Chris Peterson at DSS Consulting Essay

Presentation of the Facts Surrounding the Case The case examines a dispute between Meg Cooke, DSS’s COO and Chris Peterson, newly appointed Southwest Region’s team leader. Cooke appointed Peterson a leadership role for one of the newly structured cross-functional teams designated to create a new integrated budget and planning system. The cross functional teams were tasked with building relationships with existing school districts in their regions and provide them a full range of DSS services and to develop new consulting offerings in response to the district’s needs. (Case 2010) Theses goals were created to facilitate a transition to servicing larger districts rather than the smaller districts, which DSS based it past structure around. Peterson was responsible for creating a successful and efficient team within DSS’s reorganization. The team was responsible for designing and creating an integrated budget and planning system with in a time frame of six months. Cooke was updated of the status and objecti ves of the project periodically. The meeting were short and not effective for either party. After the six month deadline was reached Peterson met with Cooke to provide an update on the status of the project her group had been working on. Cooke decided that Peterson’s project would be discontinued, her team would be reorganized and would not be involved in futures product development. Peterson was convinced that her team and project were excellent. Further examination of the case reveals that there may be significant problems related to the company’s transition and Cooke role as COO. Cooke has several deficiencies in the area of leadership, management style, communication, and teamwork and change management. Regarding Peterson, her exemplary team management and teamwork resulted in group-think, causing her team to lose the ability to make unbiased decisions and effectively evaluate possible risks and alternatives. Identification of the Key Issue(s) Many issued are related to the substantial strategic and organizational changes taking place at DSS. Peterson and Cooke have varied perspectives relating to leadership, management style, communication, teamwork, organizational culture, and change management. Cooke’s leadership is characterized by low regard for creating systems for getting the job done  and for creating a satisfying and motivating work environment. The outcome of such leadership style is disorganization, dissatisfaction and disharmony. Collected evidence suggest that Cooke provided very little leadership to Peterson. Peterson and other associates felt anxious for the uncertainty on how the new organizational strategy would unfold. Cooke was only interested in the outcome of what Peterson and her team were working on at the end of the six month period. Cooke did not pose any questions and did not ask for any status updates throughout the projects duration. When Peterson asked for support for her group and the task they were working on, Cooke did not provide any direct action. Other DSS associates felt that Cooke was playing favorites. Cooke did not involve her employs to feel involved and understand the organizations new purpose and determine the production needs. When employees are committed to and have an interest in the organization success, production and moral typically coincide with positive outcomes. This leads to the organization successfully meeting the designated goals. The ability to have employees buy in to desired goals are promoted by an organizational environment based on trust and respect, which leads to high satisfaction and motivation and, as a consequence, high production. ( MindTools). Cooke gave Peterson the ability to choose her own team members, projects, and location of operations. Cooke did so in a passive manner. In the following follow-up meeting Cooke never expressed any objections to Peterson actions and plans, but when she did present a problem concerning the assistance she required form management and other supporting operations, Cooke dismissed her claims by stating that she would provide the needed help at a later time. Peterson’s behavior and management style influenced her team’s performance, while Cooke’s absence of communication and guidance lead to wasted time and resources on a system that did not meet DSS goals. Listing Alternative Courses of Action That Could Be Taken Better communication needs to be created between mid and upper management. Proper communication will lead to a better understanding of the goals desired. Feedback is provided by upward communication, which makes employees feel involved and can help managers to get employees to understand their concerns (Thrilwall, 2012). Cooke and Peterson communicated scarcely and poorly. No regular meeting were scheduled. When the two did communicate  there was no clear and actionable dialogue. Communication is only successful when both the sender and receiver understand the same information as a result of communication ( MindTools, n.d.) Both Cooke and Peterson should establish regular structured communication. This can be accomplished by setting periodic meetings, written updates via e-mail or memos. These meeting will provide downward communication that will allow information to be dispensed to the team working on the projects in question. These meeting will make Peterson and her team feel mor e involved in the direction of the project and it will also keep Cooke abreast of the attitudes and values of her employees. Cooke can defuse any potential problems before they have a negative impact on the group and the project. Cooke’s could adjust her management style. Her methods when dealing with Peterson and her team lead to confusion. Her managerial control and direction were minimal, due the delegation of direction to Peterson, which allowed her to act with maximum freedom. Peterson was allowed to develop a specific product for a small district regardless of the new DSS strategy to refocus its resources on acquiring larger school districts. Cooke needs to focus on redirecting Peterson and her team to achieving the newly desired mission the organization has set in place. That includes providing a direction and strategy which will integrate the individual and the organization ( Thirlwall, 2012). Peterson displayed her ability to effectively act independently. If Cooke would have provided more control pertaining to the direction Peterson and her group were heading the negative outcome could hav e been avoided. Evaluation of Alternative Courses of Action Better communication needs to be created between mid and upper management. Establishing better communication can provide several benefits for DSS. The first, which would be a necessity for any future DSS strategy to be successful would be team building. Team building can transition an organizations culture from cooperation to collaboration. By establishing team environment employees will feel they are a part of something. The feeling of being involved in something increases the effort employees will place in projects and designated task. Better communication also creates a culture of transparency. When companies encourage employees to communicate honestly without fear of repercussions, transparency will transform from an  ideal to a reality. An environment of honesty promotes respect amongst employees. An increase in communication and honesty can cause increased revenue and innovation. Cooke could adjust her management style. Cooke must be willing to make the needed adjustments to improve her management style. She first needs to understand herself. She has to recognize her flaws, not just in the situation with Peterson but her role in DSS organization. She also has to recognize her strengths. Her ability to identify her strengths and weakness will allow her to build a stronger relationship with her employees. The bonds that she can build with her employees and peers will be reflective of her interpersonal communication skills. This reflection will provide insight into areas in the organization and within herself that require improvement. Cooke will need to continually re-evaluate her management style. Being able to realize what works and what doesn’t is key to being an effective manager ( WordPress, 2009) Recommendation of the Best Course of Action The best course of action is for DSS to create a standard outline for communication prior to and during the lifespan of a project. These guidelines should include timing and require length of meetings, scheduled times for updates via e-mail or in person meetings. Also they should provide the specification for any information that needs to be provided to all person involved in the project in question. The information should be pertinent to the status of the project and personal. Also the supply of information should allow as a segue to any questions or concerns by either party. An open dialogue should be the basis of all communication throughout the projects duration. References MindTools, n.d. Blake Mouton Managerial Grid. Retrieved July 20, 2014 from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_73.htm [Accessed 16 June 2012 MindTools, n.d. Introduction to Communication Skills. Retrieved July 20, 2014 from http://mindtools.com/CommSkll/CommunicationIntro.htm [Accessed 18 June 2012] Organizational Behavior and HRM. Unpublished ed. Emirates Aviation College.Thirlwall, A., 2012. Ineffective leadership in Business, Retrieved from July 22, 2014 btrostle.wordpress.com/2009/11/16/adjusting-your-management-style/

Crumbs bakeshop Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Crumbs bakeshop - Assignment Example Due to this philosophy Crumbs Bake Shop is successfully increasing its customers and is becoming a respected and recognized brand of US. Marketing Strategy of Crumbs Bake Shop consist on internet, radio, television and newspaper advertisement along with in-store efforts. Crumbs invests sufficient amount of money for its promotion, brand differentiation, and brand recognition. Crumbs believes that it is the leader in the market of gourmet cupcakes and makes every possible steps to market itself as perfect store of choice for delicious and attractive cupcakes (Randazzo, 2014). CULTURE: USA is a multicultural state but all its cultures love baked products and this is one of the reasons of Crumbs Bake Shop’s success. People of US likes delicious backed products of Crumbs Bake Shop and by fulfilling customers’ demands the company is successfully growing. SOCIETY: The western society is food loving society especially backed food. The society demands cupcakes and other bakery items and Crumbs Bake Shop knows how to meet customers’ changing demands (Moyer, and  Sullivan, 2014). High consumption of bakery food by US’s society creates more opportunities for Crumbs Bake Shop. One of the greatest strengths of Crumbs Bake Shop is its wide variety of cupcakes. It offers more than 50 different types of cupcakes to its customers (Peterson, 2014). The irresistible and delicious items in its menu delight customers and are one of the main reasons for customer retention. Another strength of Crumbs is its online availability; anyone can buy cupcakes from Crumbs Bake shop online. The major weakness of the company is its limited cash reserves. A growing food chain requires extensive amount of money to meet the expenses but unavailability of cash creates problems for the company. Increasing of too many retail shops within short time period and poor management policies are also a weakness

Response to Progressive Reforms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response to Progressive Reforms - Essay Example The writer of rough draft 2 is of the opinion that progressive reformers did restrain the power of American capitalism. According to the writer, the progressive reformers were successful in their quest by demanding better-working conditions, regulating the economy, and fighting for women rights. The writer’s draft captures the socio-economic part of the reform movement but does not expound on the political aspects that the reformers sought to improve. As such, this draft would be improved by noting that progressive reformers had an impact on American politics by changing the policies and principles that the nation was founded on.   Progressive reformers had an impact on domestic policies as they advocated for the protection of the poor and workers from capitalists tendencies through anti-trust laws. Also, progressive reformers called for redistribution of resources and government regulation of commerce and production. Mooney also notes that progressives advocated for governm ent regulation in the employment of women (60).   The government instituted reforms that enabled poor Americans benefit from the available resources and also regulated aspects regarding commerce and production.   As such, the basis of today’s liberalism that permeates in American politics has its roots from progressivism, showing that indeed progressive reformers affected the political sphere as much as the socio-economic aspects.   The quote to apply and best answer the question as the writer intended would be that the reforms.

Concept of Freedom in Samkhya and Yoga Philosophy Essay

Concept of Freedom in Samkhya and Yoga Philosophy - Essay Example Samkhya exists as one of the oldest and most prominent philosophies in India. Kapila, a great and eminent sage, founded this school. Two philosophical schools arose in India based on Upanishads. These included the Samkhya or realistic and the Vedanta or idealistic. The entire philosophy of Samkhya combines Yoga and Samkhya basic doctrines. However, Samkhya philosophy is representative of theory, while yoga is representative of practical or application aspects (Burley 23). The two have been characterized as practical and theoretical aspects of one system with Samkhya involving the theoretical background to Yoga’s more practical orientation. In this case, Yoga can be seen as a sub-school or branch of Samkhya because it inherits most concepts from Samkhya, although some scholars also argue that Samkhya and yoga have important conceptual and doctrinal differences (Burley 23). However, one of the concepts that the two share in common is freedom. This paper will seek to discuss the concept of freedom in Samkhya and Yoga.... While Samkhya practice has many similarities with classical yoga, samadhi is not a focus in Samkhya as far as freedom and liberation are concerned. However, both practices require asceticism for true freedom and liberation. Samkhya philosophy was essential in the formation of classical yoga and the two philosophies adopted, tested, borrowed, and discarded practices and ideas from one another until, eventually, there was a consistent model that came from each of the approaches with freedom being a central component of each (Burley 32). Samkhya has a dualism that is similar to ancient Jainism where all individuals had separate and unique jivas from other jivas, similar to the purusha in Samkhya that were also believed to be separate (Burley 35). Just like in ancient Jainism, classical yoga and Samkhya practice a form of fierce yoga that involves complete renunciation. However, renunciation by itself in Samkhya does not lead to true freedom from the grasp of Prakriti with discernment al so required. This discernment involves knowledge of the universe and its ways. However, this knowledge is not intellectual because intellect is still considered Prakriti. Discernment increases the ability to develop inner knowledge, which understands what is real and what is ephemeral, which separates the universes apparent from the true reality of the world. While discernment is achieved via reasoning, it also gives one the ability and will of renouncing what is not real, which is the beginning of freedom (Burley 35). The Upanishads from India tell of the soul, also referred to as the soul, which is, ultimately, one that has living and universal consciousness that is called Brahman or absolute. Brahman, which is the source of all that is alive, is

Patient satisfaction of Health Care service quality in Saudi Arabia Research Proposal - 1

Patient satisfaction of Health Care service quality in Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example The study that uses the recipients of the healthcare services as its respondents will also exhibit the cultural diversity in the country to ensure the sample is a representative of the general Saudi Arabian population. Questionnaires will be the key instrument for data collection and the obtained data will eventually be analyzed for the purposes and reflected upon in regard to subject under study. Conclusions and inferences will be made based on the accrued information for the purpose of recommending the suitable healthcare approaches for improving the service quality. Patient satisfaction refers to the feelings of an individual in form of pleasure or disappointment as a result of comparing the perceived performance outcome of healthcare services in relation to the expectations of the individual. In this case, therefore, a performance that is way below the expectations of the patient results in dissatisfaction, whereas the service whose perceived quality is within the patient’s expectations results in satisfaction and delight (Nguyen Thi, Briancon, Empereur and Guillemin, 2002). In the recent days, the healthcare service providers have had to awaken to the challenges, quality, competition, and the marketing realities posed by the consumers of their services. In line with these changes, there has been the emergence of an equally important and related issue, which is the relationship between the care provider and the patient concerning the general evaluation of the quality of health care service (Andaleeb, 2001). There is a marked level of fr ustration among the patients, especially with the recent commercialization of the health care services, weakened relationship between the client and care provider, and the proliferation and bureaucratization of the health care system (Pakdil& Harwood, 2005). In order to realize patient satisfaction in the

Describe your professional progress to this point as well as your Essay

Describe your professional progress to this point as well as your short-term and long-term career goals. How do you expect Fordham Business to benefit your future career needs - Essay Example Finance has always been my area of interest, and I think this is the right time for me to go further in this field as I have not only completed my graduation but I am also determined to establish my professional career as a skilled financial expert and accountant. My family’s professional background has shaped my overall personality, as well as my interest in finance and accounting. Both of my parents have been engaged in business and finance related work since my childhood. Therefore, I have had more exposure to the world of business than many of my peers. When I was little, I often heard from my parents some interesting terms related to business, such as import and export, finance, FDI, and so on. It kindled my curiosity and made me want to learn more, which in turn helped me shape my thoughts about my professional career, so I aimed to become a skilled accountant. Moving to New York City, the world center of business and finance, gave me a new perspective. I came to NYC in 2008, at a time when the world was battling the most severe financial and economic crisis. I asked myself, â€Å"Why does finance have such a strong power on economy? How is everything interconnected?† In search of answers and trying to make the best use of the many opportunities the city offers, I interned at the global headquarters of Ernst & Young during my high school summer vacation of 2010. The few weeks at its financial service department not only helped me understand the way different business verticals are connected, but also reaffirmed my determination to study finance and business management in college. With great interest in business and finance and with excellent academic performance, I was admitted to NYU Stern School of Business in 2011, majoring in both Finance and General Accounting. Through my four-year education at NYU Stern School of Business and internships at different

Video Games Affecting Children Essay Example for Free

Video Games Affecting Children Essay Video games around the world have become immensely popular, a multi-billion dollar industry. An industry which revolves around the wants and desires of children and teens. An industry with a creation of unique entertainment like no other. An industry that continues to grow rapidly. Hours and hours are spent each day by youths playing these games, but are they really good for them? Are they educational? Games which educate a child’s mind exist but they wouldn’t be as popular as your top seller shooting game. Nowhere even close. Here I am today to tell, to inform, and to enlighten parents on the dangers of letting your child play these violent games. As a child, I found that my parents seemed to push away all sorts of violent games, no matter how badly I wanted them. It didn’t seem to make sense at first but as I grew older, I saw the younger generation getting addicted to games like these and without doubt, showed a different behaviour and attitude. In this modern age, a child or teen is quite likely to have a gaming console or access to the internet or a friend who does. With these, they can play or access games which may contain violent content. As youths play these games in excess, they tend to act out what they may see or hear in front of their friends and family. It gives them a tendency to act aggressive and violent. They learn new things, like bad language. They may use foul language against their friends and possibly repeat violent stunts at home. These games are full of foul language, bloody scenes and criminal behaviour. It gives them a prospect for confrontation with peers, with siblings, with parents and even with their teachers. They engage in fights which in turn could cause possible decline in their studies. They could even brush aside their school work to sit in front of a television because it’s like an addiction to them. The question is: should parents be encouraged to disallow their son or daughter to be entertained by these types of video games? The answer is up to you, as parents. It is up to you to observe whether you see a change in attitude among your kids and if in a negative way, then you should take action in order for your child to behave in an appropriate manner among people. Games like these are everywhere, so your child will grow up in an environment where they will play them. Although, it is always recommended to look at the age rating of the game before you buy it, to see whether or not your son or daughter fits into the category of restriction. You can even set limits on how long they should be allowed to play games, just so they don’t get too involved with the theme of the game. It’s absolutely paramount for a child to grow up in a positive environment. In my opinion, games that involve the likes of drugs, bloodshed, criminal behaviour, foul language and violence should not be banned, but put into higher restriction everywhere. There should be more age limitations and games that involve hostility at a lower level. So parents, do you know what games your children are playing? Have a look.