Our Final Thoughts

The topics that we have learned over the past eight weeks will help us develop into the best employee and eventually (or hopefully) boss. However, as we are all about to have internships this summer, we decided that it would be beneficial to rate the topics by how applicable they will be to our intern experiences.

The topic that we found most applicable to our position as an intern was team building. Obviously, we will be at the bottom of the totem pole in terms of responsibility; however, working with the other interns and/or employees will be a huge part of our tasks. It is very important that we are able to be cohesive in order to be productive. Also, as we will be new to the group, it will be vital for us to inquire about the norms and goals of the group. Without knowing those, it would be difficult for us to work at our highest potential.

The next topic that was an important take away for us was personality. As an intern, it is necessary for us to quickly adapt to a new working environment and understand our coworkers, fellow interns, and supervisors. Being aware of the Myers-Briggs personality types will be extremely helpful in this situation. Although we know that these personality types cannot predict job performance, we do know that being aware of others’ personalities can help us interact effectively with those who are different than us, which is an organizational reality. Also, being aware of your own personality type can help in the workplace, and contributes to a higher Emotional Intelligence. Different personalities can add diversity and creativity to groups; however, if we are not aware of ourselves or of others, we will not be able to work effectively.

Another topic that is equally as important as personality is emotions and attitudes. Since we will be entering the work world shortly, it was very useful to see the profile of what a new hire should look like, such as displaying humility, readiness to learn, confidence, a positive attitude, respect, and an open mind. Knowing these desired attitudes will help us shape how we enter our respective organizations. Though we won’t be in a management position, where we have to decide how our employee’s attitudes can affect bottom line activities, we do have to be aware of our own attitudes. Knowing this will help us recognize whether the organization is a good person-job fit, and will also influence our professional success.

Decision making will as also be important to us as interns, even as the “newbies” in the organization. As interns, we may not be making big decisions; however, one of the greatest things we have to offer to the team is fresh eyes. We don’t really have as much experience under our belts, so we will be able to play a kind of devil advocates role. We can ask questions, intentional or not, that make the group explain their thought process in the decisions they made. While we may be making the tough decisions, we will definitely be able to help the team along in the process.

Leadership in an internship could be relevant depending on one’s position and requirements.  Usually, interns engage in work that does not require one to assume the role of the leader.  However, it is possible to find the need for leadership skills when heading a team of interns in larger companies.  Even if you personally do not assume the role of the leader, understanding effective leadership techniques is significant to properly gauge success of any other leader.  In this, intern-group leaders should delegate tasks throughout the team, assign roles (like the Gatekeeper and Summarizer), and/or represent one’s given group to higher management.

Even though ethics and integrity is towards the bottom of the pie chart measuring relevance in an internship-type setting, being ethical and practicing integrity should be done regardless of the setting.  This is especially true if working with a team of interns where dependability and trust are key components for the success of any team. Team trust could dissolve when members are not ethical.  For example, if a team of interns sees a member actively engage in social loafing, this member is not practicing integrity.  In essence, success cannot be found without participating in ethical manners.

Managing diversity, while a very important topic does not have much relevance in an intern-type setting, because it is controlled by upper management. Managing Diversity is also something that is strategic, which means it should be long-term, well thought out, and take a long time to implement. Because we will only be interning for up to nine weeks, we feel as if we won’t be in a position long enough to see an organization change its culture. It is important, however, for us to watch for diversity issues, and think personally of how they can be solved.

Ask the "Expert"

Managing UP: Personal Perspectives

Madeline:

I've worked at a restaurant called the Pineville Tavern for 6 years in Pennsylvania, owned by my brother in law and his family. When I came home from college last summer, my brother in law had hired a new general manager. He had previously worked at an Applebee's, which is extremely different than the three-hundred year old tavern where I work. He tried to adopt rules and standards from Applebee's, such as "employee check lists" and strict guides for how we set up our salad bar and fridge, which is far from how the Pineville operated for hundreds of years. We have a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and culture that the new manager was trying to change. He did not understand that our restaurant's success does not come from efficiency and check-lists, but instead comes from the people who work there and the quality of food. Because he was new, though, I felt as if the responsibility was on the employees to make the relationship work. I tried to show the new manager our culture by inviting him into conversation, and also tried to get to know him, so that we could have more open conversations about what we expected from each other. 

INPUT:

Getting to know your new boss is a great way to start solving the issues that are occurring in your work environment, so bravo for working in that direction. It sounds to me like your new boss may not be educated on the style of the Pineville Tavern. Though he may be an experienced manager with more than sufficient training, it is very important to understand that culture of the place that you work; that’s what helps to create good ‘fit’ within an organization. I’m sure that your boss is used to a nationalized chain environment, which is practically a manufacturing culture, with efficiency as the main goal. Obviously this is different from the Pineville Tavern, but this manager change could be a good opportunity for both the employees and your new boss. In fact, with time and good communication, both parties could definitely benefit from some simple changes. The boss might feel wound-up from working at Applebee’s, and might appreciate the more relaxed environment of Pineville. In turn, Pineville might be able to benefit from subtle efficiencies only revealed in the chain restaurant business. The employees should meet with the boss, and explain the culture of Pineville, and explain that he can relax a bit if possible. Then, you and your fellow employees should mention things that you see as inefficient in the Tavern, and ask your boss if he has any suggestions about ways they can be improved. You should also think about talking to the owner, and seeing what his objectives were when hiring a new manager with what you perceive as such a different management style.

Drew:

One problem I had with a boss occurred when I worked as a server for a restaurant.  The owner/manager (that was also a passionate cook), had the desire to micromanage everything that happened in her restaurant.  Even worse was when things got very busy on high traffic nights she would sometimes get caught up in the moment, push people out of the way, and attempt to do their job while still screaming and yelling at everyone else.  This was bad for business not only because her screams could be heard from the floor but also because she would work slower and make more mistakes than the professional chefs she pushed out of the way.  The main reason for all of this occurring was due to her short temper, and tendency to jump on even the slightest mistakes she saw.  

INPUT:

The best way to deal with this problem is to emphasize your own confidence in with your own responsibilities, even when you make slight errors.  If she sees something wrong and is about to go on a screaming rant or a move to do someone’s job you might quickly look her in the eyes and sternly say something along the lines of "I know! Don't worry! I got this!"  This might cause her to smile and move on with her monitoring of the restaurant, as she may be convinced you have it under control. In the end, maybe her extreme behavior was mainly the result of seeing mild employee insecurity as threatening the productivity of the workplace (her life's work).  By giving her quick assurance it should make her more easily accept the minor mistakes that are common in such a fast paced work environment and ultimately allow the restaurant to perform at a higher level of productivity.  (And free of screaming rants from the kitchen).

Carolyn:

One of my managers during high school was very hot tempered and was not open to suggestions or comments about anything. He did not show respect to his employees that he worked with, and often times would speak to us very in a condescending way. It created a very tense environment, and strained the relationship between management and the employees.

INPUT:

This is a classic problem in the workplace, but sounds manageable by you, the employee! My first suggestion would be to figure out your boss. Know what makes him tick, his likes and dislikes, and then see how those align with your own. Find the common ground that you both can work well together on and then work on developing patience and talk to fellow employees. Rather than complaining, talk about productive ways to manage your boss, like meeting with him, or presenting things in ways that he appreciates and understands. This will probably be difficult, as dealing straightforwardly with someone condescending can be discouraging. It can, however, solve the bigger issues and make for a more pleasant work environment.

George:

When I was fifteen, I started working for a landscaping company. It was a small company—about 14 employees, but the boss was a difficult man to work with. He had seen me grow up, having been the landscaper for our house when I was young. The first season that I worked for him, he assigned me relatively menial tasks that, in my opinion, should have been incredibly easy to figure out. When I did them to the best of my abilities, however, my boss (David) would come around and re-do all of my work. Not only did I feel useless, but David was also grumpy about the fact that he had to ‘waste time’ going back over my planting and other work. The situation became slightly tenser as time went on, and I also became frustrated for two reasons: I did not feel like I was accomplishing anything and I was not being assigned tasks but what I thought were stupid tasks. Furthermore, when I talked to my fellow employees about the problem, they told me what I was doing was fine, and that David was just an overbearing and very meticulous person.

INPUT:

I would continue to talk to your fellow employees about David. Though you should not spend time bashing him and complaining, it might be helpful to know how the other guys on the crew managed David in the past. Looking to seasoned ‘vets’ might allow you to implement some strategies to impress your boss and get him off your back. For example, ask them what nuances exist in his planting style so you can try and imitate them. Presumably, the reason he keeps re-doing your work is because it is not in his style, and he might consider himself somewhat of an artist. Ask him questions about what you can do better, and level-headedly express your frustration with the fact that he redoes all your work. This will give you an opportunity, not only to get to know him better, but also to improve your work and abilities in general. If things are still not improving, maybe consider asking him for an assignment at an account that he is not supervising all of the time. Spend some time away with other employees, and learn how they are able to deal with David. Then, you will be able to come back fresh, and hopefully ready to tackle the days ahead with a positive outlook.

Managing Diversity

As stated before, the issue of diversity has definitely become more integral to America’s culture over the past few decades. In recent years, TV and cinema have mirrored this trend and found substantial success in producing entertainment that illustrates relationships between diverse groups of people.  Shows such as The Office, Lost, The Community, Grey’s Anatomy, House, in conjunction with films such as Crash and Gran Torino all have characters with significantly different characteristics and backgrounds.  The extent in which characters either manage or mismanage diversity is more commonly becoming part of on screen interactions.  It is interesting to note that in order for these shows and films to come about, the studios that produce them must have the proper networks and channels in place to accurately incorporate a wide range of viewpoints.  The studios must not only be open to these new diverse platforms but also continually support and develop the wide range of ideas presented.  

The Community 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE8meUf0qCM

(*click link, embedding is disabled for this video)

The first three minutes of the above clip from series premier of The Community shows the character Jeff’s efforts at managing diversity.  He enters the room to a bickering study group and immediately seeks to change the atmosphere.  He uses shark week, the pencil Steve, and Ben Affleck to create common ideas that all group members can relate to.  As this grabs their attention he then serves as a role model by highlighting the positive attributes of the study group members.  As this illustrates why each member is important to the overall team’s success he ultimately requires that they all forgive each other.  The forgiveness is key because it is what creates the culture of the community.  Forgiveness allows everyone in the group to look past differences in order to empathize and understand.  Ultimately it promotes an inclusive environment that supports communication and satisfying the needs of all members.  By utilizing the diversity best practice methods of common identity, role modeling, and inclusive culture, Jeff has made the members realize the potential of their collaboration.  Although the scene ends comically Jeff’s initial speech briefly illustrates the benefits of properly managing diversity. 

Grey’s Anatomy

In the popular TV show Grey’s Anatomy network ABC made conscious choices regarding diversity in casting and plot. Most specifically, racial diversity is an integral theme in the cast of the medical drama. From Dr. Preston Burke, an African-American male, to Cristina Yang, an Asian-American female, the actors represent a wide array of ethnicities.  In addition to race, Grey’s Anatomy has also portrayed same sex couples and how they are treated among their coworkers. 

Within the walls of Seattle-Grace Hospital, you are able to see how with more interaction with different racial groups, the characters develop a common identity as doctors, as opposed to focusing on race or sexual orientation. They are able to ignore racial and gender lines in order to focus on the medical emergency in front of them. The viewer can observe how the Chief acts as a role model for his employees by treating all of his staff with respect and focusing on evaluation solely based on skill. I believe that the inclusion of these issues in Grey’s stems from the writer, Shonda Rhimes. Ms. Rhimes is one of the few highly successful African-American female show writers in the country. This is one example of how ABC values diversity in their staff and creative team, which translates into what material they portray on their shows.  This has allowed them to be successful among the changing demographic of the country and to address a subject that has become an important part of American culture.

Crash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MqxTxK0dG8
(*click link, embedding is disabled for this video)

"Rick: [After his car is stolen] Why did these guys have to be black? No matter how we spin this thing, I'm either gonna lose the black vote or I'm gonna lose the law and order vote!
Karen: You know, I think you're worrying too much. You have a lot of support in the black community.
Rick: All right. If we can't duck this thing, we're gonna have to neutralize it. What we need is a picture of me pinning a medal on a black man. The firefighter - the one that saved the camp or something - Northridge... what's his name?
Bruce: He's Iraqi.
Rick: What?
Bruce: He's Iraqi. His name is Saddam.
Rick: Great. I'm going to pin a medal on an Iraqi named Saddam. Give yourself a raise!"

---

Crash portrays a number of catalyst events regarding race difficulties in Los Angeles, one of the most diverse areas of the world. Upon first glance, the different storylines may be difficult to relate back to managing diversity in the workplace, but deeper analysis reveals parallels from which we can draw important connections.

One main character is the current District Attorney for the L.A. area. As an elected officer working for the people, he must effectively manage his public image while appreciating and accommodating many different types of people. On one particular evening, the D.A. and his wife are mugged and forced to surrender their car. Not wanting to lose support from the black community, the D.A. chooses to ‘offset’ negative press by arbitrarily awarding a medal to someone quite random (except for his race). In fact, the person he originally selects is not in fact black, but instead Iraqi. This move has negative implications, separating merit from award and exemplifying a disingenuous and ignorant attitude toward managing diversity in Los Angeles. It further separates and muddles cultural identities and suggests no understanding of the differences between diverse groups of people.

Furthermore, the studio (Lion’s Gate) shows a distinct awareness of diversity struggles (this time specifically in Los Angeles). As alluded to above, these studios have adapted more diverse workforces in conjunction with adaptation to cultural acceptance of diversity in movies. Even the screenwriting process is affected—to create a movie as accurately as possible (like Crash) requires team members of many different races and backgrounds.

On the whole, diversity as portrayed by the media has changed with societal norms, but so too has the dynamic within the production industry. It is now more important than ever for production teams to be diverse and understanding of the progressive material they are creating and facilitating. Now is a crucial time for all to understand more about each other, and one way of starting to do that is through sources like the media industry. That’s why it is so important for these companies to have a diverse workforce and workplace striving toward a goal more common than ever before.

Decision Making

We make decisions hundreds of times a time, but whether those decisions involve what to eat for breakfast, or how to invest millions of dollars, our decisions are influenced by many biases. Here are six scenarios displaying different decision-making biases, let’s see if you can figure them out! (options are anchoring, escalation of commitment, confirmation bias, status quo trap, gambler’s fallacy, and availability heuristic)  

 
a)

















b)

c)

d)

e)

f)

ANSWERS:

a)      a) Status quo trap:  This man is exhibiting the status quo trap because he is choosing the alternative that keeps things the same.  Even though he might like the new drink more, he doesn’t want to “rock the boat”.  It’s only natural that we don’t like change—which leads us to avoiding new choices.  In order to minimize the effects of this bias, you should consider which option you would choose regardless of which option you normally choose.  Look to the future, not the past!

b)    b)   Escalation of commitment:  The poker player in this cartoon is a victim of a very common bias—escalation of commitment.  If we invest time and/or money into a project, we tend to continue supporting that choice even if it is clearly failing.  Instead of realizing that the time and money already spent are sunk costs, we feel the need to keep trying to make up for our losses.  However, this can lead to even more loss, which leads to a bigger commitment, and the cycle continues.  In order to reduce escalation, you should set a limit in advance (for example, this man should have decided how much money he would spend before he started gambling).  Also, the person making the original decision should not be the only person involved (for instance, the gambler should have friends who can offer an unbiased opinion and tell him when he should stop gambling).  Remember, don’t have a failure-fearing attitude.  It’s better to lose some money than all of your money!

c)      c) Availability Heuristic:  This cartoon is a classic depiction of the availability heuristic.  Even though train wrecks are very uncommon, the news created a very vivid picture in this man’s head.  According to this bias, we are more likely to base judgments on ready available information (info that is very vivid or has occurred recently).   Negative occurrences create more vivid images than positive ones, which is why this man is not thinking of all of the times he’s gone on the train safely.  To try to avoid this bias, you should take a disciplined approach to your judgments.  Use statistics and facts instead of memories to make your decisions.

d)     d)  Gambler’s fallacy: Pictured is a man displaying gambler’s fallacy.  Because he has three daughters, he tells his pregnant wife that their soon-to-be fourth child must be a boy; this shows the tendency to inaccurately predict the behavior of randomness.  In truth, the man should recognize the fact that having a boy or girl yields an equal 50-50 chance.  In this, chance can be predicted by mathematical probabilities, not past outcomes.

e)      e) Anchoring: In this scenario, a husband is talking to his wife about purchasing a new car.  The wife is reluctant to make any more large purchases at this point in time.  Noticing this, the husband bailed on the new car request, and instead focused on purchasing a new motorcycle, since it is cheaper than the car.  Despite the wife’s reluctance, she agreed to have her husband buy the motorcycle, much to her surprise.  In essence, the husband used the car as an anchor to influence his wife’s decision about the motorcycle.  In this, the car creates a standard by which her response was influenced. 

f)       f) Confirmation bias: Pictured are two men displaying confirmation bias.  The man on the right wearing the donkey is watching MSNBC, while the man on the left wearing the elephant is watching Fox News.  In this, humans have the tendency to seek out information to confirm rather than object one’s point of view.  So, the democrat, just as the republican, will naturally flip to the news channel that is consistent with their beliefs. In order to stay clear from this bias, consider getting information about decisions from varied sources.