A630.6.4.RB_DiazBrian

Whenever I hear a colleague or someone I know say that they cannot do something it makes me think "Why do they feel this way?  Is there any validity to what is being said?  Is there anything I can do to help?"  Change is a true constant.  Everyday we are faced with change.  The true test of how we learn to adapt to new and unfamiliar experiences is to accept change, attempt to understand it, and use it as a learning tool.  Without change we would have the same experiences day in and day out.  In essence we would essentially be limiting our potential.  Having the same day over and over reminds me of the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog's Day where Bill's character wakes up each day and it is the same day.  All of the events remain the same.  He tries his best to alter these daily events but when he awakes each morning he is back to "square one".  Not only after embracing his circumstance does he realize that he can learn from this experience.  He learns to play the piano, sculpt ice, and how to speak French.  He makes the conscious decision to make the best of his situation and change himself to make the lives of others around him better, even though when he wakes up the next morning his day will be the same again and everything he did to effectuate change will be erased.

I have been guilty of using some of Dr. Watkins' 50 excuses of why I couldn't change.  Some have been: "That's someone else's responsibility.  It needs more thought. Maybe, maybe not?  What's in it for me?  It's not my job."  In my many years as a server I must have uttered some of these phrases a 1000 times!  But are they truly excuses?  Excuses can be defined as "an explanation offered as a reason for being excused; a plea offered in extenuation of a fault or for release from an obligation, promise, etc." Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/excuse  At my last experience as a server I worked at a very popular downtown Orlando destination.  The restaurant featured a wine tasting on Wednesday evenings.  This served as an opportunity for young professionals to gather after work, socialize, and network.  Who am I kidding... the place was packed with pretty women and for a single cover charge you could drink all the wine you wanted.  As you can imagine when there are 200 people drinking excessively in a short amount of time things are bound to happen.  Like someone getting sick in the men's or women's restrooms.  Who has to clean that up?  Well, "It's not my job!" may have been muttered on more than one occasion in that instance.  Or "That's someone else's responsibility."  Sure I could have rolled up my sleeves, "taken one for the team" but at $2.13 to me it was a little out of my realm of responsibility. 

I think the best way to approach and overcome the limitations we place on ourselves in order to denounce excuses is by looking at our situation, accessing it, and challenging ourselves to be part of a solution.  If my boss comes to me and says I need you to do X,Y, and Z and I need it done yesterday, yeah I could think of a few excuses why I couldn't do X,Y, and Z but I could also look at it as an opportunity.  I could take on that extra responsibility and use to prove that I can function efficiently under pressure and still maintain my other duties.  I could demonstrate my organizational skills and my critical thinking skills by completing such a project.  Recently at work we were notified that our yearly evaluations would be given soon.  Our manager emailed us our evaluation form and asked for our feedback.  One of the sections includes giving examples of accomplishments for the previous year.  This would serve as the perfect opportunity to include such a project on.  This way not only is my manager reminded of my accomplishments but it is noted for upper management and becomes part of my permanent file and distinguishes me from my peers.  It shows that I am committed and willing to work hard.  Positivity, a good attitude, and having a plan can go a long way to counteract making excuses as to why you can't do something. 

Our organization is looking at new software platforms moving towards the future that may enable us to do our jobs more efficiently and to ultimately give our students a better learning experience.  These platforms are night and day from the current system.  I took some time to look at the proposed platforms and I am going to be honest they look a bit intimidating.  I think I experienced some uncertainty because if one of these new systems were implemented it would be like "learning how to walk all over gain".  Brown (2011) wrote "Organization members may have a psychological resistance to change because they want to avoid uncertainty." (p.152).  I would agree with that assertion.  It is the fear of the unknown.  Brown (2011) also noted "Proposed changes that disturb habitual routines or patterns are likely to encounter resistance because human behavior is governed largely by habit and routine.  The familiar is preferred, and this is especially true when the established behavior has been successful until now." (p. 152).

Seth Godin contends that change is is driven by tribes.  He explains that tribes lead change and connect people and ideas making change possible.  He reveals that together a tribe can "create a movement" and he gives the example of the man that worked for the ASPCA and how his idea connected people and led a movement towards saving animals.  I find his choice of the word "tribe" an interesting choice of words to describe a group of people who have the same interests but it fits.  To me the the word "tribe" conjures images of Indians and teepees.  Never the less, it applies to his concept.  In order for there to be change the members of the "tribe" have to be active participants.  Brown (2011) wrote "Making sure that the individuals involved in a change are allowed to participate in the decision process rather than forced to go along with it is a basic technique for increasing the acceptance of change." (p.156).  In order for there to be change you have to believe in what you are doing, in the cause.  It is definitely possible for "tribes" to drive change.  Enough like minded, dedicated individuals, all working towards a common cause can effectuate change.

The biggest take away from this week's exercise that I can apply to my career immediately is that change is not a bad thing.  It should not be feared or given a chance.  In order to move forward we should all personally challenge ourselves and not make excuses for why something won't work and consider the benefits of  the change working to make our lives and the lives of the people our organizations serve better.  I will be more accepting of change in the future and work on being more accepting to future possibilities.

Brown, D. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organization Development. (8th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

A630.5.4.RB_DiazBrian

As a result of the Columbia tragedy, NASA enlisted the assistance of BST to assess and assist with a diagnosis of the current state of NASA.  Brown (2011) defines diagnosis as "a systematic approach to understanding and describing the present state of the organization." (p. 118).  BST studied past climate surveys, had employees complete a new survey, and conducted interviews in order to help create a plan for organizational change to NASA's safety climate and culture.  As a whole, organizationally NASA compared extremely well to other organization's in terms of their culture.  However there were two main areas of concern. These areas were organizational support and upward communication.  Sean O'Keefe, NASA's Administrator, addressed NASA employees to share with them the information that was gathered by BST, how their findings will affect NASA, and the plan to be implemented moving into the future.  The Columbia accident claimed the lives of seven astronauts.  In the wake of this tragedy questions  such as: "What did we fail to do wrong?  How could we have prevented this? and What can we do to prevent this in the future?" were all asked.  O'Keefe addresses these concerns in front of his staff as well as asks questions from the attendees.

O'Keefe sharing the results from BST and outlining NASA's plan for change was the right thing to do coming from a position of leadership.  Not only was it important for him to seem believable it is equally as important for his message to be received by its audience.  Was it?  Did O'Keefe seem believable?  I don't feel as if he was trying to mislead his employees but I didn't get the sense that he was very passionate.  His speech seemed well rehearsed, delivered well, but seemed to me to lack a connection with his audience.  While NASA had a plan moving forward I think it could have been delivered in a more inspiring fashion. 

I worked in the restaurant business for what seemed like an eternity.  The last company I worked for I was with for about seven years.  The concept of the restaurant was new at the time and the owner and CEO had an impeccable reputation within the service industry.  She'd traveled the world learning about food, worked for Disney for about a decade in their Food & Beverage division, and was an entrepreneur.  The business was extremely successful and the restaurant was the toast of the town.  I worked 6 days a week, two shifts a day, for about 3 months!  It was exhausting but I was making really good money.  Well one store turned into two stores, two stores turned into five stores, next thing you know the owner is franchising locations around FL and out of state.  But something happened.  As the company grew the values it had when it was only one store was being lost.  Not only lost but being completely put aside.  The CEO became a different person and she became not only extremely difficult to work for, she had lost sight of what she originally set out to accomplish.  And that was giving her guests an affordable, healthy, dining experience.  Fast forward to the end of my journey with the company and all of her stores, one by one, was being closed down.  By this time I moved to the the company's flagship store in downtown Orlando located at the new Plaza.  With only one store left (and a very busy one at that) as a staff we were led to believe that no one at this location would ever be without a job.  But little by little the tell tale signs of doom were evident.  We were constantly running out of food and liquor.  Our vendors would only accept cash for deliveries.  I lived with the A-GM who was a close friend of mine so I knew where the money was going and it was not back into the business, is all I will say.  But I recall repeatedly this woman telling our staff (blatantly lying) at meetings that the organization was in good condition and there was no need to worry.  As much as no one believed her not a lot of people really did anything about it (including me).  They stayed working there even though paychecks were bouncing and traffic in the restaurant was really down.  It was like being on the Titanic.  You knew the ship was sinking but you didn't really try to do anything to fix it.  Reflecting on it makes me mad that I wasted so much of my time there.  Not only were the values that the company held in conflict with mine but what little values they had were evaporating.  But I had a car payment to make, rent to pay, and a lovely girlfriend beside me (who is now my wife).  This company, its CEO, and its culture all failed.  She is now  named in a number of ongoing litigation proceedings for her practices.

It was important for O'keefe  to discuss NASA's values in his speech.  It was also necessary for him to acknowledge where NASA "came from" and "where it was headed".  In order for an organization to accept the change they will be faced with they have to believe in the organization and in the change plan.  That is why the diagnosis made by BST was so important.  Brown (2011) noted "In diagnosing an organization's problems, the practitioner and the client try to specify the problems, determine the underlying causes, and identify the opportunities for change.  The practitioner sorts out factual from nonfactual information and searches for multiple sources of the problem condition.  The outcome is an explicit and specific diagnosis upon which to base change efforts." (p. 132).  I think that is exemplified by the relationship between BST and NASA after the Columbia tragedy. 

The lesson I learned from this exercise which I can apply to my career, is that culture is not only important to the success and health of an organization, so is its ability to adapt to future needs.  We should always be looking to implement new ideas, to find better ways to do our jobs, and to communicate those ideas with our leadership.  As I write this I am considering ideas that I can bring to my directors attention.  Funny how homework can help me to facilitate my growth not only academically but also at work! 

Brown, D. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organization Development. (8th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

A630.4.4.RB_DiazBrian

How does employee engagement correlate to decision effectiveness?  From a personal standpoint I defer to the values that were instilled in me at an early age.  I was taught to do the best I could at anything I did whether it was sports, school, or work.  In my current position the effectiveness of the decisions I make can have repercussions on the students I advise.  The same system of values and beliefs that I have are shared by my organization.  I think that has a great impact on how I conduct myself and why this position appeals to me with this particular company.  My students rely on me to provide them with information that they need in order to take the correct courses required to satisfy their degree programs.  If I cannot provide them with the information that they need or I give them misinformation it could be very costly to the student and reflect poorly on myself as well as the organization.  I do the best that I can to ensure that the information I relay to my students is accurate.  Because of my values, the nature of my work, and the standards I hold myself to, the decisions I make are calculated.  I strive to do my work as efficiently, effectively, and as professionally as possible.  There is a certain amount of trust involved.  Trust from my organization that I will do what is right, trust from my students that I am honest and diligent.  Brown (2011) wrote "When there is not trust, people will tend to be dishonest, evasive, and not authentic with one another, and communication will often be inaccurate, distorted, or incomplete." (p. 99). 

For me I know that one of the mail impediments to good decision making is adequate rest.  If I am not properly rested I do not function at my highest capacity.  With a two year old there isn't much you can do about this.  In the last two years I have become somewhat addicted to coffee.  It is somewhat of a joke these days but true.  I must drink 5-6 cups a day (recently) where I would normally consume 2 cups.  My son has recently began to experience all of the growing pains of a 2 year old.  Teething, growth spurts, colds, allergies... you name it he's been getting it.  He wakes up an average of 2-3 times a night now.  Usually around midnight, then again at 2am or 3am, and finally around 4:30-5am.  Just before daddy's alarm goes off for work.  And also when he gets up now he can't go back to sleep in his crib.  Oh no, straight to mommy and daddy's bed where he proceeds to toss and turn like the Tasmanian Devil himself.  That's been the norm for about 2 months.  Needless to say it affects my performance at work.  When 4pm comes around it's like I hit a wall.  I can no longer stare at my computer, I can no longer work on reports.  I find it a good time to make any phone calls I need to return.  This keeps me engaged in a different way.  I still need my computer but at least I am having actual human interaction and not just "talking" through email.

Another impediment to good decision making is not having all of the necessary information needed to make a good decision.  When dealing with military personnel is usually when I can become "lost".  It's one thing to be familiar with how one branch of the service operates, their protocols, their systems, their lingo.  But when you have to be efficient in every branch of military service it can be confusing.  This rank is different in the Air Force than in the Marines.  These documents are permissible for this branch and not these.  Navy tuition assistance is done a completely different way than Army.  Its enough to want to pull your hair out sometimes.  If there is one area that I wish we received more training in with respect to my organization, it would be to have greater military training.  If we had an internal practitioner that could be "responsible for changing existing patterns to obtain a more effective organizational performance" I think that would be a step in the right direction.  They would already be familiar with the culture and organizational norms.  If they could implement a change program to better help us to assist our military population (which of course is the majority of our students) then I would be 100% confident in my job as opposed to say 90%.

Blenko suggests that quality, speed, yield, and effort are the four elements to make a good decision.  If I had to add an element to that list it would be consequences.  One of my classmates, Alan Reichard wrote this week in our discussion board "I am constantly looking for ways to improve and consider the consequences of those changes from a worst case, best case and probable outcome vantage point.  I work diligently to become the agent of change but with purpose."  His post made me aware that decisions have consequences and to give thought to what those consequences might be.  To be honest its not something I gave much thought to before.  If I change "A" and "B" then "C" can be altered in an "X" way. It was very eye opening.  One of the great things about this program is the fact that we can all learn from one another and I think Alan's contribution is a prime example.

I learned that certain variables such as speed, quality, yield, and effort can positively contribute to effective decision making.  Being as analytical as I am speed was never an element I considered critical to good decision making.  To me, in my brain it was just the opposite.  Now that I reflect on it I am reminded of all the times I sat at my desk over analyzing an issue and spending a great deal of time on it.  When I first started as an academic advisor with ERAU I would find myself behind in my work daily.  It was because I was taking so long to reply to my emails.  I would analyze, over think, and second-guess myself to no end.  At the same time I was wasting my day and not able to attend to my other tasks.  It wasn't until I let myself be comfortable in my decisions that I noticed the change in my effectiveness.  I no longer fixated on over analyzing.  Little did I know that speed could actually be my friend.

Brown, D. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organization Development. (8th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

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"The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit." Retrieved from http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/index.html?int=GFOOTER-ABOUT-ABOUT

This is Southwest Airline's Mission.  Brown (2011) wrote "Norms are organized and shared ideas regarding what members should do and feel, how this behavior should be regulated, and what sanctions should be applied when behavior does not coincide with social expectations." (p.10).  Is the Culture Committee at Southwest effective in establishing cultural norms?  In establishing the organization's norms, I say no, the Committee itself does not establish the cultural norms of the organization.  But does it help?  I feel it does. 

Southwest Airlines was established in 1967 (then known as Air Southwest Company until 1971).  It's culture can be defined as "the development, improvement, and refinement of the originality, individuality, identity and personality of a given people" Retrieved from   http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/careers/culture.html  The function of the Culture Committee  I feel, promotes the values, feelings, and genuine interest the company has for its employees.  Brown (2011) wrote "A corporate culture is a system of shared values and beliefs that interact with an organization's people, structure, and systems to produce behavioral norms ('the way things are done around here').  (p. 63). Watching the video A Day in the Life of the Culture Committee by Southwest Airlines I could not help but be envious of the fact that the company thinks enough of its employees to have such a program.  Its impact on the employees can only be beneficial to the company thus creating the type of cultural norm Southwest wants to be known for.

 I used to travel extensively for work.  I frequently made a lot of East Coast to West Coast trips and vice versa.  Putting myself in the shoes of the airline employees/pilots, how wonderful would it be to arrive at a city after a 6 hour flight to find that your company has sent a team to help you perform your duties, prepared meals for you, and even put together a goodie bag of (as the kids call it) swag?  I don't know about you but that would really make me feel appreciated.  It would give me a good sense of belonging to a company that cares about its employees, and would make me want to continue doing a great job for that employer.  This type action breeds positive reinforcement.

While I do not have the perks of having a Culture Committee with my employer, I too can say that my company's culture promotes its employee as well.  For instance on your hire date anniversary and on your birthday my department gives you a half day off.  You may come in the morning and leave at lunch or sleep in and come in for the second part of your day.  And on your birthday you can expect your desk to look something like this...

The culture within my department celebrates its team members so I can appreciate what it is Southwest does with its Culture Committee.

I think that Southwest's Culture Committee serves a few purposes.  It promotes the values and beliefs that the company wants its employees to espouse.  It's purpose is to garner employee support, promote communication, and to give back to the employees.  I think having such a committee is a  beneficial addition to an organization.  I must say I am surprised more companies do not adopt a similar approach.

If Embry Riddle had a culture committee I think one great benefit would be for it to bridge the gap of communication between leadership and its team members.  If communication is such an important necessity for change than why isn't more information shared at every level?  Brown (2011) wrote "Making information available at every level increases employee motivation and permits faster decision making .  This helps employees t identify with organizational goals." (p.67).  Why does leadership feel the need to not share information?  Is it for fear of resistance, rejection, or resentment?  For example, recently my team was informed of a "special" February term that was to be offered.  There are 5 academic terms in a calendar year.  Coming off of the fall, because of the government shutdown the university offered a "special" term in November mainly for students that were unable to register for classes due to the shutdown.  We were just coming off of our October term when we added the November term, we were working on the January term enrollments.  When it was all said and done we were notified that the November term was deemed to be a failure.  We would not be adding any more "special" terms.  After the holiday break we returned to learn that in fact there would be another "special" term offered.  But why the change all of a sudden (I can take a wild guess)?  This irked my team to say the least.  It was made known at our next meeting.  Given the limited resources in terms of the actual number of advisors we have and the extra work we were being asked to do this was upsetting to us.  Why were we not made aware of this possibility before hand?  Why did leadership not give us the respect to ask our thoughts or feelings about the extra effort this would entail not just for our department but for other supporting departments?  If we had a culture committee maybe there would be an opportunity for ideas to be shared more actively.  This would help us all realize the organization's goals together as a team.

My take away from this exercise is that it is possible to create a culture that employees will embrace.  It is possible for the culture within an organization to have a life of its own and to make perhaps the biggest influential impact on failure and success.  The head of the organization should be the epitome of the organization's culture.  Brown (2011) noted "Corporate cultures are the very essence of organizations.  Whether effective or ineffective, organizational structures exist- usually reflecting the personality of the top executive.  Corporate culture often affect the success or failure of the organization and are shaped in various ways by the employees." (p.66).

A few questions I have are:

• Why do companies not promote the organization's culture on a more conscious level?
• Can organization's expect to remain relevant without taking a look at how to improve on their existing culture?
• Has their ever been a company to be considered successful without a corporate culture?

 Brown, D. (2011). An Experiential Approach to Organization Development. (8th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.