Disclaimer: I will use initials of any people described in this post.
Within the workplace, I can see conflict arise due to various reasons. Many of the greatest highs and lows stem from our relationships with others. Interpersonal strife can block progress and waste time.
In a previous blog post about team success, I mentioned how there is a supervisor named G at the campus hotel I work at who is notorious for not doing his job correctly or at all: counting the cash register, checking the registration cards, balancing the sales, etc. Recently there was a case of a missing gift basket for a guest who never checked in and none of the employees would own up to it, when clearly someone from the hotel had taken it. Eventually, it was discovered that one of my supervisors, L, had actually taken it home. After deliberating, the manager decided not to fire him despite the drama he caused because he was indeed a good worker.
This in turn led to other supervisors to naturally not like G and even L, who they actually liked before. Others tend to simply not talk to them whatsoever. And so the group dynamic was quite unpleasant because of this incident also. Therefore, there was much lack of communication from shift to shift, causing important information concerning lost items in the rooms, laundry needing to be sent out, or late check-outs, to become lost on the way. This reminds me of the popular game of "Telephone" if you are familiar with it. Anyways, you would think that these supervisors, who are all much above 40 years of age, would not be this immature about the situation.
After recognizing the cause of such problems, a month ago, the manager, W, decided to have a meeting with the supervisors. From word of mouth, I heard that W basically told them they needed to not have such conflicts hinder the hotel's management.
Of course, it's not just the supervisors who make mistakes. So do the students--myself of course included. This is when the problem concerning mixed personalities. A, who is a fellow student co-worker, is very introverted. When a problem arises, she tend to cover it up and relied on the supervisors to eventually find it and fix it.
At check-in, when students ask the guests for a credit card to authorize, they are supposed to swipe that card in the computer system in addition to the authorization. This is done so that when guests check out without returning to the front desk, we have that card on file to charge. Students forget sometimes, which is fine, but then they need to ask the guests to come back to the front desk to swipe it. I believe A felt uncomfortable with that fact so she never did so. At the time, we were not exactly sure who was creating the problem but a couple others and I witnessed it to be her. This was probably the reason why the manager enforced the rule for employees to initial the registration cards whenever they checked anyone in. While there is nothing wrong with being an introvert, it is quite hard to communicate to someone without talking to them. Thus the extroverts of our group had to somehow deal with her and vice versa.
In contrast, there is one supervisor, who thinks she is the boss and just yells at workers like A. She hardly lets students check guests in even when it would be more successful if she let them. If a person lets their ego dominate, then the group can suffer. I honestly do not think she has made improvements with this, and I am also not sure if the manager is aware of it, but the rest of the students are much well aware.
Overall, I feel that because of conflicting personalities, group conflicts can arise. Like I said in the post mentioned above that I wrote a month ago, team members must agree on who will do particular jobs, how schedules will be set and adhered to, and what skilled need to be developed. However, conflicts like these can ultimately be beneficial too because when a team encounters collisions, they have to go through the process of learning and acquiring the skills to help them overcome that problem if it arises again. It requires leadership to stay focused on the goal which everyone is working towards.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Team Production vs Individual Production
Jonathan Haidt's "How to Get Rich to Share the Marbles" discusses how people are more likely to be willing to share their excess wealth with those who do not have an abundance if there is an indication of an equal contribution. However, there are many times when people feel like they are doing separate tasks or more work and therefore, believe that their individual efforts should earn them a greater proportion of the reward. Specifically, Haidt states that people do not feel entitled to shares by the "mere existence of inequality."
An example that could coincide with this situation would concern the experience of living with my roommates. I roomed with one of them my freshman and sophomore year. I lived with another the summer after. And the third I lived with my junior year. So it is pretty neat to be living with all three of them under the same roof. We get along most of the times, but when any inner resentment arises, it's about cleaning and cooking.
On weeks when we are all generally free, we try to set aside Thursday nights for our "roomie dinners." We attempt to split up the work equally. In this post, I'll refer to my roommates by their initials, R, Y, and H. This may seem a little systematic but we all have different roles in the dinner creation. Y, who has a car, usually gets the ingredients, and of course, we split the total. H usually makes the dinner since she is the best cook out of all us. R and I clean the dishes at the end or accompany H when she needs help. This is done so that everyone feels that they are contributing and feels worthy of eating the food. When all of us do our parts to help make the dinner, then we can all eat without feelings of bitterness. And we hope to do this in the most efficient way possible.
There were a couple instances when some roommates did not follow through with their tasks, yet still felt that they rightfully deserved to eat the food. For example, one time, Y was asked by her friend if she needed anything from Walmart, and thus, she gave the friend a grocery list and then he delivered it to our apartment as a generous favor. With that in mind, you would assume that she would help out in other aspects such as cooking or cleaning, but she did not and did not feel at all apologetic for her lack of assistance. I'm not sure how the others felt, but I definitely felt a little bitter.
Despite the silly and trivial example, we can learn a lot about teamwork. Teamwork can be beneficial due to the division of labor effects, meaning two can produce more than twice the one. In my case, one could accomplish the entire work, if necessary. Sometimes, teamwork is crucial because specialized skill is required and not one person has all these required skills. Thus, we would say that teamwork arises from the comparative advantage of the members. We know that H is a better cook so she has that skill. Although anyone can clean, I feel that R and I are the most time-efficient. And obviously Y has privilege of owning a car for driving to the grocery store.
There is also the matter of fairness and what constitutes it. It is easy to see what is entailed when work displays a horizontal division of the effort and each contributes the same share. However, it is a bit more difficult to identify when members are not equally proficient. Then there is the question whether fairness demands equal output, equal effort, or maybe a combination of the two.
An example that could coincide with this situation would concern the experience of living with my roommates. I roomed with one of them my freshman and sophomore year. I lived with another the summer after. And the third I lived with my junior year. So it is pretty neat to be living with all three of them under the same roof. We get along most of the times, but when any inner resentment arises, it's about cleaning and cooking.
On weeks when we are all generally free, we try to set aside Thursday nights for our "roomie dinners." We attempt to split up the work equally. In this post, I'll refer to my roommates by their initials, R, Y, and H. This may seem a little systematic but we all have different roles in the dinner creation. Y, who has a car, usually gets the ingredients, and of course, we split the total. H usually makes the dinner since she is the best cook out of all us. R and I clean the dishes at the end or accompany H when she needs help. This is done so that everyone feels that they are contributing and feels worthy of eating the food. When all of us do our parts to help make the dinner, then we can all eat without feelings of bitterness. And we hope to do this in the most efficient way possible.
There were a couple instances when some roommates did not follow through with their tasks, yet still felt that they rightfully deserved to eat the food. For example, one time, Y was asked by her friend if she needed anything from Walmart, and thus, she gave the friend a grocery list and then he delivered it to our apartment as a generous favor. With that in mind, you would assume that she would help out in other aspects such as cooking or cleaning, but she did not and did not feel at all apologetic for her lack of assistance. I'm not sure how the others felt, but I definitely felt a little bitter.
Despite the silly and trivial example, we can learn a lot about teamwork. Teamwork can be beneficial due to the division of labor effects, meaning two can produce more than twice the one. In my case, one could accomplish the entire work, if necessary. Sometimes, teamwork is crucial because specialized skill is required and not one person has all these required skills. Thus, we would say that teamwork arises from the comparative advantage of the members. We know that H is a better cook so she has that skill. Although anyone can clean, I feel that R and I are the most time-efficient. And obviously Y has privilege of owning a car for driving to the grocery store.
There is also the matter of fairness and what constitutes it. It is easy to see what is entailed when work displays a horizontal division of the effort and each contributes the same share. However, it is a bit more difficult to identify when members are not equally proficient. Then there is the question whether fairness demands equal output, equal effort, or maybe a combination of the two.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Managing Future Income Risk
Having had immigrated from South Korea, my parents' had limited means of earning income, so they, as well as many other South Korean parents, decided to run a dry cleaning business. I do have an older sister who graduated with economics at Indiana University but because of our ten year age gap, I wasn't able to watch first-hand as she went through the process of choosing a major and finding a job.
It is definitely a huge concern about how my decisions I make now will impact my future in regards to reducing my income risk. My choice to attend a good engineering school was partially motivated by my desire to get a professional job with a high salary so that my parents could retire early and to build financial security. I know that graduating with a degree in the college of engineering could alleviate some of that income risk.
By huge surprise, I actually got accepted in the College of Engineering with a computer science major. Honestly, being the naive high schooler I was, it was unaware to me how difficult CS classes would be. The reason why I chose this major was simply because of CodeAcademy. I found it fun to complete the tasks and therefore I developed a huge interest in coding. Also, there was the fact that computer scientists are in high demand and Microsoft, Google, and Apple recruited many students from this school. Working at a company like this would easily help me fulfill my goal of my parents' early retirement in no time.
However after completing my first semester of difficult CS and math classes, my academic status already put me at probation. This was probably due to a combination of the countless hours of machine problems, homework, lack of time management, and too many distractions. After the first semester, I was already contemplating switching to a different major but my parents stressed to me how I needed to work harder and reminded me how I would definitely get offered a job right after I graduate. Thus, even though I hated my major, I stuck with it. I was actually off probation for a semester...but then I was back on it. And this time around my GPA was so low that I was on the verge of getting kicked out from the university, which really would put me at risk in the future. But after talking to my advisor, I was graciously given the chance to stay at U of I but I had to switch to a different college. And thus, here I am in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The reason why I chose economics as a new major was because it was too late to get into the College of Business with Accountancy, which was my original interest. So majoring in economics had to suffice in order for me to graduate on time, not have to pay more tuition and put myself more in debt. However, having taken several other economics courses, I've developed more enthusiasm for this major. Also with intention of reducing my income risk, I decided to concentrate in public health by taking some community health classes to set myself apart from other economics majors. My sister had informed me how health care administration was a good field to go into. Other approaches I took to manage income risk include internships and networking. By leveraging the people network through family members, I could vastly increase my chances of a good first job. It was disappointing to have lost so much money my freshmen and sophomore years from the engineering tuition rate which is quite a bit more than other colleges. This could have saved my family a couple thousand dollars in loans and reduced some income risk in the future. However, better late than never right?
Even as a senior, I still cannot give a precise answer when people ask me what I plan to do after college. Yet, I believe that everyone will figure out their way at some point. Another approach may even be to go to graduate school, but before that, I would definitely evaluate the benefits and risks.
By huge surprise, I actually got accepted in the College of Engineering with a computer science major. Honestly, being the naive high schooler I was, it was unaware to me how difficult CS classes would be. The reason why I chose this major was simply because of CodeAcademy. I found it fun to complete the tasks and therefore I developed a huge interest in coding. Also, there was the fact that computer scientists are in high demand and Microsoft, Google, and Apple recruited many students from this school. Working at a company like this would easily help me fulfill my goal of my parents' early retirement in no time.
However after completing my first semester of difficult CS and math classes, my academic status already put me at probation. This was probably due to a combination of the countless hours of machine problems, homework, lack of time management, and too many distractions. After the first semester, I was already contemplating switching to a different major but my parents stressed to me how I needed to work harder and reminded me how I would definitely get offered a job right after I graduate. Thus, even though I hated my major, I stuck with it. I was actually off probation for a semester...but then I was back on it. And this time around my GPA was so low that I was on the verge of getting kicked out from the university, which really would put me at risk in the future. But after talking to my advisor, I was graciously given the chance to stay at U of I but I had to switch to a different college. And thus, here I am in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The reason why I chose economics as a new major was because it was too late to get into the College of Business with Accountancy, which was my original interest. So majoring in economics had to suffice in order for me to graduate on time, not have to pay more tuition and put myself more in debt. However, having taken several other economics courses, I've developed more enthusiasm for this major. Also with intention of reducing my income risk, I decided to concentrate in public health by taking some community health classes to set myself apart from other economics majors. My sister had informed me how health care administration was a good field to go into. Other approaches I took to manage income risk include internships and networking. By leveraging the people network through family members, I could vastly increase my chances of a good first job. It was disappointing to have lost so much money my freshmen and sophomore years from the engineering tuition rate which is quite a bit more than other colleges. This could have saved my family a couple thousand dollars in loans and reduced some income risk in the future. However, better late than never right?
Even as a senior, I still cannot give a precise answer when people ask me what I plan to do after college. Yet, I believe that everyone will figure out their way at some point. Another approach may even be to go to graduate school, but before that, I would definitely evaluate the benefits and risks.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Illinibucks
Illinibucks is a concept that would permit students to have control over their personal priorities on campus. Due to the overwhelming amount of individuals at this school, it is difficult to live with the highest convenience. Many university functions are on a first come first serve or seniority basis. If UIUC were to provide an allocation of Illinibucks, students would most likely utilize them for registering for classes, finding the closest parking spots, or choosing a room for next year's housing.
Personally, I would spend them to be guaranteed a quiet area to study--especially during exam seasons. I can't say how many times I have walked inside a library at nighttime and walked around aimlessly for a good period of time looking for a secluded place to get some work done. From experience, it seems that the busiest times are Sunday evenings. I admit, I am one of those procrastinators so those are my prime times to study. Furthermore, being someone who cannot study in their own dorm room or apartment, it truly is a difficult task to find somewhere peaceful and quiet with a desk and an outlet to keep my laptop charged. Realizing the scarcity of good study spots on campus, I usually have to resort to staying at home tempted by the comfiness of my bed or the box of Oreos in the kitchen cabinet.
Often, I had thought about a hypothetical process of reserving study spaces according to, maybe, the time of our exams or the difficulty levels of the classes. However, the usage of Illinibucks may just be as effective. Let's assume that at the beginning of every semester, student were given 50 Illinibucks arbitrary to who was using them, meaning that students could give each other some of their own. I believe a reasonable price to secure yourself a study spot would be 5-10 Illinibucks depending on the quality of the space—such as level of sound, accessibly to an outlet, lighting, etc. Libraries, union lounges, or classrooms, should reserve a set number of seats—maybe 3-5 at each building—where Illinibucks could be spent. The 5-10 Illinibucks would be the transfer price for any students who would use these reserved seats.
If the administered prices were to be too low, then these seats are similar to the free seats because then there will not be enough seats to be offered. Students may come during the busier study times believing that they could spend their Illinibucks to guarantee themselves seats but encounter the opposite. For these libraries, the union, or the classroom buildings, it will be presented meaningless to reserve seats, and as a result, they will be released to the public. On the contrary, if the prices were to be higher, then more students would be unwilling to utilize their Illinibucks and choose to save them as a last resort. Then, the seats are most likely to stay vacant, which is merely a waste.
I'd imagine the most amount of Illinibucks being spent during final exams. Of course buildings tend to open up more rooms during this time, but the atmosphere might not be what the students prefer. For example, in previous semesters, when I searched for a study spot at Ikenberry Commons, I could not find one despite two huge multipurpose rooms being made public. If there were spots, it'd be next to other people and I personally prefer my own table/desk. Therefore with Illinibucks in effect and the reserved study spots being at the optimal transfer price, I feel that I would never waste time searching for prime study spots ever again.
Personally, I would spend them to be guaranteed a quiet area to study--especially during exam seasons. I can't say how many times I have walked inside a library at nighttime and walked around aimlessly for a good period of time looking for a secluded place to get some work done. From experience, it seems that the busiest times are Sunday evenings. I admit, I am one of those procrastinators so those are my prime times to study. Furthermore, being someone who cannot study in their own dorm room or apartment, it truly is a difficult task to find somewhere peaceful and quiet with a desk and an outlet to keep my laptop charged. Realizing the scarcity of good study spots on campus, I usually have to resort to staying at home tempted by the comfiness of my bed or the box of Oreos in the kitchen cabinet.
Often, I had thought about a hypothetical process of reserving study spaces according to, maybe, the time of our exams or the difficulty levels of the classes. However, the usage of Illinibucks may just be as effective. Let's assume that at the beginning of every semester, student were given 50 Illinibucks arbitrary to who was using them, meaning that students could give each other some of their own. I believe a reasonable price to secure yourself a study spot would be 5-10 Illinibucks depending on the quality of the space—such as level of sound, accessibly to an outlet, lighting, etc. Libraries, union lounges, or classrooms, should reserve a set number of seats—maybe 3-5 at each building—where Illinibucks could be spent. The 5-10 Illinibucks would be the transfer price for any students who would use these reserved seats.
If the administered prices were to be too low, then these seats are similar to the free seats because then there will not be enough seats to be offered. Students may come during the busier study times believing that they could spend their Illinibucks to guarantee themselves seats but encounter the opposite. For these libraries, the union, or the classroom buildings, it will be presented meaningless to reserve seats, and as a result, they will be released to the public. On the contrary, if the prices were to be higher, then more students would be unwilling to utilize their Illinibucks and choose to save them as a last resort. Then, the seats are most likely to stay vacant, which is merely a waste.
I'd imagine the most amount of Illinibucks being spent during final exams. Of course buildings tend to open up more rooms during this time, but the atmosphere might not be what the students prefer. For example, in previous semesters, when I searched for a study spot at Ikenberry Commons, I could not find one despite two huge multipurpose rooms being made public. If there were spots, it'd be next to other people and I personally prefer my own table/desk. Therefore with Illinibucks in effect and the reserved study spots being at the optimal transfer price, I feel that I would never waste time searching for prime study spots ever again.
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