Category: LDRS500 (Page 3 of 5)

This is in response to Sadie Thompson’s post

Unit 6, Learning Activity 1

It is very interesting to me that how she feels about her high school and university education is similar to my thoughts. I clearly was an externally motivated student until recently. Reading her post made me wonder if I knew back then that whatever I was learning would be applicable later in some form or the other, I might have accepted it differently .

I do find a certain contradiction in Knowles’ last 2 principles- ‘adults are mostly driven by internal motivation, rather than external motivators’ and ‘adults need to know the reason for learning something’. If all we as adults need to learn is the internal motivation, then why does there even have to be a reason for us to learn something new? I have tried to find the answer to this in my personal choice of reading- I have noticed that any reading I have  to do for work ( journal articles etc.) , is externally motivated. I read them because I need to know the latest advances in my filed. This is similar to Sadie’s example of learning more about to teach a child with Down’s syndrome once she knew she would have the opportunity to teach such a child. Would she have been motivated to read if there wasn’t this external motivator ? On the other hand my non medicine related reading is not externally motivated. I recently picked up a book titled ‘Red  Notice’, by Bill Browder. This book is about an American-British investor and his experiences in Russia. This was an internally motivated choice, as there was no reason for me to read this book. I was intrigued by the synopsis and wanted to learn about a foreigner’s experience in Russia. This phenomenon to me is quite interesting , I hope to hear from some of my other co-learners what they think.

I am not sure I understand the requirements of this assignment, but will attempt to share my thoughts.

Medicine is a field that is driven by people more than technology. Having said that , there are instances where technology is and can be used for the development of employees and also the employee-client relationship. We also have to understand that even though medicine is a lot about human interaction, it is not a ‘service’ industry in the traditional sense. As per Kadampully, Bilgihan and Zhang (2016) “combining…people and technology produces the hybrid organization that benefits from new technology but still provides and appropriate climate and culture to nurture creativity and innovation through people” . This statement is applicable at my work place, if we replace ‘creativity’ and ‘innovation’ with ‘caring’.

For a health care organization to grow it is very important to make sure that the right people are posted to the right place. Our organization puts a lot of effort into making sure that employees are taken care of. We have online trainings and safety modules . There is an anonymous hotline where employees can post their complaints, without fear of retribution. Employees also have the opportunity to participate in online reviews of co workers and leaders.

If I had the opportunity I would like to develop a blog for the people working in our clinic. It is not possible to put this in place for the whole organization . I would like all of us to be able to post and share our daily experiences on the blog . I think this would help create a greater sense of belonging.

“Firms….should create a service environment that asks back feedback from their customers both online and offline” ( Bowen, 2016). My organization provides patients with opportunity to provide feedback , but these are paper surveys that are mailed out to them. I think if these were made available online , there would be an increased number of responses. We also offer our patients the ability to check their medical records online. There is a patient portal through which they can check their labs and other tests, check their upcoming appointments and ask to scheduled appointments. They can also send online messages to their physician through this portal.

I would like to close with this comment by Wong 2015, “customer behaviors are shaped by providers, while employee performance and commitment are shaped by the organizations they are embedded within”. Organizations that care of their employees will have employees that take care of their customers.

References

Bowen, D.E. ( 2016). The changing role of employees in service theory and practice: An interdisciplinary view. Human Resource Management Review, 26(1), 4-13.

Kadampully, J., Bilgihan, A., Zhang, T. ( 2016). Developing a people-technology hybrids model to unleash innovation and creativity: The new hospitality frontier. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 29 ( 2016) 154-164.

Wong, I. A. (2015). Linking firms, employees, and customers a multilevel research agenda for hospitality studies. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly

I spoke to Rob Tegelberg as part of this assignment. Since I am paired with Rob and Ruth as a triangle in the activity, I got the opportunity to talk to both. This was my first one to one interaction with my co-learners, and I really enjoyed it. I hope we are provided more chances for such interactions in the coming months.

I learned that Rob is a teacher at a Christian school, where he teaches grade 5. He is pursuing this degree in leadership to further his goal of moving on to a leadership role in education. He works full time , him and his wife are expecting their second child. He has held a leadership position at a previous school, where he was suddenly asked to be the interim Principal.  He took up the challenge, and thinks he did pretty well. He explained that he dealt with some pretty complex issues during this time, and looks like he smoothened out some issues that were out standing . He heard encouraging feedback from his co-workers about his performance in this unexpected role.

He says he is at his best when he is leading a group of people to a new environment. He loves nature and likes to take his students on nature trips. From our conversation I also got the sense that he is also passionate about religious (Christian) teaching.

In the future, he envisions himself in a leadership role in education, but he also wouldn’t want to give up teaching entirely . His love of nature is also evident in his view of an idealized future . He mentioned that he would love to live closer to nature, not in a big city .

He believes this program in leadership will help him move towards his professional goal. He has also been working on broadening his repertoire, by training himself in other skills including Tech-ed.

I am writing this in response to the post by Riggi Solinapp

Andragogy- Unit 6 Learning activity 1

Out of the 6 principles outlined by Knowles, I was finding it hard to reconcile how the third principle is applicable to me ” the readiness of an adult to learn  is closely related to the developmental tasks of his or her own social role ” .  After reading this post, I understand when he explains how in his case he used his education as a background for community involvement. I guess we all have a certain social role even when we are not as actively involved in our communities as RiggiSolinap is . In this context we could say that adult learning is related to a persons understanding of their social role, and could be a motivator for adult learning.

One thing that this blog has reiterated for me is that the transition to adult learning happens at different stages in everyone. RiggiSolinap mentions that for him, it began after high school. I for a fact know some people who go through university without any clear understanding of their goals. Looking back I can say  I was a dependent learner till I graduated from medical school, and it was much later that I became a self0directed learner .

Knowles, Malcolm S.; Swanson, Richard A.; Holton, Elwood F. Edition: 6th ed. Amsterdam: Routledge. 2005. eBook., Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)

This is in response to Tim DeHaan’s post about andragogy

U6 – LA1 – BL1

I am very pleased to read that he like me also thinks that his adult learning was not related to his social role, rather it had more to do with what practical knowledge he needed for his work at that time. I hope the Leadership prof or one of the other learners could share their thoughts on this principle- “The readiness of an adult to learn is closely related to the developmental tasks of his or her social role.” ( Knowles, 2005)

Another observation he makes it that he can share his learning with learners younger than him. This shows his altruistic leaning. I believe adult learners can be role models or mentors to younger learners.

It is interesting how in the last paragraph he contrasts his motives for learning now vs when he did his previous degree in manufacturing. This goes to show how we evolve as we grow; our goals and motives also change .

Reference

Knowles, Malcolm S.; Swanson, Richard A.; Holton, Elwood F. Edition: 6th ed. Amsterdam: Routledge. 2005. eBook., Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)

Unit 6 Andragogy

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines andragogy as “the art and science of teaching adults”. The concept of andragogy was introduced in the 1970s by Malcolm Knowles. Since then it has been described as a “set of guidelines (Merriam,1993), a philosophy ( Pratt, 1993) , a set of assumptions ( Brookfield, 1986) and a theory (Knowles,1989),” in (Knowles, Swanson, Holton, 2005, p.1)

Here are a few of my experiences as an adult learner, in reference to Knowles’ assumptions/ theories about adult learners.

1.     Over the years I have indeed noticed a change in my personality, to a self-directing one. Looking back, it is hard to ascertain when that change happened. It definitely wasn’t an overnight phenomenon, rather a gradual transition, as is probably true of most adults. As children we are dependent learners, and as we grow up we become more self-directed. This transition is gradual and happens at different ages in everyone.

2.     I definitely agree with the second theory that experience is a great teacher. This is true not only for my formal medical learning, but also personal learning and growth. Come to think about it, in addition to learning something in my profession, I learn something new about myself almost everyday!

3.     My readiness to enroll in a master’s degree was a result of my desire to expand my skills. I am not sure if it was much of a change in social role that I was seeking, rather it was based more on my view of my projected change in my professional role.

4.     I agree with the theory about time perspective. A young learner learns things they think they will use at some point in the future, usually the distant future. In my case, I can envision a change in role for myself in the near future, hence this endeavor. Everything I learn in this course, I automatically try and put in practice.

5.     Young learners usually don’t have the foresight and hence the internal drive. They require external motivators. In my case, as I am is sure the case with the rest of my colleagues in this class, the desire to better ourselves and learn leadership was internal.

6.     We as adult learners can’t be led to learn something ‘just because’. We need to be convinced as to the reason ‘why’. The answer could come from within, or explained by someone.

I would like to mention here another challenge that I faced in this course. Getting familiar with the online learning format was a big leap for me, being used to the lecture, pen and paper format so far. I am still learning the nuances of blogging and virtual classroom interaction. No doubt I appreciate the flexibility it allows me, but I still miss the one to one interaction of a classroom.

References:

Knowles, Malcolm S.; Swanson, Richard A.; Holton, Elwood F. Edition: 6th ed. Amsterdam: Routledge. 2005. eBook., Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)

“andragogy.” Merriam0Webster.com. 2017. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/andragogy. (October29,2017)

This is in response to Ruth Leong’s post

Unit 5 Activity 2: Internal and External Actions

Working with someone who is a good team leader is a blessing. As we have learnt from out previous readings , one does not become a leader just by holding a position or designation. Ruth is fortunate to be working with a leader like Lisa. Reading Ruth’s description of Lisa’s leadership qualities was very encouraging . Working with someone who is such a great example of leadership not only makes the workplace a great environment, it is also an opportunity to learn and imbibe some of these characteristics in one’s own leadership. I have a similar experience with my division head. In addition to being involved in the team’s overall welfare, he is also a very good advocate for us should we need more support from higher leadership .

Reference

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Invictus, The movie

I have seen the movie Invictus before but did not realise it was such a treasure trove of leadership lessons. Here are a few incidents that shine throughout the movie. I mention them in order of their appearance in the movie-

1.    On his first day in office, President Mandela meets with his office staff and gives a speech to allay their fears and attempts to unite them. By doing this he demonstrates the strategy of creating trust (Bennis and Nanus, 1985), as mentioned in Northouse , 2016.

2.    In his selection of his bodyguards he attempts to create common ground for the team to be united. By doing this he creates a team spirit. One can sense the lessening of animosity among the bodyguards as the movie progresses.

3.    President Mandela sees the bigger picture, ‘conceptualization’ (Spears, 2002; as in Northouse, 2016, p.228) Spears mentions conceptualization in the context of servant leadership, but I believe it applies to all leadership models. A leader is one who has a vision, and sees the bigger picture. Nelson Mandela stands up against his own political party when he sees that their move to abolish the Springboks team’s colors and emblem would create more racial differences.

4.    He sees the opportunity to unite his country around the rugby World cup. He sends the white players into predominantly black neighborhoods to hold rugby ‘clinics’. In this situation he is a ‘social architect’ as per Bennis and Nanus (1985). He mobilizes the polarized black and white population to find common ground in the sport.

5.    He inspires the rugby team captain by inviting him for tea and motivating him to better himself. This translates further by the captain challenging his team to excel themselves. Here he demonstrates the practice of ‘inspire shared vision’ as per Kouzes and Posner (1987, 2002).

6.    Mr Mandela memorises the names of his team mates before he is due to meet them for the start of the tournament. With this he demonstrates his desire to engage and involve his followers.

7.    The team captain demonstrates discipline and focus. Before his big game, when is girlfriend comes to meet him, he holds her off. He does it so he can focus game.

In this move, the depiction of Nelson Mandela’s character is the epitome of a transformational leader. He possesses the characteristic charismatic behaviors as mentioned by Northouse (2016, p.164), based on House’s charismatic theory ( 1976) – he is a strong role model, appears competent to his followers, articulates ideological goals, has high expectations of followers arouses task relevant motives in his followers.

References

Bennis, W.G., Nanus, B. (1985). Leaders: The strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper & row.

Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2002). The leadership challenge ( 3rd ed.(. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Spears, L.C., (2002). Tracing the past, present and future of servant-leadership. In L.C. Spears & M.       Lawrence ( Eds), Focus on leadership: Servant-leadership for the 21st century ( pp. 1-16). New York: Wiley.

Eastwood, C. (Director) & Eastwood, C., McCreary, L., Lorenz, R., Neufeld.M Producers) (2009). Invictus. United States: Liberty Pictures.

This is in response to the post

Unit 5 – LA2 – BP1

Of all the characteristics mentioned by Spears (2010), it is interesting that William should choose putting followers first, and treating them fairly. In this sentence he displays his belief in the values of servant leadership. This is especially true in the context of a group project. A leader has a better chances of having the team work with them towards a common goal , if they admire and respect the leader.  We saw this clearly defined in Maxwell’s ( 2013) video about the 5 levels of leadership. The higher one goes on the leadership levels by making connections with their followers, their chances of making an impact on their followers increase.

Another interesting observation made by him is that for a leader to be effective they have to be self reflective. Self awareness not only makes one a more effective leader, but also a better person .

Reference

Spears, Larry C. (2010) Character and Servant Leadership: Ten Characteristics of Effective, Caring Leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, Vol. 1 Iss. 1, 2010, 25-30. ( as mentioned in Mrwilliamsphysed)

John Maxwell : The five Levels of Leadershihttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPwXeg8ThWI