at least align 25% percent of the square early on. Towards the end of the exercise, when the other entangled groups untangled, our formation came into line with theirs. I felt our approach in being patient also helped in allowed the other groups at the end of the numbering to untangle.
I think next time, I would have definitely placed more energy and been more vocal, even if I had experienced the event before, since there are multiple possible solutions. Or also, to try and experiment with leading a new solution, instead of letting others try and figure it out themselves by trial, frustration, and error.
I would say I was patient, there were many opportunities to move or go off in a different direction, but I thought our approach and patience as a small group paid off in the end.
Some of my thoughts on the blind square exercise. I had done this exercise once before in one of the other MBA classes I took here at SJSU and found a lot of value in it. Last time I felt that the majority of the people participating had not done it before which kind of gave a little higher level of excitement and energy to the exercise. Also, next time I believe that using blindfolds, makes people take the game more seriously, as they are truly in the dark. I think overall our group was successful, but was definitely having problems with fragmentation and the forming of subgroups.
The problem with fragmentation and why leadership is so important in this exercise is that one solution for one group of students could also create a new problem with another group that is not a part of that local solution. This is why its important that the whole group try different solutions but with some type of centralized communication and leadership.
Personally, I decided that because I was located in the earlier part of the loop, our row of 10 students all stood shoulder to shoulder which allowed us to make sure we were not tangled. Also, I agreed with the idea of the girl who was counting, as it helped verify that all of us were standing sequentially and in line. We then tried to form a 90 degree corner and my number, which I felt helped at least align 25% percent of the square early on. Towards the end of the exercise, when the other entangled groups untangled, our formation came into line with theirs. I felt our approach in being patient also helped in allowed the other groups at the end of the numbering to untangle.
I think next time, I would have definitely placed more energy and been more vocal, even if I had experienced the event before, since there are multiple possible solutions. Or also, to try and experiment with leading a new solution, instead of letting others try and figure it out themselves by trial, frustration, and error.
I would say I was patient, there were many opportunities to move or go off in a different direction, but I thought our approach and patience as a small group paid off in the end.
"The Square"
I was lucky enough to experience "The Square" exercise this past Wednesday with 34 other students. There was a little rule shagging going on, which was promptly corrected by Dr. Johnson (in my defense.. I did not have the slightest clue I was doing something against the rules; they were somewhat ambiguous).
Perhaps that was one of the many reasons why this event took much longer than anticipated to bring to a close. I believe the lack of unity and leadership (which could have been put in place via a Democratic process prior to the beginning of the exercise or voted upon while blindfolded, which would have been infinitely harder to accomplish.. the gift of sight is quite useful) ultimately made us inefficient. Some of the other reasons determined, during the discussion shortly after the exercise, showed that not many had taken the initiative to either take the lead if they had experience or asked questions/advise of those that did. Retrospectively, that shows a lack of attention to the environment and perhaps being aware of the resources at hand.
Several of us are probably at fault for assuming the lead at different ends of the square and not placing more emphasis on globalizing a strategy. I do not want to make this into an all too critical post either, as we did end up in a square after the better part of the hour. To the credit of the class, there were students on either end, although working locally, that were mostly willing to follow along with the few vocal leaders. Some leaders were willing to make consolidations with other vocal leaders and follow various strategies to get their corners worked out... this may have been the greatest accomplishment as it showed our leaders were open to the ideas of others as well.
I have faith our class may end up being alright as a group in the long run after all. :)
Anish
Perhaps that was one of the many reasons why this event took much longer than anticipated to bring to a close. I believe the lack of unity and leadership (which could have been put in place via a Democratic process prior to the beginning of the exercise or voted upon while blindfolded, which would have been infinitely harder to accomplish.. the gift of sight is quite useful) ultimately made us inefficient. Some of the other reasons determined, during the discussion shortly after the exercise, showed that not many had taken the initiative to either take the lead if they had experience or asked questions/advise of those that did. Retrospectively, that shows a lack of attention to the environment and perhaps being aware of the resources at hand.
Several of us are probably at fault for assuming the lead at different ends of the square and not placing more emphasis on globalizing a strategy. I do not want to make this into an all too critical post either, as we did end up in a square after the better part of the hour. To the credit of the class, there were students on either end, although working locally, that were mostly willing to follow along with the few vocal leaders. Some leaders were willing to make consolidations with other vocal leaders and follow various strategies to get their corners worked out... this may have been the greatest accomplishment as it showed our leaders were open to the ideas of others as well.
I have faith our class may end up being alright as a group in the long run after all. :)
Anish
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Hey guys! It's my first time on a blog too!
Define success—was it accomplishing the goal (the square), or how we accomplished it? One of the things that hit me during the discussion after the exercise, was how unhappy some people were with the exercise despite Prof. Johnson saying it was the best square she’d seen, and that we had avoided many pitfalls that had befallen other classes. It was a good life lesson in that a team or organization may meet its goals, but people can have a different perspective of success.
Overall, I think I was successful by fully participating in the exercise. One thing I took from it was the idea of varying leadership styles as mentioned in Jay Conger article. That a “new situation demands a shift in their style, and which leadership approach is more appropriate to the particular situation.” Once the counting off wasn’t working, we should’ve tried a different tactic (continuing with the counting was only going to do so much, lol). Trying the different method of aligning ourselves to the courtyard seemed to help finish the exercise. Things I’d change would be changing tactics, listening more and soliciting more input.
If I had done it before, I’d have wanted people to ask me for tips, but I also think that sometimes you need to take the leap and offer the expertise you may have. The other perspective of people that had done it before was to not diminish the experience of the first-timers. In that case, I’d have appreciated some instruction that it was a good thing to share my experience with the group.
I wish that everyone had participated in the activity—it seems that some people weren’t that into it for whatever reason, and it affected the group.
I'm proud of participating and not giving up :)
Hey all!
Hey team!
So, as you know i was not in class this past week- got slammed and stuck at work since i was going out of town Thursday. I missed the activity so if someone can give me a brief rundown that would be awesome, and then hopefully I can contribute something to the blog assignement for this week :)
See ya all tomorrow!
So, as you know i was not in class this past week- got slammed and stuck at work since i was going out of town Thursday. I missed the activity so if someone can give me a brief rundown that would be awesome, and then hopefully I can contribute something to the blog assignement for this week :)
See ya all tomorrow!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Introductory Blog Topic
Last Wednesday, we did our first activity as a large group: the Blind Square. We had a mix of experienced and inexperienced people in the group, and various obstacles were placed and then removed. Do you think the group was successful? Do you think that you were successful? Imagine the event from a different perspective (e.g. if you had done it before, imagine it from the perspective of a new person, and vice versa). What could you have done to make the experience better for them? What do wish had gone differently in the activity, and what could you have done to make the activity go differently? What are you proud of yourself for doing?
Thursday, September 2, 2010
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