A Salute to My Mentors

Hello fellow students, it may sound strange but yes I am still a student. This is my way of giving honor to my teachers who became my mentors and helped me build my dreams. Hmmp! what motivates me in doing this blog entry? Well aside from the celebration of World Teacher’s Day, I would also like to reminisce my experiences during the time that I am just a plain student to help me realize how am I as an educator now.

In reality, we don't need to like other people but we are also not required to hate those who don’t like us. In school, we do have teachers that are pampering and there are also those who are less subtle and are tagged as "TERROR". But what should be the main role of an educator? The role of an educator depends on the level of students that he or she handles. For elementary students, a teacher must be more affectionate and extra caring because this is the stage of a child wherein he starves for attention. During High School, the teachers start to become a listener because at this stage the emotions of the students is very close to a roller coaster ride so a firm guide needs to be on-guard at all times. Then the tertiary level comes in and the students are like friends with the teacher.

I really enjoyed my high school life but my college days are more exciting. I never had an instructor that became a close friend but I never had any fight with them. I treated my teachers on the same level as I treated my MUM. I respected them so much because I believe that they are more knowledgeable than me and that is a fact. But when I became a teacher I wanted to modify the relationship between me and my students. The respect is still there but this time I am more hands-on to them for me to get to know more about their attitudes.

I got this chance of talking with my fellow educators of my age and we compared how we are when we are just simple students compared to the new breed of learners and how we are as educators compared to our mentors. Students today are fearless to the point that they don't care on what will be the outcome of their attitude for as long as they are heard and they express their thoughts. Well, self expression is very good for as long as we are still able to realize that there is someone that might know the right thing.

Students in this generation are very dependent on the notification of their teachers. They simply lost their common sense. The point here is very simply; do not let your instructor’s serve everything in a silver platter because the college life is the preparation for a much independent life ahead. The instructors are just facilitators inside the classroom that should not depend on emotional struggles for as long as he delivers the lesson and made it sure that majority of the class comprehends. Being friends outside the classroom is not bad at all, but this must have limitation in terms of implementing respect as individuals.

After all, I am so proud that I never treated my teacher as enemies despite of our differences because I do have full respect to them. The thing there is that no teacher wants to make a student feel isolated just because of a disagreement but that teacher wanted to be as professional as possible because he doesn’t want that student to be tolerated on a very bad attitude.

I ADORE AND THANK MY TEACHERS SO MUCH.

 

 

HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY TO ALL EDUCATORS!

Wanted: Organization Manager

After all the processes in assessing the company, I am now in the stage wherein the tips, factors and data have to be managed. Let me see if I can be manager or a leader in my own school. Being a manager of an organization is a bit of a challenge for me because I always consider my emotions in doing my decision and is a big no for a manger. But I will be very excited and challenged if that time will come. How important is it to organize a company and scrutinized its process? [1]A properly implemented organizing process should result in a work environment where all team members are aware of their responsibilities. If the organizing process is not conducted well, the results may yield confusion, frustration, loss of efficiency, and limited effectiveness.

The figure above will guide me to assess whether DVC is organized or still needs to follow these processes to omit clutter. Each step is going to the formal organization structure depicted by organizational chart to perform check and balance. In order to have a good output, the steps must undergo a sequential process to prevent overlapping of jobs and minimize failure.

Step 1: Job Design

This is the foundation of all organization since it is composed of many people that do their job. It is important to design the structure of the people involved in the company not just to impose hierarchy but most importantly to prevent overlapping of responsibilities. This type of structure is recommended to firms that have many employees.

For DVC, the faculty also acts as advisers to the students and the student organization. Every time there is a school activity the teachers are so willing to guide the students in facilitating the event. The school nurse also teaches science subject to help fill in the scarcity of science instructor. The cashier also works as an accountant and bookkeeper. The current job design of DVC seems to be very tedious to the cashier because of the job load. Hopefully on the coming years the finance department must have several people involved in it to distribute the task very well.

Step 2: Departmentalization

After establishing the job design by assigning each employee on their proper job description comes the step for departmentalization. It is the process of assigning the employees to their specific departments. The main purpose is to easily designate the job assignment in each department and also to give freedom in how they will run it. DVC is composed of Administrative and Academic department with three programs in it namely Education, Theology and IT where I belong to. The IT program is just composed of me as the IT instructor and my program head.

Step 3: Delegation

Since the department is already stabilized then the delegation of the task must be properly assigned. Engr. Eugene Iglesias as my program and I discussed on how we are going to manage the program. I will take care of the student concerns and on campus activities while he takes over the outdoor activities, communications and strategic plan with the bosses. So far we were able to make our program based on our plans but of course we are aware that there’s a lot to be improved next academic year.

Step 4: Span of Management

The partnership that we have with my program head is somehow non traditional because he doesn’t want to be treated as a boss. He always encourages me to speak out and do my own thing in managing the program. He believes that someday I might be in his position so he is currently exposing me on his job. But if given the chance I would just like to be a plain instructor because I wanted to reach out more with my students without the hassle shouldering the problems of the department. I do hope that if ever my program decides to leave the school, he will find someone to replace him as a program head.

Step 5: Chain of Command

If the departments are now identified then it will be easier for the school administrators to assess the expertise of each employee. The chain of command is very effective once the job is well executed. For every activity in DVC such as the school opening, intramurals and the foundation day, each department must have their own assigned task based on their fields. The IT department is usually assigned with the online promotion and multimedia presentations.

With the steps that we have, I can only observe that DVC still needs to improve. The organization chart must be fully discussed and implanted to make everything formal and executable.

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[1] http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/The-Organizational-Process.topicArticleId-8944,articleId-8875.html

Transforming for the Better

No matter how established a firm or how stable the management in the company is it will come to a point that it has to face change. This transformation might be gradual or drastic but in order to justify such movement is we have to answer these 8 questions.

1. What is organizational transformation necessary?

2. What distinguishes organizational transformation from organizational change?

3. What is NOT TRANSFORMATION - and why not?

4. Why it is about EMERGENCE not control?

5. What kind of LEADERSHIP is required to facilitate transformation?

6. What basic PROCESS is required to create and hold “the Zone of Emergence” necessary for transformation to happen?

7. What TOOLS and ENVIORNMENTS are necessary?

8. What are the RISKS and how can they be attenuated?

This is very timely to the organization that I am currently working on right now since we are still on the process of improving our school. I’ve learned a lot when it comes to managing a school that it is indeed a tedious job. Unlike the industry that focuses more on the profit gain. But the academe has to maintain all the required facilities in order to get the approval of CHED.

Why is organizational transformation necessary?

The organizational transformation is the result of the feedbacks and observations of the members of the organization, the clients and the group of evaluators. The main purpose of the transformation is to improve the organization to provide good or excellent service. The feedbacks can either be negative or positive but they need to be accepted full heartedly. [1]Negative feedback tends to attenuate, positive feedback tends to amplify. Negative feedback informs an organization that circumstances exist that can prevent it from doing what is wants to accomplish. Positive feedback is the message that these ambitions can or must be or are being accomplished.

The first time that I got employed in DVC was also the time when the new administrator fills in the position of the previous administrator. I really don’t have any idea of what was the management style of the old and new administrators. After 2 months of happily working in DVC I was able to observe how the new administrator works. According to my colleagues, the new administrator is more of a business man compared to the previous one that is concerned with the ministry. In the current management the transparency of all the transactions is greatly valued because he believes that we are not just employees but we are family. He wants us to give our own views on what is good for the school and what needs to be improved. But we all have to adjust with his temper compare to the previous manager that always gives his freshest smile to the employees.

The transformation was also observed during the preparation for the CHED recognition. We organized all the documents as well as we made sure that we comply to the guidelines they gave to us. The disadvantage of that process is that we have to follow what is on that order that may lead to the elimination of the affected entities.

What distinguishes organizational transformation from organizational change?

The transformation is literally a change in the structure of an individual’s mind and the linkages and protocols of an organization. DVC will be undergoing an organizational with the structure because it is still aligned with the CHED’s guidelines and also the capacity of the school. All its personnel were able to give out their full effort in doing the job correctly.

What is NOT TRANSFORMATION - and why not?

[2]Mere change - even necessary and good change - is not transformation nor will it inevitably lead to it. This is a place where distinctions are important. “Change Management” is useful and necessary. It should be an embedded in the day-to-day process of every organization and it should be practiced throughout every part of the organization. It can be a tool of continuous improvement and it is what goes on in times of relative calm between the periods of discontinuity and deep organizational transformation. Transformation happens periodically. It should occur no more and no less than necessary. It can be driven by external or internal circumstances or some combination of both.

The DVC transformation will be the ultimate test on how mature the organization in accepting such change. The first time I heard about the loss of some members made me feel so sad because we did not just have worked smoothly but we build friendship. The advantage of not transforming is that you will keep what is in your comfort zone and depriving yourself to grow. Sometimes we are hurt or having a very hard time to let go of things that are dear to us but we should always assess the root cause of the problem for us to act properly.

Why it is about EMERGENCE not control?

Transformation, by definition, is an emergent phenomena - it, therefore, is not predictable nor can it be controlled. The conditions that will best facilitate it can be created. The development that is currently happening in DVC is just a preparation of great and big things that will happen in the coming years. More strategic plan will happen once the K12 program is implemented since there will 2 years that no high school fresh graduated will emerge due to the existence of junior and senior high school.

What kind of LEADERSHIP is required to facilitate transformation?

A transformation leader must be honest and has the courage to say the worst case scenario to make everyone ready for failure. Sometimes we forgot that the opposite of success is failure that is why we feel traumatic if we didn’t make it.

What basic PROCESS is required to create and hold “the Zone of Emergence” necessary for transformation to happen?

The very basic process is to sit down and discuss the zone of emergence then gradually getting the views of the members. Once the data is collected then it easier to proceed to discussing the strategic plan to move on to testing and implementation.

What TOOLS and ENVIORNMENTS are necessary?

Just like any transformation the company must invest on it financially because it will really require document printing, travelling and manpower. Having people that are knowledgeable enough in looking for solutions would be a big help in reducing clutter during the process. In our case, the transformation is not that tedious because of the support of the administration and the program heads as well as the faculty.

What are the RISKS and how can they be attenuated?

The only risk for the transformation is when we realized that was planned and approved by the body is not enough. We neglected things are very important. If only we did not assumed that it can be given a chance then we could have provided damage control earlier.

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[1] http://www.matttaylor.com/public/papers/transformation_process.htm

[2] http://www.matttaylor.com/public/papers/transformation_process.htm

The Core of an Onion

A company or firm for me is like bulb of onion that it is covered with different layers that protects it inner membrane. Each layer is essential in completing the formation of an onion. The outer layers of the onion are the front runners of the company which deals with the promotion and immediate services needed by the clients. They are the ones that mostly get the physically challenging jobs. If you can observe the inner layer of the onion are more fragile and moist and protected with another thick layer. In the company this can be the people that need to think of the strategies that will help the company to grow and survive. Their creative juices must be well managed because these can be the key in making the success of their objective and goals. The introduction might be a bit crazy due to the comparison that I made. Well, that could be the result of my exposure to a company that is truly keeping their actions into right perspectives. The call center firm that once I got employed with gave me a lot of realization in making his blog about core competence of the corporation. That made it suitable to be the subject for this blog entry.

The Core Competence of the Corporation is part of the key paper of C.K.Prahalad and Gary Hamel who argued that "Core Competences" are some of the most important sources of uniqueness. These are the things that a company can do uniquely well, and that no-one else can copy quickly enough to affect competition. The main point of the argument is that the size and financial component of a company is never an assurance of its long term existence in the industry. Their strengths and weaknesses must be fully recognized to know the areas that need to be improved and maintained to survive. Let us use the 3 indicators in determining if the company is core competence.

1. Relevance: [1]Firstly, the competence must give your customer something that strongly influences him or her to choose your product or service. If it does not, then it has no effect on your competitive position and is not a core competence.

The company deals with the technical service of a popular brand of networking device over the phone. During the first year of my deployment I haven’t experience too much pressure from the company until such time that other competing brand also engaged on the same strategy to establish call centers to provide technical service. Our tact site couldn’t feel the competition because we are just of the job description that we have. But we can feel the pressure on how to execute the strategies of the company to outwit others. Our main goal that time is to sneak on other company’s plan for us to make our ow2n deal that is favourable to the customers. We went through free shipping and free follow up on the products that we troubleshot just to get the ultimate customer satisfaction that we want. And we were successful at that time.

2. Difficulty of Imitation: Secondly, the core competence should be difficult to imitate. This allows you to provide products that are better than those of your competition. And because you're continually working to improve these skills, means that you can sustain its competitive position.

I must say that the product that we have doesn’t need extravagant advertisement because t is already a household for Americans who wants to establish a network in their home. Aside from the fact that it’s cheap yet has a quality of standard it also goes with the latest trend on its functionality and design. That is why the company focuses on the marketing plan just to maintain or increase the number of clients.

3. Breadth of Application: Thirdly, it should be something that opens up a good number of potential markets. If it only opens up a few small, niche markets, then success in these markets will not be enough to sustain significant growth.

The recession became the ultimate challenge at that time that even the competitors are also having difficulties in coping up with the scenario. So the company ventured to anther services not related to the brand but still going to attract customers and that is the support of third party concerns. The main goal of that move is to not waste any calls that are either misrouted to the tact site or the concerned is already beyond our support. And it did prosper.

Since the core competency of the company already tested, there are also factors that made the company failed.

1. [2]No commonly accepted view

In a company, even though they do have managers and subordinates it is very important to collect ideas to come up with one brilliant strategy. The company made it sure that every step must be fully monitored because of the tendency that if the strategy fails a big amount of money will be lost.

2. No wide communications

The company has a lot of tact sites not just in the Philippines but in the entire world. That is why the line of communication between concerned sites must be fully open even if these sites also compete with each other. The number one competitor of the Philippines in this field is India because they do have low wages with less policy.

3. Senior line managers were too "Individualistic”

The old school type of management is that the voice of everyone comes from one person only that is why the head of the company stands out in decision making. But since knowledge is on every one of us, the subordinates are now given the opportunity to speak out and give their opinions.

4. Decentralization

Once each department or division in the company are giving clear tasks and targets there’s no way that the company will crash down. Maintaining the balance in socializing with colleagues and giving them the spot of proving themselves are the keys in bring out the potential of the company and looking for probable solutions for any problems.

With this quick study about core competence in the company made me realized about the importance of doing check and balance is till effective. There are things that can be broadcasted to the public and a lot to stay as a trade secret to prevent others to imitate your own strategies.

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[1] http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_94.htm

[2] http://secure.com.sg/courses/ICI/Grab/Student_Presentations/A02_G18.pdf