Part A:
In the International College of Integrative Medicine, our teams are our board committees, which sometimes include members at large. We have around ten committees that handle our meeting planning, website, corporate culture, long range planning, financial matters, political concerns, etc. Each team has a chairperson who is supposed to set agendas, follow through, and give reports back to the board. One of our challenges is that as committees we are geographically spread out so that we can never meet face to face. Most of our communication is by email, which makes it easy for members of the team not to participate. Members and chairpersons of the teams are unpaid volunteers and do not hold their committee work as a high priority in their lives, therefore progress is often slow. As executive director I end up taking on most of the initiative of each team in order for something to happen. Sometimes I wonder if I am stepping in too much and not delegating enough. It is true that with active, vibrant committees that come from a working board, our organization could achieve results at a pace far exceeding our current activity. However, we need to be realistic about our limited paid staff resources and our need for volunteer labor, which slows down our potential growth.
Recently, I met with the president of the board about ways to motivate our teams and to encourage our chairpersons to take a more active role as leaders. He came up with a job description to let our team leaders know what responsibilities the organization expects from them. If passed, this document will be added to our policies and procedures, as a way of reminding team leaders (or warning them) what the job entails. The paragraph is as follows:
Congratulations on taking the responsibility of a committee chair. Your initial responsibilities should be accomplished as soon as possible. Determine if you need more help. Please recruit additional committee members or ask the President for more help if needed. Set goals for your committee to accomplish for one year. Set up a schedule of meetings in person and/or by conference call to accomplish your goals. Make those meetings happen. Set benchmarks to assess whether your goals have been met. Take initiative for projects, be creative. Keep the President and Executive Director appraised of your work. Get approval when needed.
Three weeks prior to in-person Board of Director meetings, you should prepare a written report for the Board, which will also be included in the minutes for that meeting.
To pass the test of Hackman’s conditions I would analyze ICIM’s teams as follows:
1) I believe that our teams are “real” in that they do have the authority to make real decisions, and sometimes take important action. Their recommendations are almost always approved by the rest of the board.
2) Each of our committees has a compelling direction in that they deal with a specific topic. Obviously some of the committee themes are not as compelling to their volunteers as they need to be for true motivation. Perhaps the long-range planning committee could provide a more compelling direction as they give us a vision for the future.
3) As for an enabling team structure, I think the lack of face-to-face contact really impinges upon this. It is hard to gel long distance, or even to bounce ideas off each other for maximum use of our collective experience.
4) Committees have full organizational support.
5) I would like to play more of a role of team coach than as team initiator in the future. It is my job to follow through and see that the ideas generated by the committees are realized, but also my job to monitor and inspire the committees to act in the most effective manner possible, while having some distance, since I am not a board member. Our board president can also serve this function if he puts more conscious effort into it, which I think he is starting to do.
Part B:
During my college years I had the benefit of being part of an incredible team effort. This experience molded my entire understanding and ideal of what a team can be, and unfortunately no work situations have ever lived up to it. The team was the University of Waterloo Peace Club. Our task was to protest the university-sanctioned recruitment of workers for military contractors on campus.
For an entire year, members of the small peace club had been meeting trying with all our hearts to come up with a mission statement, a vision for our purpose. In the past, the group had not been active so we were starting from scratch. We had long discussions and arguments about issues with structure and priorities, outreach and interfaith dialogue. Despite all of this, the group achieved almost no action, sponsored no events and just became more frustrated and cynical.
One meeting a young man came to the group. He had not been part of the peace club before, but he was clearly a leader on campus and a very charismatic guy. He had a vision, a vision to shut down the cozy relationship that our university had with the military industrial complex, and stop the recruitment for military workers through the co-op employment program, which was part of many students’ schooling. It was a connection we had never discussed. It was clearly a strong peace issue, and it affected an institution we were part of. It was something we could call our own.
I don’t remember how everything happened, but in a matter of only about two weeks, part of the group who was not in favor of radical action quietly left the peace club and started its own Christian mission group. Others from campus started flocking to the peace club, including a more diverse collection of new faces we had never seen before. It was like the word was getting out and magic was starting to happen.
In a very short time, we had planned a major protest in front of the administrative building during the recruitment sessions, leafleted all the co-op students with brochures we designed making the connection between war and their jobs, and illegally hung a huge banner about our cause across a busy intersection. The feeling in the group was absolutely exhilarating. Relationships blossomed. Our vision which we had argued about for a year now seemed crystal clear. We were all focused on what was important to us. Each of us was fully engaged and using our various talents toward our common cause. Though the young man who had planted the seed of the idea stayed with the group, he did not take on a leader role, but allowed collaboration to truly fill out the body of his plan.
In the next year, we planned and implemented other actions and campaigns, but we never lost the energy that that original clear direction had fueled us with. We were truly autonomous; we had organizational support from many faculty members and were allowed freedom of expression from the administration; our team structure fell into place spontaneously and effortlessly; and we had inspiration in the person of one guy who just wanted to make a difference.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
The ROI of Human Resources in ICIM
At first look, the human resources department of the International College of Integrative Medicine seems quite neglected indeed. All of our employees are part time, with no benefits, and one person’s salary is paid outside the budget by private donation. We have no structure for employee complaint or conflict resolution, no evaluation process, and the bare minimum of contracts. Organizational culture is based on the moods and personality quirks of the employees rather than an overall effort or plan. None of our employees were hired as a result of a job search, and there is no plan of retention, training, or orientation. Our organization has a policies and procedures document that was written over the course of 2006-7. Though our P&P includes job descriptions, it has very little about how human effort and coordination should flow. Clearly, if we are to even begin to evaluate or enjoy return on investment of our human resources we have our work cut out for us! Our long term strategic planning team needs to think ahead in order to continue and develop the financial and administrative security we have at this time.
This is a group that has survived from crisis to crisis over the years. Until now they have not been able to attract a long-term relationship with a staff member who was anything less than overworked, such as someone who had time to ponder human resources. Board members had little training in corporate matters, all of them being physicians. Survival has been the theme over time rather than readiness and planning for the future. I intend to see it change as soon as possible.
On the other hand, it is possible to evaluate ICIM as a group where our human resources lie far beyond our paid employees. As a community of friends, colleagues, and co-creators, our membership and board should be the body from which human resources are drawn. Over the years, ICIM has seen incredible commitment from long-term members who have given countless hours to board work, scientific research, common defense and support when colleagues are attacked by mainstream medicine, and stewardship of time and money to see ICIM develop. All of these sacrifices and shared experiences, even through various crises, make the organizational culture of ICIM extremely strong. The loyalty of our membership is passionate. As workers and activists to the cause ICIM represents, I can’t imagine a better workforce.
Members are regularly surveyed, many take part in task forces or board services where they develop leadership and feel their voices heard. We do not have a process to evaluate each other as colleagues, however, board members are voted on every year, giving a blanket of approval of good work.
Most importantly, as a group, we exist to offer training and development to each of our members, encouraging and giving their practice the resources to grow and develop professionally, both for themselves and for their staff members. Each member is known personally by the staff office, and we are familiar with each member’s special needs and concerns as we go. Informal mentoring is strong among us, and new members and students are encouraged by being introduced to future mentor relationships. Our members are satisfied and positive.
In conclusion, although ICIM fails dismally in an obvious structural human resource plan, the effect of its community of members provides a magnified ROI that is enviable.
This is a group that has survived from crisis to crisis over the years. Until now they have not been able to attract a long-term relationship with a staff member who was anything less than overworked, such as someone who had time to ponder human resources. Board members had little training in corporate matters, all of them being physicians. Survival has been the theme over time rather than readiness and planning for the future. I intend to see it change as soon as possible.
On the other hand, it is possible to evaluate ICIM as a group where our human resources lie far beyond our paid employees. As a community of friends, colleagues, and co-creators, our membership and board should be the body from which human resources are drawn. Over the years, ICIM has seen incredible commitment from long-term members who have given countless hours to board work, scientific research, common defense and support when colleagues are attacked by mainstream medicine, and stewardship of time and money to see ICIM develop. All of these sacrifices and shared experiences, even through various crises, make the organizational culture of ICIM extremely strong. The loyalty of our membership is passionate. As workers and activists to the cause ICIM represents, I can’t imagine a better workforce.
Members are regularly surveyed, many take part in task forces or board services where they develop leadership and feel their voices heard. We do not have a process to evaluate each other as colleagues, however, board members are voted on every year, giving a blanket of approval of good work.
Most importantly, as a group, we exist to offer training and development to each of our members, encouraging and giving their practice the resources to grow and develop professionally, both for themselves and for their staff members. Each member is known personally by the staff office, and we are familiar with each member’s special needs and concerns as we go. Informal mentoring is strong among us, and new members and students are encouraged by being introduced to future mentor relationships. Our members are satisfied and positive.
In conclusion, although ICIM fails dismally in an obvious structural human resource plan, the effect of its community of members provides a magnified ROI that is enviable.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
A Factory of Profit and Compassion
It has never occurred to me that I would have the opportunity to create a manufacturing start-up. This is a position I never even considered wanting to try. Yet, the assignment fills me with a kind of excitement that surprises me and overcomes limitations of my own making. As I stand on the brink of this adventure, two things inspire me: my old friend Jack Purves, who used to tell me stories of how he found himself (a leftist music major) in a management position of his father’s factory where he tirelessly advocated for the rights of the workers, and Charles Greer, author of Strategic Human Resource Management, who, along with others, is convincing me that an excellent workforce is the most powerful competitive tool a business requires.
Before I begin, I must clarify that there are two conditions that I require before I participate in this project. First, I need to be convinced that the manufacturing plant we are building is producing a product that is helpful to the human race and will not cause landfill overcrowding or toxicity to the earth. On the same token, I must be assured that the processing of the factory is not causing pollution to the surrounding area. Secondly, I must know that the workers we are hiring will have clean, safe working conditions at all times.
Now, the fun begins. My goal is to design a team of workers and managers in which excellence is the standard, regardless of job status or position.
I begin with the office administrative employees. This is a key role, and requires very specific qualities. I would be looking for people who have experience as parents and can double or triple task easily, doing multiple tasks at the same time. Job sharing (hiring several people to fill one job) would be an option. These workers would undergo personality tests to screen for qualities of organization, punctuality and flexible learning. I would ask all applications to be hand written to check for neatness and consistency. During the interview process I would reject anyone with a hint of dourness or cynicism, looking primarily for a good first impression, pleasant phone voice, and willingness to be helpful.
Next, I would engage an agency to hire twenty to thirty temporary workers, including several that would fill in as practical managers on the floor. These people would allow production to begin, while giving me more time to hire the ongoing work force. It would also allow me to observe the workers and anticipate some of their work challenges. This information would be useful as I continue to strategically hire employees with the qualities needed to avoid or overcome pitfalls. Any temporary worker that proves him or herself to be the kind of employee we are wanting would be hired long-term.
Considering that the information received from a resume, references and an interview is a tiny portion of the overall data about a human being, I would ask that applicants for all positions be personality tested in-house. Not only does this screen for specific good qualities such as flexibility, ability to get along with others and willingness to problem-solve, it lets workers know immediately that we take them and their work extremely seriously. All applicants would be required to do standard drug testing and to go through an orientation prior to being hired.
At this orientation, clear expectations would be communicated. There are behaviors that this plant will not tolerate such as any kind of sexual harassment or racism. All workers will be rigorously cross-trained and will be expected to do any job description that is needed at any particular time. Workers will be expected to excel at their jobs, and any kind of “slacking off” or bad attitude will not be acceptable. Evaluations that include the ability of the worker to contribute to a positive work culture will guide the renewal of contracts.
In return, our workplace will offer unprecedented respect for all employees. We will embrace a no-layoff policy. Each worker will have personal work goals that the managers will assign, according to what is needed to make our plant produce competitively. If that goal is accomplished before the day is over, the worker is welcome to go home early, with unpaid time off. If that goal is exceeded, the worker will be rewarded with a profit-sharing system that is proportional to the excess of the production goal. All workers can expect on-the-job training with a mentoring system for newcomers. Workers will be trusted with an open book policy because it is my belief that people need to know why our standards are set to a certain level and to know as a group what we are all striving to achieve. Employees will have fair pay, health benefits, and access to a grievance procedure that does not include their direct supervisor. Regular staff gatherings and holiday observances will be emphasized to inspire, rather than to reward.
Once the person is fully aware of the rewards and limitations of the job, they will have an option of discontinuing the interview. If they agree to proceed, and if they meet the qualifications required and if I have a good “gut feeling” about them, they will be hired.
Recruiting motivated employees will be a challenge. I would start first with recently released prisoners. In my experience, ex-cons have an almost impossible challenge in finding a job, and yet are some of the hardest workers available. It would be great to have an arrangement with a prison to do some pre-training for workers not yet released. Secondly, I would recruit through unions and secretly through other plants in the area with word of mouth rumors of our factory’s progressive stance on respect for workers. I would not hesitate to hire the very old or the very young (ages 18-70) into the workforce, if the proper personality qualities of open mindedness and willingness to learn are met. All other standard job advertising would be done as well; job fairs, TV ads, posters, newspaper classifieds, and recommendations from current workers.
Once the workforce is established, the next step is to find a management team that is able to mold this group into excellence and to maintain a positive organizational culture of dedication and exceptional work standards. Trying to incorporate other managers into this paradigm will be the most difficult task yet. Since I was hired to set up the project, I have set the stage for success. But to realize that success will take a management team that is on the same page. I would ask the parent company to choose carefully which managers are transferred to our plant, and ask that the managers are aware of the specific, unique goals of our site. As for the manager I hire, I would look for a person with experience to complement my inexperience, and with an enthusiasm and vision that matches my own.
Once the management team is established, I would make sure that we each have our own areas to supervise, with as little cross-over as possible. The team would meet at least once a day, to share information and support each other in decision making for the greater benefit of the whole. As a group, I would recommend that we get regular off site training in all areas of expertise, from human resource management to technical training in the field. We will also do intentional sensitivity training and team building exercises on a regular basis to help us work together.
Why can’t our manufacturing sector really be like this in the real world? Why can’t we decide and demand that respect for humans and the earth be part of our business standards in all fields? Perhaps it is because the field of business is often left to the greedy and the corrupt instead of those who want to make a difference. Perhaps it is because the business world is trained in profit rather than in compassion. I hope to yet see a world where those two things come together as one and the same.
Before I begin, I must clarify that there are two conditions that I require before I participate in this project. First, I need to be convinced that the manufacturing plant we are building is producing a product that is helpful to the human race and will not cause landfill overcrowding or toxicity to the earth. On the same token, I must be assured that the processing of the factory is not causing pollution to the surrounding area. Secondly, I must know that the workers we are hiring will have clean, safe working conditions at all times.
Now, the fun begins. My goal is to design a team of workers and managers in which excellence is the standard, regardless of job status or position.
I begin with the office administrative employees. This is a key role, and requires very specific qualities. I would be looking for people who have experience as parents and can double or triple task easily, doing multiple tasks at the same time. Job sharing (hiring several people to fill one job) would be an option. These workers would undergo personality tests to screen for qualities of organization, punctuality and flexible learning. I would ask all applications to be hand written to check for neatness and consistency. During the interview process I would reject anyone with a hint of dourness or cynicism, looking primarily for a good first impression, pleasant phone voice, and willingness to be helpful.
Next, I would engage an agency to hire twenty to thirty temporary workers, including several that would fill in as practical managers on the floor. These people would allow production to begin, while giving me more time to hire the ongoing work force. It would also allow me to observe the workers and anticipate some of their work challenges. This information would be useful as I continue to strategically hire employees with the qualities needed to avoid or overcome pitfalls. Any temporary worker that proves him or herself to be the kind of employee we are wanting would be hired long-term.
Considering that the information received from a resume, references and an interview is a tiny portion of the overall data about a human being, I would ask that applicants for all positions be personality tested in-house. Not only does this screen for specific good qualities such as flexibility, ability to get along with others and willingness to problem-solve, it lets workers know immediately that we take them and their work extremely seriously. All applicants would be required to do standard drug testing and to go through an orientation prior to being hired.
At this orientation, clear expectations would be communicated. There are behaviors that this plant will not tolerate such as any kind of sexual harassment or racism. All workers will be rigorously cross-trained and will be expected to do any job description that is needed at any particular time. Workers will be expected to excel at their jobs, and any kind of “slacking off” or bad attitude will not be acceptable. Evaluations that include the ability of the worker to contribute to a positive work culture will guide the renewal of contracts.
In return, our workplace will offer unprecedented respect for all employees. We will embrace a no-layoff policy. Each worker will have personal work goals that the managers will assign, according to what is needed to make our plant produce competitively. If that goal is accomplished before the day is over, the worker is welcome to go home early, with unpaid time off. If that goal is exceeded, the worker will be rewarded with a profit-sharing system that is proportional to the excess of the production goal. All workers can expect on-the-job training with a mentoring system for newcomers. Workers will be trusted with an open book policy because it is my belief that people need to know why our standards are set to a certain level and to know as a group what we are all striving to achieve. Employees will have fair pay, health benefits, and access to a grievance procedure that does not include their direct supervisor. Regular staff gatherings and holiday observances will be emphasized to inspire, rather than to reward.
Once the person is fully aware of the rewards and limitations of the job, they will have an option of discontinuing the interview. If they agree to proceed, and if they meet the qualifications required and if I have a good “gut feeling” about them, they will be hired.
Recruiting motivated employees will be a challenge. I would start first with recently released prisoners. In my experience, ex-cons have an almost impossible challenge in finding a job, and yet are some of the hardest workers available. It would be great to have an arrangement with a prison to do some pre-training for workers not yet released. Secondly, I would recruit through unions and secretly through other plants in the area with word of mouth rumors of our factory’s progressive stance on respect for workers. I would not hesitate to hire the very old or the very young (ages 18-70) into the workforce, if the proper personality qualities of open mindedness and willingness to learn are met. All other standard job advertising would be done as well; job fairs, TV ads, posters, newspaper classifieds, and recommendations from current workers.
Once the workforce is established, the next step is to find a management team that is able to mold this group into excellence and to maintain a positive organizational culture of dedication and exceptional work standards. Trying to incorporate other managers into this paradigm will be the most difficult task yet. Since I was hired to set up the project, I have set the stage for success. But to realize that success will take a management team that is on the same page. I would ask the parent company to choose carefully which managers are transferred to our plant, and ask that the managers are aware of the specific, unique goals of our site. As for the manager I hire, I would look for a person with experience to complement my inexperience, and with an enthusiasm and vision that matches my own.
Once the management team is established, I would make sure that we each have our own areas to supervise, with as little cross-over as possible. The team would meet at least once a day, to share information and support each other in decision making for the greater benefit of the whole. As a group, I would recommend that we get regular off site training in all areas of expertise, from human resource management to technical training in the field. We will also do intentional sensitivity training and team building exercises on a regular basis to help us work together.
Why can’t our manufacturing sector really be like this in the real world? Why can’t we decide and demand that respect for humans and the earth be part of our business standards in all fields? Perhaps it is because the field of business is often left to the greedy and the corrupt instead of those who want to make a difference. Perhaps it is because the business world is trained in profit rather than in compassion. I hope to yet see a world where those two things come together as one and the same.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Notes from "Human Resources"
There is such a thing as a "no lay-off" policy
There is no "right way" to do it; the key is that you PLAN for human resources, which people rarely do
How to get the workforce you need:
1. hire
2. develop
3. pray
Have a labor attorney as a friend
document, document, document
Even done in good faith, you can always screw up testing
SMART performance measurement
Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely
Before you try to solve the problem, figure out what the problem is!
There is no "right way" to do it; the key is that you PLAN for human resources, which people rarely do
How to get the workforce you need:
1. hire
2. develop
3. pray
Have a labor attorney as a friend
document, document, document
Even done in good faith, you can always screw up testing
SMART performance measurement
Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely
Before you try to solve the problem, figure out what the problem is!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Turbulent Human Resource Environment
Assignment A
“Inarguably, the human resource environment is currently more turbulent than in any other period since World War II” –Charles Greer
I agree with Greer in his assertion of the turbulence of the modern human resource environment. As he points out, technology is probably the single most important change that affects all aspects of human resources. Technology certainly makes my role possible as the Executive Director of a geographically diverse group of integrative doctors who attempt to communicate regularly through email discussions and teleconferences (a “virtual team” in Greer’s term on page 49 of Strategic Human Management, 2001). In this job as well as the work I’ve had for the last ten years, computer skills have been essential as a workplace tool, including graphic design, Excel, word processing, PowerPoint, email and social networking functions. Though I had no computer training in undergraduate school, I have had to get on-the-job experience that propelled me into basic computer competence. This rapid change in technology has caused a kind of turbulence as employees and employers scramble to keep up with technological advancement and appropriate use.
Greer describes several new organizational units that have emerged to challenge traditional forms of corporations. One structure that I was quite unfamiliar with is “unbundled corporations”, a loose network of autonomous companies with a lot of outsourced services taking up bureaucratic duties. The reason this set-up is turbulent is that companies can easily be dropped and added with minimal sacrifice on the head corporate unit. “Networking organizations” is another form new to me. This is also a structure that depends on elaborate outsourcing, with a small permanent core. This is also a turbulent change compared to the past, though more long-term than the unbundled corporation paradigm. Technologically-based cellular organizations, which are modeled after guilds, and respondent organizations that fill niches left by other new forms of corporate structure, are two more dramatic changes in the organizational landscape. Although my organization could not be said to fit into any of these models, I realize that in the past a group like mine would have had a much larger, more permanent staff. Instead, these days we outsource regularly for graphic design, printing, marketing, law, and accounting services, following the trends described above.
As a relatively young person in the job market, I find myself positively identifying with many of the other developments Green describes that add to change and turbulence in human resources. I have worked mostly for small businesses in my career, and prefer that modality, as is reflected in the growing movement toward small business employment. It is important to me that I enjoy my jobs and I place a great value on my belief that the work I do is relevant and important to me and others. Though I have a high level of commitment to doing a good job I have a low level of loyalty for loyalty’s sake toward my employer, and I do not expect long term job security in my lifetime. Committee task forces, desire for open flow of information about the company, and the assumption of gender, race and cultural sensitivity and balance are regular components of my work, all of which are part of the changing paradigm described by Greer.
In conclusion, I do support Charles Greer’s hypothesis that a turbulent human resource environment has defined the workplace in the last sixty years, and will continue to impact a future that is bound to be filled with further tumult.
Assignment B
Human Resource practices as mandated by law outline a much improved social contract with the American workforce, however many of them are under-enforced and largely ignored until challenged at court. Ending discrimination of all kinds is an admirable task, whether it benefits women, minorities, differently-abled, aged, or homosexual people. This kind of respect for equality is what America should be all about. Unfortunately, the attitudes beyond the letter of the law still affect thousands of workers who are treated dreadfully, both in society and in the workplace.
Although I can’t think of direct ways that these anti-discrimination rules have affected my career, I have a friend who recently went through an unfortunate series of events involving sexual harassment at her employment with no resolution.
Liz was approached in a sexually inappropriate manner by a supervisor. She told a co-worker about her distress at this, and the co-worker reported her complaint to the supervisor in question. The next day Liz was told she was no longer welcome at her job and was sent back to the temp agency that she officially worked for. In the next weeks, Liz, a low income single mother, was given only a fraction of the hours of work that she relied on to make ends meet, an unusual situation for her at the agency that she felt sure was treating her with retribution against her claim of sexual harassment. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guidelines on sexual harassment were of no help to Liz, who had limited education and understanding of her rights, and who had been employed in a complex arrangement with a temp agency.
The existence of laws protecting women from such treatment is a hopeful thing. It is a worthy goal of all of us in the business world to see that all anti-discrimination laws are followed and that attitudes are adjusted to also reflect the spirit of the law in our workplace.
“Inarguably, the human resource environment is currently more turbulent than in any other period since World War II” –Charles Greer
I agree with Greer in his assertion of the turbulence of the modern human resource environment. As he points out, technology is probably the single most important change that affects all aspects of human resources. Technology certainly makes my role possible as the Executive Director of a geographically diverse group of integrative doctors who attempt to communicate regularly through email discussions and teleconferences (a “virtual team” in Greer’s term on page 49 of Strategic Human Management, 2001). In this job as well as the work I’ve had for the last ten years, computer skills have been essential as a workplace tool, including graphic design, Excel, word processing, PowerPoint, email and social networking functions. Though I had no computer training in undergraduate school, I have had to get on-the-job experience that propelled me into basic computer competence. This rapid change in technology has caused a kind of turbulence as employees and employers scramble to keep up with technological advancement and appropriate use.
Greer describes several new organizational units that have emerged to challenge traditional forms of corporations. One structure that I was quite unfamiliar with is “unbundled corporations”, a loose network of autonomous companies with a lot of outsourced services taking up bureaucratic duties. The reason this set-up is turbulent is that companies can easily be dropped and added with minimal sacrifice on the head corporate unit. “Networking organizations” is another form new to me. This is also a structure that depends on elaborate outsourcing, with a small permanent core. This is also a turbulent change compared to the past, though more long-term than the unbundled corporation paradigm. Technologically-based cellular organizations, which are modeled after guilds, and respondent organizations that fill niches left by other new forms of corporate structure, are two more dramatic changes in the organizational landscape. Although my organization could not be said to fit into any of these models, I realize that in the past a group like mine would have had a much larger, more permanent staff. Instead, these days we outsource regularly for graphic design, printing, marketing, law, and accounting services, following the trends described above.
As a relatively young person in the job market, I find myself positively identifying with many of the other developments Green describes that add to change and turbulence in human resources. I have worked mostly for small businesses in my career, and prefer that modality, as is reflected in the growing movement toward small business employment. It is important to me that I enjoy my jobs and I place a great value on my belief that the work I do is relevant and important to me and others. Though I have a high level of commitment to doing a good job I have a low level of loyalty for loyalty’s sake toward my employer, and I do not expect long term job security in my lifetime. Committee task forces, desire for open flow of information about the company, and the assumption of gender, race and cultural sensitivity and balance are regular components of my work, all of which are part of the changing paradigm described by Greer.
In conclusion, I do support Charles Greer’s hypothesis that a turbulent human resource environment has defined the workplace in the last sixty years, and will continue to impact a future that is bound to be filled with further tumult.
Assignment B
Human Resource practices as mandated by law outline a much improved social contract with the American workforce, however many of them are under-enforced and largely ignored until challenged at court. Ending discrimination of all kinds is an admirable task, whether it benefits women, minorities, differently-abled, aged, or homosexual people. This kind of respect for equality is what America should be all about. Unfortunately, the attitudes beyond the letter of the law still affect thousands of workers who are treated dreadfully, both in society and in the workplace.
Although I can’t think of direct ways that these anti-discrimination rules have affected my career, I have a friend who recently went through an unfortunate series of events involving sexual harassment at her employment with no resolution.
Liz was approached in a sexually inappropriate manner by a supervisor. She told a co-worker about her distress at this, and the co-worker reported her complaint to the supervisor in question. The next day Liz was told she was no longer welcome at her job and was sent back to the temp agency that she officially worked for. In the next weeks, Liz, a low income single mother, was given only a fraction of the hours of work that she relied on to make ends meet, an unusual situation for her at the agency that she felt sure was treating her with retribution against her claim of sexual harassment. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s guidelines on sexual harassment were of no help to Liz, who had limited education and understanding of her rights, and who had been employed in a complex arrangement with a temp agency.
The existence of laws protecting women from such treatment is a hopeful thing. It is a worthy goal of all of us in the business world to see that all anti-discrimination laws are followed and that attitudes are adjusted to also reflect the spirit of the law in our workplace.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Adversarial Learning
Adversarial Learning
“Adversarialism as a professional ideal reflects an adversarial animus already at work in society at large.”
-William May in his book Beleaguered Rulers: The Public Obligation of the Professional, p.53
William May captured something in Beleaguered Rulers: The Public Obligation of the Professional that, as an American, I was aware of experiencing but had never heard articulated so clearly. I do sense, along with May, that combativeness “answers to something deep in the American spirit” (p.53). As a person who is naturally combative, I have been accused of being “very American” in international experiences, and like it or not, this combativeness betrays my strong acculturation to my homeland. As I study at a graduate level, I am becoming increasingly aware that this attitude has affected my style of learning throughout my life in ways that may not have served me well.
May uses the political vision, or “political myth,” of John Locke (p. 55-56) to explain where this American animus of competitiveness and combativeness came from. Locke asserted five principals to explain the human relationship with society: 1) the original condition of humankind is individual autonomy, and it is marred by threats to that autonomy; 2) society is there to serve the individual, and not for moral goodness; 3) we are held together by a fear of supreme evil rather than a hope of supreme good; 4) people have a passive understanding of citizenship; and 5) leaders are not here to be catalysts of transformation, but to maintain the status quo.
When I was in fifth grade I experienced the format of debate in the classroom for the first time. I remember it to the day; I felt alive and academically stimulated for the first time. This began my career as a public school student, a career in which I defined myself as a fighter, as an arguer, and as a defender of the right way. I discovered the rush of individualism and the pleasure of defending beliefs I held strongly. All of this combativeness did make me a strong person, but it also reinforced an assumption of rejection, alienating me from my classmates and peers. I also began rejecting any information that did not fit into my world view, or any position that threatened my autonomy, another effect John Locke discusses.
My entire educational experience was very Lockean. The school system was there to prepare us for complacent employment, not for a wider vision of moral goodness. Threats as serious as communism and nuclear annihilation, or as frivolous as the down-the-road sports rival were supposed to hold us together. As students, we were meant to be passive, just taking in the data until the test was over. Teachers and administrators definitely “managed” the students, and there was no pretense of transformation.
In contrast to this atmosphere, my combativeness did come in handy. I was able to question each of these situations and come up with my own expectations about what learning is and how I wanted to act in alternative ways to what I saw around me. May defends combativeness by pointing out how this kind of fight can promote justice and lead to positive improvement in the system (p. 54).
So, while I felt I was doing some good by providing a voice in opposition to the moral passivity around me, I was at the same time stunting my learning ability through my heavily dogmatic beliefs and the fear of having to give in to new ideas. I was also lonely, in self-inflicted exile from a community I considered mainstream.
In college, I continued “wrestling” with every academic concept into which I came in contact. Some of my beliefs were challenged by people I respected, people who were not falling into the defense of the status quo of society as defined by Locke. Each time this happened, my first reaction was a fierce fight against what I was hearing, and only after months of engaging this fight was I able to give in to a new paradigm. Those were exciting days, but they were also exhausting and I was quickly burned out and ready to stop studying and “start living” what I saw as real life.
Since that time I have lived fifteen years without formal education of any kind. Burned out this time by the boredom of babies and limitations of my resume, I came back to school ready for something fresh and new. At first I joined in the fray the only way I knew how and started arguing every point with vigor. Thanks to some gentle guidance from professors I have recently come to a new realization that it is possible to learn without combativeness.
I am trying to bring this new learning paradigm to fruition in my thoughts and practice. My mantra in class is “be open.” I imagine the information and ideas flowing through me as I read rather than stopping every few sentences to jot down an opposition. My rejection of Locke’s ideas as I relate them to education is now complete.
I still wish to speak out for the voiceless and defend the oppressed. However, I like to think that I am discovering not only new ways to learn, but new ways to transform society without losing energy in the fight. Instead I hope to channel that energy into the solutions.
References
May, William E. (2001), Beleaguered Rulers: The Public Obligation of the Professional, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press
“Adversarialism as a professional ideal reflects an adversarial animus already at work in society at large.”
-William May in his book Beleaguered Rulers: The Public Obligation of the Professional, p.53
William May captured something in Beleaguered Rulers: The Public Obligation of the Professional that, as an American, I was aware of experiencing but had never heard articulated so clearly. I do sense, along with May, that combativeness “answers to something deep in the American spirit” (p.53). As a person who is naturally combative, I have been accused of being “very American” in international experiences, and like it or not, this combativeness betrays my strong acculturation to my homeland. As I study at a graduate level, I am becoming increasingly aware that this attitude has affected my style of learning throughout my life in ways that may not have served me well.
May uses the political vision, or “political myth,” of John Locke (p. 55-56) to explain where this American animus of competitiveness and combativeness came from. Locke asserted five principals to explain the human relationship with society: 1) the original condition of humankind is individual autonomy, and it is marred by threats to that autonomy; 2) society is there to serve the individual, and not for moral goodness; 3) we are held together by a fear of supreme evil rather than a hope of supreme good; 4) people have a passive understanding of citizenship; and 5) leaders are not here to be catalysts of transformation, but to maintain the status quo.
When I was in fifth grade I experienced the format of debate in the classroom for the first time. I remember it to the day; I felt alive and academically stimulated for the first time. This began my career as a public school student, a career in which I defined myself as a fighter, as an arguer, and as a defender of the right way. I discovered the rush of individualism and the pleasure of defending beliefs I held strongly. All of this combativeness did make me a strong person, but it also reinforced an assumption of rejection, alienating me from my classmates and peers. I also began rejecting any information that did not fit into my world view, or any position that threatened my autonomy, another effect John Locke discusses.
My entire educational experience was very Lockean. The school system was there to prepare us for complacent employment, not for a wider vision of moral goodness. Threats as serious as communism and nuclear annihilation, or as frivolous as the down-the-road sports rival were supposed to hold us together. As students, we were meant to be passive, just taking in the data until the test was over. Teachers and administrators definitely “managed” the students, and there was no pretense of transformation.
In contrast to this atmosphere, my combativeness did come in handy. I was able to question each of these situations and come up with my own expectations about what learning is and how I wanted to act in alternative ways to what I saw around me. May defends combativeness by pointing out how this kind of fight can promote justice and lead to positive improvement in the system (p. 54).
So, while I felt I was doing some good by providing a voice in opposition to the moral passivity around me, I was at the same time stunting my learning ability through my heavily dogmatic beliefs and the fear of having to give in to new ideas. I was also lonely, in self-inflicted exile from a community I considered mainstream.
In college, I continued “wrestling” with every academic concept into which I came in contact. Some of my beliefs were challenged by people I respected, people who were not falling into the defense of the status quo of society as defined by Locke. Each time this happened, my first reaction was a fierce fight against what I was hearing, and only after months of engaging this fight was I able to give in to a new paradigm. Those were exciting days, but they were also exhausting and I was quickly burned out and ready to stop studying and “start living” what I saw as real life.
Since that time I have lived fifteen years without formal education of any kind. Burned out this time by the boredom of babies and limitations of my resume, I came back to school ready for something fresh and new. At first I joined in the fray the only way I knew how and started arguing every point with vigor. Thanks to some gentle guidance from professors I have recently come to a new realization that it is possible to learn without combativeness.
I am trying to bring this new learning paradigm to fruition in my thoughts and practice. My mantra in class is “be open.” I imagine the information and ideas flowing through me as I read rather than stopping every few sentences to jot down an opposition. My rejection of Locke’s ideas as I relate them to education is now complete.
I still wish to speak out for the voiceless and defend the oppressed. However, I like to think that I am discovering not only new ways to learn, but new ways to transform society without losing energy in the fight. Instead I hope to channel that energy into the solutions.
References
May, William E. (2001), Beleaguered Rulers: The Public Obligation of the Professional, Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
On Happiness
This week’s reading was fascinating. One thing that really caught my attention is the contemporary relevance of these classical writings. With a good translation it is easy to stop picturing Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle in togas and start imagining them in business suits. For the sake of time and space, I will limit my response to the selections from Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics” presented by authors Oliver Johnson and Andrews Reath in Ethics; Selections from Classical and Contemporary Writers (2007).
Happiness seems to be an ever more elusive ideal in our society of empty materialism, violence and spiritual crisis. Yet, the United States Constitution is dedicated to the pursuit of it. Happiness is supposed to be what we are all here to achieve. Aristotle wrote on happiness, and I will summarize his main points briefly:
· The purpose of all activity is to try and do good, to obtain happiness, or “human flourishing” (p.61).
· Nobody agrees what happiness actually is (and therefore what good actions are), but for the sake of argument, Aristotle uses “what is obvious or moral” as a measuring stick. He considers three sources of happiness, including pleasurable, contemplative or political actions (p.63).
· Aristotle deals with the tricky matter of whether happiness is an end in itself or a means to good. He asserts that“we must always choose happiness as an end in itself and never for the sake of something else” (p.66) An hour spent with a lover undoubtedly is a happy hour, but if that love is immoral or ill-fated, unhappiness of matched or greater intensity will follow. Happiness must be the end point we aim for.
· The good can only be obtained by actions. Virtues mean nothing in a non-active vegetative state (p.68-69). Simply being good is not enough; one must act out that goodness to flourish.
· Moral virtue is a result of habit (p.72) and we must be taught to feel pleasure and pain at appropriate circumstances (p. 74).
· Aristotle says, “the nature of moral qualities is such that they are destroyed by defect and excess,” and he introduces the idea of the mean, the perfect balance between extremes in emotion or action (p. 73). He claims that being average is virtuous and being extreme is a vice (p. 78-80), although he does admit one has to lean a bit to find the average (p. 82).
· From page 82-83, he reiterates that happiness is not passive, but intrinsically linked to action and engagement, and, assuming that it is a well-trained morally good person, that action would be virtuous.
· Finally, our reading concludes that the contemplative life is the ultimate happiness (p.86).
Aristotle’s argument is so beautifully written and so logically laid out, that it is possible to get swept away in its conclusions without questioning some of his basic assumptions. I will choose to respond to five of these assumptions: 1) goodness is nurture, not nature; 2) it is better to be virtuous by society’s standards; 3) there is a hierarchy of happiness; 4) extremes are vices and the mean is virtue and 5) happiness should be our ultimate goal.
The essence of human nature has been studied by scientists for centuries, and still there is no agreement about the nature of human goodness. Are we born good, or do we become good (or bad), as Aristotle says, through training and habit (p. 72)? Unlike one who sees our natural state as neutral, I sense that the natural state of human beings lies in mixed extremes of feeling and action, good and bad, and that our training counters or reinforces our leanings.
I am uncomfortable with Aristotle’s assumption that it is better to be virtuous when his definition is what society praises or blames (p. 63). In this society, I object to what many would consider virtuous, and my personal value system would not be considered virtuous by some. I don’t use societal norms to define virtue, because as a Christian, my allegiance is not to this society, but to a vision of the Kingdom of God through Christ. In the same vein, I do not believe that virtue always brings happiness and vise versa. Would not our happiness seem sugary sweet without the natural bitterness and sorrow involved in being human? If suffering is necessary (such as Christ’s atonement) for happiness to shine, then according to Aristotle, suffering could also been understood as good.
Aristotle has an unhealthy notion of the hierarchy of happiness when he writes on page 64, “the common run of people and the most vulgar identify [happiness] with pleasure,” while the noble class identify happiness with contemplation and political action. I disagree with making this divide. I think pleasure, including bodily pleasure (associated with women as well as lower classes), should be considered part of the whole of happiness and not a lower subset. We need to learn to overcome the divide that has kept us from a holistic understanding of happiness based on centuries of sexist and classist assumptions.
Finally, I would like to say a word for ecstasy and extremes. What is a life, if it knows nothing but average, nothing but the mean? Are we not created to experience the full range of human emotions and to explore the full range of human experiences? When Aristotle labels the extremes a vice and the average a virtue, he limits human potential (p. 80). Adventures on the edge of the spectrum cause personal growth and can bring a state of ecstasy. In fact, those experiences on the extremes of emotional life are similar to Plato’s description of the Sun outside the cave (p.57).
I don’t know of a case of edge dancing bringing happiness. But here I ask: is happiness indeed the ultimate goal? What about spiritual enlightenment, wisdom, karmic reckoning, or compassionate or heroic actions? Jesus Christ’s suffering on the cross (and that of the Green Man before him) changes the paradigm of happiness as goodness forever. Happiness, apparently, was not a high priority for Jesus, yet he is considered the example of ultimate good by hundreds of millions of people. He could have been in a state of spiritual ecstasy that sustained him through his passion and death, and the reunification with God in the afterlife may be the ultimate experience of human bliss. But the experience of Jesus’s crucifixion can not be considered a “mean” or average of anything!
Examining each of these assumptions helps me question Aristotle’s outlook. Yet, his writing is persuasive. In conclusion, I look forward to a further examination of ethics from different paradigms, and I appreciate a deeper understanding of how the classic Greek and Roman thinkers, especially Aristotle, have formed Western society.
References
Johnson, Oliver, and Reath, Andrews (2007), Ethics; Selections from Classical and Contemporary Writers, Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth
This week’s reading was fascinating. One thing that really caught my attention is the contemporary relevance of these classical writings. With a good translation it is easy to stop picturing Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle in togas and start imagining them in business suits. For the sake of time and space, I will limit my response to the selections from Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics” presented by authors Oliver Johnson and Andrews Reath in Ethics; Selections from Classical and Contemporary Writers (2007).
Happiness seems to be an ever more elusive ideal in our society of empty materialism, violence and spiritual crisis. Yet, the United States Constitution is dedicated to the pursuit of it. Happiness is supposed to be what we are all here to achieve. Aristotle wrote on happiness, and I will summarize his main points briefly:
· The purpose of all activity is to try and do good, to obtain happiness, or “human flourishing” (p.61).
· Nobody agrees what happiness actually is (and therefore what good actions are), but for the sake of argument, Aristotle uses “what is obvious or moral” as a measuring stick. He considers three sources of happiness, including pleasurable, contemplative or political actions (p.63).
· Aristotle deals with the tricky matter of whether happiness is an end in itself or a means to good. He asserts that“we must always choose happiness as an end in itself and never for the sake of something else” (p.66) An hour spent with a lover undoubtedly is a happy hour, but if that love is immoral or ill-fated, unhappiness of matched or greater intensity will follow. Happiness must be the end point we aim for.
· The good can only be obtained by actions. Virtues mean nothing in a non-active vegetative state (p.68-69). Simply being good is not enough; one must act out that goodness to flourish.
· Moral virtue is a result of habit (p.72) and we must be taught to feel pleasure and pain at appropriate circumstances (p. 74).
· Aristotle says, “the nature of moral qualities is such that they are destroyed by defect and excess,” and he introduces the idea of the mean, the perfect balance between extremes in emotion or action (p. 73). He claims that being average is virtuous and being extreme is a vice (p. 78-80), although he does admit one has to lean a bit to find the average (p. 82).
· From page 82-83, he reiterates that happiness is not passive, but intrinsically linked to action and engagement, and, assuming that it is a well-trained morally good person, that action would be virtuous.
· Finally, our reading concludes that the contemplative life is the ultimate happiness (p.86).
Aristotle’s argument is so beautifully written and so logically laid out, that it is possible to get swept away in its conclusions without questioning some of his basic assumptions. I will choose to respond to five of these assumptions: 1) goodness is nurture, not nature; 2) it is better to be virtuous by society’s standards; 3) there is a hierarchy of happiness; 4) extremes are vices and the mean is virtue and 5) happiness should be our ultimate goal.
The essence of human nature has been studied by scientists for centuries, and still there is no agreement about the nature of human goodness. Are we born good, or do we become good (or bad), as Aristotle says, through training and habit (p. 72)? Unlike one who sees our natural state as neutral, I sense that the natural state of human beings lies in mixed extremes of feeling and action, good and bad, and that our training counters or reinforces our leanings.
I am uncomfortable with Aristotle’s assumption that it is better to be virtuous when his definition is what society praises or blames (p. 63). In this society, I object to what many would consider virtuous, and my personal value system would not be considered virtuous by some. I don’t use societal norms to define virtue, because as a Christian, my allegiance is not to this society, but to a vision of the Kingdom of God through Christ. In the same vein, I do not believe that virtue always brings happiness and vise versa. Would not our happiness seem sugary sweet without the natural bitterness and sorrow involved in being human? If suffering is necessary (such as Christ’s atonement) for happiness to shine, then according to Aristotle, suffering could also been understood as good.
Aristotle has an unhealthy notion of the hierarchy of happiness when he writes on page 64, “the common run of people and the most vulgar identify [happiness] with pleasure,” while the noble class identify happiness with contemplation and political action. I disagree with making this divide. I think pleasure, including bodily pleasure (associated with women as well as lower classes), should be considered part of the whole of happiness and not a lower subset. We need to learn to overcome the divide that has kept us from a holistic understanding of happiness based on centuries of sexist and classist assumptions.
Finally, I would like to say a word for ecstasy and extremes. What is a life, if it knows nothing but average, nothing but the mean? Are we not created to experience the full range of human emotions and to explore the full range of human experiences? When Aristotle labels the extremes a vice and the average a virtue, he limits human potential (p. 80). Adventures on the edge of the spectrum cause personal growth and can bring a state of ecstasy. In fact, those experiences on the extremes of emotional life are similar to Plato’s description of the Sun outside the cave (p.57).
I don’t know of a case of edge dancing bringing happiness. But here I ask: is happiness indeed the ultimate goal? What about spiritual enlightenment, wisdom, karmic reckoning, or compassionate or heroic actions? Jesus Christ’s suffering on the cross (and that of the Green Man before him) changes the paradigm of happiness as goodness forever. Happiness, apparently, was not a high priority for Jesus, yet he is considered the example of ultimate good by hundreds of millions of people. He could have been in a state of spiritual ecstasy that sustained him through his passion and death, and the reunification with God in the afterlife may be the ultimate experience of human bliss. But the experience of Jesus’s crucifixion can not be considered a “mean” or average of anything!
Examining each of these assumptions helps me question Aristotle’s outlook. Yet, his writing is persuasive. In conclusion, I look forward to a further examination of ethics from different paradigms, and I appreciate a deeper understanding of how the classic Greek and Roman thinkers, especially Aristotle, have formed Western society.
References
Johnson, Oliver, and Reath, Andrews (2007), Ethics; Selections from Classical and Contemporary Writers, Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth
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