Postmodern: Emotions, no-collar: 5 W's

 Who: Avoiding conflict (and resolving it when it does occur) in the workplace is an important topic that should be taken up by all members of the company. It might be more important for people of authority who are trying to unite team members.

What: Conflict is not tangible but rather an atmosphere that is held within the workplace. It can be a disagreement amongst two or more individuals or groups of people. Resolving this requires teamwork on both parties, through cooperation, communication, and clarity.

When: Conflicts can occur at any time within the workplace, usually around a larger project.

Where: At work, in board meetings, in lunch conversations, etc.

Why: Resolving conflict helps people of a group to reunite and make the work atmosphere more positive. In addition, through tribulation, it helps the team to grow and bond, proving that they can work through any minor obstacles that may be thrown their way.

Telling My Story

The setting is April 2020. I am 15 years old, and this new disease called COVID has shook the planet. Now, focussing on me, I am a grade 11 student unsure of what I am going to do after high school; the only thing I am sure about is my need to make money. I was planning on getting a vehicle soon, so I figured I should start looking for jobs, to be able to get the vehicle I wanted. I applied at various places, including McDonald's, Sobeys, and the local golf course, all with no response. The final and last place I applied at, Superstore, was the place I was least expecting to get into. It would have been too good to be true. It was the closest to my house, and was one of my favourite places to shop. After applying for lots of jobs, with no response, I begin to lose hope. Two weeks after I apply, I get a call-back from Superstore. They called to arrange a phone interview with me. I was so excited, my first job! Soon to be let down again, I got a call back from the hiring agent, who said that after looking over my resume, she saw that I was only 15, and too young to be hired. I was devastated. A couple of days later, she calls back and says that I can get the job, only if I do these youth work courses online. Of course, I do them and am getting excited (and nervous) about my first day of work. Once I get there, I am devastated. The hours are soo long, the department is filled with middle-aged men who I would not usually talk to, and my job is really demanding. I thought to myself, I'm not just going to quit because it's hard at the beginning. I keep going. I learn a lot of skills along the way. Now, somewhat selfishly, I would consider myself to be one of the best in my department. I learned skills that only managers have, got great at customer service, and gained the respect of everyone there (along with building some fantastic relationships with people at all levels of the company). One day, during a conversation with one of the assistant store managers, a light bulb went off. I want to go into business. Maybe not in the direction of management, but this line of work interested me. This was at the time of university applications, so I decided to look at the universities that have management programs. After some guidance from my then-teacher and the support of my parents, I ended up at CMU. I have learned some great skills and knowledge in my 7 months of being here. The skills at my work and university are interchangeable, and I find that to be really exciting. Perhaps I might be the next manager, but who knows, maybe I can shoot higher than that. Wishful thinking helped me before.

Telling Tales: Meme

Stories have a time and a place at work. In a board meeting, such as the one pictured above, story-telling might not be appreciated. However, stories are an important communication strategy to convey ideas and events to other people. In addition, story-telling engages the heart, rather than the mind (which we are very much used to in this data-driven world). It allows people to bring out a different side of themselves in which they may not be used to at work, which can be a good and bad thing. However, stories must be told in a way that is conducive to the productivity of the meeting, conversation, etc. This is the difference between a good and bad story told at work. How could more story-telling change your work experience?

The image above not only retells the theme of humanity, but more specifically, captures the individuality of people through their varying opinions. It drives home the point that while there is a set of written and unwritten rules in the workplace, these rules can be shaped to incorporate story-telling as a way to convey information. I chose this image because its input depicts three very different opinions of story-telling. The verisimilitude of the image is very real, showing a picture of three humans (verisimilitude goes down with added captions, of course). The modality is using an image of humans to drive home the point about stories and to further reinforce the theme of humanity.

Power and Resistance at Work: Meme

 People think that because they are higher up within an organisation, they carry more power than others. While this is the case in many cases, it is certainly not consistent. For example, while there may be a woman in power within an organization, there may be a large imbalance of men vs women in the workplace, making the women in power feel less powerful (in the ability to communicate their ideas to men who have different thought processes). I had a conversation like this at work a few weeks back: when the female store manager left, the other female managers at the workplace felt less comfortable and less empowered than before. This is one example of many how, even though one may be in a position of power, they may not always feel like it.

Photo source: When I start clapping and everyone else starts to clap - 9GAG

How to Become an Authentic Speaker: 5 W's

 Who: It is more important for people higher up in the company or group setting who pose ideas that can shift the business trajectory, but it can be important for people of all levels within the structure. The who that the people are speaking to could be potential investors, bosses, etc.

What: Speaking authentically means to speak naturally and comfortably (being yourself). This can be done by rehearsing the speech and so it comes off as natural (not simply reading from a script) and being open to connect and hear from the audience. Having a passion for the topic that is being presented can also help in having a more authentic speech, along with possibly being more knowledgeable with the subject area. Coming off as being fake can have huge implications for the people you are trying to converse with.

When: Can be done at any time.

Where: Can be done anywhere.

Why: People who speak authentically are generally more accepted and believable among the people who are listening to them speak, and thus, people want to make speeches and conversations sound as authentic and 'from the heart' as possible.

Comms, Culture, Organizing: Free Write

 In a work culture, people of authority should try to maintain supportive conversations with their colleagues and direct reports whenever possible. However, this is not always possible. Humans are prone to disagreements because of everyone's uniqueness and individuality, and thus, each person will have their own thoughts on a topic that is slightly different from someone else's opinion. Thus, these defensive behaviours are impossible to avoid in the workplace, but I believe that there are some solutions to allow for more supportive communication. First, people presenting a topic to someone else should be open to suggestions and convey that they are willing to do so. Second, it is important to remember that everyone should be treated fairly and with respect in the workplace. When people lord their position over someone else of a lesser rank (as highlighted in the chapter) it can make them feel insecure about their own job. Pushing back from this egocentric view by people of authority can help to make the atmosphere in the workplace a more positive place.

For this free write, I strived to reinforce the importance of unity within the workplace, while also respecting each other's individuality. I decided to have more casual wording and sentence structure, as this was a personal reflection of the topic. A generalisation of the topic to all sectors of work allows readers to connect and think back to their own experiences in the workplace, while narrowing into the traditional workplace, by assuming that most places readers work follow a traditional hierarchical structure.

Is Silence Killing Your Company: Meme

 Donald Trump is a figure in popular culture that is not embarrassed by what he says to the media, or the consequences that could follow his words. While this is very good in some situations, the consequences of speaking up could outweigh the power behind the words themselves. Yet, many companies find a lack of development when employees do not speak up. These people often hide behind their silence to keep a boss's respect, and to keep their job secure. Again, this silence within companies come with their own consequences: a lack of communication between people being a primary example, along with the holding on of ideas that could help the company grow. Donald Trump (and other politicians) use their words to make advancements within their country. What is stopping people from using words to advance their companies and careers?

Orgs as Comm Systems: Meme

     This image is a demonstration of the chaos that can ensue in a workplace if all workers are not on the same page about a topic or the use of a certain technology. Certain work data can get hidden from employees simply because they were not taught how to use the technology. To ensure this doesn't happen, leaders need to step up, encourage people to ask questions regarding any new technology or ideas, and ensure that people get the training that they need to accomplish their tasks in an appropriate manner.

Image link: Making friends with the hysterias of confusion, grief, shame, & blame | power of language blog: partnering with reality by JR Fibonacci (wordpress.com)