New Team Leadership Essay

SUMMARY: Our organization is adding a new department for the company’s strategic plan to enter a new market segment. As the manager for the new department for Team A, one must evaluate each team member to include myself. This evaluation should consist of any current situations that may arise, culture, and any urgent matters. To approach this in a sensible manner, one should use any principles or methodology along with any best practices or guidelines that can assist with coming to any decisions that may need to be made. Prior to arriving at any conclusions, meetings will need to take place with current management and the team to assess the plans put forth. These meetings with management should include a brainstorming session, while at the same time provide management the opportunity to critique and analyze any results, and therefore provide any valuable feedback that may come from these meetings. This will help to identify any strengths and weaknesses of the plans that are currently in the developing stage, thus allowing Team A to make the necessary changes to help ease the transitioning of the new department. In today’s world, teams are now becoming an intricate part of many organizations as they begin to shift toward team environments. As organizations shift towards team environments, it provide opportunities for multiple personality types to come together thus increasing the chance for success throughout the company. TEAM LEADERSHIP AND EVALUATIONS In order to develop a great team, the team must understand the company’s  goals and expectations of what management is requiring within the new department. As the leader of the team, one has to know what the team needs are and provide any tools necessary to accomplish those goals expected from us. As the manager of this new department, I will evaluate each member of the team, to include myself and try to properly define or identify the personality type of each individual. After providing the Jungian 16-Type Personality assessment to each team member, the result for one individual was the ENFP personality type and the results of the remaining 3 members that includes myself were ENTP personality type (University of Phoenix, 2014). PERSONALITY TYPES Team Member Jerry Villanueva – Jerry’s assessment score is ENFP. ENFP personality types identify individuals like Jerry as outgoing because he is people oriented. It also mentions he has a creative side and is a highly optimistic person. Another thing about an ENFP personality type is that these individuals are inspiring, expressive, social and values-oriented. They do not like to miss out on anything that is going on around them and like to experience social events (Personality Max, 2007 – 2014). Jerry can be beneficial in that his personality type provides energy to the team and is enthusiastic in this new endeavor presented to Team A. He can be an advocate through his support for the team while displaying his vision for the big picture. Jerry can be exciting for the team because he is a passionate individual and is energetic when around people (Personality Max, 2007 – 2014). Team Member Jason Sanford, Janette Salgado, and Eddie Trevizo – The remaining team members, Jason, Janette, and Eddie’s assessment score is ENTP. ENFP personality types identify individuals such as Jason, Janette, and me as innovative people who are looking for new ideas or a new way of doing things. Though we can be individualistic in pursuing our thoughts or actions, an ENTP personality type is also versatile in that one is able to do many different things or have many different uses and can embrace a variety of skills. ENTP is also entrepreneurial. In other words, one is willing to take the risk of accepting a new challenge such as becoming the manager of Team A. ENTP personality types like to be the originator through logic, curiosity, and like to invent as possibilities can seem endless in an endeavor such as this. The willingness to contribute is also a positive and  can be intellectual (Personality Max, 2007 – 2014). EVALUATING THE SITUATION Determining what is a true sense of urgency. Urgency does not necessarily mean that the new department is in crisis mode. Goals must still be met and as a manager one should take a look at the big picture to determine what needs are not being met. Do not change one’s expectations on what should get done. As a manager, one must look around to determine how to establish a sense of urgency as a positive way to re-enforce company culture through positive change. Team members should develop a vision and strategy, communicate the change, and empower the employees. Team A members need to consider how to approach employees without creating panic to take the new department into the new market segment so that it becomes successful while incorporating a new management style and new positive environmental, organizational, behavioral, and work culture. LEADERSHIP APPROACHES As a manager, one should adjust the management style to the current situation. One also must provide a vision, be trustworthy, and encourage team members and employees to receive positive reaction. The manager shall provide a proactive and powerful message to create motivation. Assure that the right tools are available for employee’s and provide the necessary training to stimulate achieve trustworthiness. Training should be provided to managers to develop understanding of how to better evaluate situations to become effective. Review the situation and involve everyone when wanting to lead across cultural barriers and become an effective leader. Leadership should follow the five dimensions which involve integrity, consistency, openness, competence, and loyalty (Coulter & Robbins, 2012). PRINCIPLE TO APPLY Principles one would choose to apply from various theories such as leadership behaviors like the democratic style that involves employees in its decision making process while using feedback to coach employees. One would also incorporate the seven leadership traits which are: desire to lead, drive, honesty and integrity, intelligence, self-confidence, extraversion, and job knowledge. Combining the leadership traits and democratic style behavior can help to achieve the necessary results for the  launch of the new department (Coulter & Robbins, 2012). CONCLUSION To conclude this memorandum, it is the desire of Team A to accept the challenge of incorporating different personalities and expertise to manage this new department. As manager, I accept full responsibility to ensure the success of this venture. Team A looks forward to creating a positive environment where visions, innovation, creativity, passionate, energetic, and enthusiastic individuals demonstrate and provide the drive to meet the company’s goals and expectations are met. Team A looks forward to a new and successful venture entering this new market segment and to a successful launch of the new department. References Coulter, M., & Robbins, S. P. (2012). Management (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Personality Max. (2007 – 2014). Mypersonality.info. Retrieved from http://www.mypersonality.info/personality-types University of Phoenix. (2014). Self-assessment library 3.4. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, MGT521 website.

Ingredients for Success of Five Guys Burgers and Fries Essay

Determine how Five Guys’ philosophy sets it apart from other fast-food chains. In my opinion what makes Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries different from other fast food chains are the following characteristics: a) Quality: Ingredients such as meat which cannot be frozen, bread which has to be made at least the night before and potatoes produced in locations that allow them to keep their richest nutrients, do not come cheap. But, the fact that Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries decided to make their food only out of fresh products, regardless of the cost, indicates that their target market is people who care about taste, which is why Jerry Murrell focus on â€Å"NO cut corners, but the best is priceless†. (Welch. 2010) b) Options: The customers have the opportunity to customize their burgers to their preferences, choosing from seventeen toppings without extra charge. This is also an example of a new strategy used to capture higher market share in the industry, in which companies are force to come up with, constantly, due to the intensive competitive characteristic of the fast food industry. (Hussein, Et all. 2011) c) Dedication: At Five Guys they take their time to prepare everyone’s meals according to their particular preferences even though it demands extra time and dedication. It is this dedication and time what separates them from common fast food chains where time is measured and food is already prepared or frozen, thereby losing its original flavor. (Burke, Monte. 2012) d) Their type of Marketing: Based on what Jerry Murrell said about treating the customer right and he will sell for you. (Campbell. 2011), I believe that the Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries focus their marketing on customer service and the word of mouth. While others expend a lot of money in marketing, they take certain amount of money and encourage their employee s to earn it by successfully complying with the company’s standards of customer’s satisfaction. (Welch. 2010) Analyze the Original Values for the Start-up company and how it remains strong today. The Values of Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries for start-up were: a) Make good food with good Ingredients: Michael Murray (Manager of Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries at Mabry Village location) said â€Å"We are not a fast food restaurant we are a casual dining place where we offer 100% fresh food, we have no freezers†. (Odish. 2012). They consider their food good because by working with fresh ingredients they can keep the original flavor and its value. (Heffern. 2002). Things like frying their potatoes with peanut oil as a way to reduce cholesterol and control the consumption of fat, is a considerable way to differentiate them from the fast food industry. As it is described in the vol. 8 of SJ Magazine, the fries are hand-cut; the potatoes sticks keep their skin and are soaked in water then partially cooked and sunk into hot peanut oil in order to get the golden brown color. They then come up crispy, creamy, sweet and are seasoned with salt or Cajun spice mix and shaken in a cup that is placed in a paper bag. (Palermo.2007) About the meat, this magazine also mentions that it is different because it is crunchy at the edges and tender inside (SJ Magazine, 2008, Vol. 8) which happens because the meat is prepared from fresh ground beef, not frozen. Also, the bread is made every day from the same bakery and distributed to the closest stores. The owner of one of these bakeries was once an employee of the Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries until the Murrell family made him part of their business. Taking this into account, the bread will have the same quality for every store. (Sailors. 2011) a) Family oriented business type: The Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries treat their employees with respect and also encourage them to keep the values of the business by expending 1.5% of their revenues in bonuses for their best employees instead of expending 3% on marketi ng. Michael Murray also said: â€Å"They come and visit us, they know who we are†. (Odish. 2012). Furthermore, in my opinion, the fact that the Murrell family keeps the control of the franchises by making the rules the same for everyone has busted their success. Wherever you go, you will find the same quality of food and the same flavor. The aim to make franchising work on their terms. (Rosenwald. 2006). Janie Muller explains the way her family sees and manages their business when she said: â€Å"We are a family and we have gone in this journey together†. (Rosenwald. 2006). Jerry Murrell also explains that it is important to have the employees feel a sense of ownership and accountability (Wiley Plus, 2012). This behavior toward the employees is also a good strategy because when the employees feel that they are treated like partners, they act with consideration and respect for the business and the one those who have given them the opportunity. a) Quality and Care: Overall, these qualities have made of The Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries special and different from others in the fast food chain. â€Å"Whoever cares for its customers received appreciation in return† Murrell said (Welch.2010). Encouraging their employees to keep their stations clean, auditing them twice a week from two different third parties, guarantees that the employees will comply with their duties not only for responsibility but also for bonuses. Enumerate three factors that contributed to Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries success in such a short time and what effect, if any, external markets had on these factors. Rogers (1995) refers to innovation as a new idea by someone and diffusion as a process through which an innovated idea is delivered, however Schumpeter, (1939); Tidd, Besant, and Pavitt, (1997) explain that Innovation is a process that includes the creation of a new idea into a product or process that is marketable. (Hussein, et all. 2011). The three factors that have contributed to their success in a short time would be: a) No extra charge for the toppings, 3 refills for their 24 oz. drinks, Customers get to eat peanuts while they wait for their meal to be done. (No cut corners). (Sailors .2011) b) High performance in customer service which produces good word of mouth and eliminates the need for marketing. (All of the money goes into the food). (Wiley Plus) c) Fresh food for the consumer and incentive for their employees to maintain a good customer service standard. (Quality). Five Guys has perfected the art of the burger, by keeping its beef fresh [never frozen] and cooking your meal while you wait. (Palermo.2008).This is the way many people picture the Five Guys and their business. How external market has influence on the Five Guys success would be the differentiation between the types of products the rest of the market provide (fast food chains), and the way Five Guys does it. â€Å"We carry the burger alternative to fast food† said Todd Stalling. (Michael Rosenwald. 2006). Assess how ethical and social practices are part of the Five Guys’ culture and provide examples to support your choices. The fast food industry is everyday more competitive due to a large number of fast food chains joining the market and expanding with new ideas. That is why information, ethic, and quality, are important issues. However, some studies have demonstrated that in certain regions some of these issues are more important than others. For example, in Malaysia the information of the product can influence on the consumer’s preferences and therefore, on their shopping behavior, so packaging, for Malaysians, is very important rather than innovation or advertisement. (Hossein; et all. 2011). This competition in the fast food industry has forced companies to develop marketing strategies to approach and capture higher market share. (Hossein, Et All.2011). But, innovated ideas and products are still failing because they haven’t reach the right target or found the right channels of communication to get to the right customer. That is where certain companies like the Five Guys’ have successfully broken the schema of modern marketing buy focusing on the conventional word of mouth. To be able to choose the word of mouth as a marketing strategy, the company must be sure that its products and services have no equal comparisons with other companies, Five Guys’ show this confidence when they put out a board indicating that there is good fast food around the corner if you are in a hurry. (Liz Welch. 2012). The Five Guys’ Team basically believes that once you treat a person right, that person will do the marketing for you and that is why they also focus on putting all of the money in the food instead of dà ©cor or marketing. For example, they only use potatoes from Idaho, where they grow slowly and therefore, more solid. They also based their prices on the margins, the price is raised or lowered to reflect their costs. For instance if the tomatoes are scarce and the price is high they will raise the price of the burger instead of eliminating the tomatoes or minimizing the amount of it. (Welch.2010) As explained above, their ethic in keeping quality of their product is so strong that they even made sure that all of the franchises are regulated by the same policy of quality, before they sign a contract with any franchise buyer. The Business Plan is sell a really good, juicy burger on a fresh bun, make perfect French fries, and do not cut corners. (Sailors Jimmy. 2011) REFERENCES Burke, Monte. (2012). Five Guys Burgers: America’s Fasted Growing Restaurant Chain. Forbes Magazine. August 6, 2012. Retrieved on October 18th from http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2012/0806/restaurant-chefs-12-five-guys-jerry-murrell-all-in-the-family.html Campbell, Twyla. (2011). Five Guys’ Burgers and Fries: The American Invasion. It’s a Weird, wild, and wonderful Life. Retrieved October 20, 2012 from http://weirdwildandwonderful.blogspot.com/2011/02/five-guys-burgers-and-fries-american.html Five Guys Burgers and Fries: A recipe for Success. Economic Challenges Facing Contemporary Business. WileyPlus. Retrieved on October 15, 2012 from https://blackboard.strayer.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_168_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_77589_1%26url%3D Heffern, Rich.(2002). Dinners and Dining; Ethics; Food; Aesthetics.The Ethics of Eating. Vol. 38 p 13. Hossein, Nezaki; Noor, Ali; Shaheen, Mansori; & Amirhossein, Noghondari. (2011). Adoption and Diffusion of Innovations in Fast Food Industries. Australian Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences, 833, INSInet Publications. Hossein, Nezaki; Noor, Ali; Shaheen, Mansori; & Amirhossein, Noghondari. (2011). Market Value; Convenience Foods;Food Industry; Australian Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences. P 1271-1276. INSInet Publications. Palermo, Jennifer. (2007-2008). For a Great Hamburger: â€Å"Five Guys† In Somers Point. SJ Magazine. 8th Annual Best Of SJ. July, 2008. Vol.8. Issue 7. Retrieved on October 16th, 2012 from http://www.jerseyshorejournal.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=7&Itemid=53&limit=9&limitstart=45 Rosenwald, Michael. (2006). Five Guys, Taking a Bigger Bite.Washington Post. Staff Writer. Retrieved on October 15, 2012 From

The Overuse Of Social Media - 1971 Words

Austin Ferrante Professor McLellon Composition 1 21 November 2016 The Overuse of Social Media Back in the early 2000’s many people looked at social media as an innovative idea. Some people today believe that social media is a positive benefit to our society today because it allows them to communicate with friends and family and allows them to keep up to date with what is currently going on around the world. While others believe that it is a negative aspect of society because it can be dangerous and distracting. The lives of a lot of people are affected everyday by social media as most people check their phones nearly 75 times daily. Back then not very many people were engaged with social media but as that number was rising, so does the number of issues, problems, and concerns. Many people still engage with their social media accounts everyday, but it could possibly be dangerous and life threatening not only to the user but to innocent bystanders. Therefore, because the overuse of social media leads to distracted driving, cyberbullying, dist raction in the classroom, and less production in the workplace, we must implement practices to limit our daily time spent on social media. One main negative aspect due to the usage of social media is distracted driving. Citizens that use their social media apps or websites while driving down the road are at major risk of having an accident, getting injured, or possibly being killed. Using social media while driving is veryShow MoreRelatedMedia Negative Effects850 Words   |  4 PagesSocial media alone, on average, will consume five years and four months of a person’s life, and that does not account for any other aspect of the internet (Asano). 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Eventually, it came to the attention of researchers that some people, especially teenagers and young adults, had become more depressed and seemingly introverted as digital technology and more specifically, social media, had gained popularity. After noticing this pattern, researchers decided to have a closer look at the negativeRead MoreEntertainment Media And Its Effects On Society Essay1363 Words   |  6 PagesEntertainment Media Takes Over Entertainment media was designed to be used for fun on people’s free times, but has become harmfully addicting and has started to negatively impact the society. This has become a problem with the vast majority of people, most common in teens, due to the evolution of technology. 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It is a photo sharing medium and therefore it is increasing in popularity more than any other type of social media. Young people and specifically teenagers spend a lot of time browsing through other people’s photos. Instagram is the most valuable social media to teenagers. (Meeker, 2015) As is the case with all social media p eople spend many hours using them, this is a result of an addiction to these applications. This overuse is a major distraction from

Crically Evaluate the Claim That Infants Have an Innate...

Critically evaluate the claim that infants have an innate knowledge of object properties. Use evidence to support your arguments. Object properties have been systematically associated with the Piagetian approach of cognitive development and in particular the sensorimotor period. Until the 1970’s, Piaget’s influential stance that knowledge of object properties is only learned from around nine months old had not been questioned. However, due to more contemporary studies there have been claims that not only do younger infants exhibit behaviours suggesting that Piaget’s assumptions may underestimate cognitive abilities but some studies have controversially suggested that newborns have shown to have a certain amount of innate knowledge. This†¦show more content†¦Interestingly though, some researchers do not halt at the suggestion that Piaget underestimated younger infants cognitive abilities, but instead refute Piaget’s assumption that ‘humans do not start out as cognitive beings’ (Berk, 2009) and in fact have some innate cognitive abilities. There have been suggesti ons that knowledge of object properties depends on visual information relating to perceptual abilities of the infant, addressed in a study by Valenza, Zulian and Leo (2005). They tested infants’ ability to recognise a correspondence between one version of a simple shape with another. Results showed infants recognised a correspondence more between a partly occluded shape and a non occluded shape than a non occluded shape and an unoccluded shape with a gap, implying that there may be some innate ability. The importance of the simplicity of the shapes used in Valenza et al’s study (2005) had been addressed by other researchers such as Kellman and Spelke (1983) who stated that the type of visual information used by younger infants differs from the visual information used by older children, therefore implying that there may be different thresholds of information needed for

The Minimum Wage Must Be Raised Essay - 2993 Words

Los Angeles lawmakers Tuesday voted to boost the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020, the largest city to try to help its lowest-paid workers survive amid the nations growing income inequality. -- Michael Winter, USA TODAY May 19, 2015 Understanding the potential of an increase in today’s minimum wage is the key to understanding the above statement. As a financial mechanism in American society, the minimum wage has helped to sustain generations of workers. Yet, there are two sides to the debate over minimum wage increases. One side—the proponents—feel strongly that low-income workers need some incentive to earn a sufficient living. Conversely, opponents believe that changing the minimum wage does not always help workers and can†¦show more content†¦Other statistics show that minimum wage earners are not single and work full-time. Instead, they have entry-level positions in jobs that require some education and experience (Sherk, 2013). Thus, as history has documented minimum wage workers, it is obvious that they are not all poverty-stricken. In recent news, President Barack Obama has pledged to support an increase to the minimum wage of at least 9 dollars per hour. He also supports indexing the minimum wage according to inflation (Doyle, 2013). This would create an increase in the minimum wage whenever the cost of living rises. During his 2013 State of the Union Address, President Obama â€Å"argued that hiking the minimum wage would improve the lives of millions of workers and their families† (Jamieson, 2013, para. 9). The Obama Administration backs legislation brought to Congress by Senator Tom Harkin and Representative George Miller. Because the two men feel that a hike to $9 would not be enough, they support increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 (Jamieson, 2013). Unfortunately, in March 2013, the House struck down hopes for passing this minimum wage bill for a value of $10.10. Many reasons were given for the event, but, namely, there was division within the Democratic Party (Dinan, 2013). Now, the federal min imum wage remains at $7.25 per hour and this last increase was made back in 2009 (Doyle, 2013). The debate over minimum wage can be found at all levels of society from theShow MoreRelatedThe Minimum Wage Must Be Raised Essay1700 Words   |  7 Pagesamount of time and effort that goes into a daily job, these workers are making minimum wage and are fighting to survive in the current economic state. It is close to impossible for most families to survive without spending paycheck-to-paycheck, as most do. There is a seemingly simple fix for this problem: Raise the minimum wage. 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There have been never ending debates over this issue until the government, company, and others party stand together, and raise the minimum wage throughout the nations. There are communities that believe raise the minimum wage has negative impact of every sector of the country. Other communities have different beliefs over the issue, raising the minimum wage helps the poorRead MoreShould Minimum Wage Be Raised?1062 Words   |  5 Pagesever pressing question regarding Minimum wage. Not many subjects can ignite a controversy as quickly as that of whether or not minimum wage should be raised, or by how much should it be raised or if it should remain the same. What is minimum wage? By definition, minimum wage is the minimum hourly wage an employer can pay an employee for work. (â€Å"MinimumWage.com†) America’s minimum wage was first introduced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938. 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Surprising to most people, minimum wage earners make up only a small percent of American workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, minimum wage workers make up about 2.8% of all workersRead MoreMinimum Wage Should Be Raised1274 Words   |  6 PagesDean Nguyen Mrs. Schmessier Ap English 11 1/31/2015 Minimum Wage Should be Raised to $10.10 Every day at 5:00 AM, June wakes up to prepare breakfast for her two kids. Squeezing the last bit of mayo, she completes two ham and cheese sandwiches. Then June leaves to go to work at Mcdonalds. At about 7, June finishes up wiping the table and gets ready to leave.June goes to the grocery to pick up some grilled chicken and a new bottle of mayo for her family. â€Å"That’ll be $12.68 miss,† says the cash registerRead MoreHistory of Minimum Wage1137 Words   |  5 Pagesdefinition of Minimum Wage is â€Å"an amount of money that is the least amount of money per hour that workers must be paid according to the law† (Minimum wage). 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Destroying Avalon free essay sample

Destroying Avalon by Venus Pham Published in 2006, ‘Destroying Avalon’ is a Young Adult fiction novel written by Katie McCaffrey. It depicts the story of Avalon, a 14 year old girl, whose life drastically changes when she moves from the country side of Grace Point to the city of Sorrento. As she enters a new school she becomes a target of a bullying campaign which escalates to being bullied both face to face and through blogging sites. Attacked by strangers and people she knows, the novel gives a strong insight towards teenage struggle and betrayal. Destroying Avalon’ explores the effects of bullying, search for identity and adolescent peer pressure. The novels illustrates not just only the hurt and sorrow a victim of bullying feels but how bullying can potentially destroy people internally. ‘Destroying Avalon’ is a compelling book about bullying, hardships and importance of friendships. In ‘Destroying Avalon’, the story is told through t he eyes of Avalon. I believe this technique is powerful and effective as this allows for the readers to connect and sympathise with her on a deeper emotional level. By writing in first person perspective, I was able to comprehensively understand her thoughts and feelings. When I read how the bullying began and the torment Avalon continuously endured, I would often ask myself what I would do if I was in Avalon’s situation. I know I would have the strength and support to end it so initially I was confused and quite furious that Avalon did not defend herself. However, as I continued to read on, I began to understand why she chose not to stand up her to bullies and saw how the bullying affected her. Avalon was emotionally broken and felt that she was in an unsafe environment where she was alienated and unheard. The novel allowed for me to develop a whole new perspective on bullying and the importance of having a strong support network. Though I have not experience bullying firsthand, I found that there are moments in every person’s life where they have felt alone, depressed and inferior. Everybody goes through dark periods in their life and that aspect in the novel is what I found most relatable and realistic. At first, ‘Destroying Avalon’ did not appeal to me as teen bullying novels can be predictable. However, despite not liking the genre the plot was engaging and gripping. The author created characters that could be described as complicated, unpredictable yet strong individuals with quiet determination. The plot was well structured, taking readers through an incredible journey of a 14 year old adolescent but also allowed room for the imagination and the analysis of teenage behaviour. Aimed at adolescents aged 15-18 years, the novel uses modern phrases, internet slang and imagery to make the text more appealing to the target audience. The story really highlights the dangers of the internet and how damaging words can be. Cyber bullying can be seen as worse kind of bullying as there is no escape from it. Avalon was tormented through technology where rumours were spread through blogging site, threatening emails and text messages. Traditional bullying victims are considered ‘safe’ once they reach their homes but through cyber bullying, the harassment is never ending. It is constant, overwhelming and soul-destroying. Being the target of cyber bullying, Avalon often, if not always, felt exposed even in the privacy of her own bedroom, â€Å"†¦ the one place I had felt safe until it was invaded through my fifteen inch, flat screen monitor. (page 127). What stood out to me the most was the climax which was also the saddest. This section analysis the absolute devastation of cyber bullying and examines in detail how the situation completely struck Avalon and how it made her feel so empty and lost. I was disgusted and left in disbelief that there are people my age who are capable of creating such pain towards others and it really made me feel sympathy towards the characters. The novel is absorbing, terrifying, uplifting and detailed. It is intriguing to see how Avalon starts off as a happy and easy going teenager and yet, the effects of bullying changed her attitude and mood. I am curious and intrigued to know the logical reason of the cyber bully as only Avalon’s thoughts were explored. The cyber bully who may have had experienced some form of torment themself pulled me into a train of thought to how one can be capable of such hateful behaviour. Cyber bullies often confide in the fact that their identities would not be discovered making them the most weak and cowardly. It was fascinating to read how teenagers and people in general can treat each other with such cruelty and how the young minds can easily manipulate themselves to think that they are to blame the choices of others. Although society has grown and evolved since the book was written, technology, too, has evolved which has resulted to the increase of cyber bullying. The book is good for adolescents as they can relate to the events in the novel and even for parents to have a clearer understanding to the harms of the internet. Technology and the internet is such a big part of our lives in modern society and the novel project powerful message that addresses the issues today. After reading ‘Destroying Avalon’ it gave me a different outlook on how I treat people and repercussions my actions may bring. The novel is hard hitting, descriptive, faced paced with good plot development and tackled the severity of cyber bullying and the horrific effects it can have on people’s lives.

Leadership and Influence

Table of Contents Introduction Initial Reflection on Unit Context Organizational Dynamics Leader as a Social Architect Conclusion Reference List Introduction According to Northouse (2009, p. 3), â€Å"Leadership is a process whereby an individual influence a group of individuals to achieve a common goal†.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leadership and Influence specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Considering leadership a process implies that it cannot be defined as a characteristic or trait that is typical of a leader, but a transactional phenomenon that arises from the communication between a leader and followers. Defining leadership from this perspective provides greater understanding of the influences and interactions between leaders and their subordinates. Hence, leadership cannot exist without influence because it constantly occurs in groups, the context in which leaders operate and influence indivi duals to achieve a common purpose. In the course of development, leadership practices have evolved into multiple models and theories. This is of particular concern to transformational leadership and situational leadership models. There are also frameworks that are premised on such aspects as personality traits, skills, and behavior. All these approaches provide a wider picture of how leadership can be characterized, as well as what dimensions are the most efficient ones in managing an organization. Initial Reflection on Unit General analysis of leadership is closely associated with the contexts in which leaders operate, trends in organizational dynamics, and discussion of traits, skills, and competencies that a leader should possess. Engaging in formative activities, specific attention has been given to the analysis of personal skills, experiences, and activities that relate to leadership analysis. Multiple tests and procedures have provided awareness of pitfalls and benefits that c an further be considered in self-evaluation tests.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In particular, self-assessment is designed to assist leaders with determining what skills are needed to develop new leadership competencies. Context Because leadership can refer to process and influence, the contextual dimension of understanding this phenomenon is vital. Introducing new models, techniques and approaches to leadership educations has strong connection with social environment, political aspects, as well as the dynamics of human nature. More importantly, due to the fact that leadership as a process that refers to various cultural contexts and personal dimensions, specific attention should also be given to self-reliance and personal growth initiatives, being the main drive forces of developing leadership skills. Leadership evaluation is closely associated with evolution of social and organizational change. In this respect, Rost and Barker (2000) emphasize that, at the threshold of the twenty first century, leadership perspectives are more oriented on individualistic training of leaders as a superior class. Focus on leaders’ and ignorance of followers, however, does not contribute to the development of efficient management environment because the influence and interaction stand at the core of the relationship. In this respect, Rost and Barker (2000, p. 4) assume, â€Å"leadership education†¦is goal oriented, where the goal is defined by some level of organizational performance; †¦it is centered on self-interest; it is founded in materialism†. Such a perspective has dramatically changed nowadays since more models are oriented on individuals rather than on goals. Leaders should develop a set of values and goals that can suit the employees’ culture and generate profitability, commitment, motivation, and high performance in an organ ization.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leadership and Influence specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ability to adopt new approaches is closely associated with change management. It is also inherent condition for promoting leadership perspectives. In this respect, Dawson (2008, p. 1) stresses, â€Å"evaluating the extent and depth of company change allows us to classify change from small development activities and routing modifications through a large-scale transformational initiatives†. Apart from the evident connection between external aspects of change and its influence of organizational development, change management should be consistently applied to individuals working with an organization. In this respect, Dawson (2008, p.) insists, â€Å"†¦the importance of communication, employee involvement and ensuring that behavioral change is rooted within the culture of an organization has a relationship has longstanding history in the field of Organizational Development†. Therefore, both organizational environment and human potential are important factors triggering new trends in leadership styles. With regard to the above, leadership contributes greatly to formation of workplace setting, which influences the level of individuals’ achievement, purpose, and security. Therefore, leaders should realize that the turnover level and recruitment culture depend largely on personal characteristics and approaches that they to improve organizational culture.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this respect, Hull (2003, p. 3) understands workplace leadership in terms of â€Å"how the immediate supervisor, team leader, manager or coordinator presented himself or herself†. The focus is made on leadership and individual potential, but not on administration and management. Hence, the employed environment should be effectively organized to enhance employees’ motivation and increase their competence (McDonald n. d.). In addition, leaders should be able to organize their followers in teams to operate effectively and achieve the established goals. Within a cultural context, it should be acknowledged that most leadership styles are oriented on western models that are characterized by a narrow-focused orientation. In this respect, Mellahi (2000) advises to think beyond western stereotypes and promote new, unconventional approaches to business management. Diverse leadership practices, therefore, are vital for creating a universal scheme. Similar to Mellahi (2000), Av ramopoulos and Thomas (2007) also discuss leadership in the context of Greek traditions. In simplistic terms, understanding Greek context does not imply focusing on historic analysis of specific leaders. Rather, the tradition is associated with â€Å"the interference of cultural factors and key principles relating to leadership development as evidenced within broader literary source of ancient Greek figures† (Avramopoulos and Thomas 2007, p. 52). Within this perspective, the leadership style illustrates social ideology and qualities that ancient leaders tried to achieve. At an individual level, the myth aims to outlinine an important process of searching for the self through struggle and effort. During the struggle, potential leaders should be guided by an appropriate mentor who can provide viable advice. Therefore, the Greek mythology closely relates to gods and goddess who accompany mortal heroes in their pursuit of goals. Finally, at the threshold of the technological era, leadership should be connected with the development of online communication, which requires leaders and supervisors to inquire new skills and experiences, including instant messaging, technological competence, and constant interaction with several subordinates (Martinsons et al. 2009). In this respect, the virtual context also influences the modes of negotiation and supervision. Organizational Dynamics Organizational dynamics and development is closely associated with individuals’ performance, group working, and organizational culture. All these components should be harmonized through efficient leadership and supervision. The research on organizational dynamics, therefore, aims to define the extent to which individuals should be involved in teamwork, as well as how group cooperation, should concern how close leaders should follow the firmly established goals. Team culture is an important element of successful interaction and cooperation, but focus on individual achievement i s not less important. Finally, lack of support and inability to adjust to quickly changing environments does not contribute to innovation and improvement. Team building is an indispensible factor affecting corporate cultures. It defines duties and responsibilities that each team member should take. In this respect, the role of a leader is confined to taking control of the processes held within the team and providing team members with enough space for creativity and critical thinking. The individual potential should be appraised by leaders. In this respect, Thomas and Walker (2010, p. 189) insist, â€Å"the sharp end, where policy rhetoric meets organizational reality, is an ideal opportunity to examine leadership and its handmaiden failure†. The failure to conform to a specific end should not be regarded as a disability of a team leader to achieve the desired goals. The problem is that leaders are not flexible enough to recognize alternative solutions to the problem that have been offered beyond the established framework. As a result, the organization fails to response to the rapidly changing external environment, which can also lead to low competence. The value of team working should not be underestimated because it provides a number of benefits for employees’ performance and productivity. In particular, team building is primarily premised on constant support, assistance, and interaction, leading to generation of new ideas and thoughts. As an example, Smith (2012) on the Olympic games held in Australia when Australian swimmers failed to achieve the results just because no one expected they could win the game. Reluctance to make the effort refers, first of all, to the prejudices and biases shaped within the coach’s team. According to Smith (2012, p. 2), â€Å"this relatively dismal showing has come to be seen as the inescapable product of poor administered sport in sharp decline†¦weak leadership and double standards†. Strong de pendence on authority, however, prevents individuals from developing their professional skills, as well as cognizing personal abilities and skills. Such a perspective explains the dark side of supervision and leadership that is concerned with cult of a leader, rather than adherence to specific goals (Dark Side of Leadership n. d.). More importantly, self-destructive behaviors of leaders can cause the decline of corporate culture. Leader as a Social Architect It has been defined that leadership is connected with the social and cultural environment in which leaders can be regarded as social architects. Hence, managers and supervisors should be able to scan the external and internal setting for delivering new mechanism to face challenges of constantly changing market. Product innovation, knowledge management, human resources are among the priorities that leaders should consider before engaging into organizational development. Cultural diversity is another phenomenon that has penetrated the management landscape and has shaped new perspectives on leadership. Cross-cultural communication is indispensible for leaders to reach consensus with their employees and find the motivating factors increasing employees’ engagement into the organizational process. According to Abbasi and Hollman (1989, p. 19), â€Å"managing involves dealing with people who have unique emotions, interests, attitudes, perceptions, cultural experiences, and socio-economic backgrounds†. In other words, leading an organization successfully, managers should control organizational processes as they believe they should be controlled. Regardless of personality traits, executives should consider a number of rules and principles of managing people. To begin with, leaders should demonstrate high integrity, which possible through trust, honesty, and respect. Second, fear should be removed from the employed setting because employees will be more productive in case they are not under the pressur e. Third, open communication and open channels of interaction and information exchange is another successful solution to the problem. Finally, providing objective recognition of employees’ achievements can also generate higher rates of job performance. There are number of opportunities for leaders to adjust to constantly changing working setting. Leading change effectively, executives should be more concerned with developing a new outlook on performance that emphasizes team-based models to cope with the transition to a new model (Kaplan and Norton 2001). The task of a leader lies in developing a new set of values and structures that can contribute to the development of a new management system that introduce measurement to articulate change (Lussier and Archua 2009). In additional, the evaluation of behavioral patterns within an organization is also important because it influences strategic thinking, trustful relationships, progressive stability, and considerations for others. While deliberating on similarities and differences of leadership across cultures, Taormina and Selvarajah (2005, p. 314) pay attention to Asian leadership by stating â€Å"the East-West cultural different on t his factor may be noticed in practice†. For example, western leaders expect their organizations to undertake risk and, therefore, they accept risk as an important condition for conducting daily operations. In contrast, Eastern leadership focuses more on a well-planned activity that ensures the security of subordinates who are involved in specific ventures. Individualistic biases, universality, and readiness to adjust to new challenges should create the basis of change management and organizational progress. According to Sturdy and Grey (2003), leaders should be able to quickly react to the emerging problems, as well as pay attention to employees’ needs, values, and beliefs to define what styles should be employed to improve the situation. More importantly, the i nteraction between transformational leadership style and organizational change will allow the leaders to establish successful modes of performance (Boga and Ensari, 2009). In such a manner, executives will be able to stand the competition successfully. Conclusion A multi-dimensional analysis of leadership education and development has provided a wider picture on cultural, political, social, and economic aspects of its influence on organizational culture and employees’ performance. More importantly, the analysis has provided new theoretical and empirical perspectives of leading change within an organization through introducing innovation. All the above-presented themes are interdependent because one dimension influences the outcomes of another. Communication and individual-centered approach are also important for sustaining a competitive advantage. Reference List Abbasi, SM, and Hollman 1989, ‘KW Incompetence Bosses: Are You One of Them?’, IM, pp. 17-19. Avramopou los, S, and Thomas, KV 2007,‘Leadership Odyssey’, The International Journal of Knowledge, Culture, and Change Management, vol. 6, no. 9, pp. 51-60. Boga, I, and Ensari, N 2009,‘The Role of Transformational Leadership and Organizational Change on Perceived Organizational Success’, The Psychologist-Manager Journal, vol. 12, pp. 235-251. ‘Dark Side of Leadership Revisted’ n. d., pp. 3-26. Dawson, PM 2008, ‘People and Process: Making Sense of Change Management’, ICOMS Asset Management Conference, 1-11. Hull, D 2003, Simply the Best Workplaces in Australia, University of Sydney, pp. 2-41. Kaplan, RS, and Norton DP, 2001, ‘Leading Change with The Balanced Scorecard’. Financial Executive, pp. 64-66. Lussier, RN, and Archua, CF 2009, Leadership: Theory, Application and Skill Development. Cengage Learnng, New York. Martinsons, MG, Davidson, RM, and Martinsons, V 2009, ‘How Culture Influences IT-Enabled Organizational Chan ge and Information Systems’, Communications of the ACM, vol. 52, no. 4., pp. 118-123. McDonald, R n. d., ‘Core Skills for Work – A Framework’, Ithaca Group, pp. 1-13. Mellahi, K 2000, ‘The Teaching of Leadership on UK MBA Programs: A Critical Analysis from an International Perspective’, Journal of Management Development, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 297-308. Northouse, P 2009, Leadership: Theory and Practice, SAGE, New York. Rost, JC, and Barker, RA 2000, ‘Leadership Education in Colleges: Toward a 21st Century Paradigm’, Journal of Leadership Studies, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 3-12. Smith, W 2012, That Sinking Feeling, The Australian, pp. 1-7. Sturdy, A and Grey C 2003, ‘Beneath and Beyond Organizational Change Management: Exploring Alternatives’, Organization, vol. 10 no. 4, pp. 651-662. Taormina, RJ, and Selvarajah, C 2005, ‘Perceptions of Leadership Excellence in ASEAN Nations’, Leadership, vol.1, no. 3, pp. 299-322. Thomas, KT, and Walker AD, 2010, ‘The Sharp End: Real Life Challenges in a Complex Activity Space’, Journal of Public Affairs, vol. 10, pp. 186-199. This report on Leadership and Influence was written and submitted by user Luciano O. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.