Kim Woods Only (602 5.1 Disc)

150-200 Words per post

Include 2 references per response to post.

Post #1

The culture in my organization is very positive and people are engaged, motivated, and happy. Management values employee development and provides many opportunities for employees to move within the company. The company is heavily invested in R&D so there are many new products in the pipeline at different stages of development. The way to get ahead in my organization is to build relationships. There are multiple business units so it can be somewhat difficult getting to know many people within the organization. However, it is critical to network outside of my business unit so that I can get to know others in the organization.

The mental model that is reflected about my workplace is that there is a strong vision of serving patients. People are motivated to come to work and do their best. The mental model that I have is a wonderful place to work where people are collaborative and supportive. The organization is growing and there are bright and exciting things in the future. Senge (2006) states that mental models determine how people see things and what they do about them. It was because of my mental model of this organization that I decided to switch from a technical contributor to a manager, while staying in my current organization.

My mental model supports my leadership in the company because it influences my performance and growth. It does this because the mental model supports my personal mastery. A person’s actions and behavior are influenced by the mental model. If the mental model is accurate and the system enhances it, the person can practice their personal mastery. “People with high level of personal mastery are more committed. They take more initiative” (Senge, 2006, p. 133). This will enable me to learn new ideas and stay motivated and engaged in my organization.

One of the parts of my job is to look for opportunities to improve the quality and durability of our products. This is achieved through meetings with other engineers, as well as physicians. Mental models are important for this because we need to be able to see things in a different way to understand what needs improvement. A concept taught to us is ‘Leader as a Teacher’. This concept emphasizes that “our role as Leaders is then to teach others to “see” in the same way and to problem solve to eliminate waste and improve value for our Customers” (Norval, 2011). This is important for me in my leadership role, because I need to understand the full system by hearing the perspective of others. This promotes collaboration and aids in making better decisions as a leader.

References

:

Norval, A. (15 Aug 2011). What are mental models?. Retrieved from http://blog.leansystems.org/2011/08/what-are-mental-models.html

Senge, P. (2006). The fifth discipline: the art and science of a learning organization. New York, NY: Currency/ Doubleday.

Post #2

According to Senge (2006) mental models are, “deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that influence how we understand the world and how we act (Senge, 2006, p. 8). To me, mental model in the simplicity is how we individually see how the world works.

What do current employees tell new employees about your organization? For example, what do they say about the organizational culture, values or how to get ahead?

I was not sure how to answer this as I do not remember ever asking my Soldiers how you told the new Soldiers how we operate and work. I can only tell you from my experience of what I told the new NCOs and Soldiers who worked for me. When new employees arrived at my workplace one of the first thing I do is try to make them comfortable and at ease. Being new in a workplace makes you feel uneasy, so I tell them that in our cultural workplace we want employees to talk and let us know what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong regardless of rank. I Corps is ran by 800 high ranking personnel and I would tell the new employees that our job is to ensure we provide the utmost excellence of equipment, training and comprehensive communication between us and subordinate units. So, what we do matters, and the subordinates expect excellence from us. Most senior Soldiers and employees already know how to get ahead (as in promotions) but my colonel and I still provide counseling to them to ensure they understand that performance and potential is what we are grading them with according to their work ethics. When we do counseling’s (about every 3 months) we ask how they are doing and what do they think so far. They are usually happy (as we treat them as adults) for those not in the military you would be surprised how other leaders treat their subordinates (like children).

Can you think of some assumptions that are deeply buried and permeate the culture of your organization? How do these mental models impact your exercise of leadership within the organization? You might think back to your personal mastery paper and recall if any mental models emerged for you during the writing of the paper. Please discuss any personal mental models that are important to your leadership.

Some assumptions in my workplace that most believes (unless they work there) is that I Corps is run by up nose officers and Sergeant Majors who forgot how it was to be a lesser rank. This impact working relationships with subordinate units as they see us as being Nazi like bosses who do not want feedback and they themselves become a detriment by causing late mission suspense’s. They also think we have the best equipment LOL. If they only knew they had better equipment, then us they would be very surprised. They also believe that we make horrible decision making. Senge, Kleiner, Roberts, Ross, R.B. & Smith (1994) The fifth discipline field book stated, “an assumption that what managers lack most for effective decision making is adequate information” (p. 529). The ironic thing about that is that they are the ones who give us the information and we determine the best course of action from what they tell us. The only way to combat that is to keep constant effective communication between us and them. And last, the most important mental model for me (as a leader) is to listen to what my subordinates are telling me and repeat back what they are saying to ensure accurate information is synced.

References
Senge, P. (2006). The fifth discipline: the art and science of a learning organization. New York, NY: Currency/ Doubleday.

Senge, P.M., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R.B. & Smith, B.J. (1994). The fifth discipline field book: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. New York, NY: Doubleday.

Post #3

My current work place now is so different than the toxic one I was at. Previously, they actually didn’t say much. There were no guidelines, book, or really any direction. Sink or swim type of environment. I should have taken that as a sign from the beginning. Mental models are frameworks that consist of generalizations and assumptions from which we understand the world (Senge, 2006). When this message is clear you know what that vision is for the company, where they are going and what your future there will possibly look like.

My current work place is so welcoming. When I first started the employees mentioned several times how family oriented the office was. How everyone helps everyone. They have an open door policy that builds trust when it comes to asking questions. They would rather someone ask than not know what to do at all. Employees also expressed a great deal of gratitude they have for the organization when it comes to birthdays, free, lunches, health care, gym memberships ext. You could tell right away that leadership catered to giving back to their employees.

When you have these models within any organization pertaining to leadership, you thrive. Myself anyway I do currently. When given the ability to feel like a team my work becomes more efficient and I am essentially just happier. As a leader it makes me feel comfortable with voicing my opinion and bringing up new ideas within the organization. If those ideas are used I am also able to follow them through with my own team. Leadership wise it’s the perfect environment for growth. This is the MOST important thing to me in anything I do in life to avoid becoming stagnant.

“Personal growth and self-development are arguably some of the most important activities you can do. Rather than perceiving this as a selfish act, working on yourself to become a better person benefits those around you, as well as those in your community and workplace making you more world minded” (World Minded Team, 2017).

Referenes:

Senge, P. (2006). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Science of a Learning Organization. New York: Doubleday

World Minded Team. (2017). Why is personal growth so important. Retrieved from: http://worldminded.com/