Organisational learning + managing change and conflict

when trying to understand organization of learning,the first step is to try to define the term learning and methods that are known.


to define learning is very complex because there are different points of view, as many as definitions. One of these definitions could be:

It is a process by which a new behavior is acquired, amending an old behavior or any behavior is extinguished as a result of long experience or practice. Learning is the adaptation of living organisms to survive environmental changes.Maturing is necessary to learn and adapt to the environment in the most appropriate.



There are 4 types of perpective:


  Behaviorist approach

It is a model of stimulus and response.

The behavioral approach explains the behavior by the method of observation and the belief that our environment is what makes us behave differently or suffer disease. The main categories of behaviorism are:

o Classical Behaviorism

o Methodological Behaviorism: it is a physical research.

o Radical Behaviorism: All are action are explained by natural facts.

In this perpective of learning are 5 technics that are use to control personal behavior:

o Classical conditioning

o Operant conditioning

o Reinforcement





* Cognitive approach

Deals with the mental process of individuals and the resolution of problems, thus opposed to the method of behaviorism. The cognitive principle is the need to develop strategies and plans, not only deals with the habits.



* Key principles:

* Well organized instructions

* Clearly structured instructions

* Perception plays a role in task acceptance

* Prior knowledge is important

* Differences between individuals count



* Cognitive feedback is the most powerful rewards




1. What is a learning organisation and its key characteristics? Compare it to the traditional organisation.


2. Using the poster by Jay Cross about informal learning, please discuss the relevance and benefits of fostering this type of learning within organisations.

Managing Diversity

When running a bussines it is important to keep in mind the importance of diversity in the company and how it may affect the decision, atmosphere and status. How diversity spreads through many layers of human complexity. Managers should view multiculturalism as an opportunity to maximize innovation and communication skills.

Managing diversity can increase the good performance of the staff of an organization, using the teamwork as an approach of support and creativity. It is important to deal with diversity, to be more productive, the entire individuals have different capacities that the company could use to improve its efficiency.

According to Chevrier, diversity cannot be an obstacle in the organization, the cooperation between companies is necessary to be more competitive. The alliances are a key part for businesses for that reason is important that the students be open-mind and expert in topics like managing conflicts, communication, accepting authority and cooperation.

Diversity benefits individuals, teams and organizations. In the individual increase employee self-awareness of biases, stereotypes and prejudices, enhance worker tolerance for people who are different, and form employees who are more flexible and able to deal with change. In the teams maximizes innovation and productivity on complex tasks, counter with different approaches to thinking and problem-solving, and improve communication skills and the ability to work productively in groups. In the organization augment flexibility, adaptability and pro-activity within the organization, access to a diverse range of markets, customers, suppliers and distributors, translating into bottom line results.

 Merck Sharp & Dohm.

managing diversity program

The strategy revolves mainly around the diverse global groups. Each group is composed of 20 directors from around the world and is a sponsor member of the Executive Committee of the company. There are 10 of these groups: men, women, and disabilities, generational, interfaith, LGBT, Black, Latino, Asian and Native. Work as a project or temporary assignment in which members have to generate both internal and external recommendations. For example, the group of women has to generate proposals for internal actions to improve the attraction, retention and development of female talent within MSD. It must also generate external recommendations to identify women's organizations in society to be interesting to establish partnerships and propose actions to enhance the influence and reputation of the company among women worldwide. The other 9 groups work the same way.

l  Managing diversity: Organisations can benefit from valuing difference and managing diversity effectively.

l  Equal opportunity: Equality to all people, without discrimination of gender, race, ethnocentric, sexual orientation, disabilities, etc.

Managing diversity and Equal opportunity compared
Equal Opportunity	Managing diversity
l  Externally driven l  Rests on moral and legal arguments l  Perceives EO as a cost l  Focus on group discrimination l  Group initiatives l  Supported by narrow positivist knowledge base	l  Internally driven l  Rests on ‘business case’ l  Perceives MD (Managing Diversity) as investment. l  Focus on development for all individuals l  Universal initiatives l  Individual development l  Supported by wider pluralistic knowledge base

www.heacademy.ac.uk/.../Judith_Foreman_workshop1.pp

MSD has understood the importance of diversity management.
The groups have formed reflect the intention of increasing the potential of individuals in the organization. The main feature is to assign tasks to promote internal and external alternatives according to their focus of diversity. MDS thus seeks to conquer new markets, increase their bank of ideas and increase earnings, at the expense of managing diversity.

The reach of the diversity is quite significant because MDS is focused on internal dimension where are located the following: age, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, race, ethnocentricity, characteristics that describe people who are part of the divers global group, which make them more competitive in terms of opportunities for human diversity

Another benefits that are present because the managing diversity are the possibility of increases the productivity, reduce lawsuits and increase marketing opportunities, recruitment, creativity, and business image.

Negative attitudes and behaviors can be barriers to organizational diversity because they can harm working relationships and damage morale and work productivity (Esty, et al., 1995). Negative attitudes and behaviors in the workplace include prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination, which should never be used by management for hiring, retention, and termination practices (could lead to costly litigation).

Source:

http://worldlinksgpa.com/training/train1.php

http://www.completetrainer.co.uk/Training_Materials_and_Resources/Managing_Diversity/

Religion and International Business

Islamic Banking System

Explain what Islamic Banking is and its background. What are the key principles of Islamic banking

When we talk about Islamic finance, we are talking about halal banking, this two concepts can not be dissociated from each other, it means you have to comply with rules, ethical principles, according to the way the ethics by witch the  Islam has understand the world in general and the field of finance in particular

Thus, there are some basic principles that must be clear from the beginning, without  these finances can not be considered or Islamic or halal. These banks are not allowed to invest in industries that sharia considers harmful to the community, related to weapons, alcohol, snuff, pornography or pork market. All considered haram. 

 Thus dictating the prohibition of interest, called usury, and here we must make a semantic clarification, as understood as the Western banking system, usury is the definition of an improper interest, while usury in Islam is any interest. Speculation is not allowed, money is a means, not an asset , and therefore, to obtain a benefit, the money has to be necessarily linked to work. So that for Islam, economic development is a relationship between capital and labor.

Islamic law forbids institutions from charging interests on loans. How do they make profits when lending money?

The central feature of Islamic banking is that no interest would be charged or paid, and the yield would be in the form of gains from trade in which the money lent or borrowed is invested. For Muslims this system of profit or loss sharing this agrees with the prohibition of interest and assistance in mobilizing funds used for investment and creating new employment opportunities.

Explain the concept of ethical investments under Islamic law. Who is to determine whether an activity is allowed or not?

there are some basic principles that must be clear from the beginning, without  these finances can not be considered or Islamic or halal. These banks are not allowed to invest in industries that sharia considers harmful to the community, related to weapons, alcohol, snuff, pornography or pork market. All considered haram.

Based on your research and knowledge about this topic, what is the future of Islamic Banking in terms of global expansion and growth?

The future for these institutions is becoming more promising, the global Islamic banking institutions have grown at a remarkable step from the beginning of the first institution in Malaysia three decades ago. According to a study by the International Monetary Fund the number of Islamic institutions rose from 75 in 1975 to over 300 in 2005, more than 75 countries. The total resources worldwide are estimated at $ 250 billion and growing at about 15 percent per year.

Sources:

• http://www.iguama.com/productos/understanding-islamic-banking-value-proposition-transcends.1905687001
• http://www.mymedina.com/item.php?language_code=4&category_instance_id=35&sub_category_instance_id=146&item_instance_id=4264
• http://www.bankinginfo.com.my/_system/media/downloadables/islamic_banking.pdf
• http://www.islamic-banking.com/

The rise of MNCs

The role of workers + Migrant workers + expatriate assignments

 Migrant workers and expatriates

In class we saw the differences between an expatriate assignment and an overseas experience. Expatriates assignments refers to people who go to another country, hired in most cases by transnational companies, in order to work effectively in an international scenario. After a period of working outside of his or her home country, the person might return to his or her country and share with coworkers all the knowledge and the skills acquire in order to improve the company at its domestic market.  While overseas experience is more related with young people who go abroad for a prolonged period for several purposes like study, travel or work. An overseas experience begins with the person’s individual decision of going abroad.

There are different kinds of expatriates which are long-term expatriate assignments, short-term expatriate assignment, international commuter, and frequent flyer. Also, there are several strategic reasons for international assignments like professional development, knowledge transfer, fulfillment of scarce skills, control, and coordination.

The main characteristics of an overseas experience are cultural experience as important as work, geographical mobility, curiosity-driven, personal learning agendas, individual is self-supporting, and weak company attachments. There are also several experiences like self-directed experimentation, self-designed apprenticeships, cast off negative past legacies, find occupational industry identity, develop confidence and self-reliance, return with clearer career focus, increased interest in self-employment, and gives to individual the opportunity to find their own learning.




Source:

• http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14216
• http://www.thecommonspace.org/2002/02/expatriates.php

Merging OC

Merging OC




The term Merging Organizational Cultures was born as the result from the need of the companies to increase their profitability and market share linked to the companies value creation. . However, many of those processes do not end up as they were expected by the company’s top management and after a merger or acquisition has been implemented the new company end up with many cultural clashes between employees from both parts. According to a TowersPerrin report, 83 percent of 700 deals resulted in no increase in shareholder value with 53 percent actually destroying value, so these problems represent a hindrance for the original purpose of the companies. Even though not all aspects are negative, there are also some positive opportunities that can be developed through the process. In this way organizational cultures become an important and critical aspect to be manage when two companies want to merge in order to minimize the negative outcomes and maximize the positive outcomes; that’s why you have to identify the challenges and opportunities from successful integrations/ merging cases.

Facility to enter to a new market

For many companies the motivation to acquired another company and to merge with it is the fact that the other corporation has the knowledge of how things are done in a given country and that this knowledge can be transfer to them in order to make a successful entrance into this new market. This is the reason way DB chose to acquired BT, because through it they would have access to Alexander Brown people and reputation,which was the oldest investment bank in the USA. So what they were looking was to obtain a well known name for the new company and market knowledge.

Integration of best practices

Companies develop different types of practices according to their own identity. Because of this when two companies merge they are in a situation were the new company see that they have two different approaches to do the same. The advantage of this is that the new company now can compare both systems and choose the best one for the company taking advantages of each other practices. One example that arise in this matter is the decision in the merger of BP and Amoco to implement the performance management process of BP and the model for allocating capital of Amoco as this were the best practices for each area.

Synergy

According to the Oxford dictionary synergy means: “The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects”. This is reflected in the case of Toyota and Volvo where both companies started exchanges to each other in terms of technology, Marketing and R&D taking in this way the advantage of their human resources.

Source:

• http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/behind_the_lines_2007_the_years_best_cartoons/news_of_the_day/slideshow_1_2.html
• http://www.flexibleresources.co.uk/business-consulting/market-entry-penetration-strategy.html
• Alzira Salama, Wayne Holland, Gerald Vinten, (2003) "Challenges and Opportunities in Mergers and Acquisitions: Three International Case Studies – Deutsche Bank-Bankers Trust; British Petroleum-Amoco; Ford-Volvo", Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 27 Iss: 6, pp.313 – 32
• http://blogs.oracle.com/fusionecm/enterprise_20/
• http://www.cultureclout.com/wp20091115.htm

Communication + Virtual Teams

COMUNICATION




Comunication is the process by which information is transmitted from one entity to another.Communication processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two agents who share the same repertoire of signs and semiotics have common rules.Traditionally, communication has been defined as "the exchange of feelings, opinions, or any other information by speech, writing or other signs."1 All forms of communication requires a sender, a message and a receiver. In the communication process, information is included by the issuer in a package and channeled to the receiver through the medium. Once received, the receiver decodes the message and provides an answer.
The functioning of human societies is possible through communication. This is the exchange of messages between individuals.
From a technical point of view communication is understood by the fact that a particular message originated at point A reaches another given point B, the former distant in space or time. Communication involves the transmission of certain information.

Organizational communication is the process of sending and receiving messages within a complex organization. This process can be internal, ie based on relations within the organization, or external (for example, between organizations). If your organization is a business, communication distinguishes three systems:
- Operational (refers to tasks or operations)
- Regulatory (orders and instructions)
- Maintenance (public relations, recruitment and publicity) BN READ

Communication within a company acquires a hierarchical, based on orders and mandates, acceptance of policies, etc. That is why we must highlight the importance of individual relationships against collective relations and cooperation between senior officers and directors or employees. The effectiveness and good performance of an enterprise is entirely dependent on good organizational communication. Thus, organizational communication studies more efficient ways within an organization to achieve the desired objectives and project a good corporate image to the outside public













VIRTUAL TEAMS

Also known as geographically dispersed team (GDT) - A group of individuals who work across time, space, and organizational boundaries with links strengthened by webs of communication technology. They have complementary skills and are committed to a common purpose, have interdependent performance goals, and share an approach to work for what are held mutually accountable. Geographically dispersed teams allow organizations employ and to retain best people regardless of location. The members of virtual teams communicate electronically, so they can never meet face to face. However, most teams will meet at some point in time. A virtual team does not always mean teleworker.
Teleworkers are defined as individuals who work from home. Many virtual teams in today's organizations consist of employees both working in the country and small groups in the office but in different geographical locations.



Virtual groups are the evolution of a set of services offered by all web portals throughout its history. These virtual groups allow users to participate in a synchronized or timeless, dealing with subjects that interest them, exchanging files and documents, uploading photos, and media to share with other users, reading, responding and creating messages.

A virtual community includes chat, forums and mailing lists, among other features, which address an issue and have a common group of users interested in the subject. Today this movement is becoming very strong and are used as official websites, fan clubs, student groups or websites of real partnerships.











Source:

• 1) Cf. L. Cinabal en "Teoría de la Comunicación Humana", Perso.wanadoo.es.
• Image Source: http://marucanales.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/feng-shui-y-comunicacion/
• Image Source: http://blog.fotocommunity.net/es/2007/04/hola_estimados_companeros_y_mi.html
• Image source: http://mba.americaeconomia.com/articulos/reportajes/equipos-virtuales-como-formarlos-y-potenciarlos
• http://www.k12.wa.us/curriculuminstruct/communications/default.aspx
• http://www.pstcc.edu/facstaff/dking/interpr.htm
• Interpersonal comunication, Peter harley, second edition
• http://books.google.com.co/books?id=HxQkmzOv3JQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=interpersonal+communication&source=bl&ots=aMG3JSJLI8&sig=Lq3XeFH6k2xyOQrCYVylLSGpolc&hl=es&ei=9XCITLn_CcG88gbVzPm8BA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false

Based on the article “If Intercontinental were a sound…what would it be?”*, Please discuss the implications (potential advantages, disadvantages, challenges, etc.) of using sounds to send strategic messages. You need to integrate the use of key concepts relating to the topic of communication to support your answer.


The concept of using sound with messages has created a new way of doing things, and now days it has been adopted by many companies, and people nowadays are associating sounds easier to a brand; but is logical because Sound and comunication have been liked sice their origins. The problem of using sounds is that at first glance they are a very subjective concept and what can be appealing to someone can not be to other. So in order to identify which sounds are appealing to a wide group of people the perception screens have to be over come in order to go deeper into the core values that identify any given group in order to avoid giving the wrong message.

Motivation

MOTIVATION

" motivation is, in a few wordst, what makes an individual act and behave in a certain way. It is a combination of of intellectual processes, physiological and psychological factors that decides in a given situation, what force is acted and in what direction energy is channeled. " (1)

Motivation is a generic term that applies to a wide range of drives, desires, needs, desires, and similar forces.

An administrators say´s that motivates his subordinates, ie doing things that can satisfy those urges and desires and lead subordinates to act in a certain way. "(2)

In other to explain, predict and influence human behavior, some motivation theories, based on internal needs and external incentives, have been developed. some of the most relevant theories are:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow identified a range of needs experienced by the individual, giving rise to the so-called 'pyramid of needs. " According to this theory, the satisfaction of needs which are at a given level leads to the next in the hierarchy, however there are areas of overlap from one level to another and in which there is not a total satisfaction of needs.

Maslow proposed at first five levels of needs and ranked them in order of relevance. At the base of the pyramid are the basic and primary needs, and on the cusp are psychological or secondary.

When you have covered the basic needs; the desires of each individual are the ones that determine the order  needs and even the hierarchy may change over time.

 Herzbergp´s factors Theory
Herzberg believes that there are two factors that explain the motivation of employees in a company: Motivating factors. Which determines the greater or lower job satisfaction degree  and that it is related to  the job content:

- Conducting an interesting job.
- Achievement.
- Responsibility.
- Recognition.
- Promotion.
- Etcetera.

These factors are driving the worker to a positive attitude and feel satisfaction. Hygiene factors. They relate to the work context and refer to the treatment that people receive in their work:

- Working conditions.
- The salary.
- Human relations.
- The policy of the company.
- Etcetera.

ERG Theory

Clay Alderfer, is consistent with Maslow in the sense that individuals have a hierarchy of needs, however, Alderfer claims that are not five but three groups of people's basic needs:

 Basic Needs: Are the material needs that are met with food, water, air, pay, benefits and working conditions.

 Requirements for: They are satisfied to establish and maintain interpersonal relationships with co-workers, with bosses, subordinates, friends and family.

 Need for Growth: Are those that are expressed through the attempts of the person, in order to find opportunities to develop as creative or productive contributions made to work.

Theory X and Theory Y Theory
was developed by Douglas McGregor. People is classified as either X or Y. X type is lazy, dislike working and responsibilities, don’t have ambitions, whereas Y type sees working as something valuable, is involve in the organization, is creative and enjoy responsibilities. Further more Douglas includes the Maslow hierarchy as a way to motivate both types; lower order needs for type X and higher order needs for type Y.

Sources:

• (1) Solana, Ricardo F.. Management Organizations. Interoceanic Ediciones SABuenos Aires, 1993. Page 208
• (2) Koontz, Harold; Weihrich, Heinz. Administration, 11th overall perspective. Edition.Editorial Mc Graw Hill. Mexico, 1999. Page 501
• Image source: http://nodearth.wordpress.com/
• http://www.businessballs.com/mcgregor.htm
• http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_mcgregor_theory_X_Y.html
• Image source: http://www.anacco.pl/page,list,id,29,ids,13,Teoria_ERG_wg_Alderfera.html

1. What are the Hawthorne Studies? explain its importance for studying motivation at the workplace and its influence over divers you think has the most relevance for understanding the behavior of Griffin and fostering her motivation at work?e motivation theories. (include key findings and limitations) (max. 500 words)

As The Hawthorn Studies are known those studies conducted to a group of female workers at the Western Electric by its managers and a group of researches from Harvard University between 1924 and 1932. The objective of this investigation was to prove Taylor’s idea that more light in the workplace would increase the productivity of workers. But what researchers and managers did discover was that despite a reduction in light provided to work areas, Productivity would still rise. After this findings the investigation focused on the relation ship between managers and workers However, to the amazement of the researchers, the experiment showed productivity rising still further, even with a decrease in illumination.







These studies made by Hawthorne are important to take into account at the time of analyzing motivation theories over employees' performances, because it shows factors that weren't considered in the theories that we saw before and are causing alterations in the results of productivity even if these alterations are seemed in a short-term way.


This study influence the other theories due to fact that this was one of the first studies made and concerned about employees' motivation depending on internal and external factor, and was experimenting how productivity could change depending on the motivation and treatment that was being given to the workers. Even though there were obstacles obtained by the fact of the experiment, they could see there was an increase of productivity when tasks and jobs were dynamically changed for a short-time period

.

2. Based on the class activity about "Flight 001: Motivating Employees", please answer the following question:


¿Which motivation theory do you think has the most relevance for understanding the behavior of Griffin and fostering her motivation at work?

In my opinion , what happened to Griffin at her old Job was that she did not have Job security and its manager and job did not also provide her with any motivation so she quit her job, but the story was completely different for her at Flight 001. She found there that  hygiene factor such as achievement, recognition,responsibility and growth make her motivated at many different aspects that she literally fell in love with his job an feel herself satisfy and ready to give her best at working in Flight 001,all this factors were provided so she did not become dissatisfy .So in my opinion the theory that fits better to the behavior of Griffin and fostering and her motivation at work is Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. This is because first it explains the importance of provide hygiene factor to a person in order to avoid dissatisfaction and Motivators to improve their Job satisfaction and motivation.