Category: Unit 6

The roles of technology and employees in service theory and practice are evolving together. Now, employees are filling new roles as “Innovators”, “Differentiators”, “Enablers”, “Coordinators” (Bowen, 2016), and “Co-Creators” (Kandampully, J., Bilgihan, A., Tingting, C, 2016). On the other hand, technological advancement and the incorporation of the internet and social media within business models have revolutionized the way firms operate and conduct business. The extensive adoption and use of information technology, and social media in particular, by both customers and firms have led to new roles for customers, not only in the market but also in the firm’s perceptions. Technology thus can help organizations combat competition through innovation, by harnessing creative ideas from both internal and external people (Kandampully, J., Bilgihan, A., Tingting, C, 2016). This is a perfect hybrid of people and technology. I immigrated from India about two months ago and I was a dentist back there. Now as I’m pursuing my post graduation I get to work part-time here at a car rental cooperate company. It is very new to me and I have learned many things working in this organization. Various employee development plans used by my organization involving technology are:

1 Clear company policies and group activities: The first thing I was told to do by my boss was to read and remember the company policies from the official website. They were bright and customer friendly. This is one of the ways that technology is helping in employee development as I had full access to all the information and so do the customers. This helps them make an informed decision of whether they want to choose our plans and this saves the employees and customers from disputes later on.

2 Customer service and reviews: Customer service is the main agenda of most organizations these days with increasing awareness among people. I remember reading Starbucks agenda and it was; to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. Their customer service is remarkable and sets an example for other company’s as well. Taking customer reviews and continuous assessment is another important factor in employee development. Nowadays it is even more accessible for people to post reviews online on google or company website.

3 Developing a platform for sharing ideas among all employees is essential. Sometimes some employees may feel neglected, and this will affect their dedication and performance. Everyone’s views and opinions should be heard and considered. In the same way, feedbacks should be encouraged as well. This will give a better outlook on everyone’s performance.

4 Using cashless payments is another technological tool that enhances employee development. It is also employed in my workplace and it not just reduces the stress of keeping cash count on employees but also avoids problems like theft. On the top of this my workplace does not print out the bills but sends email invoices and this helps keep a better record, and both customers and employees don’t have to worry about taking care of a lot of paper.

To conclude, Information technology also has revolutionized all industry sectors by providing new ways to operate. However, human capital is still a nonsubstitutable source of creativity and innovation. Technology has allowed firms to “think” beyond their knowledge and resource borders, to transform themselves into perpetual innovators and firms recognize the importance of harnessing employees’ creativity and capturing the imaginations of engaged customers (Kandampully, J., Bilgihan, A., Tingting, C, 2016). Firms like Marriot, Hilton, Starbucks, and Disney are a testimony to the success of this human-technology hybrid. Undoubtedly, this hybrid can transcend all limits if used wisely and result in immense growth.

Reference

Kandampully, J., Bilghihan, A., Tingting, C. (2016). Developing a People-Technology Hybrids Model to Unleash Innovation and Creativity: The New Hospitality Frontier.

Andragogy is defined as the art and science of helping adults learn (Unit 6 notes). I always thought that as you grow older your ability to learn decreases but the incident I’m about to share changed that belief for me. I want to draw on a very personal but not a conventional experience.  Last summer my mother got a tennis elbow, and that stopped her from doing a lot of activities. My mother is a registered nurse in India and is the pillar of our family. This was when I realized that she might not look old but she is getting old, and I need to make sure she takes good care of herself as well. So, I took it upon me to teach her some exercises and review her diet plans. She was excited about this as well because she knew she needs it to keep working efficiently. As we discussed her diet plan, it was evident that it had a lot of shortcomings and we together decided to start a new more nourishing diet plan. We both work in healthcare so it was easier to understand the importance of what we are doing and it made the process a bit easier as well. I was amazed by my mother’s immense wide knowledge that she gained not just from books but 27 years of practice as a nurse.

Her readiness to learn was high because she realized the importance of health as well as how much the family needs her at her best. We started exercising together as well but it was a bit tricky for her to do some of those but her willpower was strong. She learned her ways around different yoga poses and was very consistent, more so than me. Her internal motivating factor was more significant than external factors. With time her elbow got better, but sadly there is not a definite cure for tennis elbow. She can perform all tasks usually but has to shy away from lifting anything with that specific arm. She has been working out and eating right ever since.

Honestly, I ended up learning more from her than she learned from me. Her grit, self-awareness, consistency, and motivation were remarkable. She is one of the strongest, kindest and determined person I know and above all, she is a constant and active learner.

For this activity, I was paired with a fantastic coursemate, Lewa Ahmed and it was an absolute pleasure to interview and connect with her. Lewa is a not just an inspirational person but also a true servant leader. She is a mother of five, entrepreneur, runs an NGO called The LEAH Foundation for the upliftment of women and children and mankind in general and last but not the least her organization is building a hospital. While talking to her, I was utterly mesmerized and inspired. She is everything I would like to grow up to be. When I asked her to define herself in three words, she picked, passionate, determined and patient and our conversation and her actions are a proof of this as well. I asked her about what her driving force is because it cannot be easy to manage so much and her answer was as beautiful as her thoughts; she replied that God is her driving force. Although she is doing great already, she is a constant learner, and she is looking forward to enhancing her ventures and run the hospital that she is building and serve as many people as she can.

I’m blessed to have come across such amazing people with this course, and she is a great human being as well. We connected well, and I believe we share a lot in common. She is humble and sweet, and even though she has achieved so much, she is kind and generous and not intimidating at all. I strongly think the world needs more servant leaders as she and I will surely look up to her at various times in my life.