Social learning perspective and its implications education essay Free Essays

string(112) on help and punishment, calculating more towards intellectual interventions on obtaining and social alteration. A basic geographic endeavor of Banduras cultural larning point of view and its reasonings for larning in standard schoolroom for the people who show contesting conduct. 1.0 Introduction Accomplishing useful guidance and obtaining in standard scenes of understudies with questioning conduct stays a worry of experts, research laborers and educators. We will compose a custom article test on Social learning point of view and its suggestions instruction article or on the other hand any comparable subject just for you Request Now The request ; whether there ought to be a normal showing technique for pointing researchers with questioning conduct and additionally specific instructive requests which had become a consuming issue with the arrival of The Green Paper on specific instructive requests ( SEN ) ( DfEE, 1997 ) each piece great as the Literacy Strategy and understudies with SEN rules ( DfEE, 1998 ) are definitive of the worry that run intoing the obtaining requests of all researchers in ebb and flow instructive scenes airss for learning and expert example since incorporation had started to indicate the scene of standard schoolroom ( Norwich A ; Lewis, 2001 ) . This clearly mirrors the modifying political temper which try an increasingly comprehensive society. Nonetheless, there is worry about the reachability of the standard that all children and youthful individuals are esteemed as people, as reflected in the Government ‘s papers Removing Barrier to Achievement ( DfES, 2004 ) , through a typical sh owing strategy in standard way. In this manner the significance of instructing learning assaults goes to the bow in finding useful comprehensive examples especially for pointing understudies with contesting conduct in standard schoolroom. An open plan and assault to achieve this needs to run into the securing requests, and in this way determine the student rightness of such assault required for the researchers who show contesting conduct in standard schoolroom. Bandura ( 1977 ) built up a place that approaches larning as non simply a product of old style and operant molding yet as being affected by test procurement. Fitting to Bandura ( 1986 ) test obtaining takes topographic moment that the researcher gains from identifying the activities of a hypothetical record and the impacts of those activities taking to concealment or disinhibition of his ain activity. What this suggests for schoolroom design is that the researcher ‘s challenge must be found practically, valued and tended to inside a model that logically interface effectually, suitable associations between setting, article and theme in a learning strategy. In basically estimating Bandura ‘s cultural securing position and its finding for larning in standard schoolroom for the people with contesting conduct, this paper targets investigating the estimation of the cultural procurement position as an assault that can educate solid comprehensive example in pointing student explicit requests in standard setting. The interest to point single researcher requests, and at one time accomplish comprehensive standard checks and points forestalls the endeavor that must be attempted for the gathering of researchers with specific conditions and harms that do put boundaries to obtaining, requiring change in accordance with be made to achieve same level of larning as the typical researcher so as to ensure that solid procurement takes topographic point across load up. It is consequently significant that this paper proposes that inside the trip of speculations relevant to viable securing, and inside the setting of standard schoolroom, Bandura ‘ s cultural larning position can be an essential constituent of any multi-particular mediation in pointing the obtaining requests of the people with questioning conduct. Along these lines, more than ever previously, guidance and the rule that underpins the moves that teachers make envelop a wide extent of factors which fundamentally includes larning. How is larning best distinguished, inspired, accomplished, evaluated and based upon for the researcher, are on the whole requests that continue with, and warrant the numerous and changing conclusions that establish guidance, potentially considerably more along these lines, how it can best be drawn nearer in the standard schoolroom for the researcher with questioning conduct. 1.1 Bandura ‘s Social Learning Perspective a review Albert Bandura is a prima clinician who had contributed limitlessly towards the advancement of numerous Fieldss of mental science, and made a remarkable work with his cultural procurement hypothesis. His cultural procurement hypothesis is supported by his discoveries in exploring the determiners and components of test larning through examining the cardinal features of human securing and the inclining of the researcher to design their ain conduct on the conduct of the ‘observed other. ‘ Fitting to Ormond ( 1999 ) , Social obtaining as a hypothesis worries with procurement that happens inside a cultural setting. The basic trepidation of the hypothesis depends on the thought that human presences gain from each other through test obtaining, impersonation and displaying. The following is Ormond ‘s farther premises as regards to cultural larning hypothesis: Learning can occur through individuals identifying the conduct of others and the aftereffect of such practices Learning can occur without an adjustment in conduct. What this recommends is that despite the fact that the Behaviorists had kept up that larning results in an enduring modification in conduct, the cultural obtaining position ‘s guarantee that larning can occur through perception altogether implies that larning may non needfully be connoted either in open introduction or spoke to by an adjustment in conduct. Perception is an essential key in larning. Social larning hypothesis is grounded on the perusing of human larning from the subjective list. It recommends a nexus between behaviorist larning hypotheses and subjective speculations. Bandura ‘s cultural procurement position other than recommends the reason that displaying is strengthened by the earth, for situation where the hypothetical record conduct prompts impacts that fortify it. It is evident that the practices that individuals gain from others are now and then resulting in satisfying or reenforcing encounters. Bandura ‘s Bobo doll analyze was utilized to represent how vicariously the conduct we gain from others can be fortified whereby the hypothetical record being duplicated fortifies for a reaction. The Bobo doll explore shows a hypothetical record kid hitting a hyperbolic doll †the Bobo doll. A gathering of understudies were indicated the hypothetical record being adulated for hitting the doll. The result was that without being fortified themselves, the understudies started to other than hit the Bobo doll. In any case, in cutting edge times, highlight on the cultural procurement position have would in general brood on help and punishment, calculating more towards psychological mediations on obtaining and conduct modification. You read Social learning point of view and its suggestions instruction paper in class Exposition models Contemporary assaults to cultural larning viewpoint propose that ; Backing and punishment, despite the fact that are non the main source of securing, do hold a backhanded consequences for procurement. Both help and discipline sway on the degree and degree of which the conduct educated is shown by the researcher. What's more, that the researcher ‘s hope of a signifier of help subjectively impacts on the systems of procurement. 2.0 Social Learning and Cognitive techniques Bandura ‘s cultural larning point of view infers a figure of psychological components ; whereby it proposes a separation to be mentioned between larning by objective fact and larning through impersonation of what has been realized. Learning by perception includes psychological preparing during the class of perception and paying joining in, ( undertaking is subjective ) , is basic to trial procurement. Similarly, intellectually Bandura ‘s theory diagrams the methods of larning. Bandura thinks about elements of standpoints, common causing and demonstrating in the associations that is being made between able, article and setting in the obtaining strategy. 2.1 Behaviors and designing Instrumentally, the cultural securing position shows how we can comprehend conduct as a system of larning through displaying, at any rate in parcel. The cultural securing viewpoint considers conduct to be being impacted by designing. In the schoolroom for representation, understudies can larn through numerical introductions. The Bobo doll focuses to the outline that animosity for case can be learned through hypothetical records. Plus, research had indicated that kids who are presented to forceful hypothetical records, for case guardians who are forceful or rough, go progressively forceful themselves. At that point again, moral idea and conduct that are displayed from a feeling of right or off base are by and large affected and created through demonstrating. 3.0 The researcher with Challenging Behavior and standard setting Testing conduct had been depicted as that conduct which forestalls the commitment of the researcher in proper actives and segregates the researcher from rises to. It is viewed as the conduct that influences the procurement and activity of others and that radically diminishes the researcher ‘s chances for full commitment in common obtaining exercises. The researchers with aggressive practices are ever doing unnecessary requests on both staff assets and other larning bolster assets ( Harrris et. al. , 1993 ) . Blending to McBrien A ; Felce ( 1992 ) , questioning conduct can other than be viewed as conduct which comprises a test to others given that it is difficult to happen strong

Sports in Todays Society Essay Example For Students

Sports in Todays Society Essay Sports in Todays SocietySports are an included part in todays society. The ways that the competitors actare a significant part in the playing of sports. Sportsmanship is found in everysingle sport there is. Regardless of whether it is proficient football or the neighborhood littleleague, players in each group ought to have a specific regard for the other group. However, numerous individuals despite everything question the morals of pro athletics. Do these menand ladies who get paid for their ability despite everything have regard for themselves, thefans, and the contradicting team?Sports, for example, Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey are primeexamples of how a few competitors show their sportsmanship. These indications of badsportsmanship are now and again battling or acting silly on the grounds that the teamlost the game, missed a catch or square, failed, or basically not doingbetter than they suspected. Commonly you can hear or peruse such occasions in thepaper or on TV. Dennis Rodman is an astounding case of badsportsmanship. Individuals like him can leave an effect on youthful games competitors. We will compose a custom exposition on Sports in Todays Society explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now Individuals ought to find out about great sportsmanship, not the awful which the media findimportant to us. As individuals find out about how terrible sportsmanship is in sports, the playerswill understand this. To the players this implies they will focus more onplaying their best, making an effort not to be somebody else. What's more, it willallow competitors to feel good and increasingly glad for what they are.

Krannert Center Begins 50th Anniversary with FREE Opening Night Party!

Krannert Center Begins 50th Anniversary with FREE Opening Night Party! It’s time to kick off the season that’s been five decades in the making! On Friday, September 7 starting at 6pm, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts will usher in the 2018-19 season with an Opening Night Party featuring a vibrant mix of top-notch artists, dancing, food, and a by-the-decades car display surrounding the Center. This is an incredible, FREE opportunity to check out Krannert Center and all it has to offer, from its immense indoor space thats open to the public daily, to the many performance and rehearsal spaces, to Promenade Showcase + Gift Shop and Intermezzo cafe. The event is completely free (though donations are encouraged if youre able) and open to the public, with performances taking place throughout the night at the Centers lobby venues, Stage 5 and Stage 6, and in the outdoor amphitheatre. Starting off the evening will be Ranky Tanky, bringing West African and American jazz influences to its lively, funky arrangements. Multicultural Baracutanga blends traditional South American rhythms with modern style to keep audiences dancing. Steel guitarist AJ Ghent fuses blues and funk with rock and pop to construct an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind musical style. Local favorite New Orleans Jazz Machine will offer two sets of its Dixieland classics. Finally, Mucca Pazza will pop-up in performance of marching band traditions blended with rock music sure to bring audience members to their feet. Local vendors will be offering food and beverages for purchase on the outdoor terrace, plus food trucks on Oregon Street immediately adjacent to the Center. Take this opportunity to discover your Champaign-Urbana favorites from Betsys Bistro; Oh, Honey Pie; Chesters BBQ; Siam Terrace; Caribbean Grill; Piato Cafe, and Ricks Bakery. While not every day at Krannert Center is as busy as Opening Night, the years calendar of events is sure to hold something appealing to everyone. As a student, take advantage of the discounted ticket price for all performancesâ€"you can witness award-winning artists like Itzhak Perlman, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Savion Glover, plus world-class ensembles including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Eighth Blackbird for $10 or less. Students in the College of Fine and Applied Arts also regularly perform at the Center in University productions and ensembles. Krannert Center is a multifaceted resource thats completely unique to the U of I, and I encourage every student to attend a performance or two in their time on campus. Nissa Heman, junior, sociology and political science, Krannert Center publicity assistant Krannert Center Home to Invigorating Performances in the Arts Krannert Center for the Performing Arts serves as one of the nation's premier educational and professional performing arts complexes. The setting for over 300 performances each year, it nurtures excellence and innovation in the performing arts through education, presentation, community service, and research.

Television Shows Physicists Love

Comparison of the Waltons Television Show to Todays...

Julia Walton Introduction to Sociology | SOC 1001 April 27, 2012 Rebecca Stout South University Online Week 6 Assignment 2 Application Project In this week’s application project essay, I would like to compare an older television show that projected family life as it was in the 1930’s as compared to how family is viewed from a sociological viewpoint today. â€Å"The Walton’s† may not have been an idealistic portrait of family, but the series did portray family as it really was in that era, since it was based on the autobiographical writings of Earl Hamner, Jr. The television series, â€Å"The Walton’s† was about a family living through the Great Depression in the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Virginia. Their daily struggles through all of†¦show more content†¦Modern families demand a higher standard of living than what previous generations expected, so more income must be brought into the home. This leaves children to learn social behaviors from school and other sources which may not be as intimate or personal as needed for the children to grow up properly. When my first child was born, I decided that I would rather sacrifice the extra income in order to stay at home and raise my child with traditional values and beliefs that I was raised with. The diversity of the families in today’s modern society doesn’t always hold to the past values that are represented in â€Å"The Walton’s†. The television show portrays wholesome, healing, spiritual, and uplifting values of the family that are rarely seen in modern families. Religion was a major part of living in the early 1900’s; love, morality, and a deep respect for others were learned in infancy. Today, religion still plays a large role in families, but not to the same extent. Morals and values have become less and less a part of our busy world, or perhaps they have just changed to adapt to modern beliefs. Priorities have changed from those that were upheld in the days that families lived through the Great Depression. In the show, the family made loving, difficult, sacrifices for each other, encouraged education,Show MoreRelatedFrankenstein by Mary Shelley Essay3112 Words   |  13 PagesFrankenstein by Mary Shelley FRANKENSTEIN ‘Frankenstein is full of ideas and warnings which are relevant to a modern audience.’ -Discuss the enduring appeal of the novel. Introduction: Despite being over a century old, Mary Shelleys Frankenstein has continued to hold public interest for nearly two hundred years. The novel was published 1818 and is one of the most acclaimed gothic stories in the history of literature. 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Alcohol Abuse in the Restaurant Industry Free Essays

string(95) " is going to be a slow night, and everyone could probably pull together to cover Sues section\." Alcohol Abuse in the Restaurant Industry Shelsie Ann Lawrence University of West Florida Alcohol Abuse in the Restaurant Industry The purpose of this paper is to look at the high incidence of alcohol abuse in the restaurant industry and the possible causes. I will use studies done, but also incidences from my own personal experience of 15 years in the restaurant industry. Background The American Psychological Association defines alcohol abuse as, â€Å"a drinking pattern that results in significant and recurrent adverse consequences. We will write a custom essay sample on Alcohol Abuse in the Restaurant Industry or any similar topic only for you Order Now † (http://www. apa. org/helpcenter/alcohol-disorders. spx). These consequences can be lost work days, vehicle accidents, the breakdown and loss of relationships, serious illnesses. Alcohol abuse is extremely high in the restaurant industry. It is readily available and consistently used as a reward for good behavior. The consequences of alcohol abuse are much more tolerated. I worked for a chef that would come in to work hung over and late. She would clock in, and then sit down to have a beer to help the hangover. After the beer was consumed, it was time to make something to eat, all of this eating up the first 30 minutes of her work day. She would not be punished for this behavior, because chances are, she was out drinking with one of our owners the night before. This scene would play itself out at least once a week. I also had a co-worker that was allowed to go home, due to a hangover. We will call her Sue. Sue was not much of a drinker. I would say, she probably went out once a month. Sue gets off work, and almost all her co-workers are at the bar drinking. At this particular restaurant, the kitchen and servers would close down the restaurant between the hours of 10:00pm and 11:00 pm, this would put the time staff gets off work around 11:00pm or midnight. The bar would then stay open until 2:00 am. To set the stage a bit more, it is also important to note a few other things about this particular restaurant. Staff was allowed to start drinking for free, any beer on tap and any wine sold by the glass, one hour prior to closing. Any other drinks, i. e. : cocktails, wine by the bottle, and bottled beers, were discounted half off. This restaurant did very well, and had minimal staff turnover, so they could afford to allow this. The staff dinner was served after the kitchen was cleaned and the wait staff done with all their tables. Staff meal is also called â€Å"Family Meal†, in the restaurant world. Family is what your co-workers become, in a restaurant. You spend more of your time with your co-workers, then anyone else. Restaurants are open on the days other people are off spending time with their families. You work every weekend together. You work every holiday together. You work every night together. Together you build contempt for those with â€Å"normal jobs† This is all shared together. These are things that only your co-workers and other â€Å"industry† people can understand. Most bars, in Seattle, when I cooked there, even offered â€Å"industry† discounts. Even if you aren’t drinking at the place you work, you still get a discount. You are still awarded with alcohol. So, on this night, Sue gets off work to find all her co-workers finishing up dinner and pouring more rounds of drinks. She had a particularly good night and made a hundred dollars in tips. She has been working at this restaurant for six months and hasn’t found herself fitting in yet. Fitting in, becoming friends with her co-workers, can afford many benefits. Servers are more likely to switch a shift with someone they like and know. They are more likely to help you out, by delivering food to your table, if you are someone they like. She usually eats her dinner, than goes home, while the rest of the staff stays drinking and talking about their work night. They stay because the drinks are free; they stay because when they go home, if there is someone at home, they won’t be awake to hear the stories of their work day. Sue decides to stay and have a drink, maybe get her co-workers to warm up to her a bit more. As soon as everyone see’s that Sue is staying they cheer. Everyone has wanted to get to know her more, but feels that since she never stays after work, that she is probably stuck up. Her manager buys her a shot, for a job well done that night at work. She pours a beer and immediately feels comfortable with everyone, partly because of the cheer, but also because she is now sitting down to her second drink of the evening. The evening progresses similarly to how it started. As more staff gets off work, more shots are bought. Other restaurant workers, friends of the staff are getting off work, and showing up. Pretty soon, the bar is filled with mainly employees and other restaurant workers. Before anyone notices, it is closing time. Now, if the owner of the restaurant was round, and chances are he was, he would allow the bartender to go home, or have a seat at the bar, and he would continue to serve the staff, with the front door locked, well after closing time. Tonight, the staff all drank until 4:00 am. Sue stayed right along with everyone. Sue comes to work the next day, green and doubled over. Everyone is setting up the dining room for dinner service later. Her c o-workers look their normal tired selves, but keep in mind, they drink heavily and often, this is just another day for them. Everyone see Sue and immediately cheers. One server comments on how great it was that Sue hung out with everyone the night before. Sue runs straight for the bathroom. After some discussion, they decide that it is going to be a slow night, and everyone could probably pull together to cover Sues section. You read "Alcohol Abuse in the Restaurant Industry" in category "Essay examples" They send someone in to the bathroom to tell Sue she can go home. No one chastises her. She is not written up. She will miss getting paid for the evening, but it was going to be a slow night anyway. She goes home, goes back to bed, and wakes up the next day to go back to work, back to everything being normal. This is a perfect example of the lack of consequences, in the restaurant industry, for alcohol abuse. Sue is practically rewarded for her bad behavior. By staying and drinking, she formed a bond with her co-workers. All her drinks were either free or heavily discounted, so she didn’t feel any financial burden. When she showed up for work, unable to perform her duties, her co-workers pulled together to allow her to go home. According to them, they had been there before. One reason for such a high rate of alcohol abuse, in the restaurant industry is the high rate of young adults employed. In a study done on young adult restaurant workers, 41% reported problem drinking. Young adults make up the majority of restaurant workers. Restaurant jobs offer the most pay, for the least amount of skill and time. Some restaurants require a degree to work in the kitchen, but no education is required to work as a server. If you are a student, and need a part time job, chances are you have worked, or do work as a server. College students consume large amounts of alcohol, with 31% meeting the criteria for alcohol abuse. (http://www. ollegedrinkingprevention. gov/statssummaries/snapshot. aspx) Serving positions allow for the flexibility needed for college students. You make the most pay, for the least amount of hours worked. The schedule is very flexible. If you need a night off to finish up homework, you can always call a co-worker to cover your shift. Chances are there is someone who needs money and can cover your shift. Even if you can’t get someone to cover your shift, you ca n be sure that if you do have to work, you can get off work early if the restaurant is slow that night. Less servers equal more tips for the rest of the staff, and like most servers, they always need more money. Restaurant workers live paycheck to paycheck. Most have no benefits, no health insurance, and are just one missed paycheck away from being completely broke. Out of the 10 restaurants I have worked in, only two offered health insurance. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage of a food sever in 2008, including tips, was $8. 01. The median yearly salary of a restaurant cook, in 2008 was $21,990. There are exceptions to the rule, but the majority live at the poverty line. When no vacations can be afforded, one can take a mini vacation at the bar. With no health insurance, no one is getting annual checkups. You can stay in denial about any health problems that might arise from alcohol abuse, because chances are you haven’t been to a doctor in years. I had a co-worker that couldn’t afford to go to the dentist to get a much needed filling. We can call him Bob. Bob had been complaining of an aching tooth for weeks. He just kept taking aspirin and upping his nightly alcohol intake to allow him to sleep through the night. He knew eventually he would have to see a dentist, but he just didn’t have the money to go see one at this point. In the end, he had to go to an emergency clinic to have his tooth pulled. He was put on pain killers and antibiotics. This all ended up costing him five hundred dollars. This was more than a week of pay for him. Bob was trying to save up to go on a vacation with his girlfriend. He hadn’t taken a single day off of work in over a year. Now his prospects seemed even dimmer. He gets off work, pours a drink, and sits down to complain to his other co-workers. They all understand. Only a few of them have taken time off that year. At the very least, they can all sit around, and have a few drinks together to ease the pain. They are depressed and find solace in each other. This is the point when alcohol abuse can become cyclical. Alcohol is a depressant. When a depressed person self medicates with alcohol they are only making the problem worse. Method The method used for this paper was through personal experience in the restaurant industry backed by research in journals and studies on alcohol abuse and restaurant workers. Findings There are many causes for alcohol abuse; some of those being depression, the availability of alcohol, peer pressure and social factors, impulsiveness and low self esteem. Restaurants workers have alcohol readily available. They have discounts, and free drinks. They are awarded for good behavior with alcohol. The social factors that are prevalent in restaurant workers also play a role in alcohol abuse. Drinking becomes social with restaurant workers. It becomes their outlet. It is their way of bonding. They can definitely feel the peer pressure from co-workers to drink. In my story of Sue, she felt that drinking with her co-workers was the only way she would be able to fit in. She wanted to be friends with everyone; she wanted the benefits of that friendship. They wanted her to drink with them. She knew that the only way to penetrate the group was by drinking with them after work. After a few times of hanging out, after work with everyone, it can easily become a habit. I would see people actually get upset and offended when someone that usually stayed for drinks, just went home after their shift. Results There is definitely a high rate of alcohol abuse amongst restaurant workers or many reasons; ranging from the social aspects, the availability of alcohol, the high stress work environment, the prevalence of poverty amongst the workers, the late hours and just the acceptance of heavy drinking among the staff and management. I don’t see a change in the behaviors and attitudes of restaurant staff. I think this is a problem that will continue unt il stricter laws and rules are enforced. References ARTHUR H. FRIEDLANDER, D. , STEPHEN. (2003). Alcohol abuse and dependence:Psychopathology, medical management and dental implications. J Am Dent Assoc. Peter E. Nathan, P. John Wallace, P. , Joan Zweben, P. , and A. Thomas Horvath, P. (2010). Understanding Alcohol Use Disorders and Their Treatment. American Psychological Association . Rachel R. Doern, S. M. (2008). THE SOCIAL MEANINGS OF DRINKING: STRENGTHENING THE SOCIAL BONDS OF RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES. Advances in Consumer Research Volume 25 , 481-485. Roland S. Moore, P. C. (2009). Dimensions of Problem Drinking among Young Adult Restaurant Workers. AM J Drug Alcohol Abuse , 329-333. http://www. bls. gov/oco/ocos162. htm http://www. ohsrep. org. au/hazards/fatigue-impairment/alcohol-and-work/index. cfm How to cite Alcohol Abuse in the Restaurant Industry, Essay examples

Management Behavior Memo free essay sample

As requested this memo is a summary of behaviors managers will need to implement if he or she has not already implemented the changes. The changes will affect the behaviors management and leaders must exhibit daily to ensure the productivity of the employees. The most important behavior is the attitude of the managers and leaders of the company, a high level of optimism should be displayed at all times. The upcoming merger and next few months will make some employees uneasy about his or her position in the company; however, if the staff can see the leaders with a positive attitude it then trickles down to the other staff members. (Shelar, N. 2009). â€Å"Rude behavior of managers creates an atmosphere of mistrust and fear, and as a consequence has a negative impact on productivity and also increases the operational cost (Manager Behavior and Productivity, Para 4). When an employee loses trust in the managers discontent begins to arise rumors begin to appear, employees begin to call in sick or try to take more time off than normal. We will write a custom essay sample on Management Behavior Memo or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The company cannot effectively do business when the workforce is constantly off work for one reason or the other; therefore, it is imperative that the managers create an atmosphere of trust and openness. A good leader finds a way to create a favorable work environment in which employees will produce to the best of his or her ability. In moving forward, I suggest adding extra staff for the compliance department as well as the human resource department. Each of these departments will have additional work that must be done in order for a smooth transition to occur. Each member of the management team will be trained on workplace diversity, employment laws and other hiring practices. Workplace diversity training will be given throughout every part of the company; the sales staff will find the training especially helpful when going on other worksite to sell our products and services. Employment laws will be helpful to the sales staff while on other work sites. The laws will serve as a guideline of how to speak,

Stonehenge essays

Stonehenge essays The History and Mystery of Stonehenge One of the most mysterious and intriguing pieces of architecture is the design of stones at Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, named Stonehenge. Its purpose still remains unclear, but historians and archaeologists have speculated that is was used for either a grounds for the worship of ancient deities or an astrological observatory in order to mark significant events on the calendar used at the time. Today the area has been believed to be more of a celebration of the living and the heavenly bodies, more than a tribute place for the dead. The effort, time, and income used to build Stonehenge makes the modern observer believe that it was most definitely built for an important and special purpose. Many believe that the construction was built by the Druids between 3000 and 1500 BCE. The stones that remain in tact today simply represent the original design of Stonehenge. There is little that is interpreted from the design that remains today. Scholars and historians have to deduce the original meaning of the design of the stones from what remains today. Many of the stones have fallen over or were removed by other generations for use in other purposes. There has also been much damage to the large stones due to close public contact and damage due to the elements over time. The construction of Stonehenge has traditionally been classified into three different stages. In the first period, dating to approximately 3000 BCE, the area now viewed as Stonehenge was merely a large circular ditch with an elevated area in the middle. The circle was roughly 320 feet in diameter, one entrance leading to the interior and a large number of holes around the edge of the circle, and a wooden sanctuary in the middle. The circle was aligned with the midsummer sunrise, and the midwinter sunset. It was also inline with the rising and setting of the moon. It was situated evenly with the most southerly...

Exercise in Sentence Combining with Adverb Clauses

Exercise in Sentence Combining with Adverb Clauses As discussed in part one and part two, adverb clauses are subordinate structures that show the relationship and relative importance of ideas in sentences. They explain such things as when, where, and why about an action stated in the main clause. Here well practice building and combining sentences with adverb clauses. Practice Exercise:Building Combining Sentences with Adverb Clauses Combine the sentences in each set below by turning the sentence(s) in bold into an adverb clause. Begin the adverb clause with an appropriate subordinating conjunction. When youre done, compare your new sentences with the sample combinations on page two, keeping in mind that multiple combinations are possible. Example:Sailors wear earrings.The earrings are made of gold.Sailors always carry the cost of a burial.They carry the cost on their own bodies.Combination 1: So that they always carry the cost of a burial on their bodies, sailors wear gold earrings.Combination 2: Sailors wear gold earrings so that they always carry the cost of a burial on their bodies. It is unlikely that Cleopatra actually committed suicide with an asp.The species is unknown in Egypt.The boy hid the gerbil.No one would ever find it. Our neighbors installed a swimming pool.The pool is in their backyard.They have gained many new friends.My parents and I watched in awe.We watched on a hot August evening.Erratic bolts of lightning illuminated the sky.The bolts of lightning were from a distant storm. Benny played the violin.The dog hid in the bedroomThe dog whimpered.Natural rubber is used chiefly to make tires and inner tubes.It is cheaper than synthetic rubber.It has greater resistance to tearing when wet. A Peruvian woman finds an unusually ugly potato.She runs up to the nearest man.She smashes it in his face.This is done by ancient custom.Credit cards are dangerous.They encourage people to buy things.These are things that people are unable to afford.These are things that people do not really need.I kissed her once.I kissed her by the pigsty.She wasnt looking.I neve r kissed her again.She was looking all the time. Some day I shall take my glasses off.Some day I shall go wandering.I shall go out into the streets.I shall do this deliberately.I shall do this when the clouds are heavy.I shall do this when the rain is coming down.I shall do this when the pressure of realities is too great. When youre done, compare your new sentences with the sample combinations on page two. Here are sample answers to the practice exercise on page one: Building and Combining Sentences with Adverb Clauses. Keep in mind that multiple combinations are possible. Because the species is unknown in Egypt, it is unlikely that Cleopatra actually committed suicide with an asp.The boy hid the gerbil where no one would ever find it.Since our neighbors installed a swimming pool in their backyard, they have gained many new friends.On a hot August evening, my parents and I watched in awe as erratic bolts of lightning from a distant storm illuminated the sky.Whenever Benny played the violin, the dog hid in the bedroom and whimpered.Natural rubber is used chiefly to make tires and inner tubes because it is cheaper than synthetic rubber and has greater resistance to tearing when wet.By ancient custom, when a Peruvian woman finds an unusually ugly potato, she runs up to the nearest man and smashes it in his face.Credit cards are dangerous because they encourage people to buy things that they are unable to afford and do not really need.I kissed her once by the pigsty when she wasnt looking and never kissed her again although she was looking all the time.(Dy lan Thomas, Under Milk Wood) Some day, when the clouds are heavy, and the rain is coming down and the pressure of realities is too great, I shall deliberately take my glasses off and go wandering out into the streets, never to be heard from again.(James Thurber, The Admiral on the Wheel)

Software Process Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Software Process Models - Essay Example this scenario, the hospital will be using this information system to keep a record of the patient, such as their personal information, information regarding their disease and so on. The software development team has decided to adopt prototyping model for the development of this information system. This approach will allow the software development team to build a prototype of the system in order that the users of the system could identify the working of the proposed system. Basically, the majority of system analysts nowadays makes use of prototypes all the way through the system design. A prototype is a functioning model of the planned system (Whitten, Bentley, & Dittman, 2000; Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2005). The system analyst basically constructs a useful structure of the solution throughout the design. Prototyping allows the software development team to develop a functional system quickly and reasonably for end users to weigh up. By communicating with the prototype users can search out an improved suggestion of the information requirements. The prototype authorized by the users can be used as a model to build the ultimate system. In this scenario, the prototype can be acknowledged as a functioning adaptation of software or an element of the software, but it is intended to be no more than a development model. Additionally, once prepared, the prototype will be additionally developed until it obeys the rules accurately to user’s requirements. Once the design has been completed, the prototype can be transformed into a sophisticated development system. The method of developing a foundational design, making use of it, refining it and trying again has been acknowledged an iterative method of systems development for the reason that the steps essential to develop a system can be repetitive over and over again (Laudon & Laudon, 1999; Whitten, Bentley, & Dittman, 2000). In addition, prototyping is further openly iterative than the traditional life cycle, and it

GDP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

GDP - Essay Example Measuring GDP is a bit complex, but the most basic form of the calculation can be done in two ways: this is through adding up what everyone earned in a year (income approach) or adding up what everybody spent in a year (expenditure method) (Baumol et al 69). Both methods can give you roughly a similar total. With the income approach, which is also known as (GDP) I is calculated by adding the total compensation to gross profits, employees for both incorporated and non-incorporated firms in addition to taxes without any subsidies. On the contrary, the expenditure method is a more usable or common approach and is calculated by adding investment, total consumption, government spending and net exports. Introduction GDP is termed as the market value of all the final goods and services that are produced domestically in one year. It is also regarded as the single most important measure of macroeconomic performance. It is closely related to the measure of the economy’s total output of products known as gross national product (GNP). This is regarded as the market value of all the final goods and services produced by a nation within a year. The difference between GDP and GDNP is a bit complex. In much more simpler terms, GDP involves only goods and services that are produced by a nations’ own people and their corporations. ... A person can either use statistics to calculate the overall macroeconomic activity. Measuring GDP: The expenditure and income approaches There are two distinct ways of measuring GDP, the income and expenditure approach. In the expenditure approach, we add up the market value of all the domestic expenditure that was made on the final goods and services in a single year. The final goods and services are known as the goods and services that have been purchased for the final use or the goods and services that will not be used in production or resold again in that specific year. On the contrary, the intermediate goods and services are those that can be used in the production of the final goods and services. This type of foods and services are not included in the expenditure approach to obtain the GDP. This is due to the fact that expenditures on intermediate goods and services are included in the market value of expenditures that are made on the final goods and services (Mankiw 89). There fore, including both intermediate and final goods and services using the expenditure approach will lead to double counting thus and exaggeration of the true market value of GDP. The total expenditure of the final goods and services can be broken down into four large types of expenditure categories with reference to the types of goods and services that are purchased. The average total of the four types of expenditure adds up to give us the GDP. These include: a) Investment expenditure: this can be divided into two groups: expenditures on fixed investment goods and that on inventory investment. The fixed investment goods are those that a regarded as useful over a long period of time. Examples of fixed investment

Literature Review on Leadership Theories

Literature Review on Leadership Theories 1. Introduction This chapter examined the literature of leadership practices on organizational commitment among managers. The study of leadership is seen as complicated because there has not yet reached any agreement among the researchers in terms of the real meaning of leadership. Professions from different fields around the world such as researchers, philosophers, organizational leaders had attempted to define the concept and meaning of leadership (Woods, 2007). As there are a lot of definitions define by professions around the world about the term of leadership, this study helps to identify the concepts of leadership in order to improve leadership practices on organizational commitment. The elements that will be discussed in this chapter were about theories of leadership that have been argued centuries. Then the definitions of leadership practices and five dimensions of leadership practices will be explained in detail. Lastly, the definition of organizational commitment will also be identified and be elaborated in detail. 2. Leadership Theories There had been existence of arguments about the definition of leadership for several centuries (Woods, 2007). It was indicated that the term of leadership cannot be defined easily. However, the existence of leadership in an organization cannot be denied in terms of its role in achieving the goals and objectives of the organization (Grojean, Resick, Dickson Smith, 2004, p.224). The scientific study of leadership became popular on 20th century and a lot of studies at that time were mainly focused on the effectiveness of leadership (Weinberger, 2009; Yukl, 1998). Daft (2005) defined leadership as a relationship between two parties which were leaders and followers that who were willing to create a shared value and strive toward a shared missions and objectives together (Lee, 2008). Besides that, leadership consisted of the meaning that a leader acts as an example or role model for the employees so that they can follow the step of the leader on the path towards the accomplishment of their tasks (Knab, 2009). The members in an organization tend to create the perceptions of what capabilities and criteria should be posses by an effective leader. Therefore, leadership was seen as effective when the leaders are able to develop and maintain the commitment of the employees through efficient monitoring and encouragement (Knab, 2009). According to Weinberger (2009), leadership can be nurtured in the attitudes and behaviours of the people through consistent training and practices. As many leaders in the leading organizations today are unable to fulfil the needs of team. Therefore, the studies of the leadership in terms of teamwork had received attention by the researchers around the world (Carroll and Levy, 2010). This is because different leader have different attitudes and behaviours. Thus, they will perform in different types of leadership practices under different circumstances (Morgeson, DeRue, and Karam, 2010; McGrath, 1962). In current century, the requirement of a leader to practice well in the leadership is getting more difficult. For the situation nowadays, leaders have to confront with more dynamic environment compared to the working environment that was less challenge for a few centuries ago (Leonard and Lang, 2010). The effective leaders were those who were able to fulfil their obligation perfectly and were able to achieve the expectation of the organization and its stakeholders (Weinberger, 2009; Goleman, 2000). There is no comprehensive of the theory and meaning of the term leadership, so it is difficult to determine what a leader should react and how the leader should behave in a particular situation. Regardless of the various meaning and definition of leadership, it continues to be one of the most widely researched topics today. The previous research on leadership had spur out different types of leadership theories such as Great Man Theory, Trait theory, Contingency Theory, Behavioral Theory, Transactional Theory, and Transformational Theory. Each of the leadership theories mentioned has their own meaning and explanation. The existence of different types of leadership theories indicated the efforts of previous researchers in the studies of leadership. Those theories play important role for the further literature study of the leadership (Morgeson, DeRue, and Karam, 2010). The management styles in Asian countries are different with those in western countries. Therefore, there is difficult to practice the western style of leadership in Asian countries such as Malaysia. Consequently, the leadership styles and theories that are accepted by western countries may not have the notable impact on the management styles of organizations in Malaysia (Lee, 2008). Every leader is different in his or her attitudes, behaviours, and management styles. Hence, there is no single theory works for all leaders. Leaders need to develop their own leadership approach by learning more about the following leadership theories. Great Man Theory Trait theory Contingency Theory Leadership Theories Behavioral Theory Transactional Theory Transformational Theory 2.1.1 Great Man Theory Researchers who support the Great Man Theory believe that people are born with the ability and competency to become a leader (Penn, 2008). The earlier studies defined that Great Man Theory described the leaders that had achieved greatness in their behaviours and attitudes (Daft, 2008). In the new era of today, there are still people that are willing to believe in this theory. Although this theory may sound old-fashioned in the eyes of some people in management team today, research suggests that some people actually possess the intelligence, personality traits, and characteristic that lead them to become good leader (Penn, 2008; Yaverbaum and Sherman, 2008). The term Great Man Theory was first studied by Thomas Carlyle (1841) who suggested that great men are the people that posses the intelligent and created the history of the world. Carlyle argued that great man is born with well personality traits, good behaviours, and high degree of knowledge. They are the people that able to facil itate their power and ability of leadership and open minded which lead them to become a great leader and will leave their footprints in the legend and history (Eckmann, 2005). Leader Born Personality traits Behaviours Knowledge 2.1.2 Trait Theory Trait Theory suggested that an effective leader can be identified through the recognition of his or her traits. Traits are the personal characteristic that possess by a leader, such as intelligence, knowledge, values, ideas, self-confidence, and attire or appearance (Daft, 2008). Trait theory suggested that a leader that complete with perfect and unique characteristic will become an effective leader. There were several studies found that potential leader will posses that similar straits of an effective leader. Trait theory had been neglected in the pass studies of leadership. However, as there had been more researchers explored the studies of leadership theories, more research had been done on this theory in recently years (Penn, 2008). Since the studies about straits theory has getting more popular, more research can be done on other personal traits that a leaders possess such as physical and social characteristic so that a more specific and appropriate trait of an effective leader can be develop. According to Daft (2008), there were some studies of this theory showed that same kind of personal characteristic may not suitable for every situation as the environment is always changing. Leader Characteristics or Traits Intelligence Values Self- confidence Appearance 2.1.3 Contingency Theory Contingency theory suggested that effective leaders will perform an appropriate leadership practices according to the different environment and situation (Penn, 2008). They will commit in the management styles that suitable and acceptable by the employees and organizations. According to this theory, the challenge and environment for every organization was different, so there was no a particular leadership or management style that can fit into all kinds of scenarios. A leadership style will have a positive impact for the organization and its member when the style fulfils the requirement of the situation and expectations of the employees. There were two Contingency had been identified in the past studies which were Path-Goal theory and Situational theory (Penn, 2008). According to Daft (2008), Path- Goal Theory suggested leaders can increase the commitment and enthusiasm of the employees to their jobs through the implementation of the leaders behaviours that fulfil the expectation of the employees. Besides that, this theory emphasized that employees organizational commitment can be increase through the using of reward to show the appreciation of contributions of the employees. On the other hand, Situational Theory emphasized that suitable and appropriate leadership styles will be formed for different situations and leaders have to make sure that their leadership styles are match with the abilities of the subordinates and function in the right situation (Hamilton, 1992). Contingency Theory Path-Goal Theory Situational Theory Leader Behaviour Use of Rewards Right Situation Leadership Style 2.1.4 Behavioral Theory In contrast to other theory discussed above, Behavioural Theory suggested that the actions of leaders will have a positive impact when the leaders perform appropriate behaviours that fit into the situations. In other words, everyone can learn to become a good leader if he or she can match the categories of their behaviours with the appropriate leadership styles (Katsuhiko, 2007; Shapira, 1997). According to Coleman (1986), Blake and Mouton of the University of Texas had proposed a two-dimensional leadership theory called the leadership grid. Each axis on the grid is a nine-point scale, with 1 meaning low concern and 9 meaning high concern. Figure 4.1.4 shows the leadership grid. According to Blake and Mouton (1980), Team management (9,9) was considered as the most effective leadership style because all members in the organizations that work together as a team will complete the tasks faster and can achieve a better result through the process of knowledge sharing in a team. Country club management (1,9) occurred when the leaders were behave to be more concern about the well-being of the employees instead of the productivity of the company. In a contrast, Authority- compliance management (9,1) occurred when the leaders show more concern of the productivity instead of the well-being of the employees. Nevertheless, Middle-of-the-road management (5,5) reflected a moderate amount of concern for both people and production. Impoverished management (1,1) was identified as the worst leadership style as the leaders are not concern for both people in the organization and productivity of the organization. Managers are not put their efforts in the maintaining of the relati onship with the subordinates. They also do not concern of the sustainability of the organizations production. 2.1.5 Transactional Theory Transactional leadership suggested that there was an agreement of contract made between the leader and follower about the obligations of both parties (Penn, 2008). According to the agreement, the followers need to perform and accomplish the task and instructions given by the leaders with full commitment. Instead, leaders have to recognize the contributions of the employees and reward them if the tasks given are being fulfilled effectively. Transactional leadership suggested that people tend to put in more effort in order to complete tasks given when there is existence of the rewards and reorganization. However, in the today diverse working environment that full with challenges, there are getting more people that put in effort to complete the task not by the attraction of rewards, they are doing so due to the self motivation and the inspiration of challenge themselves. Transactional leadership consists of two factors which are contingent reward and management by exception (Bass, 1990) . Contingent reward is formed when there is a mutually agreement between leaders and followers in with the ultimate purpose of achieving the objectives and goals of the company. On the other hand, management by exception is focusing on task execution which means that there is mutual trust between the leaders and the employees. Leaders will try their best in correcting the problems arise in order to maintain employees well performance (Weinberger, 2009). Transactional leadership Contingent Reward Management by Exception Mutual Agreement Focusing on task execution Correcting Problems 2.1.6 Transformational Theory Burns (1978) developed the original idea of Transformational Theory. This theory was defined as a process that transforms people through the motivation, values, and well planning goals which can lead the leaders and followers to higher level of satisfaction and successful in achieving target (Anagnoste, Agoston, Puia, 2010). This theory also indicated the ability of leaders in satisfying the needs and expectations of the followers (Kuhnert Lewis, 1987). Bass (1985) suggested that Transformational Theory emphasized the influence of leaders to the followers by developing a way that can encourage the commitment of the followers to achieve a better performance (McCall, Jr., Morgan, 1986). Transformational leaders tend to have the capability to inspire the subordinates. They always encourage the employees to explore deeper of their potential so that they can be more confident about themselves and can contribute more in the effort of achieving the goals of organization (Carless, 2001). According to Bass (1985), there were four major factors that must be practiced by the leaders that wanted to commit in Transformational Leadership. The first factor was Charisma which emphasized on the characteristics expressed by the leaders that can attract and retain the employees through their persuasive words and actions. The second factor was Inspirational leadership which was defined as a sub factor within charismatic leadership behaviour. The leaders that commit in this leadership have the capability to motivate and influent others through the emotional qualities. The third factor was Individualized Consideration which means that the leaders concern for the needs and development of each employee and they respect the dignity of each employee. The last factor was Intellectual Stimulation which implied the intelligent of leaders in problem solving. They encourage the subordinates in asking question and explore the potential of employees to be creative (McCall, Jr., Morgan, 1986) . Transformational Leadership Charisma Inspirational Individualized Intellectual Leadership Consideration Stimulation 2.2 Leadership Practices There were several aspects of the studies of leadership practices because it compromised by different identifications and reorganization (Morgeson, DeRue, and Karam, 2010). An effective leadership practices is the main key to improve employees achievement. Therefore, the focus on this study is to identify the effectiveness of leadership practices in promoting the followers to achieve higher level of organizational commitment. According to Knab (2009), leaders that perform well leadership practices have the ability to motivate and generate interest of the employees to the jobs. At the same time, they are the leaders that can inspire the employees to strive for the wellness of the organization and productivity and look beyond their own self interest. Kouzes and Posner (1993) suggested that credibility is characteristic that can be learnt by leaders through the experience of previous actions. Leaders that had been through different kinds of challenges tend to be more mature and know the way to handle their relationship with subordinates (Woods, 2007). Leaders are responsible to strive and maintain the credibility through continuing behaviours. With credibility as the essential ingredient of leadership, leaders need to always improve in that particular area in order to increase the trust and commitment of employees to them. Kouzes and Posner (2007) also suggested that the theory of leadership practices had been studied by many researchers and those practices can be studied jointly or independently. According to the previous research, practices of credible leaders can be defined in five categories which are: (a) Challenge the Process (b) Inspire a Shared Vision (c) Enable Others to Act (d) Model the Way (e) Encourage the Heart Leadership can happen at any location, in any form and occur in anytime. The effective leaders that organize the people well can accomplish many and different kinds of difficult tasks. According to Kouzes and Posner (2009), every leader that wanted to success in the leadership must commit in the five dimensions of leadership practices that mentioned earlier. 2.2.1 Challenge the Process The meaning of this Challenge the Process leadership practice was defined detail by Kouzes Posner (1995). The previous studies showed that this particular leadership practice described the characteristic of a leader that always look into the opportunity and space for improvement. They are the group of people that willing to confront with the challenges and risks. Besides that, they always prepare themselves to face the changing of the world (Knab, 2009). Leaders that commit in this leadership practice are not afraid of failure, instead they take failure as a process to grow up and improve. The leadership practice of Challenge the Process emphasized on the attitude of leaders that always prepared to venture out. They are the group of people that able to accept new creations and encourage the followers to accept new products, systems, and processes. In fact, they are the one that bring into the new products or services into the organization. The leaders engaged in this leadership practices are the originators of innovation. Therefore, this leadership practice suggested that the leaders to constantly think the situation from different dimensions so that they can create a different and unexpected new thing that can contribute to the productivity of the organization (Kouzes Posner, 2009). 2.2.2 Inspire a Shared Vision Members of the organization expect their leaders to have a clear image of the future and share the vision with them. Leaders who committed leadership practice of inspire a shared vision will helps everyone to formulate a clear picture about future goals that are acceptable and achievable by everyone (Knab, 2009). Leaders play a significant role in communicates the objectives and future plans to the employees in an effective way, and in the meanwhile inspires them to work towards a shared vision. According to Hyatt (2007), the effective leaders that commit in this leadership practice have to share their ideas with the employees. Therefore, the employees will know the direction that of their effort and will strive towards the goal with full commitment. Besides that, the leadership practice of Inspire a Shared Vision emphasized on the behaviours of the leaders that allow the employees to take part in the forming of future vision (Hyatt, 2007; Gabris Ihrke, 2000). Thus, employees will have a feeling that they are part of the organization and play an important part in future planning. Leaders that engaged in this practice are willing to accept known possibilities of the future. They tend to figure out the outcome first before they give the instructions to start a new project. Therefore, they will form a clear picture about what exactly they are pursuing and the best way to achieve the successful. Furthermore, they create a common and shared vision taking into account of the needs and expectations of all members in the organization (Kouzes Posner, 2009). 2.2.3 Enable Others to Act According to Knab (2009), an effective leader that engaged in leadership practice of Enable Other to Act have the ability to influent others and encourage others to act in the way that expected by the leader. They are the leaders that support and encourage the employees to speak out their mind and contribute their ideas in the projects. Besides that, they always provide options for the employees and inspire the commitment of the employees. This leadership practice emphasized the effort of leaders and subordinates work as a team (Woods, 2007). Therefore, leaders play an important part in nurturing mutual trust within the team members (Hyatt, 2007; Tan Tan, 2000). In order to achieve successful in a project, mutual trust and cooperation among the team members are extremely important. This practice also suggested that leaders enable others to act not by forcing or strictly command. Instead, they encourage others to act through the delegation of power (Hyatt, 2007; Gabris Ihrke, 2000). They allowed the employees to make their own decision as long as the decision they make was for the good of the organization. Moreover, they always use the word we to emphasize the important to work as a team (Kouzes Posner, 2009). Thus, the employees will have a perception that they are on the same boat with others member, then the organizational commitment will increase. 2.2.4 Model the Way The leadership practice of Model the Way suggested that leaders can develop and foster mutual trust between the leader and subordinates and within the subordinates by being the role model for the subordinates (Knab, 2009). Leaders that engaged in this practice are the leaders that ethic, honest and respect dignity of others. They will clearly define the obligations of employees and give a specific instruction so that employees will receive a clear picture of what are the expectations of leaders to them. According to the study of Woods (2007), it was defined that leaders that engaged in this particular leadership practices are able to express themselves with a clear values. Then they will make sure that their behaviour and attitudes are aligned with the values they show to the employees. Competency leaders know that they must involve in the role model expected by employees so that they can gain the trust of the employees and upgrade the commitment of the employees. To be an effective leader that model the way, leaders have to make sure their values and beliefs were accepted by the employees and demonstrate their daily actions that committed to their values and standards (Hyatt, 2007; Gabris Ihrke, 2000). Leaders actions will have more impact on the commitment of the employees than their words or instructions. However, leaders actions must be consistent with what they are promised to the employees. Besides that, leaders have to identify their position in the eyes of employees. They have to make sure that their existence in the organization is important and their instructions always followed by the subordinates. The leadership practice of Model the Way explained the right attitudes that leaders should commit in their direct interaction with employees. The leaders that act as a role model tend to be the leaders that earn the respect of the employees (Kouzes Posner, 2009). 2.2.5 Encourage the Heart Leaders that engaged in leadership practice of Encourage the Heart are willing to show their appreciation to the employees publicly, and always find ways to celebrate the achievement of the subordinates (Knab, 2009). Therefore, people will be more enthusiasm to their job as their contributions are appreciated by the leaders. Besides that, the employees that receive the recognition of the leaders will increase in their self-confidence and self-esteem (Hyatt, 2007; Javidan Waldman, 2003). Thus, they will not be afraid to share their ideas and knowledge with other colleagues. The increase of confidence of employees will then encourage the commitment of employees in their jobs. This will be a competitive advantage for the organization to compete in this challenging world. The high level of organizational commitment among the employees will then increase the productivity ultimately. In the process of upgrading the quality of the products and services require the leaders to motivate the heart of the employees. Leaders play an essential role to ensure that the employees values are align with the objectives of the company (Kouzes Posner, 2009). The leaders that appreciate the effort of the employees will increase the sense of belonging of the employees. When the employees feel that they are a part of the members in the organization, they will be more commit in their jobs and willing to stay with the organization even in the through tough times. 2.3 Organizational Commitment Organizational commitment had received highly attention of the researchers in the previous studies. Previous research had identified that organizational commitment had a significant influence in some aspect of working attitudes and behaviours such as job satisfaction, job performance, and turnover rate (Lee, 2008; Lok and Crawford, 2001; Yousef, 2000). Organizational commitment focuses on employees commitment to the organization. Mowday et al., (1974) explained the definition of organizational commitment as the belief of employees regarding the organizations objectives and values. This will imply the desire of the employees effort and the willingness to contribute to the organization. The employees will be more committed in their organizations if the values and culture of the organizations align with their expectations. Then they will stay loyalty to the organization. According to Cole (2000), a committed worker always believes in companys products and services. He or she is willing to put in a lot of effort and even willing to make sacrifices as long as the purpose is for the good of company. Besides that, the employees are willing to introduce the company to their friends. They will feel proud of their company and recommend their organization to the others as the best place to work for. Furthermore, they will choose to contribute to the company that spur out their organizational commitment rather than the company that provide high salary but absence of the sense of belonging (Lee, 2008). Meyer and Allen (1991) developed three different types of organizational commitment. According to Woods (2007), the three aspects of organizational commitment were defined as below. Affective Commitment This aspect of the commitment described the feeling of employees to the organization that expressed in a positive way. They feel attach to the organization because the organization provided them a sense of belonging. The choose stay in the organization because they want to. Continuance Commitment This aspect of the commitment explained the perceptions of the employees that they will lose their benefits if they leave the organization. Besides that, they afraid to suffer the cost of losing their friendship with colleagues and the cost of losing the economic cost such as insurance, welfare, bonus, and etc. Therefore, they will choose to stay in the organization because they have to. Normative Commitment This aspect of the commitment suggested that the employees continue to contribute to the organization as they have a feeling of obligation. There will be many causes of that feeling. For instance, an employee will have a sense of moral obligation and afraid to leave the company as the company had invested a lot in his or her training. Therefore, the employee will have a perception that he or she has the responsibility to stay still in the organization. As a result, the employees will choose to commit in the organization as they feel that they ought to. 2.4 Summary Leadership was defined in many meanings by researchers and it showed that leadership was indeed plays an important role in todays organization. Although there have been many different theories and definitions of leadership, there is still space for further research about leadership (Lee, 2008). Since it was suggested by previous studies that principal of leadership is the key to improve employees achievement, it is important that we continue to investigate what type of leadership is most effective for the organizations (Knab, 2009). The need for effective and efficient leadership practices are important for the leaders in today organization to engage in. Sufficient and efficient practices of leadership in the organization by leaders will increases the organizational commitment of the employees. As a result, the productivity will also be increased. A leader may have knowledge and skills to act effectively in one situation but he or she may not perform as effectively in a different situation as there is always consist of different challenges in different situation (Lee, 2008; Rad and Yarmohammadian, 2006). In this chapter, the theories of leadership were defined. Subsequently, in this chapter the five leadership practices was explained and its important was discussed as well. Furthermore, the meaning of organizational commitment also be defined and three-component model of commitment was identified.

Groups and Teams Essay

Many organizations require their employees to work in teams but offer them no specific training. Research who offers such training in South Africa and what it aims to achieve. Use at least 3 sources and explain what they offer.[15] Planning and competency is deciding the tasks that need to be done, determining how to do them, allocating resources to those tasks, and then monitoring progress to ensure that they are done. The three sources which offer team building in South Africa are High Africa, Dream Team Catalyst and Movers and Shakers. These three sources aim to improve communication, co-operation, leadership skills and motivation. High Africa which is situated in Worcester, Cape Town. They offer corporate team building activities, packed with activities to increase confidence and trust within a group as well as a venue for conferences to be held. Participants learn to work in a group and improve communication and co-operation. These can be improved through a variety of stimulating activities that participants are involved in. All the activities that are done at High Africa ensure that participants have to communicate and depend on each other in order to succeed in the activity. As companies started demanding more value and measureable results the team building organisation, Dream Team Catalyst saw an opportunity to meet these companies demands and partnered up with Catalyst Global and Hercules Trophy to ensure that they are able to offer their clients the best team building solutions available worldwide. The approach of Dream Team is to offer structured interventions that address specific needs and achieve measurable outcomes as well as high energy events that will simply delight and astound even the most jaded participants. DreamTeam believes it is all about the people, the facilitators and participants. Their events have a unique style. Teambuilding Events, Conferences, Training Programmes, Incentives, Celebrations & Fun Days all take on a fresh look and feel when we are involved. Movers and Shakers have more than 15 years experience in organizational development teambuilding interventions and the training arena. Their motivational activities & exercises and team building programs & events make an unbelievable difference to your company or organization. Movers and Shakers are the international non-stop shop based in South Africa for motivation and team building. They are passionate about raising people to new heights in performance and motivation through our team building events, motivational activities and corporate team building exercises. A company relies immensely on people, they should be focused on continuously grown and empowered, and have the appropriate team building strategies in order for them to excel. The key function of any leader is to rise up other leaders. Any teambuilding ideas have to be effective, different and stimulating. 2) There is a trend to introduce teams into the workplace. Explain why this is the case. Describe the skills required in individuals to be effective in teams. Do you think all jobs should be designed around teams? [10] Strategic action competency is, understanding the overall mission and values of the company and ensuring that your actions and those of the people you manage are aligned with the company’s mission and values. It is a key managerial skill for top level and middle level management. A managerial competency in general is a set of knowledge, skills and behaviors that allows a manager to perform his duties effectively and at low costs. Strategic action competency is one of six core competencies necessary to be a good manager. The other five are communication competency, planning and administration competency, teamwork competency, multicultural competency and self-management competency. Teams have become increasingly popular in the workplace. A team-oriented organisational structure means companies rely on small work groups or teams to manage various products or tasks. Work teams offer some benefits because of the cooperation of several employees, but challenges also exist when work teams replace more individualized work. Some of the few things which team work encourage are better solutions and betterproduction. Better solutions are the main reason why companies opt for team work. Team work also results in better quality work and a more thorough and more creative solutions to problems or situations. People in a group that are from different backgrounds and perspectives working together, they tend to derive the best solution possible. Team members working together enhance benefits of the best solution by continuing to work together to enact it. Better production – along with better quality, well-managed workplace teams often produce more results as well. Members in a team can hold each other accountable and drive each other to more efficient work. By setting individual goals to go along with team goals, the employees within work teams can create some friendly competition and use the peer-pressure influence to keep each other motivated to reach goals. Effective team members need the following basic skills: * Communication and Negotiation – Team members need the ability to state ideas or questions clearly, listen to others attentively, and to resolve disagreements in a non-confrontational manner. * Analytic and Creative Skills – Team members need to evaluate information and propose creative solutions. * Organisation – The team needs to be able to track and complete all its tasks on time. Tensions can often arise if deadlines are missed * Listening – Employees need to listen to each other’s ideas. * Questioning – Employees need to ask each other questions, to ensure clear lines of communication. * Persuading – Employees will try convincing each other which alternative to choose. * Respecting – Employees will respect each other’s opinions. * Helping – The employees will help each other n work as a team. * Sharing – Employees need to share their ideas with each other, in order to choose the best idea. * Participating – Employees need to participate in activities and discussions. Jobs should be designed around teams because groups are the ideal building blocking for an organisation. There are at least six reasons for designing all jobs around groups. First, small groups are good for people. They can satisfy social needs and they can provide support for employees in times of stress and crisis. Second, groups are good problem solving tools. They are better than individuals at creativity and innovation. Third, in a wide variety of decision situations, groups make better decisions than individuals do. Fourth, groups are very effective tools for implementation Groups gain commitment from their members so that group decisions are likely to be successfully carried out. Fifth, groups can control and discipline individual members in ways that are often extremely difficult. Group norms are powerful control devices. Sixth, groups are a means by which large organisations can fend off many of the negative effects of increased size. Groups help to prevent communication lines from growing too long, the hierarchy from growing too steep, and the individual from getting lost in the crowd. 3) Think about whether you prefer to work on a problem or task individually or as part of a team. Motivate your preferences by appealing to your personality and character. Describe the experience (if any) you should now obtain to develop your teamwork competency and have evidence to convince potential employees that you have developed this competency. [10] I would say I do prefer to work in a team, as the team can always solve problems more efficiently and effectively than working individually. My personality is suitable to be part of a team, as my leadership qualities can be enforced and I can also take part in discussions and feel free to give my opinion when it is needed. A team needed committed team members who are able to work through any challenge and is still able to think logically. It important to not give up even if the group might be struggling or not communicating and it is important to be committed to every task that the team has to execute. My ability to work well with people will give me edge when working in a group, I will be able to listen to their opinions and also give my opinion. A high tolerance level will be of a benefit to the group as there are many group members from different backgrounds and personalities working together, personality clashes happen often in teams and members need to tolerate each other’s personalities and work with people from different backgrounds. I have had many opportunities to work in a team, which all were not pleasant. When working with team members you not familiar with it could be more difficult to get to know them and find common ground. Starting on the project and discussing ideas could be difficult because personalities would start to show and team members have to learn to tolerate each other’spersonalities. Team work can also be very pleasant, working with team members you familiar with can make an immense difference to the outcome of the project. As team members have previously worked together it would be easier for everyone to work together and execute the project. Team members gain team work competency if they worked in a number of teams. Team work competency would be creativity, communication, negotiating skills, helping each other, sharing and listening. Working in a number of teams I would say I have acquired those skills, and I would be able to work in most teams. I also believe that every project needs to be consulted with another person in order to achieve the best results. The team leader needs to consult with his team and gather information, their ideas and point of view of the project. I would have to say that team work is more efficiently and effectively than individual work. Team work allows you to be more creative and it can achieve better results than working on your own. 4) Explain how your teamwork competency is likely to effect employee’s evaluations of your candidacy for a job irrespective of where you work. Visit http://www.pmforum.org. Using the site as a starting point, explore the resources available to project managers. If you were to become a professional project manager, how could you use the resource available to improve your ability to manage a global virtual project management team? List the steps that you could take to prepare for serving as a leader of a virtual global project. [15] Global Awareness Competency is when an organisation carries out its managerial work by drawing on humans, financial, information and material resources from multiple countries. My teamwork competency will affect the employer’s evaluation by looking at he wants from the employee. If he wants someone that will be able to work in a group and is able to work with others then a teamwork competency will be in my favour. Your team competency will greatly affect the type of job you will have to do, if you work well in teams you will be working in teams a lot. If the organisation only works in teams, it makes you a good candidate. Your team competency can also lead to many other positions. Employers value an employee that is motivated, innovative and creative, they must also be able to lead and work well with others. Good communication skills are also a very important skill to have when your employer evaluates you as a candid, it will allow work to run smoothly and the lines of communication will always be open. The ability to listen to others and take instruction is key factors to working in a team, you have to listen to everyone’s ideas and be able to understand what they want you to do when you given a task. Guidelines which apply to virtual work teams: * Whenever possible, use a variety of communication technologies * Pay attention to the quality of the communication transmission keep the team as small as possible – preferably no more than seven to eight people * To the extent possible, take similarities and differences in time zones into account when assembling the team * Encourage the team members to discuss cultural differences * Be sure that someone is responsible for facilitating the communication process * Encourage team members to interact one on one, without feeling obligated to copy every email message to the entire team * Train team members to match their choice of technology to their task * Hold an initial face to face meeting to discuss the team’s purpose and clarify the roles and responsibilities of each team member * Whenever possible, individual team members should visit each other * Schedule periodic face to face meetings Managing Global Virtual Teams is a one of a kind, action-based programme that will show you how to manage geographically scattered and culturally diverse teams and achieve maximum results. Through the use of simulations, frameworks, video-taped exercises, and group coaching you will develop the ability to design and manage a global team in a way that encourages collaboration, improves intra- team communication, builds cohesion and leverages your team’s cultural diversity. Every employee must have work team competency, it will give them that edge when employers evaluate them. It also makes working in a group so much easier and great communication skills are an important aspect. 5) In your small group of two members that did this assignment, what were your experiences? Using the model of teamwork functioning, analyze what helped you and what hindered you in doing this assignment. Identify what you need to do differently next time. [15] We expected this assignment to go smoothly, and we would be working well together. This assignment would be very lengthy and we had to meet a lot. We expected each other to do what we were supposed to do and meet the due date. We both worked well together and executed the assignment as planned. The model of work team functioning is a general model of team functioning. The four key components are the external support system, team design, internal team processes and criteria for assessing team’s effectiveness. These four components work interrelated, and considered they provide a full understanding of how well a particular work team functions. The model helps identify work team problems, key contingency factors and provides guidance to managers interested in assessing whether a work team is achieving all of the various outcomes that are possible. 6) External context 7) Societal culture Organisational culture Organisation design Human resources management system 8) Effectiveness criteria * Team * Individual Internal process * Stages of team development * Feelings * Norms Team design * Team size * Team proximity 9) 10) External system The external system comprises outside organisational conditions and an influence exists before and after the team is formed. These influences may consist of societal and organisational culture, organisational design, and the human resources management system. Culture The societal culture in which the work team operates is one of the major external factors. All team members have different cultures and the team needs to be able to work with all the team members and they need to work well together. In collective cultures people are very comfortable working in teams. Organisational design Organisational design also directly influences the formation and functioning of the work team. A lot of the work our group did was from own, on our own time, which could either be a good or bad thing, as there was no one to watch over them. The work also had to be done at different locations where the group was able to meet up for a meeting or to discuss the progress of the assignment. The amount of work the each of us had to do was more than a bigger group, because of this we had to allow for extra time and had to do majority of the work on our own time. Human resources management system Organisations have quickly recognised that practices designed to enhance individual performance can be detrimental to teamwork and have established that new performance management systems are needed. Team based organisations may also change their basic procedures used to assign people to jobs. Some self management work teams have to make their own decisions, in this case employees must be trained to make valid human resources decisions and adhere to legal constraints. In our group there were no major decisions that had to be made, as group worked very well together and there was no member that we needed to take action against. Team design The design choices involved in creating a team are numerous. Factors that need to be taken into consideration are team duration, team goals, and team membership. Two additional design choices are time size and team location. Team size As the number of team members increases, the internal decision making process changes. We are only two in a group so the workload would be more and we would have to make decisions that would the suite a group with two members. If we had another group member our workload would be less and our decisions would have been different. The size of a also affect the quality of work a team produces, the optimal amount of members per group is 12 depending on the task at hand. It is known that smaller groups always seem to outdo the bigger groups. Members in larger groups have difficulty communicating directly to each other, as in a smaller group there is more face to face interaction. As a result of this smaller groups have less trouble with getting their message across and there are less communication barriers or miscommunication. If the task at hand is one that needs creativity and innovation it is best that the team is smaller, this allows for not too many opinions getting in the way and clear thinking can take place. Team location (team proximity) Team proximity refers to the location of a team’s members. Two aspects of proximity are relevant when designing a team are the team’s proximity to other work teams and the members of the organisation, and team members proximity to each other. When many teams are working on a single project, team members benefit from being near to each other. This helps team members if they need advice on a specific area and it allows for the competition to be tighter among the members. Members from different teams can meet and discuss their developments with each other. Problem solving occurs when it is readily needed; members can ask each other for ideas, tips, or hints on a specific problem. We worked very closely with the other groups and consulted with them regularly, this allowed us to ensure that we on the right track with the project. Is also helped to clear any, misunderstandings were dealt with immediately and we also got to hear how other groups went about doing their project. Virtual work teams A virtual work team is simply one that meets and does its tasks without everyone being physically present in the same place or at the same time. Virtual work teams can be functional, problem solving, multidisciplinary or self managing. New communications are allowing virtual workplaces to extend the reach of organisations fare beyond their traditional physical and cultural barriers. Our team has become a virtual work team at times where we cannot physically be at the same place at the same time. Technology helped us to finish our project when we acted at a virtual work team. We could learn a lot from this project and how to deal with a team, the project did however meet our expectations but the leadership could have been better. On our next project we will have to make a few changes in the way we went about doing the assignments. We would have to assign work to the team members more effectively, have regular meetings and, motivate each other to meet deadlines. 6) How was the level of communication of your group members? Were instructions clearly given and understood? Was there any form of miscommunication between you and your group members and your lecturer? Were individual tasks given and completed on time? [10] Communication is a very important aspect of a team, good communication is the key to your team members working well together and projects getting the results your hopes you would achieve. Our level of communication in the group was very good, we understood what we had to do and all work was executed as per planned. If there were any problems that needed to be handled they were dealt with, without delay, team members gave their opinion on certain issues and everyone had a fair chance to say what they wanted to, if something was not understood it was brought to the team members attention and questions were asked if team members were not clear about instructions. Each team member was given work that needed to be completed and when the work was assigned to them, they were given clear instruction on what needs to be done. Team members made sure that there was no miscommunication amongst each other. The lecturer thoroughly explained the assignment which was easy enough for all team members to understand. Work was assigned to each team member and they were given a deadline, not all deadlines were met as we still had to do last minute finalising. The project was done at a later date than expected and it put back the whole schedule. Team members who did not meet the deadline, were given a final deadline that had to be met, which was the final cut off date. In the end the project met the overall due date and the team worked well together. Our team worked very well together there were no communication problems and everyone completed their tasks. The lines of communication were always open which made it a very pleasant team to work with and the assignment was executed successful. * SECTION B 1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of organizing employees into work teams? Explain these advantages and disadvantages. [9] It is proven that performing a task in teams can achieve outcomes that could not be achieved by the same number of individuals working in isolation. There is that sense of support from your team members which encourage others to work more effectively and efficiently. The reason for organizations’ having employees work in teams are as follows: * To improve on-time delivery of results * To improve customer-employee relations * To assist improvement on products and services * Essential for career and management-employee growth * Improve understanding of the organization * Reduce costs and improve efficiency * Improve quality * Increase the commitment, ownership and motivation of employee The advantages of working in teams are as follows: * Creativity increases – Each individual has their own knowledge, personal attributes and skill. By using these different traits of each individual team member, more ideas for a task can be generated; making more solutions available for better results. * Speed – Team work allows a task to be completed quicker and more effectively as well as efficiently; work can move forward in parallel with the ultimate goal being achieved much faster than the task being done by one individual. As the saying goes â€Å"many hands, make light work†. * Effect on worker morale – Being able to work in a team allows for a close relationship between individuals, increasing good relationships in the working environment. It also helps people’s self-esteem, having the knowledge that they contributed towards the task and achieving self-satisfaction. * Effect on individual and shared responsibility – All team members should always feel obliged to deliver to their best ability. Each member knows that they have a responsibility for a specific task and that the team depends on them to deliver work of good quality. * Self-awareness to reach full potential – Your profile is developed and gives you a better understanding of the strengths you can contribute to a team. * Balance – Each member may have a specific area in which they excel and by utilizing these strengths, the team will be able to cover the key team role functions, the team will remain effective and there will be no friction of role duplication. * Increased productivity * Improved service * Shared vision – There is a common goal, so team members will thrive in achieving it. It keeps everyone moving forward. The disadvantages thereof are: * Struggling with teams – Some people prefer working in teams while others loathe even the thought of it. If your team members rebel in respecting your authority or any effort to form cooperative working units, team work will not be an effective solution for your organization. Therefore, it is important to assess your employees’ feelings towards teamwork before dividing them into teams. * Decrease in creativity – The â€Å"Group Think† tendency may occur. If one team member voices their opinion, while the other has another opinion in mind but opts to go with the majority of the other members to avoid conflict or tension. Novel ideas could be missed out on. * Free-riding – This is a very frequent term not only used in primary or tertiary education but it occurs in organizations as well. Team member refuse to be productive, flying under the radar to avoid work. This also leads to a decrease in productivity within the entire team. * Conflict may develop – In most teams, there are likely to be dominating overbearing or reluctant participants, resulting in disagreements between members therefore it is vital to monitor the performance of teams. * Present evaluation and reward challenges – It is rather difficult to assess the team effort of each individual group member therefore workers are usually asked to complete group member evaluations which assesses each member’s helpfulness and productivity in the task being completed. Though this method is not as reliable, as some members may demote others for reasons which are not related to the task. 2) Describe the stages of group development. Which stage is the most crucial? [15] The development of work teams is illustrated below: This development of work teams model shows the maturity on the vertical axis ranging from low to high, also known as ineffective and inefficient, versus the continuum of time together on the horizontal axis ranging from start (first encounter) to end (adjournment). There is no specific time period in which a team progresses from stage one to the following. The team can be discontinued at any time by the authority that created it, however the speed of team development reflects the team’s deadlines. If there is a deadline for a task, the team will feel more pressure to perform, setting aside their personal differences and working together in order to complete that task. This model also shows how a team can move back to a previous stage if the possibility of the team’s end arises – this is called recycling. This may result from a loss in members, rotations, promotions or retirements, thus the repetition of the previous stage to be surpassed once again. There are 5 stages, namely: * The Forming Stage: This stage focuses on orientation of the team’s goals and procedures as each team member is anxious about what each member is supposed to do while others may be excited. During this stage team members are usually positive and polite, some concerned about who will dominate team discussions; others may feel intimidated and not participate as freely as the others. This stage is fairly short and may only last until after the first meeting or discussion. Leadership roles need to be discussed and getting acquainted with fellow member will facilitate team development. If team members still feel uncomfortable within the group, team-building exercises would be recommended to ease the tension and establish a comfort zone, allowing the team to progress to the next stage. * The Storming Stage: Competitiveness and strained behaviours begin to emerge during this phase. This stage may involve resistance and impatience if progress is not made with a task; the authority of one team member may be challenged as others jockey for their position. As a leader, they have to take the pressure that their team members are under into consideration; they may even be uncomfortable with the approach being used for the task. A few members will even begin to force an agenda without regard for the needs of other members, or isolate themselves from group discussions. During this stage, conflict may arise but it is the group’s duty to resolve it through conflict resolutions. This is the stage where many teams fail. * The Norming Stage: Team members become positive about the team as well as the position of the team leader during this stage – where a hierarchy is established. Others may show leadership in other areas while respecting the leader’s authority. The mindset during this stage is â€Å"We are in this together, like it or not. Let’s make the most of it.† A sense of belonging and commitment starts to develop within the group; members communicating freely, cooperating, and accepting mutual respect. Rules of behaviour are enforced by team members and one will notice how towards the end of this stage, there is a sense of enjoyment about being involved. At the end of this stage the oneness syndrome may emerge, which results in needed task-related conflict not being optimally resolved, in turn causing the quality or quantity of performance to slip. * The Performing Stage: Hard work leads directly to progress towards the shared vision of the team’s goal but some teams never reach their full potential, regardless of how long they have been together. By this stage, team members have usually come to trust and accept one another, where diversity, opinions and viewpoints are encouraged and supported; making room for â€Å"wild† ideas without the feeling of being inferior to others. Feedback and listening adds to the team members being focused on and reinforce a sense of clear and shared goals. Leadership can also be shifted from member to member depending on the problem which needs to be resolved. The team now accepts each other’s differences and disagreements and works on them cooperatively and willingly, where internal politics is avoided when trying to solve an important issue. The following characteristics will lead to a high level of team performance: * Energy is spent on completing tasks and building interpersonal ties * Developing procedures for making decisions (including leadership) * Trust and openness among one another * Ask and offer help from one another * Sense of belonging and freedom within the team * Accept and deal with conflict * Members know how to assess and deal with their own functioning If one or more of these characteristics are absent, the team will be likely to prevail ineffective. The forming stage of any team is important as the team members get to acquaint them therein, exchange personal information with others and it is also an opportunity to observe how each member works individually and how they respond to pressure. The most crucial stage of Tuckman’s stages of development however, is the storming stage as it is necessary for the growth of the team. For team members who are averse to conflict may find this stage unpleasant, contentious and painful. Tolerance is a must and should be emphasized, because without it the team will fail. This phase can be destructive to the team and lower motivation if things get out of control and some teams do not even pass this stage. * The Adjournment Stage: Teams usually assembled for a long period of time, go through the adjournment stage. This stage involves the termination of task behaviours and disengaging from work relationships. A planned conclusion usually includes recognition for participation, achievement and an opportunity for team members to say their farewells. This can also create some apprehension. The termination of a team is a regressive movement from giving up control to the team to giving up inclusion in the team. It focuses on wrapping up activities and can happen at any time as it is not planned and could even be abrupt. However, change in members could result in recycling instead of adjournment. The most crucial stage of group development is the storming stage. Most people understand this stage as thestage where conflict arises and how to avoid it. Conflict is impossible to avoid but team members should handle and channel that conflict into effective individual and team development. The approach to conflict is crucial in successful team building and it would be advisable to enlighten the team about everyone not always going to agree all the time – it is normal, necessary and part of team development. During this stage, most members will rebel and even leave the team due to these misunderstandings and this is the mostly likely stage that most teams to do not progress through. 3) Raj Kashdish describes his workplace as â€Å"friendly, just great. All the people get along together, and we play bowls and action cricket after work†. Quality records show that Kashdish’s team produces high-quality results but the team’s cost are high and the output of work is low. Is this an effective work team? Explain your response. [10] There are specific criteria called effectiveness criteria which measures the outcomes achieved by team members and the team as a whole. Some teams may be effective in some aspects but ineffective in others. If a team takes longer than expected to make a decision, on speed and cost criteria, they may seem ineffective but if the decision is creative and achieves customer satisfaction the team will regarded as effective. This can be an effective work team with regard to individual effectiveness as relationships between individuals are heightened due to Kashdish’s team doing other activities other than work together; but it could also be regarded as team building. Their decisions and work are costly in terms of speed but effective in terms of customer satisfaction. Even though this team produces high-quality results, their costs and outputs are still low. They are not effective in terms of team effectiveness but more so individual effectiveness. 4) What are the primary differences between functional work teams and multi-disciplinary jn work teams? Outline these differences. [8] * Functional Work Teams – This type of team includes members from a single department, such as marketing, finance or human resources, who in cooperation solve issues pertaining to their area of expertise and responsibility. Their goals could be to minimize costs or to ensure continuous supplies. For goals to be achieved, team members need to constantly coordinate activities, sharing information on price changes and products. * Multi-disciplinary Work Teams – Depending on its goals or tasks, this type of work team can be temporary or permanent and consists of 5 to 30 employees from various functional areas and organizational levels with the same goal-oriented tasks, such as designing and introducing process reforms and technology. For example, your team consists of a civil engineer, an architect, a mechanical engineer and a quantity surveyor for the planning of the construction of a pump house on a major irrigation scheme. A caesarean section to deliver a baby also requires a multi-disciplinary team. A product development team will exist for the period of time which is required for the product to be brought to the market, varying from months to years. For example, Microsoft brings together multi-disciplinary teams consisting of experts with a variety of knowledge and backgrounds to generate ideas, which may include representatives from marketing and eventual end-users in order for the products to appeal to the customers. This type of work team provides competitive advantages such as speed aand creativity, if properly formed and managed. 5) What are the differences between problem-solving work teams and self-managing work teams? Describe these differences. [10] * Problem-solving Work Teams – This type of work team is usually made up of 5 to 20 employees, all from different areas of a department who consider how something would or can be done better. A meeting would take place for one or two hours every week on a continuous basis for discussion of ways which can improve quality, safety, productivity, morale – or they might meet intensively for the first week or so and disband thereafter. There are two forms of problem-solving work teams, namely: Task forces and quality circles. Task forces are the most common type of this work team. For example, a marketing group conducting a feasibility study of a product. A quality circle is a team which meets regularly to identify and analyze the different types of workplace problems and propose solutions. * Self-managing Work Teams – It consists of 5-15 employees who work together on a daily basis to make an entire product or render an entire service. They may all be from a single functional area, but more so they are multi-disciplinary. Various managerial tasks are performed by these teams such as rotating job tasks and assignments, ordering materials or deciding on team leadership. To sum things up, what needs to be done and how to do it are decided by them. They are sometimes called high performance teams as they are composed of highly skilled individuals fully capable of accomplishing major tasks, such as an emergency trauma unit. These individuals submerge their egos and fully commit to the team and its goals. 6) You have an opportunity to take a job as new team leader in an organization. Before you accept the offer, you want to assess whether the organization is likely to provide a supportive environment for the team. What are the questions you would ask about the organization to determine whether the environment is supportive? [15] * Can you tell me about the executive’s management style? * Can you describe the work environment in the workplace? * What do you consider to be your organization’s strengths and weaknesses? * What is the state of the equipment being used within the workplace? * What is the particular ambience the employees exude when at work? * Is there any prejudice, stereotyping or discrimination in the workplace? * If any, what are your conflict resolutions which are used when there is conflict between employees? * Are the organization’s supervisors and managers equipped with leadership and diversity training? * Is the working environment safe? * What are the incentives being offered to the employees, if there are any? * Are there processes and procedures used for violations of the employment acts? * Do employees have access to rich information and resources? * Are there appropriate procedures for safety, operation and security?