A630.7.4.RB - Mastering the Art of Corporate Reinvention

For this study, there are two Chief Executives Officers (CEO), who have to revive their perspective corporations; Michael Bonsignore, CEO of Honeywell and Gordon Bethune CEO of Continental Airlines.  The emphasis of the seminar with these corporate CEOs was to analyze their perspective of how they address things such as keeping the companies employees happy; which leads to better customer satisfaction.  Both CEOs have different personality styles, even though they are both quite successful.  Mr. Bonsignore has a very open philosophy of meeting with and working with employees; being accessible to them.  Even though Mr. Bonsignore tends to be a bit stricter in his methodology of managing employees, he stills sees the value of employee appreciation.  Mr. Bethune has somewhat of a different outlook on customers.

What barriers do you see based on what you observed in the video?  The main barriers I see will be changing the corporate culture because not everyone is open to change.  Considering the age of the video, both CEOs will have to deal with new technology and a new group of younger employees with different perspectives and expectations of the work environment.  From a managerial and leadership perspective, I think there will be challenges for both Bonsignore and Bethune.  What must be kept in perspective is how cultural acceptance changes with environmental changes.  Although Mr. Bethune seems very sincere when address his employees and organization; I got mixed signals from Bonsignore who is a lot stricter in his approaches to organizational change.  The video paints a picture that Bethune has successfully grasped technological strategies in theory and application, whereas Bonsignore does not seem to be concerned with such theories, his focus is on the bottom line.  He places more importance on profits.  The fact is the success of both company CEOs will be based on acceptance from the employees.  The last barrier I see in the future is an identity crisis facing the company now that they have merged.  They now have to devise a system that establishes goals, policies, and values that portray what they are now and not what they were in the past.  At the same time, the organizational change needs to articulate a clear vision/mission statement that everyone can understand, comprehend, and accept as they progress toward future success.

What critical success factors should Honeywell consider as it crafts its organizational strategies around a new culture?  Michael Bonsignore, CEO of Honeywell needs to consider a fully integrated approach to change management.  He must not overlook the fact that behavioral, structural, and technological (change) factors must be considered in relation to the new organization as he leads his team strategies in creating a new culture.  The biggest factors for success will be the human factor.  The communication of the vision is paramount to getting the organization in line as well.  If employees can see the same vision that Michael sees, then it is all the more likely to find success.  He also needs to understand employees will portray a different attitude when he is around compared to when he is not. He must not seem as if he is forcing a new culture upon his organization.  Last but not least, I would inform him to consider the impact of culture shock; trying to implement too much of a culture change at one time.   

What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?  This video showed several key factors to leadership and organizational change.  First and foremost, there is no one perfect style of leadership when it comes to addressing major change in an organization.  Both CEOs; Bethune and Bonsignore, admitted that they have made mistakes and the best thing to do is to own up to it, learn from it, and move forward.  Another lesson from this video is to continue to invest in human capital which is important to anyone in a leadership position. Bethune reemphasizes the importance of this by stating the often repeated statement of what differentiates leadership and management; leaders do the right thing and management do things right. Last but not least, I think the strongest factor to remember is organizational change is not an individual endeavor.  It takes positive leadership that seeks to retain the best elements from the individual companies to succeed.  Motivating employees toward success is an integral part of achieving organizational success now and in the future.  With all that being said, I will try to remember the importance of human capital within in my own organization as my fellow instructors and I implement new training technology and materials.

A630.6.4.RB - 50 Reasons Not to Change/The Tribes We Lead

How do you react when you hear colleagues using some of the excuses listed in the 50 Reasons Not to Change graphic? I myself am a believer that that is necessary for organization to improve and grow.  I have come to accept the fact change is not an easy process and often requires sacrifice by certain individuals.  I find it difficult to deal with individuals who are so stuck on the old ways that they can’t move forward with anything new.   When I hear a co-worker, manager, or team member list a reason or excuse from the “50 reasons not to change” list, I become bewildered and ask why they are fighting certain changes so much.  Change does not just happen for no reason, there normally is a need; ensuring that the organization is staying competitive, efficient, and effective through their processes. 
Do you ever use any of these excuses yourself? As I have matured, I have realized that I have been very guilty in my past of giving some of the same listed excuses in certain situations; when I did not agree with some type of organizational change.  What makes this so bad is I am guilty of the same offense as the individuals I have often criticized for resisting change.  What I have discovered is, more than often, I have often found myself using some of these excuses when the change does not directly benefit me.  As the saying goes I was subconsciously asking myself, “What’s in it for me.”
How can you overcome the thinking that creates those responses to change efforts? What I have learned is to adopt a strategic perspective of looking at the pros and cons of implementing change.  For me it all begins me understanding that changing an organizational culture is not an issue aimed at me personally; I am not going to lose something.  The next thing I need to do is understand that if I cannot change a situation or an outcome, my best option is to learn how to accept it and deal with it.  Last, but not least, I need to focus on what I can do to find positive factors that will come from the imposed changed. 
Do you agree with Seth Godin’s concept that change is driven by tribes? Yes I will say I agree with Godin’s concept about tribes.  Ideas are great but it takes someone who is will to push that idea to get others on board. In every organization there are certain individuals who are passionate about certain issues, alone they do not have that much power but once they get people who have the same passion to speak up, they are heard by the masses.  Now no one said this call to leadership is an easy task.  It takes a special person, or as Godin said someone with charisma to stand up in front of strangers, to propose an idea that, to challenge the sta­tus quo, to be different, and to lead change. As a professional trainer of leadership, I truly believe Godin words and his book is applicable to anyone, from employee to CEO, who wants to instill change. 
What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?   When you understand how change works, it reminds you that anything is possible is someone to just take the first step.  Accepting status quo is easy, but when things change for the better, it’s encouraging to know that society and the business community is still evolving.  
Once you have reflected upon these questions, list any other questions or insights that have come to you as a result of this exercise.  For my career today I need to encourage myself to change and to think outside the box more.  Those that aren’t scare to try new things are often rewarded in their careers. I will be more cognizant of my thoughts and words during my organizational and personal changes; keeping a positive attitude and understanding that change can be good, particularly in the absence of resistance!

 

A630.5.4.RB - NASA Culture Change

Why did NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe address NASA employees to describe the plan to bring about proposed changes to NASA's culture?  After the tragedy with Space Shuttle Columbia, Sean O’Keefe took a true leadership role by addressing the employees of NASA.  After the assessment by BST, it was discovered that the culture in NASA needed a serious change.  Mr. O’Keefe wanted every employee to know that though there were many positive aspects of the NASA culture, he also wanted them to the culture of NASA demanded improvement in many areas. I respect the fact that O’Keefe was very specific about the fact that change had to start with leadership; he knew the employee needed to hear the words directly from him, not from some memo or by rumor.  Another point of him giving the speech first hand and directly addressing questions and concerns was to ensure he was making a point that this change involves everyone and every aspect of the organization; not just a select few. 

Was he believable? Is it important whether he appeared to be believable?  I am not sure if the speech was believable.  The right things may have been said, but the delivery lack passion; as if it was scripted.  Mr. Okeefe was very diplomatic, but at the same time honest in his words; addressing several areas that he thought would stand out.  He continuously reiterated that NASA is a good organization; however, he also mentioned that there was room for improvement based on his perspective and the survey.  One interesting note in the video; if you watch closely during the speech, you will notice one employee member smirking; as if to say here we go again.  Whether the information is factual or not and whether his heart is in the speech, I do believe it is important to appear believable.  If not employees will see the insincerity.

Why did he talk about NASA values?
Organizational culture is the foundation of the identity and understanding of its members and this culture is grounded in the values of that company.  Mr. Okeefe reemphasized that although NASA had many of the values in place that were working already; but there was definitely room for improvement.  The post shuttle crash assessment from BST made it clear that change was needed.  One area he discussed was respect for one another professionally to carry out tasks; all relevant important viewpoints must be considered and completing important task should not be based on just one individual perspective.  The other area he addressed was safety.  Mr. Okeefe stated’ “We don’t act it quite the same way we say it” in regards to safety.  By addressing the values of the organization, he is holding everyone accountable to the meaning is such said values. 

What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?  Effective communication is one of the most important skills a leader must possess.  However, if communication is not supported by action or passion, then the leader is not walking the talk or leading by example.  As I have stated in other discussions, the culture at NASA is by no means bad or lacking, but leaders recognized that they need to improve.  Looking at the situation that NASA had faced, the worst thing leadership could have done is nothing.  For his attempt of instilling changes throughout the organization, I commend Sean O’Keefe. He recognized the need to evolve and change and that NASA should not shy away change, but embrace it as a way to learn and improve our quality of life/work.  As I watch this video, I realize that even at my own job, I am given task or information and a strong level of sincerity is not included.  Whenever I teach or train individuals at work, I will try to be more sincere with my delivery of information. 

A630.4.4.RB - How Companies Can Make Better Decisions

Marcia Blenko argues that decision effectiveness correlates positively with employee engagement and organizational performance. How do you think employee engagement relates to decision effectiveness?  I would agree that companies with higher decision effectiveness have happier employees.  When employees buy in and are on board with the decision being made, they are more committed to making sure those decisions are executed properly.  When employees know they have a part in the decision making process, they become committed, which translates into better productivity and quality.  I think that the four elements of good decisions {quality (Q), speed (S), yield (Y), and effort (E)} are also the qualities you get from employees who are a part of the process.  Using the four elements can enhance in better productivity and efficiently.  Form my perceptive, employees are willing to not only execute decisions but also accept them while at the same time putting forth more effort to help lower costs by working harder to achieve company goals.

 

What are some impediments to good decision making?  Companies have become quite complex over the years.  There are a lot of people involved in the decision making process.  Some companies have a President, CEO, CFO and even a board of directors that make decision; thus sometimes too many cooks in the kitchen.  Some companies operate in a matrix, and it is hard to tell who is making what decisions.  Sometimes, employees at all level are unclear when it come to whom should be involved in the decision making process.  This brings up the next impediment of time.  Organizations of every industry are often forced to make split-second decisions that have significant impacts on their business, but often times it’s hard to make a quality decision in so little time.  Decision making is also impeded when people are trying to make a decision without any type of current information or data. This would be a huge hindrance in my opinion. In some cases, leadership can impede the decision process because the employees do not support the decision that has been made. For example, they must be open to discussion during the decision process. If the company appoints someone to make a decision, they may or may not like the outcome or the costs related to the decision made by the appointed party. Without the support of leadership they entire decision making process could come to a stop. There has to be a pool of talent to carry out the decision making process and the final decision implementation.

Blenko suggest that there are four elements of good decisions: quality, speed, yield, and effort. In your opinion, is there anything missing from this list?  In my opinion, knowledge is missing from this list.  Marcia Blenko stated that decisions are often hindered because people make decisions without any information.  Research or knowledge is always a key in any form of good decision making.  Current market research or data increases the quality, speed, and yield of good decision making with will determine the overall effort needed to achieve the organizational goals. Employee engagement should also get added to the list. This is another key to ensuring that decisions are properly executed and embedded throughout the organization. Employee engagement eases the transition and implementation of company goals based on company decision making. Operational decisions are also very important and directly affect the employees.

What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?  Due to the fact that part of my job is curriculum development and training, I would use the four steps of good decision making to determine what information will be most beneficial to the students to achieve the educational goals of the courses I develop.  This, in turn, benefits the organization as a whole. I also take away from this exercise that some organizations are stronger in one area versus other areas of effective decision making. With this knowledge I can first determine where the strengths of my current organizations lie—and possibly make suggestions as to how this can be improved.

Once you have reflected upon these questions, list any other questions or insights that have come to you as a result of this exercise.  As a result of this exercise, a few questions have come to mind. Marcia Blenko says that they use 1000 companies as these bases of their decision effectiveness scale. Does the list ever change? If so, how often—or do they just keep the same companies on the list? Do they offer easy to improve decision effectiveness for those companies that are strong in some areas and weak in other? I do not think that all companies are created equal, so sometimes in spite of making all these best decisions, and organizations may not reach their goals. I think that sometimes organizations may need to slow down on their decision making—especially if you operate in an industry in which things are ever changing. By the time a company completely implements the change, consumer needs may have changed as well. Earlier, we discussed some impediments to good decision making. I think it is good to discuss these obstacles because they are often overlooked by those not in leadership position. We always look at the cost or bottom line without considering other factors.

A630.3.3.RB - A Day in the Life of the Culture Committee

Is the Cultural Committee at Southwest effective in establishing cultural norms?

From an initial view, the Culture Committee does seem to do a good job of establishing some type of cultural norms which focus on internal organization exemplary service, happiness, and kindness.  However, can a short video paint an adequate of their efforts from other factors of the organization that were not mentioned?   Employee appreciation has been around in many forms prior to the establishment of Southwest Airlines. Many companies give bonuses as a form of employer appreciation. Some companies have company picnics as a form of appreciation and comradery.  It is used as a time to laugh, play and appreciate one another not only as employees bust as human beings as well.  For what the video presents, I think that Southwest is effective because this type of appreciation carried out or established by the cultural committee makes the employees happy and appreciated.  Southwest models are well known throughout the aviation industry; however other carriers that see the results do not always conduct similar programs.  You would think that other aviation companies should be more willing to try to emulate success.  Because I have done studies on this airline, it would be fair to state that the values and traits of this culture committee mirror the attitudes of senior leadership.   

 

From what you can tell, what is the purpose of the Cultural Committee at Southwest?  It is a way of saying thank you; the Cultural Committee at Southwest is designed to show the pilots and flight attendants appreciation for a job well done. It also allows employees to show their team unity with fellow employees.  In addition to what is previously mentioned, a culture and climate for the organization-at-large is established and reinforced. A happy employee is a productive employee, plus this action set the example for how those very same employees should be treating customers.

What would you see as a viable mission for a Cultural Committee in your place of work (or your last place of work if you are not currently working)?  A viable mission for the cultural committee in my place of work would consist of a monthly luncheon or just someone saying thank you for asking how your day is going today. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our own work and daily lives we forget the little things that are so important.

What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career? After completing this exercise, I think that I should just try to show appreciation to ward my co-workers whenever we complete a teamwork task by telling that they did a good job or by brining a snack like donuts to the break room for everyone to share.  After thinking about it, I suppose all of us at any job can do more to try to appreciate one another. However, we must not forget about the one we should appreciate the most: the customer. I would like to think that we should not get so caught up with the internal organization--forgetting about the external factors. As for the video itself, I think it was represented on a very small scale. Even though this was Southwest Airlines, no one can say that everyone at their company is 100% happy. The video only showed how employees utilized the cultural committee to show appreciation for flight attendants and pilots. What about everyone else? Do the flight attendants and pilots show appreciation for customer service representations, ticket handlers, etc?

A630.2.4.RB - 21st Century Enlightenment

After viewing the above video, reflect on the following questions in a well-written post on your Reflection Blog:

Why do you think the talk is titled 21st Century Enlightenment?  Matthew Taylor provides an interesting perspective of how he views the world through his term “21st Century Enlightenment”.  After reviewing this video, my perception of 21st Century Enlightenment is about how we as a people should start to think differently than in the past.  We should have a higher level of empathy that will transfer our current level of thinking beyond what we consider to be the cultural norms.  Taylor suggests that society should rethink how we see certain perspectives of society.  Some of the areas he focuses on are autonomy, universalism, and world progress.  My problem here is that I feel Taylor has taken many liberties with his presentation.  Mr. Taylor’s views bring several questions to mind.  What culture is Taylor speaking for?  Is he speaking for a certain generation of the population?  Is his presentation politically motivated in some way?  Yes Mr. Taylor’s presentation is titled 21st Century Enlightenment; but no matter how interesting and captivating, there need to be an understanding that enlightenment is not a new movement and it affects various cultures in different ways. 

What does Matthew Taylor mean when he says "to live differently, you have to think differently"?  Taylor made a good point in how he pointed out that if individuals have a desire change the way they live, in areas such as different principles, values, morals, standards; individuals must be open to changing the way they think.  Even I must agree that I sometimes get caught up in my life, not thinking that others experience some of the same things that I do.  Normal human behavior will always wish for some type of change; but in reality we do not make a plan to actually achieve such change.  Taylor explains that to live differently, we must respond purposely.  Once we learn to respond with a purpose, individuals will start thinking differently and breaking the learned responses of old. 

At one point in the video (4:10), Taylor argues that we need "to resist our tendencies to make right or true that which is merely familiar and wrong or false that which is only strange". What is he talking about? Can you think of an example within your company or your life that supports this point? After listening to this quote several times, I feel it implies that humans are not comfortable with change; internal or external.  To me, Taylor is expressing that we should not just go along with the crowd, but we should question the status quo.  Truth be told, individuals have diverse values and traditions and we should be careful with defining what is considered normal or right for society.  Society has to break the cycle of accepting certain practiced tendencies and routines because it has always been done that way or even worse become like the lemur in which we do what everyone else is doing just because.  In the organization for which I work, we fail in this area.  Some people at work never have to help with group projects, however, when the completed project is a success everyone receives the same rewards or praise. All of my coworkers that worked on the project new that some people did not participate in the process, but no one ever complains.  We are more reactive than proactive and you may find yourself an outcast or even labeled as a trouble maker if you challenge the status quo. Truth be said, we cannot be afraid of change; we need to strive to understand and accept change.

Taylor argues that our society should eschew (avoid) elements of pop culture that degrade people and that we should spend more time looking into what develops empathetic citizens. Would this be possible?  To me the answer is no, however the real question is what would it take for this process to become reality.  In today’s society, pop culture would seem to be more popular than religion.  When was the last time a list was made of the most influential people in society and someone engrossed in pop culture made the list.  Pop culture is engrossed in social media and technology and is influenced by various groups of people that share similar thoughts.  This movement is influenced by everything from movies and television shows, to actors, singers, toys, games and clothes. With so many technological advancements, we have become sponges to everything that surrounds us and our culture is now part of us; many future generations not only absorb it, they welcome it.   The world has changed and I am not sure if we can be as empathetic as Taylor suggests.  We should not judge each other, but we do. Certain aspect of society still want to determine issues like who marries whom, how everyone should look and dress, or even complain about the color of the skin of the president. Whether or not we develop that empathetic attitude will only be determined by the future generations.  Personally, I feel younger generations; seem to be less judgmental and more accepting than older generations of society.  

At the end of the video, Taylor talks about atomizing people from collaborative environments and the destructive effect on their growth. What is the implication of these comments for organizational change efforts? I think Taylor is stating that people should start looking at themselves when looking for organizational change. Change starts with a few individuals; however these few can get more to follow in their beliefs for change.  Today’s business organizations are rapidly changing, trying to keep up with technology advancements in every way we can dream.  We must understand that if we are to kick start organizational change, we must learn from both positive and negative results of our actions.  Being accountable and living in a responsible manner is not simply a matter of will; bottom line is we must have an in-depth understanding of who we are as individuals and how we fit in our society or organization.

What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career? I sometimes get caught up in the world and how my actions affect the groups and teams I am exposed to.  I need to be aware of how these actions affect the organization and what I must do to ensure my actions have a positive effect.  Even though my role in the organization may be small, the effects may be large in the grand scheme of things.  I am not sure if I need to develop a sense of empathy as it relates to others, but it is something I, at least need, to consider.  I am not sure if this will enhance my career, but if I never try, I will never know.  I do know that we as a society are not without any empathy because we have made progress.  It may not be at the level Mr. Taylor would like, but in order to change had vision and incite beyond the norms of the past. So I will remember Taylor’s rendition "21st Century Enlightenment", hoping to learn from it.

 

Taylor, M. (2010). The 21st Century Enlightenment. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo&feature=youtu.be

A630.1.4.RB - Board of Directors

Describe a situation from your organizational life that was similar to the situation from the video. Describe the situation in detail making sure to discuss how the organization was able to work through the difficulties to enable real change to occur.
____________________________________________________________________________

It is amazing how a simple cartoon can deliver such a powerful message.  Even though the You Tube video titled “A Tale of Power and Vision” will make you smile, at the same time, it will make you reflect on the struggles of organizations that are going through a change process.   In my adult career, I have seen this type of struggle in both corporate America and in various federal government agencies. It is amazing how a few individuals with power and authority; that are not open to change can stagnant change within an organization. 

I have witnessed this type of behavior on many occasions during my working adult career.  In my previous organization, I was one of many engineers serving in a supervisory position.  One of the biggest issues for a large manufacturing organization is how to address the union.  The union in the organization I am referring to have a very negative attitude when it related to corporate policy.  Many of the older employees often threaten managers by saying that they were going to file grievance when they did not get what they wanted.  When I arrived, this was well established as a cultural norm of the organization. 

During a staff meeting one of the older employees decided he did not want to work with a certain individual because of his race.  He felt that because he was a Vietnam veteran, he should not have to work with people from that nation.  This was totally against company policy and a situation that needed to be addressed.  The problem was current management was not willing to address this situation due to the union; so they gave him his wishes. This employee believed that the need for diversity and inclusion did not apply to him.  The managers believed they did not have to enforce the diversity policy and it was easier to let employees choose with whom they would work. At the time, these corporate cultures bred negativity when it came to the idea of diversity.

When I and several other supervisors spoke to the operations Vice President, he was very upset when he learned about the situation.  He was new to the organization and had a different mindset than the previous senior leader.  After communicating the company policy to the management team, he was able to get everyone board.  There were a few individuals who demonstrated resistance because they did not want to deal with the union.  However, it was explained to them that this was a corporate policy that would be followed, did not violate any employee labor laws, and was a key part of the supervisor’s responsibility.  In the end, the enforcement of the policy became the new norm; with some of the older supervisors still trying to cling to the old way, saying the news way was too much work.  Discrimination grievance and lawsuits went down and overall productivity of the manufacturing organization increased.  The change implemented was for the betterment of the organization and team, and as far as I know, that process is still in effect today.