Brian's Univ. of Phoenix Blog

University of Phoenix - Enrolled and Going for it!

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------

This is the first blog entry that I am making. Why am I making this? Well, because I like to blog a lot, and because I think this'll bore the crap out of people to read on my regular blog.

I'll use this to talk about how things are going with school and what classes/assignments/homework or projects I'm facing. I may even use it as a forum for my group projects if we need a way to communicate in a threaded kind-of-way.

I signed up for the University of Phoenix in early May and was accepted, enrolled in my FAFSA loan, and am now getting ready to kick things off. Good luck to me!

University of Phoenix - My Thoughts on Enrolling

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
I made a serious decision today. I applied to the Graduate program at the University of Phoenix. I had thought about it for more than a full year. And you know what? A whole year has come by that I really could have spent doing something with my life. I've tossed around the pros and cons throughout the year. Will this really help me in the long run? Is the school accredited? Is this worth the money? Can I even afford it? Am I going to have a life if I'm cooped up studying? What happens if I lose my job? What happens when I want to move out of the house? Will I ever have a girlfriend? Do I want to trap myself into a loan? Will I regret this later?

I've thought about all of these. The only thing I'd regret is not taking this opportunity. Yes, the University of Phoenix is accredited. I'm taking the same classes for this program that the students in Phoenix are taking. Same books, professors, everything. I've got the money. I have the time. I have the mental ability and need a challenge to motivate myself. I don't care about the social life thing, because I'm not going to let studying stop me from enjoying my weekends.

I'm not worried about the girlfriend thing. It'll happen when it happens. I need to work on myself, and no one else can do that but me. It's time I get on that. Having another degree will never hurt anyone. I will eventually hit a cap in the level I can reach in my current job where I couldn't work up further without one, so I might as well knock it out while I'm still young, I have no dependencies and am single.

I'd never signed up for a student loan (or any loan) before, so that was kind of weird. But I really am enjoying the satisfaction of knowing that this is all on me. It's about time to take charge of my life.

University of Phoenix - Discussion Questions - Week 1

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
Here are this week's Discussion Questions and my answers. They are pretty thought-provoking, not all busy-work like I was expecting. Okay, it's almost 3am. I need to go to sleep now.

University of Phoenix - Week 1 Summary

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
After a brief refresher from the Writing Self Assessment, I spent a bit more time working with the LBCH to ensure that my writing nuances were properly presented. I wrote an autobiography, which was much more difficult than I had expected. I found myself wondering where I stood in comparison with my other classmates in terms of education, on-the-job experience, professionalism, etc. I was very glad to read others’ biographies. Knowing everyone out there is as busy as I am (or more so) really makes me feel better.

The reading assignments, getting OE working correctly with the newsgroups and playing catch-up after a wedding weekend out of town were a bit overwhelming. I had a four-day weekend away from my desk at home where I was working exclusively from IE.

The discussion questions were insightful as well. I had to review the proper way to cite a source, something I hadn’t needed to practice in many years. It always impresses me when the same assignment can yield so many different responses--particularly the plagiarism question.

I look forward to the upcoming group work. I see it as a challenge and as a great way to “practice.” I’ve learned to stay positive, focus on the task at hand and prioritize the important from the not-so-important. If I can take those three rules to the office with me, I think I’ll have a swift way to success.

Or at least a way to sleep better at night.

University of Phoenix - Too Tired to Think!

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------

Last night I had to make a hard decision. I was exhausted. I needed to get my discussion questions done, and it was just too tedious. I couldn't focus. I was exhausted and sore from the 5k and the root canal. I was half medicated, half comatose.

I opted to lose a few points and get some sleep instead. Tonight I really need to bust ass to catch up. The end of the week is tomorrow. I hope I haven't let my group down.

University of Phoneix - By the Skin of my Teeth

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
I'm the man. Whew. All that work I had to do. It was coming down to the wire. Tonight at 8:30, I started the journey to read an article and write a three-page paper on it, as well as create a PowerPoint slideshow on the outline of my report. Then, as an added bonus, I had 5 discussion questions to research and report on. (those are here)

Thank God for the time difference. I really needed the extra three hours. Of course, it's 3am now, but hey, I got my shit done by midnight, PST! :)

University of Phoenix - Week 2 Summary

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
This week... Man, oh man. This week has been rough.

The first week had a novelty to it that kept me motivated. When Thursday came along, I took the day off as a congratulatory gift to myself for getting through week 1. Then came Monday, and I was still on the mental vacation. I ran in a 5k race on Sunday and had a root canal done Monday, so my soreness (and medication) completely killed any motivation to work, leaving all of my major stuff to do for the home stretch of the week.

This is not how to plan, people. :)

I'm admitting it here and now to the group that I was exhausted. And the assignments kept on coming in. At least they seemed to. And that brings me to my point for this week's Learning Summary:

Plan ahead of time, break things up into easily-workable chunks, and for goodness' sake, do something...even if it's a little bit... every day. This week has been a week of all-nighters (both for the office work and for my UoP work). Had I planned anything, I could have avoided the last-minute pile up.

I got a great deal more out of this week's reading than I did last week. Just reading the word "team" last week even one more time was going to push me over the edge :) But conflict resolution? Oh yea. I'm all about it! Before I started page 217 of the Tools for Teams text, I was mentally trying to categorize the important factors about conflicts and conflict resolution. As I read, I found that Thompson, et al. were covering my thoughts in a more thorough form. Looking back, it was more of a "review session" than a new reading assignment.

I realize this may seem naïve to many of you, but this is a new concept for me. And I'm tickled as hell to realize that I discovered this on my own.

It took a lot of pressure and a lot of tight squeezes to get the work done this week, but I was determined not to let myself or my group down. I am pleased with the results and am more familiar now with how things work.

One thing's for sure: I'll be ready for next week.

...after another 5k on Saturday. :)

University of Phoneix - The final Week's Discussion Questions

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
Here are this week's discussion questions. I found these to be pretty simple. They're all my opinions on things, which is nicer than having to read stuff and interpret it. That type of 'learning' really comes out to me as being busy work.

University of Phoenix - Grades Are In...

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
::: happy dance :::

Got the grades in for my first class. Looks like my hard work paid off.

Yay me!

University of Phoenix - Week 1's Discussion Questions

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
What? These are due Saturday now? Jesus. Anyhow, here are mine. These kicked off TONS of discussion. We're 14 days in and people are still replying to discussions that I began when answering these DQ's. I think Connie is glad I'm in the class. She told me that I'm participating above and beyond from such a unique perspective.

University of Phoenix - Week 1 Summary

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
I think of myself as an observer. Whenever good moves or bad moves are made by my company’s management, I take notice. I try to pay attention to not only what was done wrong, (in my opinion, of course) but also to how I would have done things differently.

Imagine my pleasure in discovering that this is actually a field of study! Learning more about Organizational Behavior in a formal environment will no-doubt enhance my perception and structure my thoughts one what works and what doesn’t.

It has only been a week, but it has been a very active week in the class. I feel like I am getting my money’s worth here, and am very pleased to see so many positive people in the class. It really makes this easier for me.

The e-Text is great. On top of being a money-saver, it is very easy to “browse” and “skim” for my place, when I return to reading from doing something else. The information is a lot less formal than our last text, which really means that it offers more practical applications of the theories described. To me, that is the best way to teach. And because of that, it’s the best way to learn.

The class is very knowledgeable and I really respect all the various positions that people are in from our class. We really cover the spectrum of job positions and experiences, and I think that can only be a good thing. I have already learned from many posts about effective ways to organize, run meetings, and treat employees. I look forward to the time when I will be in a management position and can apply the knowledge I have already learned!

Our group has already met to discuss the upcoming week and our duties for that. It comes as no surprise to me that we’re already on the ball. It’s a good group.

All in all, this was a great week. I got too used to sleeping at a reasonable hour when I had my week off, so I’m gradually getting back into the swing of things, but I’m hopeful that within the next few days, I’ll be in “UoP mode” once again.

University of Phoenix - Week 2's Discussion Questions

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
Here they are... I did these in Ohio.

University of Phoenix - Week 2 learning Summary

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
This week has gone by in a blink, but you wouldn't know it to look at the bags under my eyes. I was assuming last week that by now, I'd be an old pro at staying up late to finish the job, or meet with the team. Such is not the case, however, as stressors at the office are complicating matters. Toss in a three-day traveling schedule to Richmond and then Ohio, and it's a recipe for general busy-ness.

Still, I am glad I made it through. Although I spent most of my time with my family behind my laptop, working on assignments, they were very supportive. I included them in discussions about the simulations and some of our topics in the boards that I've found particularly interesting.

It pleases me to see that the rest of the class is so receptive to my questions and concerns. Being ready to start a new career entirely and leave my current job, I am in a unique position in the class, it seems. I have made attempts to try and keep my thoughts objective when referring to my company, which is the best for everyone. I can't learn from my experiences if my arguments have no logic and reason.

Our e-Text is getting more and more interesting, and I'm considering switching from Technology Management to study Organizational Management because this class appeals to me so much. I think I have found an area of highlighted interest to me, which is something I do not want to stifle. I think I am on a roll. Hopefully, week 3 will find me on that roll, moving swiftly through assignments, and taking on a larger role in our group projects.

University of Phoenix - Week 3's Discussion Questions

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
1. How does your current organization use groups or teams? What have been the pros and cons in your organization? Should all jobs be designed around groups?

I learned in COM 515 that a team consists of people following similar methods to accomplish a given task or goal. Team members work collaboratively, and share responsibilities. Each is responsible for their part, and the entire team suffers if they fail to meet that responsibility.

To the best of my knowledge, my company does not take advantage of teams in its endeavors. We are broken into groups (departments), which means that the ultimate end results are the same among the employees of a department, but our skill sets, individual goals and means of getting there are completely unique to ourselves.

I wouldn’t feel comfortable making sweeping generalizations like “All companies should work in groups,” since in many cases (as is with UoP coursework) much can be accomplished through teams. Personal and group successes can be achieved in an environment that encourages team work. One thing I will suggest is that teamwork seems to instill a great deal more pride in individuals. Such pride contributes to healthy morale and work ethic, which almost always leads to better work performance.

2. What is your opinion of the Bases of Power discussed on page 353 of Robbins or page 533 of the eText? Should all Bases of Power be used by leaders and/or managers? Which Bases of Power have you used or experienced?

If coercive power is positive, I think it is a good thing. It keeps honest people honest. You should follow the rules, not because you'll be punished, but because you want the best for your company. I think the real trick to coercive power is establishing boundaries that are clear and defining to your people the reasons you have established them. Then, you'd find that you don't really need to worry so much about day-to-day monitoring. If coercive power is used in a negative light (intimidation, fear, threats) like it is in my office, it is one of the most destructive things you can do to your employees. My boss is an extreme example of this. On my first day in his department after switching over, he had me in his office to say hello. I was told that it’s my job to make sure I don’t F**k up, and if I do, that we’d need to talk. I think I don’t even need to get into how I feel about that man after that conversation. I didn’t need that talk at all.

Reward power (aside from the most basic of rewards at work, the paycheck) doesn't happen very much in my company. I try to make it a point to publicly thank people who work with me on projects, but that's about where it stops. There's never a "yes, Brian's right- thank you, Liz, for your work on this" email or anything. I think regarding employees might be the first step in turning around the office morale, not because I feel like the company owes me anything. I'm lucky to still have a tech job these days. It's just that they need to show that they care. Rewards in the form of thank-you’s go such a long way.
We all respect experts in given areas. In my office, most of these experts are Internet Security specialists. They lack a great deal of social ability and tend to talk over everyone’s head because they enjoy feeling powerful. Expert power can be used effectively, but not when people are made to feel stupid.

Referent power is probably one of the best tools a manager has in his/her arsenal. By acting as a good example, people actually WANT to work hard like them, WANT to succeed like them, and WANT to do a good job for them. Referent power can work without words, rules, or long team-building meetings. I’m a big believer in this, but never even knew it had a name!

3. Describe a leader in your life. What makes that individual a leader?

My father is a leader in my life. He is personable, respectable, honorable, and hard-working. To me, a leader must be inspiring and motivational. My father meets those criteria. He insures that I have the means to learn what is expected of me, then steps back to give me the space to succeed on my own. He offers guidance when I need it, but would prefer that I try and explore options on my own. A good leader works to produce more leaders. By serving as an example, he is not only a model of leadership, but he is helping me become a leader myself.

4. Write your own discussion question and answer it.
What is your preferred management style? How does your style affect your employees?

Occasionally, I work with others on projects where I am the resident expert. In these cases, I get to be the leader, and take the assignment objectives very seriously. I like to lead by example. I show my team how something is done, essentially creating a model of performance. From there, I turn the team loose to work on the goal.

I closely monitor the team to be sure that everyone is on the right path. As time goes on, I can do less and less of this, since the team is more attuned to the assignment and can operate with less reliance on me.

Ideally, once the team has accomplished something significant, I like to offer a challenge- to teach the assignment to others. This is the true test of knowledge, whether your message can be passed along to others. A successful training leaves my team satisfied that they know the material, and have accomplished something as a team that is much more significant than anything any one employee could have done.

University of Phoenix - Week 3 Learning Summary

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
Today, as I interviewed a worthy candidate of my current job, this class was in the forefront of my mind. We began discussing morale a bit (where I used my professional distance, Rudy) and didn't get too much into the negatives. I explained that we were going through a lot of changes, with executives coming and going in such a small timeframe.

We spent another 10 minutes talking about her company. I started asking her more and more about perceptions that they have of their managers, the level of communication that goes back and forth in her organization, etc. This class has really made me a critical thinker about organizational behavior. This is really fascinating to me.

This week in the class seemed to breeze right by. I'm sure if I think back to the late nights, I can recall a longer version, but it all seems so short in retrospect. Laura did a great job organizing our team through a week's worth of craziness. We lost a group member (good luck to you, Ani) and had to pick up the slack. Our group still performed at a high level of quality. That is a credit to her leadership.

Our conversations in the boards are getting more and more interesting as weeks go on. We have such a diverse group of people. I really enjoy the various perspectives, and am learning a great deal from everyone.

University of Phoenix - Week 4's Discussion Questions

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
Describe your organizational culture. How did it begin and how is it learned? What are the pros and cons?

At the office, we used to have a very dot-com networked culture. We had Nerf darts flying throughout the office, a foosball table, free sodas of every variety, daily group trips to lunch, etc. We worked a lot, but we played much harder. Over the course of the next few years, we went through several organizational changes. People were laid-off, workloads doubled, friends departed to better opportunities.

Now, we sadly have a fragmented culture. I do not believe that anyone likes the way things are, but I don't think anyone realizes that they can easily change things for the better in terms of organization identification or productivity (morale). Culture at our company is learned through other co-workers. New people who came in full of energy now appear as lethargic and calm as everyone else.

If you were starting a company from scratch, what culture would you choose? Why?

I was fortunate to have an experience in Undergrad where I was able to start an organization from the ground. We had an amazing communal culture. My team worked nights, weekends, holidays, school days, all on a volunteer basis. (I only wanted them working school nights after homework was done!) I never had dinner alone those last two years. There was always someone from my group who could eat with me, and I'd take that time to discuss upcoming projects and assignments. Downsides included, just like the lecture mentioned, a lack of personal time. In most cases, since we were all friends, we didn't mind that we were talking shop.

If I had a choice, I would definitely create this type of environment again, however. My work experience has taught me the importance of professionalism, so I feel that I could maintain a communal culture while keeping people at work when they should be at home with their families.

In your company, what Human Resources policies and procedures would you incorporate? Why?

I would be sure in my new company that HR policy would be established to protect all employees from abuse or harassment, provide them with good, solid benefits, and most importantly, list what is expected of all employees. We currently lack an employee handbook or anything describing the nuances of an employee at my company. No one knows quite what our dress policy is, whether we have an inter-office dating policy, etc. I would want my people safe (first and foremost), happy (with benefits, vacation, etc.), and loyal (retention programs, bonuses, etc.)

Which comes first, culture or policy?

I don't think that H.R. can set the pace of organizational culture through policy and procedures. Official forms and standards can not have the ability to affect personality. Personality sets the tone for culture, which turns right back into productivity. Culture can be formed without documentation (as was the case with our office). Then, the fun begins, trying to document and potentially restrict behaviors that have been all but considered standard.

University of Phoenix - This Class is Kicking my Ass.

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
Finally, at long last, my work has been submitted and I am free.

So what in the hell happened? Good question.

For starters, I'm not looking to pass the buck. I place the blame on myself. I had a paper due last night (Monday night). Technically, our assignments aren't due until 7am the following day, since our professor is cool and she won't get to reading them until she's awake anyhow. She gives us that flexibility.

We also had a group assignment Monday night. With a glance at the syllabus, I assumed it would be a pushover assignment, the typical busy-work one could expect from a graduate-level university that doesn't require physical togetherness, only the virtual sort. This was far from the case.

Our meeting was set at 9pm, and by 1:30am, we were finally getting things together. We turned it in, broke up for the night and I started my paper at 2. The assignment was to create a hypothetical workplace scenario where conflict occurs and to analyze the stages of conflict using theories from the text, create a dispute resolution and defend it, indicate any repercussions, etc. I had one page done by 3:30am. Most of that time was spent wiping my eyes and yawning. I couldn't stay up much longer, but I wasn't going to lose any points.

It got to 3:45 before I realized that I had failed to plan this out correctly. I was fading quickly. I had been writing all night, reviewing our text (a four-part PDF, with 300 pages each) for citations, and sitting in the quiet room in an uncomfortable chair, still sitting in my own sweat from a workout. I decided to take a 20 minute power nap and get back to work when I woke back up again.

Twenty minutes later, I was up and walking around. Now more tired than I was before I had taken the nap, I knew this wouldn't be pretty. I opened up the laptop once again to get going. I wrote another paragraph. Exhausted, I tried again with the nap. "I'll set it for thirty minutes and finish this," I said to myself. I was up at 4:35. I slapped the snooze bar. Nine minutes later, I was almost upside-down in my bed. The alarm went off and I smacked it with a thud. "Heh. 4:44. That's pretty cool." Now even more delerious, I took another stab at the paper.

The night sky had turned to a bright blue. Birds were chirping outside my bedroom window. I knew that this paper wouldn't get finished if I were this tired. I couldn't research something if I couldn't keep my eyes open. I set my alarm for 6am to give myself one final hour and slammed back into bed.

The phone rang at 9:54am. I got a shower and went into the classroom newsgroup. Everyone was already commenting on everyone else's papers. I double-checked to make sure our groupwork got submitted in time. Everything was okay. No emergencies.

I went to the basement for another workout and then came back to the paper.

The dreaded paper.

Six hours later, I had written four pages of this paper. I decided that I wasn't going to beat a dead horse. I was done. I had already lost 5 points of a possible 6 for being late, so what's the use in making that last point really shine?

Group work started back up with a meeting at 8:30 last night. We were done at midnight. I did the final proofreading (my specialty among the other two in the group) and turned it in. This assignment was the make-it or break-it group project. Team B didn't fare so well. Out of four people, the final project was handed in by one person. I'm not sure just yet, but I think four people have dropped out of our 9-person class.

And after the day I had yesterday, I had almost thought about that as well. It would have been easy to do. I would have wrapped up my complaints in a pretty little memo, shipped it off to my professor and the Dean of my college, called Wells Fargo about the school loan, and said "Screw it all."

I'm still here though. Tonight, I have to recap the week's progress in a quickie 350-word paper. I'll be sure to mention the hell I put myself through.

University of Phoenix - Week 4 Learning Summary

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
Why is it that I start every learning summary with "Whew. This was the hardest week so far!" or something like it? :)

This week was no exception. I planned my assignments so poorly this week that I actually had to take a day off of work to get back on track with things. I see this as a failure of time management, once again, and am taking steps now to prevent that from happening this coming week.

As far as the content we covered, I didn't know that people had done research on leadership to such detail. The theories on traits, behaviors and things leaders have in common was studied so.. methodically. I am continually impressed with the depth of our text and the knowledge of my classmates, with their real-life examples of the text's descriptions.

The self-assessments we do each week have been helping me codify my styles and preferences. Looking at things from a scoring perspective helps me keep emotion out of my decisions as to how I work as an employee, and what kind of fit I am in my organization. I'd like to personally single out Rudy, who so clearly described my boss...I had never thought of things that way, and his discussions have really been insightful.

I look forward to this week's coverage. I will be more prepared and will have more time scheduled to give this class the attention it deserves. We all benefit from group discussion, and I hope to be even more involved this coming week.

University of Phoenix - Week 5 - Discussion Questions

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
1. Provide two more bullets to the above list. Why did you choose them?

Be upfront and honest with employees. Knowing the difficulties of the road ahead may add stress to employees’ lives, but not knowing almost always leads to perception errors and rash judgments on those perceptions. When a solution presents itself, employees are skeptical to adopt the new solution, just waiting for their misguided perceptions to take place. By keeping employees current with news of decisions, plans, short-term and long-term goals, you can save face by establishing trust that, while you aren’t delivering great news, you are at least giving them the whole story.

Give employees something to do. Company mergers do not necessarily change the way all employees do business. Business needs still exist. When a plan is established for the merger and someone has informed everyone about the plans, make steps to start employees working towards that plan. Don’t overwhelm them, but if you keep them working, it may help keep their minds occupied and at least reduce some of the perceptions that could lead to problems.

2. Describe a change that took place in your organization. If it was handled well, explain why. If it was handled poorly, explain what should have been done differently.

I took a Friday off to visit friends before their wedding that weekend. One of my coworkers called my cell phone to let me know that strange things were happening at the office. I asked him what he meant. He told me that Alvin (a programmer) and Pat (our boss) had been let go. The new company we had recently acquired had a boss that became our new VP, and this was one of his first moves. Not knowing anything about why this was done, I thanked my friend for calling and came home early that weekend. I cleaned up my desk, took all personal items home and completely gutted things out. Not knowing who would be next, I couldn’t take any chances.

On Monday, we were gathered up by our new VP, who told us about the future of the group. We met him again in one-on-one discussions where he told us to trust him and that we’d all be safe.

This was handled horribly. I understand that we couldn’t know about their leaving before they actually left, but none of us even remotely saw this coming. No one should have started their weekend wondering if they’d have a job on Monday. Better communication should have been implemented.

Losing a boss of 3 years to a VP of three weeks doesn’t instill any trust. The VP later transferred me out of his department, which I didn’t mind too much considering his leadership abilities, and four months later, his group is still in an area of disarray.

3. From this week's reading, discuss one thing that stuck out. Why did it stick out to you?

Before reading, I had never heard of a Change Agent. This is a fascinating job, which no doubt has its share of stress. I can see that a company may have mixed feelings about a 3rd party Change Agent because he/she may not know about the inner-workings, culture or history of a company. They may understand the Wall Street Journal portion of the company history, but not the day-to-day operations. This could lead to some decisions that are perceived as quite drastic from inside employees. Still, having an objective party look at a company and work to change things might be exactly what a company needs. Very interesting!

University of Phoenix - Week 6 - Discussion Questions

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
1. From what we've covered in this class, which topic or topics do you feel will impact your ability to be a better leader? Why? What do you plan to do to make it happen?

The dynamics of change and how change affects employees was the most influential area of study for me. Having gone through some significant change in my own environment, I have seen first-hand the communication errors of management, the mistakes made by the reactions of the employees, and the affects of an acquisition/merger to corporate morale.

Learning more about the dynamics of change will make me a better leader because it confirms what I had previously thought about the importance of people.

This knowledge was provided by the text, a simulation, a group project and an individual paper, so the message got through to me quite well. It is ultimately about planning and communications, which leads me two answer #2:

2. What is Organizational Behavior? Why is it important? How has your definition changed since Week 1?

While my definition hasn’t changed significantly, the depth of what I know about the topic most certainly has.

I originally wrote that “to study organizational behavior is to focus on the social structure of a given organization, particularly the procedures and methods utilized by and towards management.” I suppose the only thing I would add to the definition is the importance of people and use of communications in carrying out that mission.

This class has taught me a great deal about the importance of planning the corporate structure to allow for considerations like people and morale, and that was more than I had expected. I have been quite pleased with the content learned in this class and am still looking forward to additional topics and spin-offs in the boards.

University of Phoenix - Week 6 - Learning Summary

Below is a segment from my former University of Phoenix blog. I have since rolled the blog into my main blog for posterity.
--------------------
I figured in the theme of my projects these past six weeks, I'd get this in just under the wire too. :)

Well, here it is, almost midnight on Wednesday night. Laura and I had talked about this class being the make-it or break-it class, and I think it's safe to say that I can make it.

I can't begin to thank you all for your insight and wisdom. I have learned so much from you about so many different topics. Most were subjects I'd never hear about in a conference or read in a magazine- these were REAL and things that come from REAL experience. I'm very grateful to all of you for sharing such a valuable insight with me.

I had actually reflected already on Connie's lecture topic. Her simple questions were topics of discussion when I about lost my mind earlier in the class. I decided (much like Christine) that I'm doing this for personal betterment (and hopefully advancement). The knowledge gained in this class has been a perfect contrast to all the negative lessons I'm learning in my workplace. Together, I'm getting the FULL scope of what to do (and witnessing what happens if you do it wrong).

I enjoyed the final exam. I like critiquing, and feel that one of my strong suits is being able to handle scenarios without getting people bent out of shape. I think my people-oriented focus has a great deal to do with this, but again, I'm not going to change that. I think it's a good thing. :)

So thanks again to all, BIG thanks to Connie for encouraging me and keeping the conversations going. I've learned a bunch!

Brian