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MGMT 535 (Module 9) Reflection Blog: Course Reflection

MGMT 535 (Module 9) Reflection Blog: Course Reflection When I started this course I didn't really know what to expect.  Based on the title of the textbook, I assumed it would be a lot of info that I was already familiar with, but presented in a different way.  While there were a lot of concepts and information I was familiar with, there was lots of other information in the textbook that I was not aware of or had not considered.  I will also say that in previous classes, it was difficult for me to choose a classmate to respond to as part of the discussion post requirements.  I have to feel inspired by something they said in order to give genuine feedback.  I can honestly say that throughout this course, I had a difficult time only choosing two or three classmates to respond to because their posts and responses were filled with so much experience, information, and inspiration. Like many of the others in this course, I feel like I really gained a lot from the "...
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MGMT 535 (Module 8) Reflection Blog: Innovation

MGMT 535 (Module 8) Reflection Blog: Innovation When I read this week's chapter on innovation I couldn't help but reflect on the only innovation program I am familiar with and that is the program that the Air Force adopted years ago.  I suppose the AFSO21 program could also be considered an avenue for innovation as well.  AFSO21 stood for "Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century".  It was basically the Air Force's combination of LEAN, Six Sigma, 5S, and Continuous Process Improvement.  Taking lots of notes from Toyota's process improvement program.  But the program I am referring to is the Airman Powered by Innovation (API) program.  It was formerly known as the IDEA program and evolved into the API program just a few years before I retired.  It may even be something else now. In a nutshell, the API program promotes innovation from every level in the Air Force.  There is a central place and format to submit your ideas, ther...
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MGMT 535 (Module 7) Reflection Blog: Communicating in Your Organization

MGMT 535 (Module 7) Reflection Blog: Communicating in Your Organization Ironically I chose this exact article for my discussion post before I looked at this week's reading assignments.  I specifically chose it because of the statement about how teamwork across organizational boundaries is unnatural.  In my response to Rob (a classmate), I touched on it a little, but I will go into it with more depth in this blog post. When I was in the Air Force I was the squadron superintendent for an operations support squadron.  This type of squadron is unique in that it has anywhere from 7 to 10 flights on average.  That's 7 to 10 unique jobs each with their own chain of command (under the squadron commander) and a job-specific subculture.  As a result, it was always a challenge to find ways to get the squadron to come together as a unit versus 9 separate flights.  We tried cookouts, sporting events, physical training days,  team building events, etc.  Eve...
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MGMT 535 (Module 5) Reflection Blog: D-I-K-A and Leadership

MGMT 535 (Module 5) Reflection Blog: D-I-K-A and Leadership D-I-K-A is a model or template that can prove to have many different applications.  From basic problem-solving to managerial decision-making.  The focus of this blog will be on the managerial application.  Collecting unbias data, distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information and recognizing this collective knowledge and applying it to an actionable and desirable result is the challenge.  To be a good manager, you really need a good mixture of both tacit and explicit knowledge.  You also should be able to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information and separate useable data to develop your action. When I worked in the Inspector General office we collected all kinds of data.  Among it was trending deficiencies across all organizations.  After a year's worth of inspections, determining the trending items was fairly easy.  We then took that data and developed a us...
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MGMT 535 (Module 4) Reflection Blog: The Future of Lying

MGMT 535 (Module 4) Reflection Blog: The Future of Lying I haven't really delved into the LinkedIn world other than to develop a profile and fill it with some info.  I am not currently looking for a job, so I just filled it with some basic information.  I do have some contacts though, and after looking at some of their profiles I feel like I can confidently say I have pretty honest friends.  At least from what I know about them.  It seems as though their profiles are a very good representation of their skills and those that have endorsements seem to validate their information even more.  I can honestly say that I feel as though my profile is a pretty good representation of my skills and knowledge as well. Social networking and virtual communication have drastically changed the way we communicate.  I can't really say if it has contributed to dissuaded unethical behavior, but if there is a study out there, then I would guess it has contribu...
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MGMT 535 (Module 3) Reflection Blog: A Story of Organizational Culture

MGMT 535 (Module 3) Reflection Blog: A Story of Organizational Culture During my last few years in the Air Force I was lucky enough to be selected to work in the Wing Inspector General office.  Prior to moving into that position, I really only had a very basic understanding of what the IG did in both the inspections section as well as the complaints section.  As one would expect, the IG is held to the higest standard when it comes to communication, appearance, and just setting an example for the Air Force core values in general.  I took that part of the job very seriously.  After sitting in the superintendent position for a few months, I began to see a few simple small changes we could make to support our "corporate culture".  The first was our inbriefs and outbriefs to commanders and senior enlisted when we performed our inspections.  We adjusted it so that we always had the IG, me as the Superintendent, our complaints specialist and the project officer ...
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MGMT 535 (Module 2) Reflection Blog: Taking Someone to Lunch

MGMT 535 (Module 2) Reflection Blog: Taking Someone to Lunch Just a few years before I retired I worked in the Wing Inspector General office.  We rotated who would be the project officer for each inspection as we performed 24 inspections a year.  This one particular time during my turn to be a project officer, I reached out to one of the senior enlisted people in the maintenance squadron we were about to inspect.  This was standard practice because they knew a lot of the leading information we needed to build our inspection.  This specific inspection was particularly difficult, largely due to this individual.  We were the same rank, so when I reached out to her I assumed she would have no problem helping me gather the info I needed.  Unfortunately, she did not see it that way.  She responded to my email request explaining that she didn’t understand what info I needed, why I needed it and that she didn’t have time to “do my job for me”.  After I...
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