My last reflection 😦

This past semester has thought me valuable skills, and ones that I want to renew and make perfect.

Reflection learning has been tricky..

Blogging has been easyish…..

I was always the type of person to keep a diary, however I never would read back over my thoughts, it felt strange like it was someone else that had wrote down these ideas, or dreams.

However now I have begun to see how rewarding it is to look and question your work. It gives you a sense of achievement and a reason to pursue new ideas and challenge them, asking questions of yourself and others.

The two blogs that were posted for us to read have been magnificent, I have learned that so many scholars that I had already known keep reappearing in this discipline, so I keep being surprised.

I really connect with the framework for reflection.. the most effective part for me is to Observe: here I ask myself to look at myself and my views on the current topic, then I look to see others ideas..some of these I find amazing and then I realise I’m jealous! Why could I not see that?? Or why can’t I write that way??? However, I take a deep breath and go “if you think you can do better try”….. It is tough to criticise you own work, and see someone else’s work as ten times better then yours. In school and college you only know how good your work is by the grade you get, here its different you grade your own work!!!!

The effect this learning experience has had on me as a person is truly amazing  I am more confident now then I ever was with my writing abilities, I was never that confident with my ability to do academic work, having left school with very low grades, and not feeling I was not clever enough to return to college, it has been tough.

Returning to college in 2009 as an mature student was a dream come true..and to be doing a post grad.. well words can’t describe how I feel. Today I am stronger and more confident with my ability to produce good solid work.

One day I hope to approach a management position and know that I can succeed in it, that I don’t always have to be a follower, I can become a leader!

This week I have a presentation due for my module CYBERSOCIETY, here I have utilized my politics knowledge from my degree  and mixed in a little sociological theory.

It takes on how new technology and new communication tools have changed the face of the world through political ideologies.

This presentation gives me a chance to show the knowledge I have gained through 3 years of my Degree and how I have transferred these skills into my Postgraduate year.

My curiosity with the way the world is changing and how Facebook and Twitter has changed the way people voice their opinion has given me the confidence to proclaim my views on certain subjects.

Looking back 4 years ago I would never had thought I would be able to voice these opinions. Knowledge does give a power, using it wisely  is the task.

People feel strongly about their views, you have to respect them views in order to learn from them and make your own. It could be blogging about books and  discussing various reasons why Hilary Mantel  should of won the Man Booker Prize again, or you could be voicing your opinions which may just change a pro life voter to a pro choice voter.

Facebook and Twitter, gives people this power to engage the WORLD in debates like above, however the power really lies in the mask it gives  to the voice,  some people choose  not  to show their religious views or class status or ethnicity especially via Twitter.

Through using this Blog it has given me a confidence in writing my ideas and being able to share these with my peers is a major stepping stone in my life, it has given the confidence to pursue a new blog with my own ideas after this semester.

HERE IS TO CHANGE!

COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS EVERYONE!

Or was that Organisation?
Basic communication is vital for anything to work, whether it’s emailing 1 person a quick question about a group project, and then 2 people in the group having a email chat and come up with loads of ideas and then the next meeting the other group members are looking at you like you have ten heads.

Communication can break down very quickly and very easily which is the reason you constantly have to keep it a priority.
If you don’t or you think you don’t need to, small little nasty things can creep out of it.
If you don’t communicate with your colleagues because you feel there is no need, what happens if one day you need help?
I don’t think they would be as forth coming as you would like…

Also the idea of non-communication within a academic setting or work setting is one of isolation.

It can also have a very negative effect on you, many people might think:

“AH LOOK HER OVER THERE, THINKING SHE IS THE QUEEN BEE, WITH ALL HER INFORMATION”

“I’M NOT GOING TELL HER THAT THE PROJECT HAS BEEN MOVED FORWARD, LET HER SWEAT”

People can also be on the other end of the scale and tell you everything they know thinking it will help, and people will also feel the same way!

Communication incorporates many different elements of behavior, however it is vital for you to communicate effectively if you and the work you are producing is going to succeed .

The aspect that  Alshare  2011 focused on was both educator and student, and how many barriers can hinder the operations of communication in very simple ways, that is in the perspective of a student approaching a educator for information.

Even as a Mature Student, approaching my tutor who was of a similar age was the  most nerve racking thing I think I have ever done, WHY, he knew more about the topic than I did!

That’s why he was the tutor and I thee student!

This weeks readings reflect change and innovation in the information professional, it brings with it new ideas and challenges and bright shiny mornings…if you like mornings that is!
Sorry to be a drag!
Innovation and change management is needed in every establishment I understand that, I feel the implementing of this mindset if a tough one to crack with employees.
It is the culture and behaviour that is within the organisation that will fuel these new ideas and help each other seek new ways to develop skills.
I really understood how Ripley linked innovation to an entrepreneur and how he translated the word into people who “undertook” a risk. And it is all these new ideas and changes that are undertaken are potential risks to the organisation, and when they fail they can destroy an organisation, however if these new ideas are not introduced and people do not challenge each other the establishment will go stale and rotten.
Can this drive be achieved in everyone????
It takes a lot of positive thinking and encouragement,
I for one would take a lot of coaxing in order to gain this mindset and change my perspective of becoming an innovator or a entrepreneur, call me lazy if you wish, but my brain does not work like this or maybe I am not brave enough!
It reminds me of a advertising company who night and day reinvent these slogans and ways to rebrand the same brand…what is the bloody point just because you changed the label is not going to make people buy it it still tastes horrible!
I can see change and innovation going hand in hand, change will always happen in this bright new shiny world, and innovation will only happen if these beliefs and visions have been incorporated into the given establishment and everyone is on the same buzz of “creating” “adapting” “transforming” all these buzz words sound like you are running at full speed while shouting them, PHEW I’M TIRED NOW!!!!

Recently, for a group project we interviewed a librarian this was part of the process to gain information on the specifics of her role.
When she joined this specific library she had 200 students, now it is a renowned library which is part of an Institute and has 2,500 students. How did she do it?
Myself and my fellow group members, walked away from the interview in awe (I did anyhow).
Reading the chapters and subsequent articles posted in LinkedIn and on BB, I can’t help but wonder the challenges this lady faced and how she needed to build not only a functioning library but a group of people who where willing going to maintain and produce an ever growing library.
As management goes that seems like one tough job. However when you sat an listened to the way she told this story you understood how she did it, she didn’t instil this knowledge of change in order to innovate, she knew you already had this.
Knowledge is in us all we just need that 1 person for us or a team of people to realise “hey I have the ability to do this” an the ability to access it and use it appropriately.
I can see how these terms, knowledge, information, innovation, change, can be interlinked, but the problem I see within the readings is the fact that they all now have management within them, they are all linked and all flow together, from top down to bottom up, it has no other way of working, yes I agree that some part of the organisation needs to have an element of control, as knowledge and power in the wrong hands can lead to disastrous effects.
Reflection in depth:
How can KM be operationalized by information professionals working within larger businesses and organisations?
I don’t know if this is right: To make it work within a larger area it needs to be broken into various sectors or teams with various interests that link it back to the core aspect of the organisation and then each team leader should link in with each other to come together and make it a whole project, like mini brainstorms and then one large brainstorm, it includes everyone’s piece of knowledge that can come full circle into one big project. One it gives leadership a sense of control of the ideas and second it gives everyone an opportunity to give their insight.

Does KM mean something different in an information-specific organisation such as a library?
Reading the article by LEE, that was posted on the LinkedIn website, I can see the problem between the two concepts, as the two are linked, but it seems that the librarian is caught up with the idea of what comes first the chicken or the egg???????
Here I think an overlap of the the two concepts should be integrated or a system of how the two operate within the context of the library and see how they fit, at the end of the day there is no point arguing over two words that potentially can mean the same thing in a given setting.
Can you think of examples of organisational learning and knowledge in places you have worked? How was information encoded? presented? shared?
Coming from a Hospitality Background, information was through speech, information was past on through speech, knowledge was past on via speech, there was no time for innovation from a ground level perspective you were there to work and serve not think!!!! If something needed to be sorted, or changed it was pasted on with reasons, and alternatives, but the change happened at management.
The only thing I can think of is if large functions where booked, the floor staff where the first to be asked “what way shall we lay this out that is easier for you to operate”?
How can you relate KM to last week’s discussion of org’l culture? strategic planning? reflective practice?
It can be related in ways that a culture within one organisation will have ways of operating differently to another, it does not mean it will be better or worse, but for instance change might be a bit slower in one establishment than another for reasons of easing staff into managing this change.
Can you anticipate how KM might relate to upcoming topics such as innovation, change management, and communication?
It will link in as Knowledge is the foundation for innovation, change and communication, if there is no new knowledge or learning there can be no forward thinking.
Until next week!

This week’s aspect of management, got me in a pickle!
On one aspect I understood the case studies, and thought I understood where the different contexts where coming from, and then I skimmed the chapters in the book and I got all cultured up!
I think I began looking at the concept of culture from my sociological degree mind and then tried to bring it in an aspect of a working organisation I got very frustrated and I could not understand why!

I read the piece “What do you mean” and when they said “Culture is similar to cultivating that being a farmer tending his plants, I nearly threw the book on the floor!!
Because in my mind it is nothing of that sort, after learning sociological definitions of culture for 3 years, that is not one of them!

I understand the context culture contains in organisations but it only is the context that maps the making the organisation. The culture can be it’s make-up like the Irish has a social way of bringing together a team or giving a work team a boost, by throwing a party, another culture would see this as crazy!
The other meaning of culture that I took was the change in the actual traditional way of operating as a organisation, culturally that’s embedded in your thoughts, behaviour, and the analysis of the world around you.

This is given in a very good example in the textbook of how now MODERN CEO’S cannot behave like their old counterparts like the Tudor court because they are meshed into all aspects of the organisations which gives them little power to do what THEY want.
After reading the case study on “Google” I really (in a nice way) did not feel very well!!!! I had already heard many stories of people working in Google and how they make the work area a FANTASTIC place to work in so you never want to go home BLA BLA BLA… so after reading it I was like GET A LIFE IT’S ONLY A JOB!
I thought I can’t say this is my blog no one is going to like this, but again I knew I had similar mind thinkers, when Clegg and co. showed their insight into some of their opinions on how their working environment makes them feel. PHEW!

After taking a break from reading for this reflection, I picked up the paper, and inside was the supplement for the “Innovation Dublin 2012” and low and behold, I found exactly something that brings all these aspects together, the inside cover has a big picture of a beautiful nights sky of Dublin’s Liffey, and surrounding the words DUBLIN CITY it had supportive, international, strong, smart, leadership, competitive, all of these where the buzz words used in the case studies that wanted to create a new culture or build up a new culture within a traditional organisation like Ford or a new one like Google.
It uses new thinking with words like “I’m hugely impressed with the quality of teams coming out of Ireland” one article writes about success stories of start up companies, another article, goes on to talk about “The best innovation comes from collaboration”.
After reading for today’s reflection, and looking at the articles in the supplement I am invigorated to go and see how these people keep so positive and keep their ideas all the time changing, maybe I just have a lazy brain that only wants to work 9-5, better start changing….
Wonder what I shall be like when this module is over 🙂

Strategic Planning goes round in circles!!!!!!

So in order to set out a plan I need to ask:

1) How much will it cost me?

2) But then by spending all this I will save alot when it is finished and working!!!!??????

But now I have to decide what other aspects of development within my Organisation  I have to forfeit in order to produce this massive document that sets out goals, missions, objectives, aims, guides, results!!!

ANY MORE BUZZ WORDS FOR THE JUSTIFICATION OF THIS DOCUMENT!!!!

Mott (2008) sets out the difference between people not having a detailed plan and how it can work, but this I think needs a closer in depth look at the traits and behaviour of the people within that organisation, the type of planning that works might be a “wing it” approach where other organisations need to have a concrete course set out for various decisions.

Which brings me back to ME chasing my tail!

If I need a plan I shall look to developing that plan and like Stephan (2010) until the time comes where I feel my company needs a good kick!

Then I go about preparing  to set up a plan that should tell me what I did good, where I went wrong and a no fail attitude in a forecast of improvement! So now I need a plan/reason to plan the big plan!

However I have another problem with the above picture I see how Stephan (2010) needed to gather this plan together as there were others involved and a new dean, but if nothing had changed and everyone had been working together why should everything go wrong??? Did some link in the chain break and no one saw to fix it it???

If you need a policy to help you along now what has been guiding you up to now?

Now I’m just dizzy 🙂

Looking back over my analysis of the readings and thinking about how I thought about each one is, that I always need to refer the reading  to a situation in my work experience.

I need to relate to it in a concrete way if I can’t I will struggle to understand the point being made.

My voice can be strong if I felt that a situation I am speaking about brought back memories and feelings I had in that situation. However I did notice that commenting on other classmate”s blog’s I was giving advice more than giving my view on their thoughts!

As part of my Degree in Sociology we had to produce a reflective journal where by we had a story from a fellow classmate and we had to reflect on it with pictures etc,  as the journal progressed through the semester, my classmate (who had told me a story of her grandma in Hong Kong) was going to visit her over the break. However when she arrived back her grandma had died. My whole semester’s work was about this lady and I had to full fill another 3 weeks work on this. So my lecturer at the time suggested I use the last piece to reflect first on the project second on the relationship I had built with my classmate and lastly how I felt about the situation.

It was a tough series of reflection’s to write and each one I wanted my classmate to see, but then again I did not want to upset her more. In the end it all worked out an I got excellent feedback from the tutor and lecture and my classmate gave my journal to her family for keepsake. It is something I will never forget!

The Reflective scale has me at the top, Justifying my actions along with looking for a deeper meaning but then I skip the middle and fall to the bottom by revisiting experiences!

I like the style the blog gives you when writing I don’t prepare anything I do the readings and as I think about them I blog. I feel it needs to work together not separate.  And this blogging is new to me and I feel quite confident!

Maybe I could think more about the academic side of the readings and focus less on my situations as mine are certainly not going to be the answer to all management issues!

However I am going to keep this reflective thinking in everything I do, it’s fun!

The focus for this week is about teamwork and developing an effective way to maintain a group of people and their goals.

It seems a natural process when you start to build a team, the main interest is there whether it is to score goals or to meet targets you have a basic interest in that mission. So it seems to me the focus Vandeveer puts into the Five Stage Model, has alot of ritual and formation when you could let a natural progression develop within the group of people.

The notion of “synergy” to me sounded like new age thought, its the way that the energy of the people in the group needs to be in sync, to me puts a whole holistic slant on the process. Behaviour is the driving force of this operation if there are too many similar behaviour’s maybe it will be tough to get the work accomplished, yet when you have opposites you many also have the same problem as everyone is doing the same thing.

In contrast to Vandeveer, Katzenbach sets out that to build a team you should not match personality but match skill! This I find bizarre surely the reason the people are there in the first place denotes that they have skill, they where not hired for being pretty! Yes people have different levels of skill, but the main glue that keeps the team together is their potential and what makes it move is the different personalties, each person has a role that will ultimately match their personality and behaviour.

My faith was restored when I began reading the Moon article, as she brought in assertiveness which can for some people be a very difficult thing to overcome. Many of the items she had listed I would be able to relate to and overall I was not pleased. And it was guilt that I could relate to from getting a missed call at work or not being able to do a work shift because I was not available.  At the end of the day Moon’s focus is on behaviour and how people can zone in on their bad habits and develop the good one’s in order to be better within a team.

Behaviour manipulates the way you can say things which in turn makes you deal with people in various ways, which Moon develops in Part B of the article which I found very interesting, no one wants to admit that these type of people exist within a group but they are there I definitely related to a few, which is an eye opener and a sense of honesty within your self which translates into an honesty within the group.