“Synergy is actually a systemic principle that explains how a team’s collective performance is unpredictable based solely on its member’s individual performances.” (Romero, 2015) Synergy is the staple to the outcomes of a project, and the productivity of a group. Synergy seems to get forgiving if people work together on one common goal, but just as quick, if people for outgroups, and lack synergy there is a possibility that projects fail, and productivity decreases. Synergy is a reflection of common values, and how we work together to distinguish those values creating the ultimate outcome.

Last year I worked with a group of people who lacked synergy, and that is putting it nicely. There was a group of people who worked together and made a positive impact on the department however, there were three people who defined the discord in the office. In other words, they were the reason why the office lacked productivity, and togetherness.

Synergy is more than just togetherness. It’s trust and reliability. It’s honesty and common values. (Romero, 2015) But one thing was missing, and that was leadership from management. It takes a great leader to form a great team. A team does not go to the World Series if they do not have a great leader to take them there. Unfortunately, the manager for the department was all numbers, and wanted nothing to do with making the department a better work environment, or even for the sake of business needs and productivity numbers.

With the lack of motivation and synergy, the office started to have high turnover, which caused the group to become more dysfunctional and in need of a good leader. In the end, there must be a common goal, and leadership to define synergy in a group environment. People need to be on the same page age each other, and be willing to help make the common goal successful, one way or another.

References:

Haddenham Webteam – 23rd February 2016 6:30am. (2016, February 23). Healthcare Hubs? Retrieved February 20, 2018, from http://www.haddenham.net/newsroom/healthcare-hubs.html

Romero, L. E. (2015, December 01). The Ultimate Guide To Team Synergy. Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/luisromero/2015/12/01/the-ultimate-guide-to-team-synergy/#3588f63452f5

No words can describe the fear an angry parent can make someone feel. Parents pick out any and all things that have gone wrong in their child’s day, especially Little League. Last year, Kent Little League went through a major overhaul of new board members. With new members, means new changes. Parents raised concerns about everything, from the rain, which no one had control over, to the communication in the league. As a coach and a board member, I had front row seats to all the complaints. I knew the only thing I could do at that point was listen, write down notes, and promise to use these complaints as fuel to make the next season better.

Spring Season is right around the corner, and I have done everything I could to help the communication be better than ever. Glenn Llopis writes in Forbes, “The reality is that without strategy, change is merely substitution – not evolution.” (Llopis, 2014) After the last game, board meetings started to die down and new board members were to be elected in September 2017. This meant for the majority, we had an idea of how we wanted to make the league better and more positive. You may be wondering how we were going to do this? Let me explain…

I had a conversation with the President of the league and let him know what the concerns were from the previous season and how

I planned to help eliminate some of the complaints. I had a strategy. I knew I had to be one of the leaders on the board at this point. As a Board, we were missing follow through. Everyone had all of these bright ideas, but strategizing and coming together to figure out how to change our ways for the greater good of the league was nearly impossible. I knew this had to change. I already realized how important reactive change was, and I started to implement it within our board. “Cultural changes cannot happen without leadership, and efforts to change culture are the crucible in which leadership is developed.” (Quinn, 2016) Our league was going down the hole. People were forgetting why were were out there volunteering our time in the first place. Knowing the mindset of the current leadership on the league, I had to help make the league a positive place; somewhere more parents wanted to volunteer, and a place where more kids wanted to come out and enjoy the sport.

Going back to the number one concern from parents was communication; we started with a league facelift. We took our old website and created a new look, and user friendly command center where parents can find all the information they need for their Child’s season of baseball. The response from some of the board members was that the old was great, why did we need new… They had issues with change themselves, but soon they would get over their inner challenges, and realize they weren’t doing anything to improve the bigger picture.

During the course of the winter months, the new website became a finished product, and strategies on how to help communication began to be talked about in the board meetings. Change initiatives were developing, and people were beginning to get excited about the season that was fast approaching. Ryan and Robert Quinn explain in a Harvard Business Review article called, Change Management and Leadership Development Have to Mesh, “The bottom-up part of the integrated development and change process requires potential leaders throughout the organization to engage in a process of learning how to enact a desired change in organization’s culture in the everyday experiences of organizational life.” In other words, I believe this is true even in a little league situation like, communication within the league. The league has become a happier, more organized environment where people want to be leaders and help each other make the league better than years before. It takes a team to make an organization profitable, even when it comes to parent complaints. You don’t realize how much they hurt an organization until profits dwindle and numbers drop.

References:

Communication is key to any relationship whether it is a friendship, marriage, or relationship between a colleagues. “Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life”. (Gallo, 2015)  Recently I have had several conversations with my friend, but I have been noticing that I have been having to repeat myself. “Listening is the heart of all successful communications.” (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014)

However there are several different ways people listen to each other. I believe my friend is using the technique called polite listening where she to keep on a conversation, but she lacks active listening. (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014) It’s difficult for me to communicate, but I’ve noticed I may need to low-context communication since she seems to not follow what I’m saying, and doesn’t remember what I say the next time we talk about the same topic.

References:

Gallo, C. (2015, July 07). Forbes Welcome. Forbes Welcome. Retrieved February 05, 2018, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2015/07/07/richard-branson-communication-is-the-most-important-skill-any-leader-can-possess/#185c50dc2e8a

Moran, Robert, Abramson, Neil, & Moran, Sarah. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxford: Routledge.

(n.d.). Science News, Articles, and Information – Scientific American. Talk through a String Telephone – Scientific American. Retrieved February 05, 2018, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/talk-through-a-string-telephone-bring-science-home/

Taken at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room | Seattle, Washington

Inclusive… That’s what some call it. I was a little nervous going in; I didn’t know what to expect. I was in line to use the unisex bathroom for the first time. As I stood in line, I thought to myself, what’s it going to be like, and why is this lady in a Starbucks uniform standing around yelling at everyone to hurry up and “get off your cell phones, your’re just in the bathroom” like a high school hall monitor? As I turned around the corner each stall had floor to ceiling doors, and a sink for all to use. I was worried what the stalls would be like; there’s such a stereotype for males to be a bit messy in the restrooms… After bumping into the gentlemen who was washing his hands at the sink I politely and nervously said, “excuse me”. After my experience I thought, this is good; this is okay. Maybe we are one step closer to inclusion in the workplace too…

Inclusiveness in the workplace should be like a unisex bathroom. We all come together in one general area to handle our business, and have polite interactions with each other, with no judgement – I would have never thought I would compare the office to a public restroom, but it works. It has been the norm for culture to separate men from women. The duties of a man and woman are separated in the workplace too. “Stereotypes go unnoticed by both men and women, as they are so deeply rooted within a culture.” (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014) We are seeing gender equality in different areas of society, but still the workplace needs help. “Workplace gender equality is achieved when people are able to access and enjoy the same rewards, resources and opportunities regardless of gender.” (M., 2013)

When will it all end? When will inclusiveness become the norm for not just public restrooms? Maya Angelou once said, “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”

References:

Do you work at a company that has adapted to culture? Culture by definition means, “A distinctly human means of adapting to circumstances and transmitting this coping skill and knowledge to subsequent generations.” (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014) In other words, older generations will acclimate to the way new generations live, love, speak, and work.  It is difficult for someone to change their ways, especially when they have formed habits. There is a saying, ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ however, companies across the world are changing the way they view cultural changes, and are adapting to the differences.

Culture changes occur throughout history; defining biased opinions, and refining new norms. With that said, organizations have the opportunity to grow with cultural changes and challenges.  Organizations who embrace cultural change are increasing their value in the marketplace at the same time. “Cultural competing is a requirement.” (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014) Culture counts is important and it’s what moves a company to grow and expand while generations change. Donald Sull, writes in the Harvard Business Review explaining businesses need to continue to have inertia; the common cause for all things moving.  (Sull, 1999) “Active inertia is an organization’s tendency to follow established patterns of behavior—even in response to dramatic environmental shifts.” (Sull, 1999)

An example of cultural change in the community several hospitals in the Seattle area have been labeled as “leaders in respecting healthcare equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals.” (UW Medicine, 2013) Culture is identified in several different ways including, but not limited to fashion, communication, relationships, and the way people carry themselves. (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014) The hospitals who recognized the LGBT community have proven acceptance of cultural change; they have shown Confucianism, a way in which the organizations have taken responsibility for educating and understanding the acceptance for the LGBT community and allows older generations to learn and accept the cultural change and allow people who have biased opinions to see their local healthcare organizations are standing behind culture changes, and the new norms of the world.

It’s no surprise that people will not be comfortable with change. Cultures are changing all the time, and with cultural changes there must be education, and understanding. Businesses need to “maximize intercultural experiences, as well as increase professional development and organizational effectiveness” in order to grown and continue to establish a profitable growth. (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014)

References:

During Pride Week through Jul… – Valley Medical Center Office Photo. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2018, from https://www.glassdoor.com/photos/Valley-Medical-Center-Office –Photos-IMG1292927.htm

Sull, D. (2014, July 31). Why Good Companies Go Bad. Retrieved January 18, 2018, from https://hbr.org/1999/07/why-good-companies-go-bad

UW Medicine. (2013, July 11). Valley Medical Called LGBT leader. Retrieved January 18, 2018, from http://www.valleymed.org/newsroom/articles/in-the-news/2013/valley-medical-called-lgbt-leader/

Moran, R.T., Abramson, N.R., & Moran, S.V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. Oxon: Routledge. Pgs. 5, 9, 11-16, 23, 25

Hi, my name is Amanda. I live in Seattle, Washington. I am currently an Office Coordinator for three departments at the local hospital where I take care of daily functions of the office including Kronos (payroll) for over forty people, invoice processing, on boarding for new hires, and much more. I am also the Assistant to one of the Vice Presidents of the hospital. Right now I believe I’m not where I want to be professionally, but I know I’m getting there. I have a long way to go. I have been in my position for almost six months. Previously, I was a lead for one of the medical insurance offices. I have worked in Medical since I was 18. A part of me wants to explore the world and change my career from Medical. The other part of me feels safe where I am. I have been married for almost five years with no children. We have talked about fostering to adopt a child in our community. Hopefully, one day we will find ourselves raising a family. Other than school, work, and my building a life with my husband, I enjoy our Boxer Gem. She is one of the most loving and loyal dogs. Recently we took up a hiking. We are starting with short trail walks and working our way up. In my spare time I like to take pictures, hang out with some friends, family and binge watch Netflix and movies. I am also the secretary on the local Little League Board of Directors. Sometimes I feel like my plate is too full.

One of my favorite leadership quotes is, “Leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.” It’s not just a great quote for work, but it’s a great quote for life. My life to be exact. I have seen my circle grow smaller after starting school and my decisions in life become more mature. I am not just trying to be a leader in my work, but a leader in my household. Making decisions to better myself, my family, and my work team means that sometimes I have to stand alone and make decisions that are the right decision not the decision that is the most popular. I have learned over the years that listening and communicating are two of the most important qualities for a growing personal and business relationship.

Finally, I’m not sure what my long term goal is. I have a few. I have seen how difficult it can be having employees under you. I’m not sold on the idea, but I am also a firm believe that the leader makes the team. I have desired to be a Director or Vice President like my boss, an Executive Assistant to a very smart, well rounded CEO, or a Project Manager. I am swaying towards the project manager as it is something I find interesting. I love to stay busy and organized, and above all, I enjoy seeing a finished project.

Good luck to everyone in class.

Best,

Amanda Lawson