A632.7.4.RB_HansardCarey

It has been my experience that all too often, decisions are made in business without consulting those who the decision affects. When this happens, feelings are hurt, conflict arises, and productivity falls. I know I have talked about my days as a high school teacher many times. I have also mentioned how unhappy I was. One of the reasons I was so unhappy, and ultimately left the school system, is that decisions are made that directly affect teachers and students every day and their opinions are not taken into account. The school board and state give the illusion that everyone’s opinion is taken into consideration, but I do not believe this is the case.

Since I know how this feels, I have made an effort to take the opinions of others into consideration when I am making an important decision. Levine (2009) outlines 10 essential elements to reaching an agreement, most of which are used when making a decision (pp. 164-165) One such recent decision was the hiring of a new employee, my co-trainer. This decision, even though affecting me more than others, still had an affect on others in the department. Our vision was to hire someone who had more experience teaching than with technology, but someone who was still able to use technology effectively. The decision-making process in this case was a collaborative effort including me, my supervisor, and my former co-trainer. The process began with the formulation and posting of a job description and sorting of résumés.  My supervisor weeded through them and sent several prospective candidates’ applications to me to get my opinion.  One of the issues that I had with this step was that, after I provided my thoughts, he interviewed who he wanted to anyway. Many Worldwide employees knew someone who they thought would be perfect for the position and I had an acquaintance ask me about applying as well. To further narrow the field, all of these people were interviewed by phone and a few who he thought were worthy contenders, too. Finally, my supervisor narrowed down the candidates to four for us to interview face-to-face. The three of us interviewed all of the candidates together asking questions that we thought were relevant to the position. After all of the interviews had been conducted, we were able to sit and discuss the interviewees. This was an important process because as Levine (2009) mentions, “As you work with others in pursuit of common goals, opportunity abounds for resolving conflict and reaching clear agreements” (p. 188). It turned out that there was one candidate we all liked and the second choice for everyone was different. We had conflicting opinions about the second choice and were able to effectively talk through the concerns. In the end, the person we all liked was the acquaintance of mine. She ultimately took the position. I have been happy working with her and think we made the right choice. She reminds me a lot of myself when I started.

Collaboration with my colleagues on this decision was crucial. First, there were over 50 candidates and I would have been unable to sort through them all on my own. Second, each of us had different ideas about the skill set ideal candidate would possess. Therefore, the ability for each of us to form our own questions for the interview was essential. My colleagues included questions that may not have occurred to me, but still provided me with important information with which to make the decision. Third, during this process, my co-trainer was already doing his new job. Luckily, he was still in the same department and was able to continue to train and certify new instructors with me. He was invaluable when it came to making the transition to a new employee easy. Fourth, having their opinions about the face-to-face interviews provided me with helpful insight into each of the candidates. What one person sees and hears another may miss. This was the case with the interviews. One of us might focus on one aspect of the interview while the others are able to look past that issue. Collaborating on the decision for the final choice allowed me to be more confident with the decision I had made. After hearing all of the candidates, I knew I wanted the person that I knew. I wasn’t sure if it was because I knew her (albeit it not very well) or whether she was the most desirable person for the job. Once I heard that the others also liked her the most, I felt more confident that I had made the right decision for the right reason.

I do not believe that there are any other stakeholders I would have added to that decision-making process. If you have too many people involved, issues like this can become more complicated than they need to be. This situation was a learning experience for me making decisions in the future. First, I have validated my opinion that including the opinions of others in an important decision is crucial to making a good decision. In addition, I have also learned that I should trust my viewpoints because they are valid. Not just in this situation but also in others, I have raised concerns that others echoed as well. Knowing that my thoughts and opinions are legitimate is helpful to me as a decision maker. Finally, I have learned that the hiring of an individual is much harder that it seems from the outside. Having others help in that process was something that I will definitely continue in the future. It is very hard to tell whether someone will be a good fit by simply talking to them for 30 minutes and looking at their information on paper. I was glad to be able to dialogue with my colleagues about our concerns and likes for each candidate.

Reference: Levine, S. (2009 ). Turning conflict into collaboration (2nd edition). Williston, VT,: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

A632.6.3.RB_HansardCarey

Conflict in life is unavoidable. Sometimes, when those involved are willing to work together to resolve disputes, conflict actually leads to productivity and a better exchange of ideas. When the involved parties are unable to do this, work and personal relationships suffer and efficiency goes down. The reason for this, according to Levine (2009), is that, “people in conflict posture. They play games. They horse around. The focus is more about being right than being effective” (p. 71). Lack of communication at the beginning of collaboration leads to this type of behavior.    

Two years ago, I made the move the Embry-Riddle as an Academic Technology Trainer. I had to learn how to use EagleVision, Smart Boards, and Blackboard, none of which I had previous experience with. The person who had the same job as I did was a teleworker. Therefore, much of our communication happened via email or Skype and was fairly impersonal in nature. Obviously, being new and unfamiliar with the technology, I had a lot of questions. I would frequently request time to Skype with her. She would tell me that she was really busy and did not have time to meet with me. Other times, she would meet but clearly had an attitude with me that made me think I was bothering her. I felt as though I was not welcome and more of an annoyance rather than a help to her. Levine (2009) mentions that if you find yourself in a conflict that cannot easily be resolved, you may find yourself in court (p. 54). In my case, I found myself in my boss’s office pleading my case. As I was a new employee, I was hesitant to share what was happening between the other trainer and me because I thought it would make me look like a gossip. I shared bits and pieces of what was happening with him until one day, the situation turned. I had asked to Skype with her because I wanted to try to talk through the communication problems. It was getting to the point where I wondered why I left teaching and was thinking that I might need to go back. During the course of the discussion where I told her what I was thinking, she appeared very reflective and apologized for making me feel that way. The next day, she resigned. Certainly this resolution was not what I had hoped for. Several issues exacerbated the conflict. One of the main problems was that she was not physically in the office. It is my opinion that she was jealous of the time I was spending with the rest of our coworkers. In addition, our supervisor shared with me that prior to hiring me for the position, she stated that she did not believe that she needed any help.  Levine (2009) says that one of the best ways to deal with conflict is to come to an agreement early in the process about how you will deal with disagreements (p. 55). This communication never took place for us.

Although I was sad to see her go, the situation allowed for a more positive environment at work and it also allowed me to stop focusing on the conflict and move forward with learning about the processes and programs I needed to do my job. Had we employed Levine’s 10 principles of new thinking, we might have had a very different outcome (Levine, 2009, p. 46). Creating a partnership, coming to an understanding about how to communicate effectively, and sharing what our needs were at the beginning of the process would have eliminated the many frustrations that I am sure we both experienced during our time as colleagues. The disclosure of information and feelings came too late in the process and the damage had already been done.

As a result of this event, I made an effort to create a partnership with the person we hired to replace her. We were open with each other about our ideas and feelings toward the job and used the opportunity to learn from each other’s creativity. Although he is currently not in that position anymore, we still work together and have built a relationship that results in little to no conflict. When conflict does arise, we know how to effectively express that to each other and work through the issues to a resolution.

Reference: Levine, S. (2009 ). Turning conflict into collaboration (2nd edition). Williston, VT,: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

A632.5.5.RB_HansardCarey

The protected values that I mentioned in the Brain assignment this week were: protection of children, stability, and kindness. One of the most important things to me in life is stability. This is a value that I cherish so much so that I have lived in the same house for 16 years, worked at the same job for 18 years, and follow a similar routine every day. Sometimes, this means that I miss out on opportunities, I am sure, because I do not like to venture out of my comfort zone. Leading a stable lifestyle means that I always know that I will have a home, that my children will live in a safe, loving environment, and that I will work for my wants and needs now as well as in the future. I go to great lengths to protect this value. Foe example, my husband and I are currently thinking of purchasing a new home. Where many people would start shopping around for a mortgage company, I have only talked to one, the company we currently use. I do not want to have my credit run multiple times because my credit score would go down and I may seem unstable…not a good candidate for a loan. Sometime, I think that I enjoy stability so much that when there is a wrench thrown in, like searching for a new house, I feel uncertain and anxious about the issue.

Kindness has gotten me where I am today. I believe in treating others as you would like to be treated. People are more likely to be accommodating to you if you treat them with kindness and respect. There was recently an incident at work where one of the directors walked into the office of another yelling at him about how his team had made too many last minute requests of her team. She did not bother to ask questions about the requests or explain why these requests were burdening her team. Instead she was angry and confrontational which, in turn, made him behave the same way. Now there appears to be lingering animosity between them. Unless someone has that attitude with me, I make every effort to be kind, sympathetic, and obliging when dealing with other. I try to put myself in their shoes and imagine what their situation is. Some things are beyond our control. We all have setbacks, idiosyncrasies, and annoying habits. Being understanding and accepting of others in these circumstances means that they will do the same for you when the situation is reversed.

The protection of children is very important to me. Being an educator, I was able to see first hand the consequences of children who were abused, neglected, living in unsafe environments, and those who live in environments where there is a lack of love and attention. It is sad. The parents are the only ones to be blamed in these situations. Kids cannot control what happens to them as babies and young children. Even when they do have some control over their lives, it is not as if they can simply leave and start a new life. They need people to stand up for them. Although this is a value that I believe very strongly in, I am not the type of person to push my values on others. Hoch & Kunreuther (2001) say that even though I may not act on my values, they are still important and relevant (p. 253). Even though I hold these beliefs, I will not be the one to go out telling other people how to behave and raise their children.

As for my decision-making abilities, I feel as though the first two values affect this process greatly. The fact that I like stability often means that I either make the decision not to change anything, or I delay making a decision erring on the side of caution.  Kindness also plays a major role because I like to please everyone. Because of this, I tend to ask people who may be affected by my decision what they think and include their ideas when the final conclusion is reached. There is a benefit in being kind and including others who have a vested interest in my decision. As Yukl (2010) mentions, “Involving other people in making a decision is likely to increase the quality of a decision when participants have information and knowledge lacked by the leader” (p. 89).

References:

Hoch, S. J., & Kunreuther, H. C. (2005). Wharton on making decisions. (1 ed.). John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations. (7th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson College Div.

A632.4.5_RB_HansardCarey

In just about every negotiation I have been involved in, I have used facial expressions as a judge of how the other person is feeling.  McKay, Davis and Fanning (2009) point out that if you look at a magazine picture of several people and cover everything by their faces, you can still tell a lot about how they are feeling. You may not be able to tell what they are doing, but you can certainly tell a lot about how they are feeling (p. 62).  As a very animated teacher, I used a lot of facial expressions to let the students know how I was feeling. In situations at work where I have had to negotiate, I have found it difficult to control my own facial expressions.  Recently, I was involved in a negotiation of sorts with my supervisor. We are getting ready to upgrade some software that I train on. During this negotiation, I explained to him that I did not feel comfortable training in the new environment because it was not functioning as expected. In the past, he has indicated that he “had my back” with upper management. However, I feel as though I was misled about his feelings about the situation. I feel as though he was on my side until his boss had a different vision. Although I understand why he would feel that way, it still makes it difficult to trust in him next time.

Understanding how I am viewed by others is another important tool in negotiations. The easier an individual is to read, the more likely someone else is to gain the upper hand in the negotiation.  Hoch and Kunreuther (2001) mention that managing your reputation will help you manage the negotiation better (p. 184). Getting input from others about what they think my style is allows me to reflect and adapt. During a conversation with a co-worker last week, he mentioned that I needed to calm down. He said that, in his opinion, I was overly anxious about the topic we were discussing. I do not see myself that way and this was an interesting perception. I was able to step back after this interaction and assess my reaction to the situation. Although I did not feel anxious, I could see where others might think that. Next time I go into a similar situation, I will be forced to consideration whether or not I am overreacting.

Body language is another indicator in negotiations. McKay, et al. (2009), explains that body language involves arms, hands, legs, feet, posture and even breathing are associated with nonverbal communication (pp. 63-64).  If the person I am talking to has their arms crossed, it gives the impression that he/she is not open to what I am offering. Heavy or erratic breathing can indicate that someone is nervous because he/she is lying.

Finally, the tone of someone’s voice can also give away a lot during negotiations. Hoch & Kunreuther (2001) list other verbal cues to look for such as hesitation in speech, changes in tone, slower speech, hesitation in answering questions and the use of filler words (p. 195).  These verbal cues can mean that the negotiator is using deceptive tactics with you. My goal in negotiations is to be as honest as I can be. I may occasionally exhibit some of these same indictors but not because I am lying, simply because I am nervous.

Regerences: Davis, M., Fanning, P., & Mckay , M. (2009). Messages, the communication skills book. (3rd ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Pubns Inc.

Hoch, S. J., & Kunreuther, H. C. (2005). Wharton on making decisions. (1 ed.). John Wiley & Sons Inc