Overall I enjoyed the Organizational Communication class. I felt the readings were appropriate and interesting. The concept of keeping a blog as opposed to taking a test was very beneficial. Many times students cram and study for a test but forget the information once they leave the test. Having to develop your ideas on paper and analyze the concepts from the text gave me a better understanding of the readings. Forcing us to use quotes from the book and key terms helped in our analysis of the readings as well.
One aspect of the blog I think could be improved is the time frame in which they are due. Many times we were given an open due date and for people like me who procrastinate, it was difficult to not be held accountable with a specific dates and time when the blog was due. For future classes, I would continue the blog assignment but enforce stricter guidelines. I think it helped me learn the textual concepts more thoroughly and it also made me focus on my writing skills. Not only did I need to learn about organizational communication but also I needed to work on my grammar and sentences structure.
The class discussions were enjoyable but at times I felt they could have been a littler more interactive. Rather than lecture then entire class maybe there is a way you could incorporate other ideas or learning methods into the class period. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this class and felt I learned a great deal of information. Professor Berdayes, thank you for a great semester!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Starlight Children's Foundation
Based on the themes we have discussed in class throughout the semester, describe one major change that you would make to an organization you are familiar with. This change could have to do with the organization or space or time, the use of team-based work, management practices, gender relations, or any number of other themes we have covered.
There is an organization called Starlight Children’s Foundation based in Chicago that grants critically ill children a wish of their choice. This is a great organization that does wonderful things but it follows the typical gender roles in our society. They have a wonderful human relations department, but in similar fashion as the typical stereotypes we discussed in class, the department is run by mostly women. “Human relations thinking emphasized the interpersonal and social needs of individuals” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 82). The human relations approach starts with the assumption that all people “want to feel united, tied, bound to something, some cause, bigger then they, commanding them yet worthy of them, summoning them to significance in living” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 82). Human relations have romantic ideals. The dominant metaphor is considered organization as the sum of relationships (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 85).
In today’s typical human relations department women tend to fill most of the positions. It is seen as a feminist view of management that focuses on empowering workers by sharing information with them, emphasizing cooperation to solve problems, and organizing teams to accomplish tasks (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 82). The Starlight Children’s Foundation follows this same trend and has women running the humans relations department.
Even though women are stereotypically considered compassionate, organized and good with motivating others I think men would be just as qualified in these typical female gendered roles. There are gender differences at work. Women use conversations to build relationships using rapport talk. Rapport talk emphasizes demonstrating equality through matching experiences, providing support and responsiveness, conversational maintenance, tentativeness, and personal, concrete details (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 204). Men usually engage in report talk, a style of speaking that emphasizes a demonstration of knowledge, skill, and ability, conservational command, direct and assertive expressions, and abstract terms over personal experience (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 204).
I think the human relations department at the Starlight Children’s Foundation could use a more traditional form of management and hire more men. Not only does the foundation need women who are compassionate, provide support and responsiveness but they could use men who are direct and to the point to get the job done as well. The foundation needs people who have a direct and assertive personality to work with certain types of families.
By hiring more men in the human relations department it will balance the office out, creating different points of view. Men add an entirely different element to the work atmosphere, which would benefit and diversify the foundation. In addition to hiring more men, I think the foundation should have a mix of a human relations department and classical management approach. Through scientific rationality it would lead to improved efficiency and productivity (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 85). The foundation would run more like a machine and be procedurally oriented, following “rules,” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 85). By implementing some forms of the classical management approach, it would be more conducive to hiring men and the foundation would be more organized and run smoother.
There is an organization called Starlight Children’s Foundation based in Chicago that grants critically ill children a wish of their choice. This is a great organization that does wonderful things but it follows the typical gender roles in our society. They have a wonderful human relations department, but in similar fashion as the typical stereotypes we discussed in class, the department is run by mostly women. “Human relations thinking emphasized the interpersonal and social needs of individuals” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 82). The human relations approach starts with the assumption that all people “want to feel united, tied, bound to something, some cause, bigger then they, commanding them yet worthy of them, summoning them to significance in living” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 82). Human relations have romantic ideals. The dominant metaphor is considered organization as the sum of relationships (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 85).
In today’s typical human relations department women tend to fill most of the positions. It is seen as a feminist view of management that focuses on empowering workers by sharing information with them, emphasizing cooperation to solve problems, and organizing teams to accomplish tasks (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 82). The Starlight Children’s Foundation follows this same trend and has women running the humans relations department.
Even though women are stereotypically considered compassionate, organized and good with motivating others I think men would be just as qualified in these typical female gendered roles. There are gender differences at work. Women use conversations to build relationships using rapport talk. Rapport talk emphasizes demonstrating equality through matching experiences, providing support and responsiveness, conversational maintenance, tentativeness, and personal, concrete details (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 204). Men usually engage in report talk, a style of speaking that emphasizes a demonstration of knowledge, skill, and ability, conservational command, direct and assertive expressions, and abstract terms over personal experience (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 204).
I think the human relations department at the Starlight Children’s Foundation could use a more traditional form of management and hire more men. Not only does the foundation need women who are compassionate, provide support and responsiveness but they could use men who are direct and to the point to get the job done as well. The foundation needs people who have a direct and assertive personality to work with certain types of families.
By hiring more men in the human relations department it will balance the office out, creating different points of view. Men add an entirely different element to the work atmosphere, which would benefit and diversify the foundation. In addition to hiring more men, I think the foundation should have a mix of a human relations department and classical management approach. Through scientific rationality it would lead to improved efficiency and productivity (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 85). The foundation would run more like a machine and be procedurally oriented, following “rules,” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 85). By implementing some forms of the classical management approach, it would be more conducive to hiring men and the foundation would be more organized and run smoother.
Saint Mary's College Dance Marathon
Think about an organization that you have been a member of or are familiar with, and discuss how organizational culture contributes to people’s sense of membership within that organization. Close by discussing whether the organization actively attempts to shape the organizational culture, as in the examples discussed in class, and what this might accomplish.
Since my freshman year, I have been the President of Saint Mary’s College Dance Marathon. It is an organization on campus that raises money throughout the year for Riley’s Hospital for Children. In April we hold a twelve-hour marathon, where students stay up all night on our feet for those children who cant. The monetary total that we raised throughout the year is then revealed in the early morning hours. For the past two and a half years, I have wondered what makes people feel connected to this cause and what gives them a sense of membership? After reading through chapter five, especially the section on organizational culture, I think I have a better understanding of why people have a sense of membership within SMC-DM.
The concepts of dance marathons throughout the state of Indiana are organized in a specific way. There is an executive council, and each member of the council has a specific committee under them such as Public Relations or Dancer Recruitment. Because the organization has such as specific structure, it gives people a “unique sense of place,” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 128).
At the beginning of the year, the SMC-DM Executive Council has a day long retreat where we spend time getting to know each other and working on ideas for the year. We meet once a week every Wednesday, this group of women becomes friends and the members can describe the organization as a “family.” This is one cultural element called a metaphor, which is “a figure of speech that defines an unfamiliar experience in terms of another more familiar one,” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 128). The weekly meetings are also an example of ritual. Meetings are run in a similar fashion each week and from year to year, each committee typically has its own rituals. Rituals “dramatize” a culture’s basic values and can range in scope from personal, day-to-day routines for accomplishing tasks to annual organization-wide celebrations of top performers, (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 128). Not only are the meetings a ritual, but the actual marathon is a ritual in its self. There are numerous events throughout the marathon that we participate in because of the sense of membership and community everyone feels.
Each year, every member of the executive council receives a polo shirt. The polo’s are to be worn during the marathon with khaki pants so we are presented in a professional manner. In addition the polo’s are to be worn when we visit the hospital or make other important appearances. Having a unified shirt is an artifact, or the tangible and physical features of our organization, (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 129). Our dress code of a polo shirt is a marker of the dance marathon culture. Each year, in the corner of the polo, we add a star to represent how long our marathon has existed. I believe this gives people a sense of pride in the organization as they watch is grown because of their hard work and dedication. This furthers their sense of membership within the organization.
The entire executive council and committee all share the same values such as work ethic and compassion. Values represent a shared set of beliefs about appropriate organizational behaviors. They are often derived from charismatic leaders, founders or organizational traditions. As a unit, sharing the same values creates a unity, which helps create a sense of membership as well.
Saint Mary’s College Dance Marathon actively attempts to shape the organizational culture. We want a specific look and set of standards that follow the people involved in organization. Everything from the clothing we wear to our weekly meetings contributes to our sense of membership and shape the organizational culture.
Since my freshman year, I have been the President of Saint Mary’s College Dance Marathon. It is an organization on campus that raises money throughout the year for Riley’s Hospital for Children. In April we hold a twelve-hour marathon, where students stay up all night on our feet for those children who cant. The monetary total that we raised throughout the year is then revealed in the early morning hours. For the past two and a half years, I have wondered what makes people feel connected to this cause and what gives them a sense of membership? After reading through chapter five, especially the section on organizational culture, I think I have a better understanding of why people have a sense of membership within SMC-DM.
The concepts of dance marathons throughout the state of Indiana are organized in a specific way. There is an executive council, and each member of the council has a specific committee under them such as Public Relations or Dancer Recruitment. Because the organization has such as specific structure, it gives people a “unique sense of place,” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 128).
At the beginning of the year, the SMC-DM Executive Council has a day long retreat where we spend time getting to know each other and working on ideas for the year. We meet once a week every Wednesday, this group of women becomes friends and the members can describe the organization as a “family.” This is one cultural element called a metaphor, which is “a figure of speech that defines an unfamiliar experience in terms of another more familiar one,” (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 128). The weekly meetings are also an example of ritual. Meetings are run in a similar fashion each week and from year to year, each committee typically has its own rituals. Rituals “dramatize” a culture’s basic values and can range in scope from personal, day-to-day routines for accomplishing tasks to annual organization-wide celebrations of top performers, (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 128). Not only are the meetings a ritual, but the actual marathon is a ritual in its self. There are numerous events throughout the marathon that we participate in because of the sense of membership and community everyone feels.
Each year, every member of the executive council receives a polo shirt. The polo’s are to be worn during the marathon with khaki pants so we are presented in a professional manner. In addition the polo’s are to be worn when we visit the hospital or make other important appearances. Having a unified shirt is an artifact, or the tangible and physical features of our organization, (Eisenberg, Goodall Jr., Trethewey 129). Our dress code of a polo shirt is a marker of the dance marathon culture. Each year, in the corner of the polo, we add a star to represent how long our marathon has existed. I believe this gives people a sense of pride in the organization as they watch is grown because of their hard work and dedication. This furthers their sense of membership within the organization.
The entire executive council and committee all share the same values such as work ethic and compassion. Values represent a shared set of beliefs about appropriate organizational behaviors. They are often derived from charismatic leaders, founders or organizational traditions. As a unit, sharing the same values creates a unity, which helps create a sense of membership as well.
Saint Mary’s College Dance Marathon actively attempts to shape the organizational culture. We want a specific look and set of standards that follow the people involved in organization. Everything from the clothing we wear to our weekly meetings contributes to our sense of membership and shape the organizational culture.
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