What makes a group distinct? (Ch 4)

When I moved to California and the Bay Area I was fascinated by the Bay Area people. I was able to distinguish how people are different here than anywhere else. I thought that people dressed with more casual and comfortable clothes and that was also reflected in the way in their thinking. People seems to be less judgmental than what I was used to. Most people I first met were very friendly and welcoming. Nothing seemed to be a big deal and every situation could be worked out. I also noticed that people seemed to be open and curious towards other cultures and therefore more accepting. A lot of people cared about the environment and just being healthy. The outdoor activities were and still are very popular. So, I agree with the authors, dress codes, hobbies, world views are all elements that define a culture.

Taking Communication for Granted (Ch 4)

I have always been working for high tech companies. So, it is difficult for me to detach myself enough to analyze the environment in which I am working. However, when I invite a friend to visit me at work I always manage to get a glimpse of my environment though their eyes. Their comments and the things they notice are very interesting to me and clearly reveal what I have been taking for granted. For example, a few months ago, one of my friend who is a lawyer visited my office and what surprise to see all the electronics I had in my office such as a large monitor, a couple of laptops and a printer and the lack of books. I realize then that these objects are considered “normal” objects in a high tech environment in law firm offices.

Other thoughts about the research project (#2)

I have witnessed, like most people working, many organizational changes in my career. Some examples of changes are layoffs, management changes and the cancellation of projects I had been managing. Many times, the way my management communicated to me about these changes made me feel very uncomfortable, surprised and disappointed. Most of the time, these major changes were communicated over short emails or 5-minute conversation. Either way, I rarely had the opportunity to bring up questions or concerns. In addition, as soon as the change was communicated, my managers would consider the topic taboo. So it was clear that I should not bring it up anymore. I'd like to do more research on this topic and learn about the best way to communicate negative changes or bad news. I am sure I will be faced with this situation in my career and I'd like to handle it the best possible way.

Thoughts about the research project (#1)

One topic that stands out more than others is "intercultural communication" and "globalization". Since I moved to the Bay Area in 1994, I have been exposed to multiple cultures, first at school and then at work. One time during class, I remember my Finance professor listing the different countries represented in the classroom and finding out that there were 39 countries represented among 43 students. That moment was an eye opening moment for me and I realized what the word "global" really meant. Today, the trend continues and I work with people from many different countries and many different cultures. I'd like to better understand how my communication style impacts various culture and how I should adapt or change the way I communicate when addressing people from various culture. 

Data Gathering (Ch 15)

As the authors discussed, there are several ways people can gather data. I would like to add one thing, specifically in the case of surveys or interviews. In order to get valid, accurate and complete data, the person taking the survey or being interviewed must be willing to share information. In my career I have noticed, too often I'm afraid, that data gathering is a way for upper management to say "we care about what you think" but in reality they don't. Most of the times, I never heard anything about the surveys, the actions taken or lesson that were learned. It was as if the survey never happened. So slowly these exercises became worthless and as a consequences the employees less willing to provide accurate and complete data when going through a survey or being interviewed. 

Key messages and world views (Ch 15)

The authors asked the question of how many messages that shaped my worldview can I isolate or remember. These last few years, the media has been sending repetitive messages about the environment, informing people about global warming, future gas shortage, endangered species and so on. These messages have changed the way I view the world and the way I live. I recycle as much as I can and I use public transportation as often as possible. I turn off lights, changed all the bulbs in my house and walk more to the grocery stores. One message that does stand out is the message from the movie "an inconvenience truth" by Al Gore. The move gave specific recommendations on what to do to minimize our impact on the environment. The movie also open my eyes on the gravity of the issue.

Inconsistent messages (Ch 15)

The authors emphasize how important it is to not focus on one single message when trying to understand organization communication. It is true that we all get exposed to multiple messages and it is almost up to us to figure out what the real message is. I noticed however that the higher the number of messages the more inconsistent the messages are. Inconsistent messages make it more difficult for the recipient to "decode" and understand that is really being communicated. For example, I receive many messages from my direct manager and more often than not his messages are not consistent or aligned with the messages I receive from his management. As the recipient of both messages, it is not easy to figure out what I should really do. One specific situations occurred not long ago when my direct manager wanted me to focus on a specific projects and gave me a deadline and his management sent a memo asking us (me included) to work on project that would allow a specific team to be "more scalable". In other words, my direct manager wanted me to be reactive and his management wanted me to be proactive. When I asked for clarification, I received a very vague answer.

Information Acquisition and Information Use (Ch 3)

It seems to me that each manager usually wants to see a specific set of data in one or several reports. The data might be useful at first but then the business evolves and and the data provided does not always. Slowly the information looses its "informational usefulness". I agree with the authors when they point out that in some situations "processing information" does not automatically contribute to decisions. When the manager moves on, often the type of information requested still has to be provided to the new manager. But the new manager will also want a different set of data in addition to what was originally provided. Employees can end up wasting hours working on reports that are at best glanced at.

Efficiency for who? (Ch 3)

The authors make an interesting point about what is considered "efficient". On page 48, they talk about visits to the doctor. Let's take a look at what it means to go to the doctor today in the US, other countries have different processes. From the patient perspective, going to the doctor is not efficient at all: first, the patient has to sign in, pay for the visit and wait. Wait varies from a few minutes to one hour. If it is the first time the patient is seeing a particular doctor then paperwork has to be completed. Then the patient has to tell the nurse the reason for the visit and wait again. And again wait varies, I have been in situation where I seriously wondered if I had been forgotten. Then the doctor's visit can start, and of course the doctor asks the reason for the visit. This is a very inefficient process with a lot of wasted time and redundancy. From the doctor's perspective, of course, the process is very efficient. But isn't this process upside down? Here the patient is sick so why society has built a process to make it even worse for the patient? It should be the other way around.

How structure can damper enthusiasm (Ch 2)

I completely agree with this statement as I experienced it first hand when I worked at my previous job. When I started I was very eager to contribute to the company's success. I had just finished college and I had just gotten hired by a corporation, making more money than I did before. My motivation and dedication was very high. Then I learned about their structure and my enthusiasm started to diminish. The structure was very rigid and there was little room for creativity. It was almost as if the structure was specifically designed to repress any motivation people might have had. I still stayed 6 years but eventually I had to leave because I thought that in the end I was not a good fit for the organization and vice versa.

Why Bad News Has Trouble Going Up the Ladder (Ch 2)

I really relate to the article on why bad news has trouble going up the ladder. When I first started working for a corporation, my manager told me "perception is everything". In order words, it did not matter how hard I worked if people had the impression that I did not work. If I wanted to be successful, I would have to carefully think about how to manage my image and reputation. For example, coming to work before my manager would automatically contribute to "positive" perception even if I did not really do any work the rest of the day. Coming early was what counted. So I am not surprised that bad news have trouble going up the ladder because they give the wrong impression, that maybe the manager in charge is not performing well. In a way, I understand that we all have perceptions right or wrong, but at the same time, it really saddens me to see that often people do not take the time and make the effort to really look at a situation, face the problems and have open and honest conversations. In the end, it would be better for the company.

Enabling and Constraining Structures (Ch 2)

I had always been either enabled or constrained by the structure of where I worked at. I really never stopped to thing about it. In my previous job, the structure was very much rigid, traditional and constraining. I did not immediately realized that when I was hired but slowly I became aware that the extension of the creative and flexibility of what I was asked to to was extremely limited. In other words, the people I worked with had a specific way of doing things and even if I came up with a better way, it did not matter because it was how the people had been working for years. Eventually the company had to be sold, it was having a lot of financial difficulties and I moved on to a less structured organization where initiatives, critical thinking and creativity was more encouraged.

Communication Technology enabling or constraining the Organization? (Ch 12)

The authors bring an interesting point when they talk about communication technology and how it is both enabling and constraining at the same time. The focus from the authors is on web sites and the Internet, but the same can be said about phone trees. I am sure many people have experienced frustration when trying to reach a representative from a company by phone. People have to go through so many steps that something I wonder if the objective is to convince people to hung up. Obviously, as the authors state, the same can be said about FAQ. A few months ago I wanted to contact Yahoo customer service and could not find the link to send them an email. I eventually did but it is interesting to think how technology has both allowed and limited communication at the same time.

Failing Communication Technologies (Ch 12)

As a system analyst, I see this all the time. The systems I work with (internal systems) often are designed to do too much. As the authors point out on page 361, managers are always trying to add one more feature to an existing systems. The problem is every manager wants to add his or her flavor to the system. Then, these managers leave the company and other users have to leave with a system that they do not often understand and as they should they will try to change it too. After years of development, systems do not have any solid and logical structure, they have just evolved in some kind of inefficient system that does half, if it is a good system, of what the users expect.

What does "relentlessly connected" really mean? (Ch 12)

The Carnegie Mellon study reveals some interesting facts, on one hand Internet users feel "more connected with family, friends and colleagues" and on the other end Internet users feel "relentlessly connected". 

It might have been interesting to get a break down of these results. For example, I am very happy about the fact that I am connected to my family and friends. It is great to be able to video chat for hours and catch up with my cousins who live in different countries. However, I do not want to be connected to my colleagues more than I am today and I think that's where the element of stress might come in. My manager sends me email anytime of day and night, my colleagues see me on instant message and start talking to me about a work issue when I am on my "own" time. I know there are ways to make myself available only when I want to and to certain people only but my point is work hours are no longer "office hours" so it is easy to end up working 12 hours per day which would stress anyone. Rules about "being connected to work" should be better defined.

Interpreting the Effects of Organizational Communication Technologies (Ch 12)

One concept presented in chapter 12 caught my attention, the concept that "electronic media filter out nonverbal cues". While it is true that a written message would never convey emotions as well as a face to face interactions would, I still think that people have found a way to convey emotions nevertheless to a certain degree. For example, when I chat with my friends I use a lot of emoticons to express my emotions. If I am very surprised (WOW), happy (YEAH) or angry (!) I might use capital letters with appropriate punctuation. It seems that most people pick on these nonverbal cues and are able to deduct my mood. When I type an email it is more difficult to write down my emotions, not because I cannot insert emoticons, but because by the time the recipient reads the email, my mood might have changed so the email would have a the same tone as let's say a regular letter. 

Features of Communication Technologies (Ch 12)

I agree with the authors when they say that 'our notion of time' has changed but our notion of time is not the only one that has changed. Our expectations have also changed with time. Years ago if I contacted a business partner, let's say by fax I did not expect a response within the same day but now when I use email, even though I do not expect an instant response I do expect an answer within hours. Because people can now communicate so easily, there are more expectation on faster response time. While technology has certainly made communication easier, it has not provide a way to deal with increase quantity of communication. I can easily respond to one email but I cannot easily respond to 200 emails.

Ethics as an Issue for Organizations (Ch 14)

I agree with the authors when they state that "the nature of corporate legitimacy has changed dramatically in the past three decades". I have noticed a bigger focus on ethical organization behavior lately especially when it comes to the environment. Whether it is purely a PR campaign or a real concern about their impact on the environment, it seems that every company is trying to say 'look at what I am doing for the environment'. Customers with the same concerns might be more inclined to buy from an environmentally and socially responsible companies than from a company who's objective is purely to make a profit.

Coming to Terms with Ethics (Ch 14)

About a month ago, the company where I work (I will purposely not mention the name) gave all the employee a mini online training on "ethics". The whole exercise lasted approximately one hour. It consisted of five major parts on how to do business, treat customers and things you can do an not do. Each part has a "theory" section and a "question" section. Grades were not recorded, the only that was recorded is that you completed the training by the deadline. Basically the company was interested in exposing employees to ethical concepts. 

Before I took the training I did not think of it much, it was just one more thing to do but once I took it, it really helped clarify what was acceptable to do and what was not. Most of the time, common sense can be used but many other time, knowledge has to be used. One thing I learned is that we could call a number to ask about ethical behavior if we were in doubt. 

This training changed my behavior and made me realize that sometimes not knowing does not always mean that a person has no ethics.

Critics of Globalization (Ch 13)

One other interesting idea in Chapter 13 is about globalization being a "threat to communities and the environment". Also that global organizations are "undemocratic and detrimental to both local communities and the local environment". It would have been very interesting to evaluate the criteria the people who criticized globalization used. Aren't most business detrimental to either local communities or the environment also? I would imagine that whether global or local usually the goal of a business is to increase the wealth for the owner(s). So global businesses are no different than local businesses, the only difference lays in the fact that they are bigger.

Also, corporations do have a lot of power and certainly have influenced local businesses but ultimately it is the customer that makes a business successful or not. As long as people will continue to buy burgers, it will mean that there is a "need" for burgers. I remember reading an article about McDonald's being bombed, one way a group of French people decided to fight globalism. What perplexed me is that if everyone was agreeing with this group of French people, there would have been no need to bomb the place. People should just have stopped going there. If the location was not profitable, McDonald's would have left. My point is that it seems that the people that fight globalism are trying to impose their ideas on the majority of people that enjoy and benefit from globalism. 

 

Forces of Convergence (Ch 13)

The paragraph about "US cultural imperialism' and how the French complain that US exported culture received more instant recognition than do ideas or images from Paris is very interesting to me.

I travel to France on a regular basis and during my most recent trips I noticed just this fact: US culture was everywhere. This shocked me. Every store I entered played US music. All the movie theaters I walked by played US movies. The news were all about what was happening in the US. The US culture was definitely dominant. I wondered if this was good or bad. I came to the conclusion that this was probably both good and bad. Good because it exposed the French people to something different and bad because the French culture was not as dominant, at least in the media.  

Confronting and Defining Globalization (Ch 13)

I completely agree with the authors when they state that one factor that contributed to globalization is of course the use of communication technologies (mainly computers and internet). But as the authors also states, many people, the not so 'well-off members of the global society' do not have access to these technologies. Some of these people might not even be aware of that fact. The disconnection is a scary thought when I think of all the implications this has for people who do not have access to communication technologies. What does this really mean for them and their future and the future of their children? Does this mean that for these people 'catching up is and will be more and more difficult if not impossible? It certainly seems that way. And if one group does not 'catch up' what does this mean for everyone else?