Another country that is growing their economy at rapid pace is Colombia. Colombia is located on the North West edge of South America. This country shares borders with the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The climate is that of other local countries positioned along the equator which is very tropical. With a population topping 46 million, they have an official language of Spanish and 90% of their population follows the Roman Catholic religion. (CIA) Year after year their economy is improving and on the right path to continuing their growth.

Year after year their economy is steadily growing and they are making an impact all the way down in South America. Currently, they rank 32^nd in the world for their economy. (CIA) Part of this is due to their extremely low unemployment rank, which recently fell to 8.8%. There was also a job increase of 156,000 when compared to the previous year. (Colombia reports) Heritage.com, a website who produces country’s economic rankings, projects Colombia’s ‘country score’ increasing year after year from a 68 to a 72, out of a possible 100, from 2011 to 2015. (heritage) It is safe to say that the economy is booming and there are a few reasons why.

Petroleum is the main export of Colombia, accounting for over 45% of it. The world has a high need for petroleum and it is only continuing to grow. (Wikipedia) Colombia also ranks 2^nd in the largest producer of domestic electronics and appliance in Latin America, falling short to Mexico. (Wikipedia) But, their biggest growth does not come from either of their two power houses. Growth in the past year has been mainly driven by giants in the sectors of construction (17.2%), services (6.3%) and agriculture (6.1%). (curacaochronicle) Colombia is heading down the right path to be Latin America’s top economy.

There are a variety of factors that contribute to the overall success of the economy of Colombia. Additionally, I believe that Spanish being their official language, and how it is so widely used throughout the world, plays a role in conducting business also. No having as much as a language barrier may open up more possibilities. The unemployment rate is down and the economy growth of jobs, exports, construction, and more are going up. Colombia’s economy is continually improving year after year and will hopefully continue that route in the future.

References

CIA. (n.d.). The World Factbook. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/co.html

Damsgaard, N. (2014, June 27). Colombia’s unemployment rate lowest in 14 years: govt. Retrieved from http://colombiareports.com/156000-jobs-created-may-colombias-national-statistics-agency/

Edition. (2014, July 22). Colombian economy grows 6.4 percent, follows China as fastest growing country – Curaçao Chronicle. Retrieved from http://curacaochronicle.com/region/colombian-economy-grows-6-4-percent-follows-china-as-fastest-growing-country/

Heritage. (n.d.). Colombia Economy: Population, GDP, Inflation, Business, Trade, FDI, Corruption. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.heritage.org/index/country/colombia

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Economy of Colombia – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Colombia

 

When some Americans hear about the Middle East, they instantly think sand, deserts, and camels. Not only is that highly stereotypical, there is always more than meets the eye. When western people hear the country Saudi Arabia, they instantly think of oil. That makes sense because they are currently the world’s largest oil producer and largest exporter. (Royal Embassy) But what not a lot of people know or realize, is that Saudi Arabia is also very technically inclined, especially when concerning biometrics.

When you learn about a culture that you are unfamiliar with, you need to approach it with an open mind. Here in America, if someone were to ask me for my DNA or biometric data, I would simply reply “Get a warrant”. Saudi Arabia, however, on the other hand has a huge initiative towards collecting and using biometric data. “Fingerprints and biometrics will be taken at the time of entry into Saudi Arabia and/or upon renewal of the dependent’s Iqama.” (Relocate). Iqama, before mentioned, is a type of passport. This is very important to know before travelling to the country, because here in the United States, you need a court document to obtain something like that.

Citizens and foreigners are required to submit data in an attempt to eradicate crime. “Saudi Arabia plans to build one of the biggest biometric centers in the world, which will contain the eye, facial and finger imprints of almost 30 million people, a biometric expert told local media.” (Riyadh) This is a huge push and a great step in the right direction in order to deter crime. Since everyone’s data will be on file, there will be a much higher success rate in identifying criminals. Of course, this brings up a ton of ethical dilemmas and scenarios, but after initially being reject, the users later accepted it after realizing the benefits. (Riyadh)

In a 2014 article researchers found that “52 percent of smartphone users want to use their fingerprints instead of passwords and 48 percent are interested in using eye-recognition to unlock their screen. A total of 74 percent believe that biometric smartphones will become mainstream during 2014.” (Jeddah) When hacking is a common talked about event that happens daily, security is a must. Technologists and everyday people alike are seeing the increase need of security. Biometrics is a pretty good way at developing a new way to secure things.

Learning about a country that you plan on visiting is a great idea to familiarize and prepare yourself. Understanding cultural differences is a great step but also learning about something important like the big push of biometrics that Saudi Arabia is implementing. I could definitely understand the hesitation from westerners because this is something definitely out of the norm for us. But by knowing this beforehand, would allow us to handle the situation accordingly instead of being blindsided by it.

(Image courtesy of “http://www.secretsofthefed.com/bankers-ready-give-finger-barclays-launch-blood-flow-access-screening/”)

References

Jeddah. (2014, January 9). Top 10 tech trends for 2014 in Saudi Arabia. Retrieved from http://english.alarabiya.net/en/media/digital/2014/01/09/Top-10-tech-trends-for-2014-in-Saudi-Arabia-.html

Relocate. (2015, February 23). Saudi Arabia: Dependent Visa holders subject to biometric submission. Retrieved from http://www.relocatemagazine.com/news/reeditor-02-2015-saudi-arabia-dependent-visa-holders-subject-to-biometric-submission

Riyadh. (2014, March 21). World’s largest biometric center planned | Arab News. Retrieved from http://www.arabnews.com/news/543586

Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia. (n.d.). Oil. Retrieved October 11, 2015, from https://www.saudiembassy.net/about/country-information/energy/oil.aspx

 

Synergy of Teams at Work

Synergy is a collaboration of a team of individuals in order achieve a common goal. In order for that synergy to happen, a team must be developed. The process of becoming a team doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time and experience. “Most agree all teams go through the four states of forming, storming, norming, and performing.” (Moran). I am currently a member of a team of 15 coworkers at Verizon that have over three years of working with each other. Each of the four states that a team goes through is crucial in order to achieve synergy in the organization.

Forming is the first state and is basically an introduction to the team. Everyone has their own personal reason for being here and everyone is aware that there are certain goals and tasks to get started on. “This stage can last for some time, as people start to work together, and as they make an effort to get to know their new colleagues.” (Mind Tools). This is a very important state in which the group learns about their counterparts and start the very beginnings of working together. When my team first started, we did a variety of common business exercises in order to get to know each other through our training, by taking turns to tell a little bit about ourselves and a fun fact. Once the introductory state is out of the way we progress to the second state.

Storming is the state where many teams fail. Once everyone gets to know each other, differences may arise which can cause tension, arguments, and other issues. “Storming often starts where there is a conflict between team members’ natural working styles.” (Mind Tools). In my team, we use a proprietary system that is custom and unique to the company. Many of the members were against using it and knew other ways that were better, but because there is a specific process that has to be followed, we had to accept that and move forward. Teams who successfully make it through this crucial state have a much higher chances of success.

Norming is the state of acceptances and perseverance. Team members recognize each other’s differences and are willing to work together for the sake of the team.  As members get to know each other more and strengthen their relationship, new issues may arise. “There is often a prolonged overlap between storming and norming, because, as new tasks come up, the team may lapse back into behavior from the storming stage.” (Mind Tools). At Verizon, we continually did small activities that everyone participated in and had a role in to enforce cohesion. After this there is only one state left.

Performing is the state where everyone is motivated, knowledgeable, and cooperating with each other. “The team members are now competent, autonomous and able to handle the decision-making process without supervision.” (Mind Tools). This is where synergy is really starting to take place. When my team reached this state we were able to work effectively with each other, affect constructive criticism, and grow with each other in order to achieve our goal in working for our company.

There are four states in which a team must go through in order to achieve synergy. This process is not an easy or a quick one, but is commonly agreed that it is necessary in order for a team to be successful. Not all teams are able to successfully make it through and some end up failing. Each company or organization may handle the growth and development of each state differently, but they all have a common goal at the end and that is to achieve synergy.

 

References

Learn Management. (n.d.). Forming, Norming, Storming, Performing : Tuckman Group Formation. Retrieved October 4, 2015, from http://www.learnmanagement2.com/formingnormingstormingperformingbrucetuckman.html

Moran, Robert T.; Abramson, Neil Remington; Moran, Sarah V. (2014-02-24). Managing Cultural Differences (p. 268). Taylor and Francis. Kindle Edition.

Mind Tools. (n.d.). Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing – From MindTools.com. Retrieved October 4, 2015, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_86.htm

 

Change is something that everyone has to go through, especially a business. When a bigger or better product comes out, you have to compete in order to thrive. In the wireless communications industry, there are a few key big name companies that run the market. At one point, there was a company who basically started the industry by selling the world’s first mobile phone, but failed to adapt to change and is now struggling to keep up. Motorola is a company who blazed the trail but fell short in keeping up with the market and adapting to change.

Motorola has roots dated back to 1928, but was in a much different business than they are today. Back then their focus was car radios in which they were the first to produce in a brand new market. But this wouldn’t be their only first production. They were the first to launch a variety of products that other companies learned, improved, and became better well known for.

Motorola developed the first pager, which eventually led to the world’s first cell phone. In a brand new market, in which they were the first company in it, they should have capitalized and dominated. They could have controlled the market by expanding their research and technology team to constantly come up with better improvements. Instead other companies such as Apple pushed them out and took over the market. Now Motorola struggles to compete with their own ‘Droid’ lineup.

Another huge area they missed out on was wireless networking. In the IT industry there are two main competitors, Linksys and Cisco. Everyone in the industry knows about them because they continually put out great products year after year. But a little known fact is that Mottorola was the first company to actually put out the first wireless cable modem gateway. If you have internet in your house from any major cable provider such as Comcast, Verizon Fios, Time Warner, or Cox Cable, you almost certainly have a newer version of the old wireless cable modems.

Motorola is a company who peaked at 150,000 employees who failed to keep up with change and is now struggling in the market. They had many opportunities to dominate the market with being the first company to come out with a variety of world famous products, but failed to clinch at an opportunistic time.

References

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Motorola – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved September 27, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola

Communication Errors

            In this day and age, there are a variety of ways to communicate with someone. You can reach to them by a simple phone call, text message, email, or even now-a-days, use social media like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get your message across. Sometimes, a simple post, picture, or tweet can be taken the wrong way by someone. People’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions are on display on these networking sites that instead of bringing people together, tend to tear them apart. Communication may not always be as clear to one, as others, on social media websites.

One of the biggest personality types that I see on social media is egocentrism, especially when it comes to sports or controversial topics. “Egocentrism is an inability to take on other people’s perspectives.” (Dr. Redmond). With the start of the 2015 National Football League’s season, there has been a plethora of posts on these sites about people rooting for their favorite players and degrading the ones they don’t like. Just the other day, one of my friends posted a status about the Steeler’s quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, and how good he is going to be. This immediately prompted a response from someone who is not a fan of Roethlisberger. They continued to go back and forth for over an hour posting over two dozen times each through a combination of offensive and defensive listening. They were constantly looking for opportunities to turn the others words against themselves and post information that backed up their reasoning. Throughout the entire post, neither side gave up any ground, and refused to see the other’s perspective at all.

The amount miscommunication that happens on social media is staggering. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen a friend post song lyrics only to have an estranged relative respond asking them if they are okay. Another common situation that happens is when someone believes they are being ill spoken of, when in reality, that’s not always the case. Someone may post an angry message about an unknown party, which others think that it is about them. This is called subtweeting. “In Twitter parlance, subtweeting is the act of tweeting about a person without including his or her Twitter handle. It’s the online version of talking behind someone’s back.” (buzzfeed.com).

Communication does not always have to be verbal and with the extensive reach of communication on the internet, we have to be just as aware as if it was a face to face conversation. There are a variety of variables in our communication that affect how we understand each other. I believe that being more open minded is the best way to go about nonverbal communication. What someone’s intent of a message could be possibly taken a variety of ways. Asking others for clarification is a good solution to ensuring the correct message is being portrayed.

Dr. Redmond, B. (n.d.). OLEAD410: Leadership in a Global Context. Retrieved September 20, 2015, from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/olead410/001/content/04_lesson/03_page.html

Reinsberg, H. (2013, March 19). What Is A Subtweet. Retrieved from http://www.buzzfeed.com/hillaryreinsberg/what-is-a-subtweet#.sm106B2qqX

 

Political views are a very diverse subject in which many people share the exact same and the exact opposite views. There has been a big surge in the news, recently, with the upcoming presidential election that is less than a year away. Rather than the typical affiliations as a Republican or Democratic Party that the United States has seen go toe to toe each election, there is a third growing group identified as the Independent Party. Additionally, there are currently 221 state representatives with affiliations to 39 different Parties (ballotpedia.org). Each party shares their own general beliefs while each core member may share some or all of their party’s beliefs showing the true diversity among people of the same citizenship.

There are many core values that each party has a stance on for topics such as economic ideas, military issues, gay marriage, abortion, and more. Some people use these stances as a basis on which to or not to identify with. For instance, the average Democrat would agree with decreases on military spending, support of gay marriage, oppose the death penalty, and support universal healthcare (diffen.com). Republicans would be the opposite on the aforementioned topics. This is where our cultural and personal diversity comes in to play. It is not uncommon to see a Democrat who is for an increase on military spending and is in support of abortion. Just because someone identifies with a particular party does not mean that they have to agree with everything that party believes in.

In our lesson we learned about deep-level diversity which “refers to differences that a person has acquired through learning” (worldcampus.com). People have the ability to identify with one party, no parties, or all the political parties. Someone who believes and values something can change their way of thinking through research, findings, cultural beliefs, religious beliefs, or personal experiences. For example, someone could be pro-choice (for abortion) but recently has a new found learning through religion and has changed their way of thinking to pro-life (anti-abortion). Sometimes through learning one’s personal beliefs may change or strengthen due to the experience.

Political views in America are filled with a large amount of diverse beliefs that can bring people together and force them apart. Although you may not personally agree with someone’s political views, respecting their opinion is crucial in order to maintain a relationship with that person. With the presidential election coming up, political views and opinions tend to be a hot topic for discussion in everyday life. This is a time were tensions can run high and feelings towards a belief can affect someone’s view of another. Understanding and being open-minded towards others is a key success in order to be a leader on a global scale.

 

References

Democrat vs Republican – Difference and Comparison | Diffen. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www.diffen.com/difference/Democrat_vs_Republican

Dr. Redman, B. (n.d.). OLEAD410: Leadership in a Global Context. Retrieved September 10, 2015, from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/fa15/olead410/001/content/03_lesson/03_page.html

List of political parties in the United States – Ballotpedia. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://ballotpedia.org/List_of_political_parties_in_the_United_States