Conflict: What I would DO

Conflict Resolution

Heres the Scenario

“You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

The first thing that I would approach when I get together with this employee is bring to light what has been going on. I would let the employee know that there have been complaints about him not only by customers but also fellow employees; and that his confrontational behavior cannot be tolerated. After that I would ask him “how are things in his personal life?” A lot of times things that are happening at home can affect our performance at work. I would then tell a story about how some of my personal issues in the past have made things at work difficult as well; it is important to let him know that I am approaching him as human being with my own issues as well. This allows the employee to see me as a normal person and not just his department manager. I would then tell him a technique that I used when I was having a tough time emotionally from things that were happening outside of work. I anticipate that this will be his response since he has been here for two years and has shown that he is capable of doing the position. What I would tell him is to take an imaginary bag and take his worries and grab them out of his head and put them in this imaginary bag. Then he should fold the bag to close it and set on the curb to wait for him when he gets off work. I used this technique before and what it does is acknowledge that there is a problem going on outside of work, but it is not fair to other employees and customers for you to be in a bad mood because of something that is affecting you outside of work. Other people at work have their own issues as well and they don’t let it affect their performance at work.

After making sure that the employee knew that I was trying to help I would then deliver the ultimatum. I would tell him that we value him as an employee but his actions recently have created a hostile work environment. I would also let him know that his current performance with customers has not been meeting company standards. I would also recommend any services that we offer as a company to assist him with any personal issues he is going through. Then I would set forth a corrective action plan and tell him we will meet again in two weeks to see how progress is coming along. I would tell him that if his performance does not show some improvements in the next two weeks that the next step in the termination process will take place. It is much easier to try and get a current employee back into a place where he or she can be affective as an employee than to start over with someone else. This will let him know that his services are appreciated but his behavior recently isn’t something that is adding to an affective workplace environment.

Culture Club

With an economy that is continually growing on a global level it is very important to understand different cultural views and perspectives. With so many diverse populations it is important to understand certain so called commandments to best understand and reach your audience. One of these commandments that I use every day is commandment IIV according to Martin Hahn, “Be aware of different etiquette rules or manners: what is polite in one culture may be considered rude in another” (Hahn, 2010.p.1). I find this very true with working with different people throughout the country. People in the South and Middle America do things much slower than on the East and West coasts. When dealing with people from these parts of the country it is very important to build rapport and trust. Many times if you take things too fast and try to apply pressure things can blow up in your face. This is very true in Asian culture as well. Time is not money within these cultures which refers to commandment IV according to Hahn; and decisions are made off instinct and relationships rather than selling points and bottom lines which are typically the norm in most of America. These guidelines need to be considered when dealing with other cultures whether they exist within our borders or without. Realizing a cultural difference shows your client that you have done your research and are willing to work outside your normal parameters to better make your client comfortable.

References

Hahn, Martin. 2010. Ten Commandments of Intercultural Communication,

            Retrieved on February 23, 2011 from,

http://ezinearticles.com/?Ten-Commandments-of-Intercultural-        Communication&id=120247

Blogging

Blogging has been something that had humble beginning to now being a dominant spot for a lot of people to get information. Added, everything must be taken to with a grain of salt today but even watching main stream media one must dig a little deeper to find the whole truth. This is why I like blogging and a lot of other people do as well. It is almost like a check and balances system. If both bloggers and main stream media agree on something it is safe bet that it is for the better good. Blogging all started when in January of 1994 a student from Swathorne College named Justin Hall created the first blog ever (Thompson, 2006. P.1). From those humble beginnings to in, “February 2006 when the Huffington post surges to become the fourth most-linked-to blog” (Thompson, 2006. P.1). Certain bloggers gather a following but anyone can put a blog about whatever they decide to talk about. This what makes this forum so much fun. Many people with many different opinions; it is up to the reader to take what they are reading as fact or fiction. This is allows people other mediums other than main stream media. Cause let’s face it, if the only place you get your news from is the major networks you will probably have skewed view of what is really going on in the world. Bloggers bring a different perspective to many issues for good and bad; it is up to the reader to critically think for themselves.

References

Thompson, Clive. The Early Years. February 12, 2006. Retrieved from

            http://nymag.com/news/media/15971/ on February 20, 2011

Video Telecommunications

Video telecommunication is a technology being integrated more and more in today’s society. The idea to incorporate video into a phone call has been around for the better part of decade. But just recently has it uses have been integrated into the newest smart phones. These new smart phones are offering audio and video when you call someone who has a similar phone. I am curious to see how the masses embrace this technology or will it be just another cool feature that only some will find useful. Every time you answer a phone you may not want the other person to see how you look or where you are at.  The fact the people see you or may hear background noise is why people choose to use text messaging so much. More traditional formats like Skype that use the internet and computers to make this video phoning possible. This technology has been taken advantage of by businesses looking for cheaper alternatives than long flights and hotel bills. Adding a face to a voice can be very important when trying more accurately depict the feeling behind the actual words. That can be a very important factor when trying to maintain relationships with business clients; especially if the client is geographically very far away. This tech has made it easier to globalize the economy. Especially integrating into Asia, within Asian business the relationship is everything. Video phone is a great idea when it is something that you plan. I don’t think that the integration to every call with video will ever happen. There are too many people that won’t answer the phone unless they are in a controlled setting.  With Facebook and text messaging our interaction as people is more informal than in years past. Video phone does make the talking more romantic but I don’t think it is meant for every call.

Sweet New Reads

E-books can be summed up as the next evolutionary step of the paper bound book. With Kindles and i-pads there is a much cooler ways to get your information or enjoy a good read. The traditional paper bound book has resisted change for many years, but now I feel that the paper bound book is going the way of the doo-doo. E-books are not just more versatile than traditional books and they are also more accessible. Instead of ordering a book and waiting for it to get to you or having to  go to the store to buy it you can easily download the book in a matter of minutes. In an instant gratification society it just makes sense to make the next revolutionary step in reading. There are the purest that may miss the smell of the pages and the way when people walk into your house they can instantly tell how smart you are by all the books on the shelves. But when they have to move they sure will be thankful. There are new features that allow you take make highlights and notes that you could also do with traditional books. The only difference now is that it much tidier and easier to organize that some chicken scratch you scribbled on a page. The kindle is great because of the way you can read it in natural day light. A lot of reading is done when relaxing outside and the ability to read the screen and have no glare has been the main reason that these E-books may have not been around a long time ago. Either way one little slim piece of technology can now replace a whole bookshelf.

Social Networking

Social Networking has become one of the most time consuming parts of our lives. Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace all have taken moments if not hours of our day to check on our status or see who wrote on our wall. This media technology can be summed up as way to stay connected with old friends and make new ones. The idea that you can have a network of friends available at your fingertips is very attractive to busy people these days. A lot of times we don’t have the time for a phone call or a text message. Facebook allows you to say something to someone without having any fear that they will want to actually carry on a conversation that may take up too much of your time. The ability to exchange information and update all your friends with one single post on your wall is great. You can still let people know what is going on without having to call or text each one of them individually. There is a difference I have found to Facebook friends and real friends. A lot of the people that are on my friends list on Facebook don’t have a chance of me going out of my way to see in real life. But that is okay we can still be friends on Facebook. Never know may need a favor from them in the future. I think it is important to realize what is on Facebook is not the real world and the friends that you hang out with on a daily basis are much more important the number of Facebook friends you have on your account. But then again it still is fun.

Howdy Folks

 Didn’t mean to call you all suckers I just got excited to start this new blog. You will find that out about me that I like to have fun and laugh. Hopefully I can give you some insight into my life and make you laugh.

What Up Suckers

Hey Yall, I may have created this blog for class.! but I can garuntee that you will all visit long after this class is done. I AM JUST TOO INTRESTING.
Respond so I can give you the insight you need