Individualism in a Pandemic

October 26, 2021 by onv5001 5 Comments

As I was reading through our last lesson, I immediately felt connected to the concept of individualism. North America, excluding Mexico, scored high in this category at 81. Similar to golf, countries should strive to score lower on the scale that references individualism. For reference, countries with lower scores and thus, lower rates of individualism have higher preferences of teamwork, unity, and the overall good of everyone compared to individualistic cultures that are centered around individual people putting themselves first and making their goals (Penn State World Campus, 2021).

When I saw that North American has such a high score, thus emphasizing the importance Americans put on individual choices, competitive markets, achieving success no matter the consequences of others set in and I was able to connect the concept to the pandemic. Months ago I saw on an article or the news the connection American individualistic culture had on the way the pandemic had been handled.

In individualism, it is all about the individual and not the collective whole of a community or country. This sounds simple enough but it even affects the choices we make on a day-to-day basis because we, as a whole, care more about ourselves than the benefit of others and the greater good of a community. When Covid-19 hit, organizations such as WHO and the CDC came out with recommendations that consisted of staying at home a much as possible, wearing a mask and social distancing when you do have to go out, and now getting a vaccine. America had an especially hard time following these simple recommendations and part of the reason, I believe, is because of how individualistic we are. The emphasis of the precautions put into place was to protect others with weak immune systems from getting sick, yet that didn’t stop Americans from refusing to wear a mask up to the point of physically assaulting public workers when asked to do so or being more concerned about the feeling of a mask vs. accidentally infecting someone. The risk of putting another in harm’s way was also not enough for people, including celebrities, to have “covid parties” just like they would have before there was a pandemic.

And the result of these individualistic actions: one of the highest rates of Covid-19 in the world, and some of the highest death rates to follow. Hospitals became too full to take on new patients, even ones that are not sick with covid. Families lose loved ones and while they are going through grief, they also now have medical/funeral expenses on a lower income caused by not having the deceased member to work anymore, and losing jobs/hours to the pandemic. This is especially alarming because we did/are doing worse than some third-world countries that had less access to healthcare and less ability to get ahold of protective equipment such as masks.

While it is okay to have individualistic tendencies or some aspects of it mixed into cultural beliefs, having too much leads to selfish mindsets and behavior, as seen in the recent 18 months.

References

Penn State World Campus (2021). Lesson 09: Central America and Mexico. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2146712/modules/items/32847697.

Blog Entry #1- Egocentrism in Communication

September 18, 2021 by onv5001 3 Comments

Communication is a wonderful yet tricky concept to navigate. While effective communication is efficient, helpful and leaves everyone with what we think of as a mutual understanding–it comes with struggles and faults that cause the wrong, actually misinterpreted, message to go through to someone. One common error in communication stems from egocentrism; the inability to see another’s perspective (Penn State World Campus, 2021).

Egocentrism creates limits in the way we communicate because not only can our communication reflect only our perspective, but sometimes it is only read in one perspective as well. Studies have found up to 1/4 of communication can be misinterpreted or otherwise negatively affected by egocentrism (Penn State World Campus, 2021).

I myself have experienced egocentrism at work through the messaging system our company uses for employee’s timestamps and scheduling. Managers are able to send us messages that we individually see on a computer when we log in to create a timestamp. In theory, this is a nice way to get a quick message out to employees regarding a meeting, an important announcement regarding our fast-changing work environment, etc.

One day while clocking in, my co-worker noticed a message from one of our managers with the subject “Do better please” and a short message along the lines of “Everyone needs to be doing little things to help the store like picking up a piece of garbage when you see it or straightening something out of place when you walk past it”. I felt bad when my co-worker told me about the message because I thought she was singled out. Then a few days later, I had the exact same message on my screen. Turns out, everyone got the message.

I remember seeing the message and I initially felt singled out and like I was approached in a passive-aggressive manner. Why did my manager already assume I wasn’t doing these things? Why couldn’t this be mentioned in a closing meeting?

I felt better when I was able to connect the dots to realize everyone got the same message and someone mentioned it was a test of that particular messaging system. However, my own egocentrism made me feel singled out and ridiculed because I saw it from the perspective of a negative tone.

I do believe the manager that sent the message also had their own egocentrism that limited the meaning of the message. They may have been trying to be helpful and not hurtful and not realize that the message could be interpreted as offensive. They also may not have realized the point of view we read it from–all that we do is not only disregarded in that message but the manager also assumed the worst in us.

To better avoid egocentrism, a mention of the standards/expectations at a closing/opening meeting would allow us to hear the tone of the manager’s voice to interpret the message better. Also, another manager reviewing the manager could edit the message to acknowledge the issue in a more positive approach as well as give a heads up that this was a test so everyone got this message and no one was singled out.

References

Penn State World Campus (2021). Errors in Communication. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2146712/modules/items/32847667.

Global-Minded China

January 21, 2018 by Ericka Diaz Leave a Comment

Advances in internet technology have made our world globally interconnected, and accessible to individuals and organizations from varying cultures and economies. Globalization has taken countries like China and India that are traditionally thought of as “Third World” countries, or developing nations that are moving from agricultural to industrial or postindustrial stages, into free-market economies with innovative and lucrative high-technology sectors (Abramson, et al., 2018). In fact, according to Abramson, et al. (2018, p6), “China will soon be the number-one English-speaking country in the world by population.”

The emergence of China as a global leader should come as no surprise. According to an article in the Economist, Shekou (2017), cites an audacious, talented and globally minded generation of entrepreneurs as the driving force that took China from innovating through counterfeit goods to their current position as an emerging superpower. It seems that China always has the entire world in mind when it develops new technological innovations. A great example of this is the Chinese e-marketplace, Taobao. I recently discovered Taobao while researching some Christmas purchases I wanted to make. The website combines lots of shops like Amazon & Ebay, and sells everything from dental floss sticks to authentic luxury goods at Chinese prices! Americans save by shopping on Taobao because our dollar is currently worth $6.40402 Chinese Yuan (The Money Converter, 2018).

The website can be translated using Google Chrome, but if you don’t use Chrome you can watch one of the various you tube tutorials that explain how to search, purchase, and set up shipping. The website is an innovation that highlights the global mindset of the Chinese. Taobao is a subsidiary of Alibaba, China’s largest online wholesale and e-commerce company (Wright, 2014). Alibaba was created to meet the e-commerce needs of China’s enormous population, growing middle class, and its influx exporters, but was designed considering the user experience of individual consumers around the world. This speaks directly to the culture of global mindedness that is embodied by the Chinese people. China seems to recognize its dependence on global accessibility, and has developed educational, economic, and association systems that form a global minded culture that values interconnectivity and inspires innovation.

Taobao offers easy payment options using Alipay, a platform that functions much like PayPal by accepting payments and holding them in escrow pending customer receipt and review of goods. It is supported by Chinese banking institutions and has over half a billion users worldwide. The business review section of MIT Technology Review featured an article that describes Alipay as a technology that is leading “a Digital Finance Revolution in China” (Larson, 2015). According to Larson’s (2015), article, “McKinsey Global Institute estimates that by 2020, Chinese e-tailing could generate as much as $650 billion in sales, and China’s market “will equal that of the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France combined today.” It is clear that a country with a culture that values thinking globally will experience financial advantages in our increasingly diverse business marketplaces.

I was further impressed to find that the China had also responded to the international interest in their marketplace by setting up websites that act as shopping agents! Superbuy is one of those websites, and they assist customers by negotiating price, inspecting products, facilitating customer quality checks, and managing the shipment of products to oversea and international consumers. You simply find the product you want to purchase on Taobao, and make your purchase on Superbuy. When I discovered this cite and its functionality I immediately thought about the customer from China who might be interested in making a purchase from Amazon or Ebay, but cannot read English or pay in US currency. A consumer would certainly feel valued and shop with confidence if someone who could speak their language was helping them through the process.

China has proven that a national culture that is long-term oriented, global minded, able to consider the consumer beyond its own borders will innovate in ways that contribute to our global marketplace and spur the economic and intellectual growth of its people. Evidence of this can be found in the intellectual prowess of the Chinese population wherein “Twenty-five percent of the population in China with the highest IQs and 28 percent in India are greater than the total population of North America” (Abramson, et al., 2018).

A culture that is short-term oriented (PSU WC, L2, 2018) and seeks to only solve the problems of today without giving thought to tomorrow, or that is so individualist as to underestimate its dependence on other nations will not succeed in our converging global marketplace. Americans can learn a lot from the globally inclusive Chinese, and the importance of avoiding ethnocentricity.

References

Larson, C. (2015). Alipay Is Starting to Look Like the Future of Chinese Banking. MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 22 January 2018, from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/534001/alipay-leads-a-digital-finance-revolution-in-china/

Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2018). OLEAD 410 Lesson 2: Introduction to Culture. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1916378/modules/items/23640507

The Money Converter. (2018). Convert United States Dollar to Chinese Yuan | USD to CNY Currency Converter. Themoneyconverter.com. Retrieved 22 January 2018, from https://themoneyconverter.com/USD/CNY.aspx

Shekou. (2017). The next wave: China’s audacious and inventive new generation of entrepreneurs. Economist.com. Retrieved 21 January 2018, from https://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21729429-industries-and-consumers-around-world-will-soon-feel-their-impact-chinas-audacious-and

Wright, C. (2014). Forbes Welcome. Forbes.com. Retrieved 22 January 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/chriswright/2014/09/16/so-what-exactly-is-alibaba/2/#716a867c5855

Hello! :)

January 14, 2018 by Ericka Diaz 2 Comments

Hello!

I am a fourth year senior in the Organizational Leadership program. This is my last semester, and after one summer class, I will graduate this (August) and go on to pursue an MBA.

I live in Northeastern CT, and am a full-time student enrolled in 18 credit hours this semester. I was self-employed from 2009 to 2014 when I began PSU full-time. Last semester I took 15 credit hours and worked a temporary full-time job at an insurance company.

Most of my leadership experience comes from starting my small business which is still in operation and is run by my partner. As a self-funded small business owner, I was charged with leading over 200 independent contractors who worked as sales people. I developed our website, marketing strategy and materials, our training program, wrote our proposals, negotiated our supply contracts, and projected our sales volume. I also led, trained, and developed our sales team. I plan on either working in marketing or HR when I graduate.

My long-term plans include a leadership development company that helps individuals and organizations develop stronger skills, self-awareness, and their professional brand; and an executive role leading a marketing, product development, or talent development program for a large corporation.

My interests include listening to NPR podcasts, cycling, binge watching a really good series, hiking, and kayaking. Most of all I enjoy date nights with my husband and family time with my 2 daughters and stepson. Something interesting about me is that I routinely “go way down the rabbit hole” researching and learning about things that make me curious. This can happen multiple times per week, and serve the purpose of filling my “mental trough” of useless information. For that reason my favorite leadership quote comes from Diane Sawyer who once said in an interview, “Wake up curious, and determined to find an answer”

Good luck to all this semester!

Best,

Ericka

High School Culture

January 21, 2017 by Gabriel DeLong 4 Comments

Among American youth 10-24, suicide is the second leading cause of death (Project, 2016). Perhaps, this is best explained with Meyer (2003) Minority Stress Model, which is based on factors associated with an array of stressors and effective and non-effective coping mechanisms that have an impact on the mental health of members of the LGBTQ community (Dentato, 2012). Because our American culture can be perceived as more heteronormative, meaning that more value is placed on straight relationships and perceived gender rolls, members of the LGBTQ community have a harder time adjusting to school environment, where they may be bullied or made fun of for their sexual orientation.

This weeks reading taught us about the importance of cultural competence when interacting with others who have different values, thoughts and practices than us. Working in a high school, I often hear the phrase “that’s gay” or “don’t be gay” when what students really mean is “that’s dumb” or “don’t be an idiot”. Many of the students who say these things don’t mean to be homophobic, they just grew up in a culture that associates gay people with a lesser value in life and thus, words like these come out. But what how does the student feel when he hears things like that and he is gay?

When I talk to students about this, a common response is that others shouldn’t be so sensitive, or “I didn’t mean it like that”. To me this is a prime example of ethnocentrism, the concept that ones own values, thoughts and cultural experiences are more important and more accurate than those of others (PSU, 2017). This outright disregard for the experiences of others proves that high schools can be hostile environments where gender identity and sexual orientation non-conforming youth for victimization (Toomey, Ryan, & Diaz, 2010).

The question that is raised with this information and the vast literature is how do school leaders and mental health practitioners create an environment that is safe for the LGBTQ community? How do we create social acceptance and responsibility for people who are different than us? I don’t believe that the answer is simple or easy to come by, but I do believe that we have to do something to ensure that schools, a place where adolescents spend the majority of their time, is a safe and affirming place that values them as well as education.

Bibliography

Dentato, M. P. (2012, April). The minority stress perspective. Psychology and AIDS Exchange Newsletter . Washiington, DC, USA.

Project, T. T. (2016). www.thetrevorproject.org. Retrieved 1 21, 2016, from The Trevor Project: http://www.thetrevorproject.org/pages/facts-about-suicide

PSU. (2017). Penn State University World Campus . Retrieved 1 21, 2017, from psu.edu: https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654085

Toomey, R., Ryan, C., & Diaz, R. (2010). Gender-Nonconforming Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth: School Victimization and Young Adult Psychosocial Adjustment. Developmental Psychology , 46 (6), 1580–1589.

Greetings From South Philly

January 9, 2017 by mms6304 1 Comment

My name is Megan. I live just outside of South Philadelphia with my husband and two min pin mixes (no kids for the time being). I love going into the city, doing yoga, reading, and watching movies. My husband and I also enjoy taking our dogs everywhere we go. They’ve gone kayaking and to the dog beach and we’re always taking them on little road trips.

I’m currently working full time as an Office Manager in Blue Bell, PA. My goal is to earn my BS in the OLEAD program, which in turn will help me grow into a leadership role as the company grows. My long term goal is to get my SHRM-CP (Human Resources Certification), and become head of HR for my employer.

My leadership role experience has consisted of project management type settings, team building, and applying what I’ve been learning in my courses at Penn State into my everyday work settings.

My favorite leadership quote is:
“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy

I think this quote is great because it speaks a simple, yet undenyable truth that is standing the test of time. Leadership evolves; what worked twenty years ago, isn’t what works best today. Leaders need to adapt and keep learning to be most effective to their followers.

Best of luck to everyone in their studies!