Hi girls, my reflection bit. not really sure how it's supposed to be, but i think we can further edit and summarise. 347 words.

love, kaela

Belbin’s team roles

Over the term our group has been working together efficiently, having regular meetings, delegating tasks and completing them according to the time logbook.

Belbin’s team roles model points out nine team roles that should be engaged to heighten team performance. (McShane and Travaglione, 2007)Within our group, we identified how each member played a certain role from the model, such as the conductor, team worker, implementer and monitor evaluator. Despite that, we did not limit ourselves to specifically fulfilling that role, but instead engaged in an overlapping of roles to further encourage and advise one another.

Initially there were a few negative norms such as conflicting ideas and the problem of punctuality. However, we have learnt to turn our setbacks into opportunities. With regards to conflict in ideas, we have decided to not only reach a state of compromise, but a state of problem-solving, where we carefully evaluate and think of ways to integrate and expand on every suggestion made.

On the other hand, we built up positive norms such as being disciplined, completing respective tasks assigned by the date set in our agenda. We also practice an even distribution of tasks, where every member is given the opportunity to express their opinions. Members also specially made time and changed plans to be able to make it for meetings.

Additionally, in order to increase the efficiency of communication, our group created a blog where we regularly update our tasks, the logbook and ask for advice or suggestions. Being able to view the other members’ work while working on an individual task gives us the ability to work in sync effectively.

Team cohesiveness
Our group’s level of team cohesiveness has been increasing due to some factors. Three of the members were friends of many years hence there was member similarity, promoting better understanding. Also, relative to other groups of six, our group of five was small and hence it is easier to reach a state of agreement. Our members sit together during lectures and engage in active group discussions that the lecturer presents, hence there is constant member interaction.

Amal's=D
ob part b part2

CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACH AND EVALUATION OF LEADERSHIP

The contingency perspective to leadership is based on the idea that the most suitable leadership style relies on the circumstances (Mc Shane & Travaglione 2007). In our team, there was an apparent rotation of leaders. With regards to the Path-goal leadership theory, the leadership style undertaken in our team is the Participative style. With every rotation, the leader facilitates the members’ involvement and consults them before coming to a consensus (Mc Kenna 2006).

For instance, when a member raised doubts about the content of her task, the leader consulted other team members before deciding the information required. Thus, unpleasant disagreements were not encountered as everyone was open to feedback.

WHAT THE TEAM DID WELL

SELF-RESEARCH

Each of us tends to do our own research before every meeting despite not being told to. This facilitates the meeting and cuts down on reading time as everyone is clear of the objectives.

MEETING AGENDA AND TIMELINE

There was an agenda and timeline (Appendix) drawn at the first meeting. An agenda was also drawn up for the next meeting at the end of one. We managed to meet our drawn up deadlines and every team member was able to complete their portion of assignment on time.

CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK

Our team did not encounter any arguments as everyone is open to constructive feedback with clear examples (Wood et al. 2004). Each of us accepted polite criticisms and was willing to make adjustments to a task after the team has come to a consensus.

WHAT THE TEAM DID POORLY

PUNCTUALITY

Some of our team members arrived late at the first meeting. However, we have managed to overcome the problem by conducting our meetings after lectures instead.

TASK DEVIATION

Our team tends to deviate from the discussion topic easily. Sometimes, this tends to make our meetings longer than required as we need more time to meet our agenda.

WHAT THE TEAM COULD DO DIFFERENTLY

EARLY START-UP

The team agreed that we will start on an assignment earlier than we did this time. This will ensure that we have more time for research and meetings. In addition, we can overcome the clash of schedules as we do not need to work around a tight schedule.

[326 words]

Model of team effectiveness

I exceeded word count by 67! i need help cutting down. i already overshot but onli discussed half of the team effectiveness model!

Word count: 317

My part:

We can also link our group effectiveness with the model of team effectiveness. Team effectiveness refers to how the team affects the organization, individual team members and the team's existence (McShane and Travaglione, 2007). Many factors influence team design, processes and outcomes.

Organisational and Team Environment

Reward System
For group, the reward driving us would be a high distinction. This common goal has helped us to work together more effectively.

Communication Systems
Most of us have quite packed schedules so we are usually unable to meet often enough to get work done properly. We made a blog for us to post our assigned tasks online. Doing so has allowed us to edit each other's work and piece together our essay. We also have an open communication concept. We usually contribute ideas that are effective or ineffective and by discussing them, we are able to add them to our assignment.

Physical Space
Our group meetings are usually held on the school campus and during lessons, we sit together as a group. By having lunch in the cafeteria, we were able to bond further. This shapes our perception and influences us to work as a team.


Team Design

Task Characteristics

Teams are more effective when their tasks are well-structured since it is easier to coordinate work. Our group had an agenda set before the meeting date allowing us to meet the target.

Team Size

Five members in the group is a cozy number because it allows us to maintain efficient coordination and meaningful involvement of each member.

Limitations to Team Effectiveness

However, there are limitations in our group. Usually, we have meetings after school because they are easier to arrange. But due to long school hours, our concentration during the meetings was lesser. Thus we were unable to generate more points for our assignment.

Also, three of the group members are already very familiar with each other but the other two members needed some time to warm up to each other resulting in clashes in agreement of some ideas.

Part A - added in the MARS Model. (except the picture. but i got it scanned alr)
- added sub-headings
- edited
- pls read thru and see what needs to be changed etc.. =))


Q1. COMMUNICATION BARRIERS THAT EXISTED IN AEC

STRUCTURAL BARRIERS AND PERCEPTION DIFFERENCES

In AEC, the management is regarded with authority by employees. Employees are not given opportunities to express their opinions as management does not involve them in meetings. Separate facilities for the management exist as structural barriers resulting in social interaction being affected. Hence, employees view themselves unimportant as compared to the management staff as they do not feel as valued.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

AEC’s vice-president, George, faces friction with his employee John and usually sends written memos instead of having direct confrontations. These memos result in information overload as they convey important and complex instructions for production. Employees are likely to misinterpret these memos.

FILTERING AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS

John refused to voice out his frustrations and practised filtering to delete negative information so that events sound more favorable. Many employees behave similarly to earn the management’s approval. Additionally George’s compliments to John were misinterpreted, showing that language is yet another barrier.

HOW DID THE AUTHOR DEAL WITH IT?

AUTHOR’S APPROACH TO COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Thus the author has employed the management by walking around (MBWA) method to find out more about the barriers in AEC (McShane and Travaglione, 2007). Through this, he made use of verbal communication, “written or oral use of words” and non-verbal communication which involves “elements and behaviours not coded into words” to win the trust of the floor employees (Bartol et. al., 2005 p.433). He made an effort to be around the shop floor staff frequently. By playing the role of an active listener to many of the shop floor members, he empathised with them and made sure not to demand anything from them. The author was also able to communicate with them verbally as he became the messenger for the management and floor staff.

LIMITATIONS TO THE AUTHOR'S APPROACH

The advantage of MBWA is that there is direct communication between the employees and the management (Wood et al, 2004). The management can also understand the internal organizational problems better (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). The active listening and MBWA that John practiced improved communication and relationship with the employees. However, overcoming the communication barrier in the communication barrier in the organisation alone will not improve the situation much.

WHAT WOULD WE DO DIFFERENTLY

PERCEPTIONS

The fact remains that the management view themselves as more superior than the floor employees. Culture change or changes in perception of employees play a big role. The only way to have culture change is to have good communication since they cannot be separated. Usually, the norm culture for employees would be that they identify themselves with their organization and accept its values and would be motivated by them (Mullins, 2005).

TYPE OF COMMUNICATION TOOLS/STYLE

However, in organizations, communication breakdown is the main problem. The type of communication existing in AEC is a chain network that does not have much interaction with the employees. A more suitable form of communication would be an all-channel network whereby all the employees are fully involved in participation and discussion. To implement all these however, surveys can be done. Doing so can help to determine the attitudes of the employees to the functioning of the organization. George should also be open to the criticisms made by the floor employees. It would be difficult to implement changes in the organisation if the management do not cooperate and see the floor employees as equals (Mullins, 2005). Thus mindset and the culture of the company should be changed. The management should be the ones to implement the changes.

TEAMWORK

Another way would be to promote effective teamwork. George as the vice-president should be more aware of and pay attention to the floor employees. Only by understanding that each and every employee plays an important part in the success of the organization can they move forward (Mullins, 2005). Therefore, awareness of roles in the organization is fundamental in effective teamwork.

MOTIVATION

Additionally, motivation also plays a vital role. One way to tackle the issue of employees misunderstanding that they were being sent for training courses due to their ineffectiveness is to simply promote it in a different manner. Companies could suggest training courses as a form of performance-based reward, as it not only acknowledges the employee’s ability at work, but also act as an incentive for employees who want opportunities for promotions, as the training courses can pave the way to such.

(683 words)



Q2.
IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM

PERCEPTIONS

The problem lies in the misperceptions of the employees and management in the organisation. The management is held with high regard by the employees and most of time, they find themselves too intimidated to speak up or offer anything in return to the organisation. Usually, the management will make demands and the employees will just follow accordingly.

SELECTIVE ATTENTION

The perceptual process, which is illustrated in Figure 1, begins when environmental stimuli are received through our senses (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). Because the employees were used to the indifferent treatment from the management, John, was probably apprehensive when George approached him personally to explore the idea of a possible promotion. ‘Difference in perceptions result in different people attaching different meanings to the same stimuli’ (Mullins, 2005).
‘Although largely unconscious, selective attention is also consciously influenced by our anticipation of future events’ (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). Due to their unpleasant encounters in the past, John has perceived George to be indulging a personal grudge while evaluating his performance.

MISINTERPRETATION

A reason as to why John was upset could be due to misinterpretation of George’s intention. This features the communication barrier, perception, which was highlighted earlier. ‘Corporate leaders are matched closely by employees, and the most inane words or gestures are interpreted with great meaning even though they often occur without intention’ (Mc Shane & Travaglione 2005, p.334). Thus, John misinterpreted George’s gesture of sending him to a management skills seminar as a means of conveying to him that his performance was not up to mark. In fact, George was acknowledging his good performance and was considering him for a promotion instead.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

The impact of non-verbal communication could be another reason why John was upset. George’s facial expressions, body position and other physical gestures probably did not convince John that the message which was being conveyed was a positive one. An individual’s body language and tone of voice plays a large part in conveying meaning (Wood et al. 2004). George’s failure to exhibit positive body language and tone of voice could be the result of John’s negative reaction.





RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE AUTHOR

STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING CONFLICT

There are many reasons why conflict occurs. A common definition of conflict is that it is usually associated with negative features and situations which give rise to inefficiency, ineffectiveness or dysfunctional consequence. In the case of AEC, there are a few sources of conflict. However, there are a number of ways which George can take to avoid the harmful effects of conflict. One would be to review the leadership and management. A more participative and supportive style of leadership and managerial behaviour is likely to assist in conflict management (Mullins, 2005). George should create a work environment whereby everybody can work cooperatively together. By bringing down the barriers between the floor employees and the management, AEC can achieve the organizational goals more effectively. Another way would be to have group activities. This will further help to improve ties between the employees because it allows them to communicate with each other.

DIRECT COMMUNICATION

One of the things the author could do is to persuade John and George to have face-to-face talks to build up trust and eradicate the misunderstandings. The author has set himself as a role model for many management staff by trying to reach out to the floor staff. Such behaviour should be encouraged by George to improve the communication within AEC.

LIMITATIONS

However, it is important to note that such direct communication may aggravate situations when the employees are not good listeners or are not sensitive to choice of words used.


ACTIVE LISTENING

To prevent the above from happening or aggravating, the author could suggest developing a listening improvement programme in AEC. From a Havard Business Review on Effective Communication, the basis to improve listening should “build awareness to factors that affect listening ability” and “the kind of aural experience that can produce good listening habits”. The author could encourage or propose such listening programmes for both the floor and management level. With appropriate skills of listening and efforts of direct communication, they would become more sensitive with words used and aware of the different styles of communication. Furthermore, George and John’s rift can be significantly improved if both of them listen to each others’ difficulties in various situations.


MOTIVATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

Both George and the author, being higher management staff, could adopt a more personal level of approach to motivate the staff, eradicating the use of memos. Personal praise and acknowledgement could also be applied to help the staff feel more important and appreciated in their jobs.


By applying the MARS model as seen in the figure, these recommendations would appeal to the employees’ individual characteristics such as values, perceptions and personality (McShane and Travaglione, 2007). With the appropriate role perceptions and situational factors that promote improvement in communication such as active listening as mentioned above, AEC would be able to achieve favorable behaviour and results that will be greatly beneficial to the organisation.

(1571 words) inclusive of citations and headings

hey all, pls add in the references u have used into this. =) i've typed in mine alr.

this will make it easier for us to compile later on. cheers~!


Reference List

Bartol, K, Tein, M, Matthews, G, and Martin, D 2005, Management: A Pacific Rim Focus, McGraw-Hill, Sydney

Havard Business Review on Effective Communication

Kinicki, A and Kreitner, R 2003, Organizational Behavior: Key Concepts, Skills and Best Practices, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York

McShane, S and Travaglione, T 2007, Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim, McGraw-Hill, Sydney

hey peeps~! this is the compiled Q2~!! =) good job everyone~! cheers!

PERCEPTIONS
The problem lies in the misperceptions of the employees and management in the organisation. The management is held with high regard by the employees and most of time, they find themselves too intimidated to speak up or offer anything in return to the organisation. Usually, the management will make demands and the employees will just follow accordingly.

SELECTIVE ATTENTION
The perceptual process, which is illustrated in Figure 1, begins when environmental stimuli are received through our senses (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). Because the employees were used to the indifferent treatment from the management, John, was probably apprehensive when George approached him personally to explore the idea of a possible promotion. ‘Difference in perceptions result in different people attaching different meanings to the same stimuli’ (Mullins, 2005).
‘Although largely unconscious, selective attention is also consciously influenced by our anticipation of future events’ (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). Due to their unpleasant encounters in the past, John has perceived George to be indulging a personal grudge while evaluating his performance.

MISINTERPRETATION

A reason as to why John was upset could be due to misinterpretation of George’s intention. This features the communication barrier, perception, which was highlighted earlier. ‘Corporate leaders are matched closely by employees, and the most inane words or gestures are interpreted with great meaning even though they often occur without intention’ (Mc Shane & Travaglione 2005, p.334). Thus, John misinterpreted George’s gesture of sending him to a management skills seminar as a means of conveying to him that his performance was not up to mark. In fact, George was acknowledging his good performance and was considering him for a promotion instead.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

The impact of non-verbal communication could be another reason why John was upset. George’s facial expressions, body position and other physical gestures probably did not convince John that the message which was being conveyed was a positive one. An individual’s body language and tone of voice plays a large part in conveying meaning (Wood et al. 2004). George’s failure to exhibit positive body language and tone of voice could be the result of John’s negative reaction.
STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING CONFLICT

There are many reasons why conflict occurs. A common definition of conflict is that it is usually associated with negative features and situations which give rise to inefficiency, ineffectiveness or dysfunctional consequence. In the case of AEC, there are a few sources of conflict. However, there are a number of ways which George can take to avoid the harmful effects of conflict. One would be to review the leadership and management. A more participative and supportive style of leadership and managerial behaviour is likely to assist in conflict management (Mullins, 2005). George should create a work environment whereby everybody can work cooperatively together. By bringing down the barriers between the floor employees and the management, AEC can achieve the organizational goals more effectively. Another way would be to have group activities. This will further help to improve ties between the employees because it allows them to communicate with each other.

DIRECT COMMUNICATION

One of the things the author could do is to persuade John and George to have face-to-face talks to build up trust and eradicate the misunderstandings. The author has set himself as a role model for many management staff by trying to reach out to the floor staff. Such behaviour should be encouraged by George to improve the communication within AEC.

LIMITATIONS

However, it is important to note that such direct communication may aggravate situations when the employees are not good listeners or are not sensitive to choice of words used.


ACTIVE LISTENING

To prevent the above from happening or aggravating, the author could suggest developing a listening improvement programme in AEC. From a Havard Business Review on Effective Communication, the basis to improve listening should “build awareness to factors that affect listening ability” and “the kind of aural experience that can produce good listening habits”. The author could encourage or propose such listening programmes for both the floor and management level. With appropriate skills of listening and efforts of direct communication, they would become more sensitive with words used and aware of the different styles of communication. Furthermore, George and John’s rift can be significantly improved if both of them listen to each others’ difficulties in various situations.


MOTIVATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

Both George and the author, being higher management staff, could adopt a more personal level of approach to motivate the staff, eradicating the use of memos. Personal praise and acknowledgement could also be applied to help the staff feel more important and appreciated in their jobs.

(765 words inclusive of citations and sub-headings)

part b:

MOTIVATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

Both George and the author, being higher management staff, could adopt a more personal level of approach to motivate the staff, eradicating the use of memos. Personal praise and acknowledgement could also be applied to help the staff feel more important and appreciated in their jobs.

50 words, within work count estimation!! =D

love, kaela.

my part~

Strategies for Managing Conflict

There are many reasons why conflict occurs. A common definition of conflict is that it is usually associated with negative features and situations which give rise to inefficiency, ineffectiveness or dysfunctional consequence. In the case of AEC, there are a few sources of conflict. However, there are a number of ways which George can take to avoid the harmful effects of conflict. One would be to review the leadership and management. A more participative and supportive style of leadership and managerial behaviour is likely to assist in conflict management (Mullins, 2005). George should create a work environment whereby everybody can work cooperatively together. By bringing down the barriers between the floor employees and the management, AEC can achieve the organizational goals more effectively. Another way would be to have group activities. This will further help to improve ties between the employees because it allows them to communicate with each other.

No of words: 150

yay...a bit shallow tho...opps

hey girls. this is my part for qn 2.

PERCEPTIONS

The problem lies in the misperceptions of the employees and management in the organisation. The management is held with high regard by the employees and most of time, they find themselves too intimidated to speak up or offer anything in return to the organisation. Usually, the management will make demands and the employees will just follow accordingly.

SELECTIVE ATTENTION

The perceptual process, which is illustrated in Figure 1, begins when environmental stimuli are received through our senses (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). Because the employees were used to the indifferent treatment from the management, John, was probably apprehensive when George approached him personally to explore the idea of a possible promotion. ‘Difference in perceptions result in different people attaching different meanings to the same stimuli’ (Mullins, 2005).

‘Although largely unconscious, selective attention is also consciously influenced by our anticipation of future events’ (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). Due to their unpleasant encounters in the past, John has perceived George to be indulging a personal grudge while evaluating his performance.

178 words

(figure 1 is done up and will be included in the appendices)

hey guys. i've rounded up the part a. overshot estimated 57 words to abt 80. but i summarised off about 20 words of liy's, so i think it's breakeven now. we can do a final word count and summary after everything's completed, so i think word count shouldn't be a problem.

REMINDER: MEETING TMR AFTER OB LECTURE!

love, kaela=D


COMMUNICATION BARRIERS THAT EXISTED IN AEC
STRUCTURAL BARRIERS AND PERCEPTION DIFFERENCES

In AEC, the management is regarded with authority by employees. Employees are not given opportunities to express their opinions as management does not involve them in meetings. Separate facilities for the management exist as structural barriers resulting in social interaction being affected. Hence, employees view themselves unimportant as compared to the management staff as they do not feel as valued.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

AEC’s vice-president, George, faces friction with his employee John and usually sends written memos instead of having direct confrontations. These memos result in information overload as they convey important and complex instructions for production. Employees are likely to misinterpret these memos.
FILTERING AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS
John refused to voice out his frustrations and practised filtering to delete negative information so that events sound more favorable. Many employees behave similarly to earn the management’s approval. Additionally George’s compliments to John were misinterpreted, showing that language is yet another barrier.The advantage of MBWA is that there is direct communication between the employees and the management (Wood et al, 2004). The management can also understand the internal organizational problems better (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). The active listening and MBWA that John practiced improved communication and relationship with the employees. However, overcoming the communication barrier in the communication barrier in the organisation alone will not improve the situation much.
AUTHOR’S APPROACH TO COMMUNICATION BARRIERS
Thus the author has employed the management by walking around (MBWA) method to find out more about the barriers in AEC (McShane and Travaglione 2007). Through this, he made use of verbal communication, “written or oral use of words” and non-verbal communication which involves “elements and behaviours not coded into words” to win the trust of the floor employees (Bartol et. Al. 2005 p.433). He made an effort to be around the shop floor staff frequently. By playing the role of an active listener to many of the shop floor members, he empathised with them and made sure not to demand anything from them. The author was also able to communicate with them verbally as he became the messenger for the management and floor staff.LIMITATIONS TO THE AUTHOR'S APPROACHThe advantage of MBWA is that there is direct communication between the employees and the management (Wood et al, 2004). The management can also understand the internal organizational problems better (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). The active listening and MBWA that John practiced improved communication and relationship with the employees. However, overcoming the communication barrier in the communication barrier in the organisation alone will not improve the situation much.WHAT WOULD WE DO DIFFERENTLY

The fact remains that the management view themselves as more superior than the floor employees. Culture change or changes in perception of employees play a big role. The only way to have culture change is to have good communication since they cannot be separated. Usually, the norm culture for employees would be that they identify themselves with their organization and accept its values and would be motivated by them (Mullins, 2005).
However, in organizations, communication breakdown is the main problem. The type of communication existing in AEC is a chain network that does not have much interaction with the employees. A more suitable form of communication would be an all-channel network whereby all the employees are fully involved in participation and discussion. To implement all these however, surveys can be done. Doing so can help to determine the attitudes of the employees to the functioning of the organization. George should also be open to the criticisms made by the floor employees. It would be difficult to implement changes in the organization if the management do not cooperate and see the floor employees as equals (Mullins, 2005).

Thus mindset and the culture of the company should be changed. The management should be the ones to implement the changes. Another way would be to promote effective teamwork. George as a manager should be more aware of and pay attention to the floor employees. Only by understanding that each and every employee plays an important part in the success of the organization can they move forward (Mullins, 2005). Thus awareness of roles in the organization is fundamental in effective teamwork.
Additionally, motivation also plays a vital role. One way to tackle the issue of employees misunderstanding that they were being sent for training courses due to their ineffectiveness is to simply promote it in a different manner. Companies could suggest training courses as a form of performance-based reward, as it not only acknowledges the employee’s ability at work, but also act as an incentive for employees who want opportunities for promotions, as the training courses can pave the way to such.

Qn 2 Part A

Hi below is my contribution to Qn 2 Part A.

MISINTERPRETATION

A reason as to why John was upset could be due to misinterpretation of George’s intention. This features the communication barrier, perception, which was highlighted earlier. ‘Corporate leaders are matched closely by employees, and the most inane words or gestures are interpreted with great meaning even though they often occur without intention’ (Mc Shane & Travaglione 2005, p.334). Thus, John misinterpreted George’s gesture of sending him to a management skills seminar as a means of conveying to him that his performance was not up to mark. In fact, George was acknowledging his good performance and was considering him for a promotion instead.

NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION

The impact of non-verbal communication could be another reason why John was upset. George’s facial expressions, body position and other physical gestures probably did not convince John that the message which was being conveyed was a positive one. An individual’s body language and tone of voice plays a large part in conveying meaning (Wood et al. 2004). George’s failure to exhibit positive body language and tone of voice could be the result of John’s negative reaction. [181 words]

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS THAT EXISTED IN AEC

STRUCTURAL BARRIERS AND PERCEPTION DIFFERENCES

In AEC, the management is regarded with authority by employees. Employees are not given opportunities to express their opinions as management does not involve them in meetings. Separate facilities for the management exist as structural barriers resulting in social interaction being affected. Hence, employees view themselves unimportant as compared to the management staff as they do not feel as valued.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

AEC’s vice-president, George, faces friction with his employee John and usually sends written memos instead of having direct confrontations. These memos result in information overload as they convey important and complex instructions for production. Employees are likely to misinterpret these memos.

FILTERING AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS

John refused to voice out his frustrations and practised filtering to delete negative information so that events sound more favorable. Many employees behave similarly to earn the management’s approval. Additionally George’s compliments to John were misinterpreted, showing that language is yet another barrier.
The advantage of MBWA is that there is direct communication between the employees and the management (Wood et al, 2004). The management can also understand the internal organizational problems better (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). The active listening and MBWA that John practiced improved communication and relationship with the employees. However, overcoming the communication barrier in the communication barrier in the organisation alone will not improve the situation much.

AUTHOR’S APPROACH TO COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

Thus the author has employed the management by walking around (MBWA) method to find out more about the barriers in AEC (McShane and Travaglione 2007). Through this, he made use of verbal communication, “written or oral use of words” and non-verbal communication which involves “elements and behaviours not coded into words” to win the trust of the floor employees (Bartol et. Al. 2005 p.433). He made an effort to be around the shop floor staff frequently. By playing the role of an active listener to many of the shop floor members, he empathised with them and made sure not to demand anything from them. The author was also able to communicate with them verbally as he became the messenger for the management and floor staff.


LIMITATIONS TO THE AUTHOR'S APPROACH


The advantage of MBWA is that there is direct communication between the employees and the management (Wood et al, 2004). The management can also understand the internal organizational problems better (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). The active listening and MBWA that John practiced improved communication and relationship with the employees. However, overcoming the communication barrier in the communication barrier in the organisation alone will not improve the situation much.


WHAT WOULD WE DO DIFFERENTLY

The fact still remains that the management still see themselves as more superior than the floor employees. Culture change or changes in perception of employees play a big role. The only way to have culture change is to have good communication since they cannot be separated. Usually, the norm culture for employees would be that they identify themselves with their organization and accept its values and would be motivated by them (Mullins, 2005).

However, this is not the case for this organization. Communication breakdown is the main problem. The type of communication existing in AEC is a chain network which does not have much interaction with the employees. A more suitable form of communication would be an all-channel network whereby all the employees are fully involved in participation and discussion. To implement all these however, surveys can be done. Doing so can help to determine the attitudes of the employees to the functioning of the organization. As a vice president, George must be open to the criticisms made by the floor employees. Only by doing so can the organization improves its communication. It would be difficult to implement changes in the organization if the management do not cooperate and see the floor employees as equals (Mullins, 2005).

Thus mindset and the culture of the company should be changed. The management should be the ones to implement the changes. Another way would be to promote effective teamwork. George as a manager should be more aware of and pay attention to the floor employees. Only by understanding that each and every employee plays an important part in the success of the organization can they move forward (Mullins, 2005). Thus awareness of roles in the organization is fundamental in effective teamwork.

(shu add motivation here)



word count so far is 693 words
shu has 57 words to write..if its not enuf, cut away unnecessary stuff from mine..
hee...jia you peepz...

Logbook

Logbook

Agenda for 1st meeting on 17 Aug 2007

1. Discuss question 1
2. Delegation of tasks

Jiali: tackle the barriers faced in the company

Qiuying: How the author dealt with the problems

Amal: What are the limitations to the author’s actions

Liyana & Shu Hui (or Kaela): To answer the question of what would we have done differently

Agenda for 2^nd meeting on 20 Aug 2007

1. Complete discussion for Question 1
2. Discuss Question 2 of case study
3. Discuss part 2 of group assignment
4. Deadlines for task:
• Complete and post question 1 and 2 of case study on blog and edit accordingly.
• 100 word reflection for part 2 of group assignment

Agenda for 3^rd meeting on 27 Aug 2007

1. Discuss reflections
2. Discuss teamwork theories to answer part 2 of group assignment
3. Editing of question 2 of case study

Delegated tasks:

Liyana: Model of team effectiveness

Tuckman’s Model: Qiuying and Jiali

Belbin’s Model: Shu Hui

Leadership: Amal

Agenda for 4^th meeting on 31 Aug 2007

1. Discuss Introduction and Conclusion for Part B and Executive summary
2. Appendices
3. References
4. Compilation of Part A Qn 1 and 2

Agenda for 5^th meeting on 5 Sept 2007

1. To add 60 words in Part A
2. Discuss changes to be made in Part B
• Editing
• Add in Intro and Conclusion
• Redelegate tasks

hi peepz... i'm really sorry but i dunno how to answer my part. Mixed up how to answer with Qn 2... oops...

okay upload of part a for ob group assignment!
i forggot the order, so someone edit to rearrange them! <3 Kaela=D

liy's not received yet, mine, will be up asap=D

Amal's:

The advantage of MBWA is that there is direct communication between the employees and the management (Wood et al, 2004). The management can also understand the internal organizational problems better (McShane and Travaglione, 2005). The active listening and MBWA that John practiced improved communication and relationship with the employees. However, overcoming the communication barrier in the communication barrier in the organisation alone will not improve the situation much.

Qiu's:

AUTHOR’S APPROACH TO COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

The author has employed the management by walking around (MBWA) method to find out more about the barriers in AEC (McShane and Travaglione 2007). Through this, he made use of verbal communication, “written or oral use of words” and non-verbal communication which involves “elements and behaviours not coded into words” to win the trust of the floor employees (Bartol et. Al. 2005 p.433). He made an effort to be around the shop floor staff frequently. By playing the role of an active listener to many of the shop floor members, he empathised with them and made sure not to demand anything from them. The author was also able to communicate with them verbally as he became the messenger for the management and floor staff.

Jiali's:

COMMUNICATION BARRIERS THAT EXISTED IN AEC

STRUCTURAL BARRIERS AND PERCEPTION DIFFERENCES

In AEC, the management is regarded with authority by employees. Employees are not given opportunities to express their opinions as management does not involve them in meetings. Separate facilities for the management exist as structural barriers resulting in social interaction being affected. Hence, employees view themselves unimportant as compared to the management staff as they do not feel as valued.

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

AEC’s vice-president, George, faces friction with his employee John and usually sends written memos instead of having direct confrontations. These memos result in information overload as they convey important and complex instructions for production. Employees are likely to misinterpret these memos.

FILTERING AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS

John refused to voice out his frustrations and practised filtering to delete negative information so that events sound more favorable. Many employees behave similarly to earn the management’s approval. Additionally George’s compliments to John were misinterpreted, showing that language is yet another barrier.

pink!

omg! so pink!

hi all~! =)

test blog~!

=) it's late at night and i'm doing ob group assignment.. so sleepy~~~~~