I was struck by a quote from Chapter 11 in our Schein text that said, “Even if we begin to have an intuitive understanding of an organization’s culture, we  may find it extraordinarily difficult to write down that understanding in such a way that the essence of the culture can be communicated to someone else.”  I think that sentence captures my thoughts perfectly.  One of the reasons it is so difficult to explore or even  change an organization’s culture is that it is so difficult to describe in words.  When we begin participating in a new organization, we are acutely aware that we do not yet understand the culture or know how to interact with the various people in that organization.  Over time, we learn, but those lessons are difficult to verbalize or to pass along to someone else.  Some people may wish to pass along some of this cultural understanding to newer members of the organization.  Some things can be explained, but some aspects of culture are difficult to describe and ultimately, people need to learn the culture on their own. 

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that the director of my current organization told me during my first few days to focus on “absorbing the culture.”  What seemed like a creative way to tell me they weren’t sure what they wanted me to do was actually a very wise piece of advice.  Culture can’t be learned in a few days.  Years later, I am still absorbing the culture.  I have also seen the emergence of different subcultures in the organization, mainly through the different departments and job positions.  Every group of employees has its own subculture, and all of those subcultures collide and combine to form the larger culture, which is therefore very complex.  As our readings show us, culture goes much deeper than the visible artifacts or spoken espoused values. 

Going back to the quote at the beginning of this post, describing culture is almost like describing a relationship.  A person can try to describe their relationship with a family member, friend, or significant other, but it is very difficult to put all of the components of a relationship into words.  Ultimately, the only two people who truly understand a relationship are the two people in that relationship.  What the rest of us observe, listen to, and analyze is only a superficial view of that relationship.  There are many, many layers below the surface that would take a very long time to fully describe, if the proper words could even be found.  If a picture says a thousand words, think of how many words it would take to properly describe an entire relationship, or even further, an entire organizational culture! 

I will be exploring the culture of my current organization for my cultural analysis paper, but all of our readings and discussions about culture have me thinking a lot about the culture of an organization I worked for earlier in my career.  I know from experience how difficult it is to describe a culture because I often tried to explain the environment of this workplace to friends and family, but never felt that I accurately described or fully captured it.  The only people who would truly understand are other people that worked there.  A few of us are still in contact with one another and we still enjoy trading stories of our time there because so few people understand what it was like to work in that environment.  I am going to try my best to describe a small part of that culture, mainly in terms of the leader of that organization. 

We learned in class that leaders/founders have a tremendous impact on the culture of the organization.  I think this former employer  is an outstanding example of a culture that was very negatively influenced by its leader.  Sadly, I don’t think that leader ever saw, or will ever see, himself as a source of many of the organizations problems.  This was a small company with several small offices in different cities.  The owner of the company also actively managed all of the offices.  While I’m sure the owner meant well in many ways, there were a lot of serious problems with his leadership style.  I hate to say this, but he was truly toxic to his own organization.  The company has always endured a great amount of employee turnover, but the owner has never seen himself as part of the problem.  Though he made efforts to motivate employees, he ultimately produced a very negative environment that was a barrier to the company’s overall success. 

This was a for-profit corporation, so it is understandable that financial success was a goal.  However, after working in this company for an extended amount of time, it becomes clear how much the owner is focused on making money.  I actually had coworkers tell me that they didn’t believe he cared about them as people because they were only tools for the purpose of making money.  The staff of the company  actually bonded with each other very well, but it was mainly because we all understood the pressure and criticism we endured from the owner.  Thus, as described in the text, there was a clear division between the owner and everyone else in the company.  There was definitely an “us vs. him” feeling.  Thus, I remember my relationships with my coworkers very fondly, but no one was able to have a healthy relationship with the boss.  Though he tried to be helpful, his approach was to criticize everyone and everything.  In his mind, he was providing constructive criticism for improvement, but it was extremely tiring and discouraging to be criticized so frequently.  People began to realize that they would be criticized no matter what, so they braced themselves for it.  Thus, his efforts at constructive criticism were not very effective because they were so frequent that people became desensitized to them.  His efforts at positive reinforcement also weren’t very effective because people were so accustomed to the negativity.  It is amazing to look back and see how detrimental he was to his own organization.

A unique factor of this situation was that he actually owned the company, so there was no one else the employee could turn to.  We couldn’t bring our concerns to another level because there was no other level.  Unless he did something illegal, the staff was basically trapped to accept and live with the company as it was, or give up and move on.  Some people took the first route, and are still there, having resigned themselves to dealing with the culture because they don’t believe they can find anything else, or aren’t motivated to make that change.  Others took the second route and moved on to other opportunities. 

I actually spoke to a former coworker from that company today, and she left the company earlier this year.  This was my first time speaking with her since she left and when I asked her why, she said, “I literally could not take it any more.  I can’t believe how much happier I am now that I am with a company who appreciates me.  I would never go back there.  It really was a form of mental abuse.”  This may sound dramatic, but I do understand what she means.  Another one of our colleages had left but recently returned to the company and is once again miserable, so we are concerned for her.  The culture of that organization really takes a psychological toll on you because you start to feel as though nothing you do is going to be good enough, so you lose the excitement and motivation to try, and you just learn to expect the negativity.  Some days are certainly better than others, but tears were a common occurrence in that office.  I know all of this sounds horribly negative, so obviously this company had some good points, otherwise all of the talented people I worked with would not have spent part of their career with this company. I just could see that the company was actually being held back by the person most invested in its success.

After reading our text, I can see how desperately this company needs a cultural analysis.  Realistically, I don’t see the owner actually allowing this to happen, because he has always identified problems as everyone besides himself.  Staff have tried to be honest with him over the years, but he just doesn’t see it.  So, an internal analysis has not been effective, and I don’t know if he would ever see that he needs to bring in an outside perspective.  Maybe, deep down, he would know that an outside perspective would trace back a lot of the problems to the owner himself.  I honestly think the best thing he could do for his own company would be to hire someone to manage it and take himself out of the day-to-day operations.  He could oversee the big picture, but his presence in the office is actually damaging to the culture.  I think the right leader could have made tremendous improvements.   I sometimes wonder who he would really listen to about this subject.  A leader/founder has such a profound influence on the culture, so it is an interesting question to ponder… how do they experience and view the culture they have created? 

At the moment, I am even more firmly convinced of how difficult it is to describe a culture.  I know that the little description I have offered here is only a snapshot of the entire organizational culture.  One would have to go work there for an extended period of time to understand it.   We also learned in class that, if the leader doesn’t manage the culture, the culture begins to manage the leader.  In this case, I think the leader was strangely unaffected by the culture he had created.  I think he had the firm mindset that he knew was was best for the company and felt it was his duty to constantly question and criticize the employees.  After so many years, I think he still thinks he is helping and doesn’t see the negative influence he has on his own organization.  Maybe one day the right person will be able to open his eyes to the culture his staff experience every day.  It will take someone he really respects and whose opinion he values, but maybe he will be able to take some positive steps in creating a more positive culture.  Though I know we can never categorize a company as a “positive” or “negative” culture, this particular company really needs a positive influence on the culture.  A positive impact on the overally culture could dramatically lead the company to new success.  I think culture has a huge impact on the productivity of an organization.  If this were recognized by more leaders, maybe cultural analysis and change efforts would be more common in the corporate world.

I was intrigued by the introductory chapters on organizational culture that explored the various levels of culture.  I naturally began thinking of my own organization as I read about artifacts, espoused beliefs and values, and underlying assumptions.  I will start by saying that my organization is wonderful in many ways, and many people comment on how impressive it is when they first visit the facility.  People are commonly very impressed with the staff, residents, physical facility, and the atmosphere in general.  However, the organization is going through a serious of significant changes, so there is a lot of turmoil, tension, and anxiety among the staff members.  I began to think about the way the organization and staff present themselves on the surface (artifacts), speak about values and beliefs (espoused), and what the real underlying assumptions are beneath the surface.  I also began to ponder whether or not I would consider my organization to be a learning organization. 

I could probably write a chapter on each of the levels of culture, but I think on the surface, the organization presents itself as comfortable, casual, friendly, and resident-focused.  This is actually a phrase used by our marketing department.  I remember visiting the facility for my first interview years ago and was very impressed by the beauty of the facility, as well as how friendly and approachable the staff and residents appeared to be.  When I joined the team, I was again continually impressed by the people.  In a sense, it really seemed to be a dream job at a perfect facility.  However, I certainly stumbled as I attempted to become acquainted with my new coworkers.  I had to learn not only formal titles and responsibilities, but also the unwritten rules for dealing with each manager and department.  It takes a long time to discover the best time and method to approach people, how to present questions and concerns, the efficiency and timeliness of each person, and in general, the “do’s and don’ts” of communication at the facility.  Some is learned by trial and error, some by direction from the person, and some by explanation from other coworkers.  Learning how to communicate with people is an extraordinary science and skill.

To summarize an observation about the artifacts and espoused beliefs, I will agree that the staff members are genuinely friendly and resident focused.  Employees are very focused on pleasing the residents and are extremely friendly to visitors.  However, there seems to be some tension contained within certain departments and between certain departments.  The friendliness and customer-service attitude seems to fade when it comes to communication between members of a few specific departments.  This extends into the communication between the departments in question and other departments in the facility.  I try to trace some of these issues back to underlying assumptions and values. 

Without going into specifics, the organization often seems resistant to change.  I think there is an underlying assumption that certain practices that were successful for many years should continue to be successful, and it is unwise to challenge those traditions and implement changes.  Change tends to cause a lot of discomfort in the facility as people attempt to “get on board” with the new changes.  Sometimes, management is fully in favor of the change, so it is the floor staff that struggles to accept new practices.  Other times, the staff seems eager to try something new and management is reluctant to support the new approach.  There are also many changes being imposed by a management company hired by the corporate office, so those changes encounter a lot of skepticism from both staff and management.  Another underlying assumption I have noticed is that the opinion of long-term employees holds more weight than those of newcomers.  While I definitely respect experience and long-term employees certainly know the facility well, I also respect a fresh perspective, innovation, and creativity, which is often stifled in the face of tradition. 

As I thought about all of these factors, I began to ponder whether or not I would consider my organization a true learning organization.  On the surface, a visitor would see a full-time staff development coordinator focused on education and training, numerous training records for all departments, a full calendar of training and enrichment activities, and bulletin boards full of flyers promoting various events.  On the surface, it certainly appears to be a learning organization. If one spoke with staff members, they would hear them praise the education and training programs and talk about how much is offered to the staff. 

 However, what people would not see is the difficulty I have getting departments to send people to required inservices.  They wouldn’t see the nearly empty rooms when guest speakers arrive.  They wouldn’t see the stress and effort involved with getting a group of employees to attend a certain event.  They wouldn’t see all of the ideas that were presented to staff and received no response.  They wouldn’t see all of the cancelled activities due to lack of interest.  Looking at underlying assumptions, people may like the idea of education and training, but in practice most do not seem interested in participating.  The focus is on completing their job and assigned tasks for the day, and participating in any “extra’s” is not a priority.  The underlying assumption seems to be that people are not going to participate in an educational activity unless they are specifically told to participate by a direct supervisor.  As with anything else, assumptions and beliefs trickle from the top down.  The managers are wonderful people, but they rarely participate in optional sessions themselves, so I think the practice of education as a low priority trickles down to the rest of the staff.

I would love to see learning become viewed more as a priority, a privilege, and an opportunity.  Learning can be enjoyable and fulfilling, and there are certainly some people who see this.  However, most people seem unwilling to detour from routine responsibilities for anything that is not specifically required.  I hope to find ways in the future to help people see the value of education and training.  One of my mirrors in this class referred to herself as some form of “training class junkie” because she tries to sign up for every learning opportunity she can.  It seems she works in an organization where people are eager to participate and it is seen as a great opportunity, so I hope to promote that type of atmosphere in my organization.  I would love to see people lining up to go to participate in various functions.  However, the underlying assumptions of the organization are going to have to change, and I think the critical area for change is in management.  If the upper levels begin to put more value in education, I think this will spread to the rest of the staff.  Maybe one day, instead of empty seats in the room, I will be pulling in extra chairs and scheduling extra sessions.

As I was reading this week’s article on Culture and Organizational Learning, I was reminded of my first few days working for my current company.  They had hired me for a newly created position, so the job description and assigned duties were a still a little undefined.  They had a “big vision” of what they wanted me to do, but the day-to-day activities had not been crystalized yet.  Plus, since I was not taking over for a specific person, there was no specific person designated to train me.  I would actually be taking over duties that were currently handled by several different people.  So, everyone was incredibly nice and welcoming, and seemed very happy to have me there.  However, I felt a bit lost because I wasn’t sure what to begin working on, and no one else seemed to be sure either.  At one point, I actually remember asking the Executive Director what he would like me to begin working on, and he actually told me to take a few days to meet people and “absorb the culture” of the company.   At first, I thought he made this statement merely because they didn’t know what to do with me yet.  However, after learning more about the concept of Organizational Culture, I can see some true insight and wisdom in that comment. 

Later on, that comment led me to think more specifically about a company’s culture.  What makes “my company” what it is?  Is it the employees?  The residents?  The history?  The processes?  The answer seems to be that the culture is a combination of all of those components interacting over time.  Traditions are formed, norms appear, tacit understanding exists, communication patterns emerge, and both formal and informal roles are created.  Since I was new to the organization and was filling a brand new role, it now seems logical that I would need some time to meet people and gain an understanding of their roles, so that I could better understand how I would fit into the organization and serve the various departments. 

Can one absorb the culture of an organization in a few days?  Of course not.  I began meeting people and developing an understanding of how things were done and who handled certain responsibilities.  However, culture extends far beyond the organizational chart and distribution of responsibilities.  Over time, I began to understand different personality types, different management styles, strengths and weaknesses of various people, and how various tasks were accomplished.  More importantly, I began to understand how to best communicate with people.  I know who responds better via phone vs. e-mail vs. in-person conversations.  I learned who is prompt and organized as opposed to those who often need numerous reminders. 

Ultimately, I found myself being absorbed into the culture of the organization.  I absorbed roles from various people and, over time, my role became more defined and people had a better understanding of my role, my responsibilities, and how I could be of service to the various departments in the organization.  People also got to know me as a person, so my personality and working style were incorporated into the “family” of my company. 

I have learned to understand many of the traditions, norms, and history of the company.  Although I often feel as though I am “fighting” tradition in order to try a new (and hopefully improved) approach to certain things, I have also learned to respect the traditions and choose my battles wisely.  The history of the company is part of its identity, so I have to understand that for some employees (especially those who have worked there for many years), change can be difficult.  It is only natural that they will be partial to a system that appears to have worked for many years.  Sometimes people say they are open to change, yet their nonverbal communication says otherwise.  Too much change at once can be overwhelming, so I have learned to choose my battles wisely and try to change things in small, incremental steps.  In attempting change, sometimes new processes are received well, and people acknowledge that it was a positive change and are happy to keep the new approach.  Other times, a new method is not received well and it is determined that the old method was more appropriate, so we go back to the old method.  Sometimes change is a carefully planned event, but other times it is simply trial and error.

Linking all of this to our reading this week, I loved the image of a small workshop of expert workers passing on their knowledge to younger apprentices.  It is easy to see how, over time, the culture of this company was passed on to younger generations.   In my current position, I was not taking over for a specific person, so I did not have the chance to be an “apprentice.”  However, I became the apprentice of many people who showed me “their way” of doing things.  Some methods I kept, others I modified to suit my styles of work and organization, and other I improved because it was clear the old system wasn’t working.  It is important for me to point out that hardly anything I learned was written down in a policy and procedure handbook.  Nearly all of my responsibilities were passed down to me through a verbal explanation from the person previously responsible for it.  Recently, a classmate mentioned to me that, when a long-term employee retires, so much of their information is tacit that it is a challenge to teach a new employee to do that person’s job.  In leaving previous jobs, I have been asked to write instructions for everything I do, which is a great challenge.  It is difficult to explain to a new person how I know how to do something, how I know when to do it, how I trouble-shoot when something is out of the ordinary, how I respond to unusual occurrences, etc.  The explanations help, but ultimately that new person will have to “absorb the culture” of the company, just as I did.  As our reading indicates, culture is a dynamic, ongoing preservation of organizational identity.  It is fascinating, whether you are brand new, comfortably incorporated, or a long-term employee.  I think we would all be challenge to explain what makes our company what it is.  Someone would have to experience it to understand.

Over the past week, I have have thought a lot about the concept of “hallways of learning” in organizations, especially as it applies to my current organization.  I found myself thinking about some of the most productive conversations I have had recently with various members of my organization and I realize that some of the most productive conversations were not planned meetings or events.  Valuable conversations can occur when two people pass in the hallway, walk into the copy room at the same time, see each other at the drink machine, walk by someone’s office, or wave hello and then stop to talk.  These conversations often grow out of convenience, because that person is standing right in front of you and you have their attention, at least for that moment.  Several workplace conversations recently began with a phrase such as, “While you’re here…,” “Seeing you reminds me of…,” “I’ve been meaning to ask you….”  etc.  As simple as it may sound, the sight of someone often reminds us of questions, concerns, reminders, or other issues involving that person.  The workplace is a very busy environment and everyone is juggling multiple responsibilities, so it is easy for “urgent” issues to distract us from following up on other important matters.  Taking advantage of seeing someone and getting a question answered may save valuable time in the future, keep everyone on the same page, and bring to light any unanswered questions, problems, miscommunications, etc.

I also think about the impact technology has on our learning environments in the workplace.  E-mail and voicemail are wonderful conveniences that allow us to communicate even when we are not able to talk to someone directly about an issue.  These forms of technology are very useful in some respects, but at times I think they can also make communication more complicated.  As an example, recently a small group of coworkers asked me to join a meeting and were trying to determine the best day/time for everyone.  I cannot tell you how many e-mails went back and forth between everyone about what days/times did and did not work for certain people.  I finally had one coworker tell me, “when they finally make up their mind, just let me know where I need to be and when.”  I also had some coworkers get into a tense situation because the “tone” of some e-mails had been misinterpreted by others, so certain people became offended/upset, so an emotional issue grew out of the interpretation of a written message.  In some cases, catching someone on the phone or in the hallway can serve to avoid a lot of messages back and forth as well as misinterpretation of someone’s tone or intentions.   Our director often tells people that they rely too much on e-mail and advises telephone or in-person meetings to clarify issues.

I have also thought a lot about the physical space we utilize at my workplace.  While everyone who sees it would agree that it is beautiful, it is also large and various offices are spread out all across the campus, so the “decision makers” for various departments are not all in the same area.  For instance, I am part of HR and we are at the complete opposite end of the complex from the people running our healthcare center, so we rarely see them and are often “out of the loop” on issues going on at the other end of the facility.  Sometimes we are waiting for a call back or returned e-mail from someone, only to find out later in the day, or the next day, that that person was not even in the office that day.  Though we love our facility, many people have remarked that we encounter great communication challenges because people are not running into each other and having “hallway conversations” the way they used to.  The other day, I walked to the far end of the building to deliver a document  to a key person in the healthcare department.  The simple act of me standing in her doorway handing her a piece of paper led to a very long, productive conversation about training that was long overdue.  It wasn’t a planned conversation and had no agenda, but it occurred because we saw each other and each had time to discuss some important issues.  I often wish that I worked closer to many of the department heads because I think seeing them more frequently would greatly increase the frequency and clarity of our communication, rather than relying on e-mail and phone messages.

Another change that occurred early last year involved our employee dining room.  When I first started working here, they were offering lunch for free to staff due to high gas prices.  The lunch was very simple, but many people took advantage of it and you always ran into a lot of people in the lunch area.  We then began some renovations to the kitchen/dining area, so the break room was closed for a time.  During this time, people had to bring lunches and eat in their offices.  After renovations finished, they reopened a new break room, but it has never been the same.  People have continued, for the most part, to bring lunches and eat in their offices, so the “community atmosphere” of the old break room seems to have been lost for good.  Most people only go to the new break room to get a drink or heat something up, but few actually sit down to eat in there.  “Cliques” have been created and people tend to eat with the people in their immediate office area.  This is postive for teambuilding within a department, but a negative influence on strengthening relationships between different departments.  I’m not sure what the best solution would be, but I would love to see some physical changes (i.e. to common areas) made to increase the amount of contact people have with one another.

As Dixon tells us in our text, hallway conversations involve multiple perspectives and are often great moments of sharing ideas and creating collective meaning between participants.  Each person’s individual interpretation or meaning on an issue can be shared with others and altered based on new information, ideas, or perspectives shared by other people.  I don’t think that any number of e-mails or voicemails back and forth can equal the shared meaning that can emerge after a face-to-face conversation between people.  Not only are you verbally sharing thoughts, but you are able to pick up on all of their non-verbal communication to better understand their feelings about a certain topic.  Another key strength with hallway conversations is that no one person is “running the meeting” or “presenting the information.”  It is more of a dialogue between equal players than one person presenting information to others.  People are able to talk more openly, and have a balance between talking and listening, as opposed to presentations that are heavily focused on listening.  Hallways are “data rich” as Dixon says, and the public discussions of information help to keep everyone informed on various issues.  As noted in some of my earlier blog posts, I often feel very left out of the communication loop at work, which creates challenges in meeting staff education needs.  Hallway conversations are enormously beneficial for me because I am getting updates from various departments, answering questions, learning what “hot button” issues there are, and finding out how I can best serve the various managers and departments.  I receive valuable information through informal conversations… often far more valuable than something I received in a memo or an e-mail.  My walks through the facility have become an actual technique for touching base with various key players in the organization.  It is certainly worth the walk to find someone in person and have a “hallway conversation.”  They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so sometimes a few minutes face-to-face with someone can certainly take the place of countless messages.

Before I begin posting my thoughts thus far on Organizational Learning, I must take a moment to express my thoughts on beginning my last semester in the program.  Wow!  What a journey it has been thus far.  I think back to the beginning of this journey, when I first discovered the program and went through all the steps of the application process.  I remember walking into my first class, and the day I finished my first course.  I distinctly remember thinking, “One down, 12 to go!”  In a way, those days seem so long ago, yet here I am in my final semester.  I will save most of my overall reflections of the program for the end of the semester, but needless to say, it has been an amazing learning experience.  I have learned so much about adult learning, organizations, working with other people, and most importantly, myself.  I know that this experience has had a great experience on my personal learning as well as my skills as an adult educator.  I am excited to finally have “M.Ed” after my name in a few months, and I will forever be proud of this accomplishment.  Knowing that I completed this program on my own, personally, academically, and financially, means so much to me.  I am immensely proud of my undergraduate degree, but I think my Masters will mean even more to me, because of the obstacles I overcame to complete it.  I have a special place on my wall reserved for my new diploma!

On to Organizational Learning….  Since this is the first post of the semester, my knowledge of organizational learning is somewhat limited.  However, I can already see that I am intrigued by the topic.  I have only worked for a few different organizations in my career, but it is fascinating to observe how they function, develop, grow, handle challenges, and most of all, learn.  Have I ever truly been part of a learning organization?  I’m really not sure.  It seems to me that many organizations are focused on the “here and now” of handling issues, putting out fires, and tackling routine business as opposed to having a true atmosphere of learning.  Simply having sales goals or program goals doesn’t necessarily imply organizational learning.  I am eager to learn more about the topic so that I will have more knowledge to use in analyzing the organizations I have worked with.  The three organizations I have worked with in my adult career, while in the same industry, were very different.  I think it will be interesting to explore the learning that did, or did not, occur in those organizations.  I am especially eager to explore the learning, and potential for learning in my current organization.

To put it quite simply, I think that my current organization tries to be a learning organization, but really struggles.  There is a high degree of longevity in my company, which is really wonderful in some respects.  It speaks well of the company that so many employees are still happy to work there after so many years.  However, this longevity often poses a challenge for the company, especially in the areas of learning and development.  The employees who have worked there for a long period of time (and this includes people on the management level) are often very “stuck” in their ways of doing things.  I have witnessed resistance to change in many ways, and a stubbornness to keep things consistent with the way the company has historically done things.  I frequently feel I am fighting against the idea of “this is the way we have always done it.”  Those of us who are newer to the organization know we have a challenge in convincing people to try things a new way, which of course differs from “the way we do it.”  The smallest things can become a tradition and a norm, so encouraging the organization to learn and move in a new direction is a challenge.  Of course, some things that have worked well for a long time may not need to change, so the challenge is learning to identify the need for change and the best way to accomplish it.

On the bright side, I can see that my organization is really trying to become a learning organization and is attempting to embrace change.  As we learned in Change Strategies, an organization that cannot change to meet the changing needs of the outside environment cannot continue to succeed indefinitely.  My organization has seen the outside world, as well as our specific industry, change in many ways.  So, to remain competitive, we have been forced to embrace change in many ways.  We are in the midst of many changes right now, and have been for a couple of years, and more change is yet to come.  I am excited to see where the organization goes, how it learns, how it grows and develops, and what traditions and history it holds on to.  I hope that my learning in this course will help me to see the organizational learning that occurs from a more educated perspective, and I hope I can be a valuable resource to the company in the upcoming months and years.   Through my posts during the remainder of the semester, I will continue to share my thoughts on the organizational learning I witness in my company.  Already I can see that it is a complex issue, so it will be interesting to apply the theory to my current organization.

As a final thought, I would like to reflect on the way this course has helped me establish an identity as an HRD professional.  Prior to this course, when someone would ask me what I do, my response would have been my title (Staff Development Coordinator) or statement like “training,” “staff education,” “training and education,” etc.  While those are true statements, not once did I ever reply that I was in HR Development.  Furthermore, I think if you took a poll at my company and asked if we have someone who works in HRD, the vast majority would reply “no.”  This course has made me realize that most people don’t really understand what HRD is, let alone have a true appreciation for it.  This course has taught me to view myself as an HRD professional and to appreciate the value HRD can bring to an organization. Though I already felt that I was underutilized in my company, I have learned volumes about the different components of HRD and the many ways it can be utilized within the company.  Without a course like this, I’m not sure I would have been equipped to truly “sell” myself within the organization.  Now, armed with knowledge about the many roles I could play as an HRD professional, I am ready to move forward and develop new goals for the future.

I have already taken action steps toward promoting myself within the organization.  Yes, I am well known there, and my work in training is appreciated, but there are certainly additional ways that I can be of service to the various departments.  I have completed meetings with a few department heads already, which were very productive, so I am armed with ideas and needs for programs in the upcoming months.  I think they appreciate my proactive approach and are reminded that I can be a valuable resource for them and can help them remain in compliance with numerous regulations.  Furthermore, I can serve as a critical communication link between departments by helping to education certaind departments about the needs/regulations/changes going on in other areas of the company, to ensure full cooperation and understanding among the staff.  My meeting with the Executive Director also went well, so there is the possibility of exciting additions or changes to my responsibilities in the future.  Communication is constantly named as a “chronic problem” at my facility, so I am pleased that my direct request for meetings has already resulted in very productive conversations, and I look forward to my remaining meetings with the other departments. 

As the professor mentioned in class, if you ask people what their challenges are, they will tell you!  I have found this to be a valuable approach, and they have all been very willing to describe their challenges and tell me how I can assist them in addressing those challenges.  I am learning a lot in the process about what the department directors deal with on a daily basis.  I am often kept “out of the loop” on various incidents/issues that occur in the facility, but knowledge of these issues will help me to understand and address their challenges.  I have learned a great deal from my meetings over the last week and I plan to continue meeting with the department directors one-on-one on a regular basis.

Finally, this class has helped me to set new goals for myself, personally, professionally, and academically.  Many of our class discussions and activities have very practical applications to multiple areas of my life.  Examples include the personality assessments and the conflict resolution styles.  Learning to understand myself and my tendencies better has helped me to better understand my interactions with coworkers, friends, family, classmates, etc.  It is very true that understanding yourself helps you to understand others, as well as your relationships with others.  This course has been very beneficial to me in many ways, but I think crystallizing my role as an HRD professional is of great value.  I feel I have been given the knowledge and tools to promote myself within my organization.  I am already setting new goals for myself and taking steps toward those goals, so I think that is a testament to the impact this course has had on my professional identity and my career in HRD.  As we discuss the future of HRD in class, I am already thinking about MY future in HRD.

At this point, nearing the end of this course, I feel it necessary to reflect on a concept that was brought to light in class discussion and by one of our guest speakers.  That concept is taking responsibility for your own career, goals, position, and ability to initiate change.  I have mentioned in previous posts that I feel I am underutilized in my current position and have a desire to make some changes to enhance my position and serve as a more valuable resource for my organization.  However, I realize that I was placing the responsibility for making changes on my organization, rather than on myself.  This class has taught me that you need to take responsibility for your own career, and if there are changes you desire, you need to take action yourself.  One cannot wait for another person to initiate change, although that may or may not happen.  We cannot be innocent bystanders in our own career, so there are times when we may have to be bold take steps to change our own future.

Though I like to think of myself as a person with strong opinions who is able to express them clearly, I also admit that I don’t always do this in the workplace.  There are certainly times when I can be assertive, but I also find myself acting in ways to please people, keep the peace, go with the flow, etc.  Sometimes it is difficult to know how, when, or to whom one should assert herself.  However, I now see that I cannot wait for my organization to initiate the changes I desire, for this day may never come, or they may initiate other changes that are not so desirable.  There is no time like the present to let them know what I am capable of, what my thoughts and ideas are, my vision for the future, and the ways I can be of service to the organization. 

I am pleased to say that, primarily as a result of recent class discussions, I have taken action steps to initiate change in my current role.  It feels great to be proactive about my roles and responsibilities.  Last week, I took it upon myself to ask the Executive Director for some time with him.  He granted me that time and we had a very insightful discussion on their original view of my role, the progress I have made in the role, challenges I have encountered, possible action steps, and a vision of my role in the future.  Though no firm decisions have been made yet, I feel very confident that he understands my views and abilities and agrees that we can find ways for me to be of greater service to the organization.  He agreed that I am being underutilized, through no fault of my own, but he appreciated my ‘assertiveness’ in opening the discussion about my role in the future.  He shared with me several ideas he has about additional or changed responsibilities.  I am open to changes within my role, especially if they present new challenges and new areas for me to learn about and serve the organization.  I am unsure when, if ever, he would have approached me directly about this, so I am very pleased that I took it upon myself to “go to the top” and start the flow of ideas.

I have also begun contacting all department managers and administrators individually to schedule meetings to discuss training needs in their departments.  Poor communication tends to be a challenge in my company, so I believe that a series of individual meetings will help me to gain insight into the needs of the individual departments.  I have prepared a series of questions to explore their ideas about past training programs, current ones, ideas for the future, suggestions for staff events, and anything pertaining to their department specifically.  My calendar is filling up with these individual meetings, and I have completed one already, from which I emerged with a great training need for the next few months.  Again, I now see the need to be proactive and take responsibility for my role.  If I could see that communication was lacking, rather than wait for others to take the initiative, I am taking the initiative myself and am already seeing the results.  Another example of the power of direct communcication and generating ideas from the departments I am serving.  I think my proactive approach and sensitivity to their needs will help them to furuther see and utilize me as a valuable resource.  Thus, I can say that recent class discussions have directly led me to some very important action steps this week, and for that I am very grateful and excited about the future of my role.

My recent interview with an HRD professional, in addition to our readings for class, has me contemplating my current role in my organization.  Reading about the various HRD theories, HRD roles, and the value of HRD in organizations has made me realize, quite simply, that I am underutilized in my organization.  My interview with the HRD professional further solidified this realization.  I do not necessarily see this as being someone’s fault, but rather a result of the fact that my position was brand new when I was hired and the organization never firmly defined the role or my job responsibilities.  While it has come a long way since I was first hired, I still believe I could be doing more in my HRD role.  While the managers have expressed that they are happy with my performance and contributions to the organization, I don’t think they fully understand the value I could add, since the company has never had a true HRD role.  Healthcare companies, especially long-term care, have historically focused almost all training efforts on clinical/nursing needs. Normally, my postion is held by a nurse.  My company was actually very foward-thinking by hiring a non-nurse for the position, but I don’t believe they are utilizing me to my full potential.

I found it interesting to read the section of our text on why HRD fails, and who is responsible.  While I certainly don’t think my role has been a failure, some of the points made in the text rang true to my position.  While the managers understand my value in terms of compliance, I don’t think they have been encouraged by the director to utilize me for developmental/training activities far beyond compliance.  In addition, when developmental programs are offered, I struggle with attendance.  Ultimately, the staff is very focused on their job tasks and they are not going to take it upon themselves to attend a program unless their supervisor specifically tells them to go.  (Obviously, there are exceptions, but this is a general observation after years in this industry.)  So, ultimately, in order to flourish, I need to get the full support of the various department managers.  In order to do this, I think that I, my supervisor, and my director need to firmly establish the need for my position.

I also think that my role is viewed as a method of keeping us in compliance with state required training topics, as well as addressing specific problems.  While I am pleased when my services are requested, I do realize that most often a complaint/problem surfaced and they need to have some documentation on file that training was conducted to “solve” the problem.  I think the focus on my position is very much compliance-driven as opposed to developmental-driven.  It is a means to an end, and a way to show the state inspectors that we are following the rules and addressing concerns.  However, I would love to see more emphasis on developing individuals as well as the entire organization.  I would like to see HRD as part of the strategic planning process, as opposed to simply a way to document a response to a problem.

I think another key area to address is finding ways to better measure the impact my training has on individuals, departments, and the organization as a whole.  We have done company-wide surveys as well as evaluations of individual training programs, all of which came back with positive remarks on company training.  However, there may be other, more concrete ways of helping the company to determine the return-on-investment of my position.  The impact of training programs should also be communicated more specifcially to the corporate office, the director, my supervisor, and the department managers.  I think their support and utilization of the HRD role would only increase if they could see clear evidence that it is having a positive impact. 

Finally, I want to take it upon myself to be more proactive in promoting myself, my abilities, and the ways I can serve as a resource to the various departments.  “Optional” or enrichment programs may be looked upon as unnecessary, so I need to work even harder to promote their importance to the managers, who are in a key role to get participants to these activities.  Even the best planned programs will not succeed without adequate participation.  HR in general is not viewed as being highly valuable in my organization, so more effort is required on my part to communicate my value to the decision-makers in the organization.   I have already begun to think about conversations I need to have with various decision-makers, as well as begin thinking of other ways to become better informed of the training needs of the organization.  I only know what is brought to me, since my organization does not have me participate in management meetings, so I am not hearing about the “company issues” being discussed.   I would love to get permission to participate in these meetings, so I can better assess the needs of the organization.  If this does not happen, I will at least need to make a point of meeting with the various department managers regularly to discuss the needs of their department in more detail.   Though I realize I face a challenge, I am excited about the idea of promoting my role to the organization, especially in light of the fact that I am nearly the end of my Masters and am even more qualified to make significant contributions to the organization. 

Our readings on communication and our recent classroom exercise on active listening, encouragement, mentoring, and confrontation has really stimulated me to think about my own communication styles.  Throughout my life, I have often been told by other people that I am a good communicator. But, what does this really mean?  Does it mean that I am a good listener, or that I have good ideas, or that I am able to put thoughts into words?  I have now been thinking, what does it really mean to be a good communicator?  I realize that it is important for me to understand my own strengths and weaknesses in terms of communication in order to improve my skills and have a positive impact on professional, academic, and personal relationships.

In terms of a strength, I think that I am able to put my thoughts into words relatively well.  This applies both to the spoken and written word.  I have always thought that I was a good listener, and have had people tell me I am, but after our recent exercise, I can see that I do not normally exhibit the characteristics of a good active listener.  I have realized that, even though I am genuinely interested and concerned for the other person, I do tend to jump into the conversation.  I think I am doing this in an effort to relate and empathize and let them know that their feelings are valid, and I have experienced similar feelings.  I also tend to offer a lot of suggestions in an effort to be helpful.  So, I think that people tend to think of me as a good conversationalist, and not necessarily good at simply listening.  However, I am glad that I am seeing this because it has motivated me to focus more on my listening skills. 

I think that a constant effort to improve our communication skills is important because communication impacts all of our relationships.  And, no matter what our skill set, we all have room to improve.  While I may be a “go-to” person if someone needs empathy or suggestions, I may not be their first choice if they just want to talk/vent about an issue.  I can look back on some relationships and realize that I often did more talking than listening, so I have made it a personal goal to listen more, and listen better.  By improving my listening, I will likely understand people better in terms of emotions, worries, ideas, etc.  I have also realized that not everyone is as capable of talking about thoughts, feelings, and emotions as I am.  Some people need time to think and process their thoughts before discussing them, so I need to allow that time and be patient.  I am often so eager to discuss something, on my timeframe, that I may not realize the other person needs time to think first.  I also want to improve my active listening to draw out the thoughts and feelings of friends and family who have difficulty expressing themselves.

Communication is really an art, and a challenge.  I have faced several challenges this year, so I am in the process of setting new goals, and I have realized that I need to focus on communication skills as one of those goals.  Though communication in general has always been a strong point for me, I can identify areas where I can improve.  I think that strengthening my listening skills will help me to improve as a trainer, an internal resource for managers, a support system for my family, and be a better friend. 

I also was very intrigued by the classroom activity focused on encouagement and mentoring before confrontation.  I really love the idea of making it a specific goal to encourage/mentor several times before moving to confrontation.  In the past, I often operated with the mentality that no one can read my mind, so I should just let them know what I am thinking so we have clear communication.  However, when I have a “problem” with something and speak about it, it may come across as more confrontational than encouraging.  I have also made it a personal goal to be more open-minded and try to be positive and encouraging before moving toward a confrontational style of communication.  Even though would say that my “confronting” style is not highly aggressive or emotional, I still see instances where I could have “bitten my tongue” and tried to encourage someone’s creativity, rather than speculating why something might not be a good idea.  I am generally a very positive person, but I am also a worrier, so sometimes the worries may come across as negativity.  Thus, I want to make sure that my positive spirit comes out stronger in all of my communciations.

The past few class sessions have stimulated my thought processes in terms of how I may be able to apply the knowledge and skills gained in this course to my current position.  The discussion on establishing or enhancing strategic partnerships in the workplace was especially helpful for me.  It made me realize that I need to be more proactive in strengthening the relationships I have with the various department managers in my facility.   These managers are critical for enhancing my role in the organization because they are the gatekeepers to the entire employee population.  The Executive Director and my immediate supervisor often speak of expanding my influence in the company by adding more optional/enrichment activities, offering educational activities in new ways, expanding the training opportunities available, and finding ways to offer opportunities geared more to individuals or specific departments.  However, many of these ideas have not developed into specific plans, so I often feel that I should be doing more but am unclear of how they would like me to progress in these areas.  The class discussion on strategic partnerships opened up my eyes to the idea of approaching the managers individually to better assess the needs of specific departments, offer my assistance, educate them about my knowledge and skills, and discuss their view of current and past education and training activities.  By enhancing my individual relationships with managers, I think that I would receive more support from them in terms of encouraging and/or requiring staff to participate in various programs.  Though I and the staff seem pleased with the current programs available, I believe that I am capable of offering more to the organization and look forward to applying my knowledge from this course in that pursuit.

I believe this course is occurring at an opportune time for me because this year there have been changes made to the programs I offer that are certainly enhancing my role and the HRD component of my company.  The bulk of my energy at work is spent keeping nearly 400 staff members in compliance with state required topics.  This takes so much effort that we recently changed the format from numerous short inservices each month to a full-day orientation refresher class.  The new full-day format has been very well received by both managers and staff.  I am able to use the additional time to cover not only required topics, but also add in focus group discussions, meetings with management, customer service, Q&A sessions, teambuilding, etc.  Thus, I believe it has been a successful transition so far and is showing people that education/training can extend far beyond state required topics.  However, there is clearly still room for additional growth, development, and change in the realm of HRD in my organization. 

Learning about some of the early theorists and their theories of HRD has been very helpful because it has allowed me to understand the history of HRD as well as the various perspectives in terms of views of individual growth, performance improvement, and organizational development.  For instance, the information on Scientific Management has made me appreciate the concept of efficiency, determining the best methods for performing a specific task, and for best matching employees to tasks suited to their skills.  I also enjoyed the discussion of Theory X and Y because I can see both of them reflected in the modern workplace.  At heart, I believe myself to be a Theory Y person and I can see that many of my coworkers reflect this belief in their view of the high quality of staff we employee at the facility.  Overall, we can see many hard working employees who genuinely care about the quality of their work.  However, I can also see the Theory X side when it becomes clear that certain employees are only willing to do the minimum amount of work necessary to avoid negative consequences.  In the absence of negative consequences, employees are rarely willing to “go out of their way” for personal growth.  While some people will go out of their way to serve the residents, participation in employee programs rests upon the managers’ encouaragement/requirement of participation.  I think I am trying to say that, while I would like to believe that people are generally motivated to excel, this is not always displayed in the workplace.  There are positive and negative sides to both, and I believe a true workplace is going to have evidence of both X and Y.  Finally, I really enjoy reading about Lewin’s appraoch to Action Reseach because, despite all of the knowledge we can gain from reading, sometimes the best way to learn and solve problems is to try them in real-life settings.  It allows people to explore the issues on a deeper level, try various interventions, evaluate the results of those interventions, and learn about group dynamics in the process. 

Finally, our readings and class discussions have motivated me to examine my position in terms of the various HRD roles.  I believe most of my coworkers would define me as a “trainer” since they most often see me teaching inservices and facilitating various training activities.  Thus, I am clearly a learning agent.  I am also an instructional designer, since I have to design all of my own programs.  From time to time, I see myself serving as an internal consultant when my thoughts are solicited by various directors in the facility. In the future, I would love to develop my role so that I am viewed as a true HRD manager, taking a more active role in long-term planning for the organization.  I would also love to develop my skills as a performance engineer, helping various departments determine the best methods for improving performance.  The possibilities seem unlimited, so this course is renewing my energy and motivation to enhance my role and maximize the opportunities I have been given.