I use several of Jack Welch (CEO of General Electric) quotes in my classes. I admire him.
I see him as a great troop motivator.
Today I found this quote (unbelievably) ascribed to him:
"I own the people, you just rent them".
Ready, D.A. & Conger, J.A. (2003). Why leadership-development efforts fail.
Mit Sloan Management Review, 44(3), 83-88.
My first reaction is:
I am really disappointed.
I am concerned that evry time I use one of his motivational quotes, my mind will recall this awful one.
Who do you think owns the workers in a capatalistic society? Don't they own themselves?
Then I remember our conversations regarding managment school graduates and the job of HR
I can refocus.
What are your thoughts on this scenario?
Friday, March 30, 2007
WFED 597E end of week #11
I have been thinking alot about each of the people I interviewed for my project.
Each one believes he/she is doing a great job but is hindered in someway by others.
One believes HR hinders employee development. Can you imagine such a thing?
Another believes the big guy hinders learning and himself needs to learn about learning
One is hesitant to say more than basic answers to my questions
One has ideas but appears not to act on them
Four very diverse realities all in the same organization.
What do you do?
If I were to interview those same people today and ask those same questions, I believe I would get different answers. Reality has changed. Life has moved on.
I am pumped up again about motivational courses and helping people to broaden their horizons
I am also encouraged to be a knowledge enabler and keep going - not quit
Cease the moment!
Thanks for listening.
Make your day great!
Each one believes he/she is doing a great job but is hindered in someway by others.
One believes HR hinders employee development. Can you imagine such a thing?
Another believes the big guy hinders learning and himself needs to learn about learning
One is hesitant to say more than basic answers to my questions
One has ideas but appears not to act on them
Four very diverse realities all in the same organization.
What do you do?
If I were to interview those same people today and ask those same questions, I believe I would get different answers. Reality has changed. Life has moved on.
I am pumped up again about motivational courses and helping people to broaden their horizons
I am also encouraged to be a knowledge enabler and keep going - not quit
Cease the moment!
Thanks for listening.
Make your day great!
Monday, March 26, 2007
What is learning?
Conducting an interview of the Senior Director for my project, I encountered his definition of learning:
"Learning is knowing how to do our jobs and how to do them better".
Would you agree that learning is limited to job knowledge?
What about career development? What about organizational development? If our only concern is for workers to know how to do their jobs better, what will be missing?
Can workers be energized and engaged when the only focus and expectation is doing the job better?
Are you getting the picture that this definition is way too narrow for me? I have been thinking alot about the narrow vision of the Senior Director. While our conversation did include his desire for individual growth and development of the workers and the efforts he is taking to increase their job knowledge, is learning about doing a your job the sum total of desired learning? NO!
I was also reminded of theory-in-use as he talked. His word choices all had to do with growing the worker and equipping them. But his words limited a worker's growth to job knowledge. What about the processes? What about the system? What about the environment? What about whether the way the job is structured is the best fit overall? And yet the SD obviously belivese he has the best interest of tehr worker and the organization at heart.
I remember we talked about learning not happening at once. So I can expect that some seeds I planted will sprout. But I need to contemplate some thought provoking comments I can make when I see him around.
How to help him put his theory-in-use to reality?
Do you have comments or thoughts for me?
"Learning is knowing how to do our jobs and how to do them better".
Would you agree that learning is limited to job knowledge?
What about career development? What about organizational development? If our only concern is for workers to know how to do their jobs better, what will be missing?
Can workers be energized and engaged when the only focus and expectation is doing the job better?
Are you getting the picture that this definition is way too narrow for me? I have been thinking alot about the narrow vision of the Senior Director. While our conversation did include his desire for individual growth and development of the workers and the efforts he is taking to increase their job knowledge, is learning about doing a your job the sum total of desired learning? NO!
I was also reminded of theory-in-use as he talked. His word choices all had to do with growing the worker and equipping them. But his words limited a worker's growth to job knowledge. What about the processes? What about the system? What about the environment? What about whether the way the job is structured is the best fit overall? And yet the SD obviously belivese he has the best interest of tehr worker and the organization at heart.
I remember we talked about learning not happening at once. So I can expect that some seeds I planted will sprout. But I need to contemplate some thought provoking comments I can make when I see him around.
How to help him put his theory-in-use to reality?
Do you have comments or thoughts for me?
Friday, March 23, 2007
WFED 597E end of week #10
Finsihed and transcribed the 4th interview for my Project.
I must review the interview answers from all 4 people.
There are three questions to be answered by this research:
1) What are the major themes appearing in their answers both individually and collectively?
2) What are the similar answers to the interview questions?
3) What are the disparity answers to the interview questions?
Everyone asked me what I mean by the word "learning" in the questions.
Can you relate that question to more than one thing we have studied this semester?
I finished each interview with a question about their childhood career dream. Each one got so enthused, with a lit up face when talking about that dream.
Professionally, I want to help people recapture the essence of their childhood career dream and make it their reality.
What was your childhood career dream?
I must review the interview answers from all 4 people.
There are three questions to be answered by this research:
1) What are the major themes appearing in their answers both individually and collectively?
2) What are the similar answers to the interview questions?
3) What are the disparity answers to the interview questions?
Everyone asked me what I mean by the word "learning" in the questions.
Can you relate that question to more than one thing we have studied this semester?
I finished each interview with a question about their childhood career dream. Each one got so enthused, with a lit up face when talking about that dream.
Professionally, I want to help people recapture the essence of their childhood career dream and make it their reality.
What was your childhood career dream?
Monday, March 19, 2007
10th week WFED 597E
My project is to interview 4 people at different levels of an organization to examine the perspectives on learning based on level of position within the organization.
Conducting a limited review of records for ABC Organization (my project) to look for clues about learning.
Expect to do alot of observation of activities this week.
The Senior Director (whom I will interview on Friday) was hired in 1999 from a software/hardware vendor, which with ABC Organization does business.
Since that time a reorganization has been done at least annually! Another one is currently under way. Only this time the Senior Director has asked for any organizational member with an idea to make an appointment to see him.
The Deputy Director, whom I already interviewed, has been with the organization for 25+ years and was passed over for the Senior Director position.
Conducting a limited review of records for ABC Organization (my project) to look for clues about learning.
Expect to do alot of observation of activities this week.
The Senior Director (whom I will interview on Friday) was hired in 1999 from a software/hardware vendor, which with ABC Organization does business.
Since that time a reorganization has been done at least annually! Another one is currently under way. Only this time the Senior Director has asked for any organizational member with an idea to make an appointment to see him.
The Deputy Director, whom I already interviewed, has been with the organization for 25+ years and was passed over for the Senior Director position.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
journal entry
conducted and transcribed 3 of the 4 interviews for my project
1 of the interviews was very curious:
The guarded answers from the manager surprised the interviewer. He seemed relaxed and casual but gave substantially less information in his answers than did the others interviewed. He maintained eye contact with the interviewer, didn’t fidget, smiled, seemed relaxed in every way except for his answers. This guardedness did not diminish throughout the interview.
It should be noted that unlike the other interviewees he did not bring a copy of the questions to the interview for reference, although he was given one in advance. It also should be noted that the interviewer has had no work related contact with him to judge whether or not this is his customary way of dialoguing.
If this is not his normal way of dialoguing and the absence of a page of questions for him to reference during the interview was not the cause of the guardedness, the interviewer could conclude his position within the organization requires him to be guarded in what he says. That is a red flag!
What does this sound like to you?
Learning organizations give the freedom to fail. What causes his guadedness? It would be interesting to interview and compare the answers from another manager within the organization. But that was not within the original scope of this project.
1 of the interviews was very curious:
The guarded answers from the manager surprised the interviewer. He seemed relaxed and casual but gave substantially less information in his answers than did the others interviewed. He maintained eye contact with the interviewer, didn’t fidget, smiled, seemed relaxed in every way except for his answers. This guardedness did not diminish throughout the interview.
It should be noted that unlike the other interviewees he did not bring a copy of the questions to the interview for reference, although he was given one in advance. It also should be noted that the interviewer has had no work related contact with him to judge whether or not this is his customary way of dialoguing.
If this is not his normal way of dialoguing and the absence of a page of questions for him to reference during the interview was not the cause of the guardedness, the interviewer could conclude his position within the organization requires him to be guarded in what he says. That is a red flag!
What does this sound like to you?
Learning organizations give the freedom to fail. What causes his guadedness? It would be interesting to interview and compare the answers from another manager within the organization. But that was not within the original scope of this project.
Monday, March 12, 2007
week#9 - WFED 597E
completed all required reading!
continued reflecting on what I am learning
working on my reflective paper
3 of the 4 interviews for my Project are scheduled this week
continued reflecting on what I am learning
working on my reflective paper
3 of the 4 interviews for my Project are scheduled this week
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