Discover Top Posts Tagged with #60303wk9

Thoughts on Peer Grading

My favorite part of the peer grading experience has been honing my feedback and constructive criticism skills. It’s so easy to add fluffy language to employee critiques, and I tend to try and soften them up a bit. The peer grading exercises have helped me learn to give positive and negative comments in a way that is more concise and to the point. They have also helped me improve how I ask follow-up questions.

I have enjoyed the break from having to respond to a mandatory number of Blackboard threads. Those required posts are usually shallow, forced, and minimal. They do not usually result in meaningful criticism that can be used to foster progress and learning. In this course, I have interacted with peers from several pervious courses in a more in-depth way, which helps strengthen my commitment to the program and the KM community. It also helps us establish long-term connections within the KM network.

My only criticism is that some of the feedback I have received is a little bit too gentle for my liking. I am glad other students enjoy my posts, but I am truly want to grow, and constructive criticism is an important part of that growth process. I look forward to more critical feedback as the course continues.

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Week 9: Post on peer grading

While the assignment of peer grading was given to us to replace the usual task of being asked to respond to another student’s post, I feel that it is just another form of forced interaction and doesn’t improve upon it. I prefer the assignment to just respond to another’s post because then I can have an actual discussion instead of trying to figure out my grading style and assigning a grade to my classmate which essentially means nothing.

While it is good to learn how to give and receive feedback, I find that peer grading makes me a little more nitpicky than I want to be to a classmate when I just want to enjoy his/her post and engage in a discussion when I feel I have something to say. Perhaps it is because I am an introvert, but I do not like being forced to say anything at all when I do not feel I have anything to contribute to the conversation/discussion. Similar to work meetings--I am comfortable engaging in conversations when I feel it is appropriate, but do not need to always have something to say in every discussion. I feel it to be inefficient and a waste of time.

I feel that although we are not required to engage on one another’s posts, we often do in this course because we are genuinely interested in what our classmates have to say or have some advice to offer.

So, while forced interaction is never fun (especially for an introvert), I do prefer engaging in discussions rather than grading, but peer grading isn’t a terrible thing.

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Week 9: Change is continuous, but varies in size

One of my favorite old adages is “The only constant in life is change”; and although it can be frustrating to deal with, I truly believe change is continuous. Change is always happening, but its intensity (or size of the change) varies. Because of this variability, change is hard to plan out and execute in a sort of fixed-cycle process. This is true in personal lives and in organizational cultures.

A continuous process allows for variability because change can happen incrementally or via a big breakthrough, and I would argue that it allows for setbacks as well. When humans make big changes, they do not do so in same-sized chunks on a fixed timeline. They may even regress. Because each organization has its own personality, a continuous improvement process makes more sense. That is why, when an organization (especially a really large one) is trying to make big changes, the most important factor to consider is the people:

Change is both an institutional journey and a very personal one. People spend many hours each week at work; many think of their colleagues as a second family. Individuals (or teams of individuals) need to know how their work will change, what is expected of them during and after the change program, how they will be measured, and what success or failure will mean for them and those around them. Team leaders should be as honest and explicit as possible. People will react to what they see and hear around them, and need to be involved in the change process (Jones, J. et al, 2004).

I am very adamant about helping create a human-centered workplace, because I have worked for supervisors who treat employees like robots. He wanted things done his way and on his timeline. Needless to say, anytime a change was implemented, it was met with resistance and usually unsuccessful. If the change was managed properly and the employees brought in for feedback, as well as allowing for the change to happen on a less fixed timeline, change would have happened more effectively.

Reference List:

Jones, J., Aguirre, D., and Calderone, M. (2004). 10 principles of change management. Strategy+Business. Retrieved from: https://www.strategy-business.com/article/rr00006?gko=643d0

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Wk 9: Reflection On Peer Grading

Grading each other’s posts was a new and refreshing approach to getting everyone involved. Compared to just replying to other’s posts, it furthered my engagement because I supported my grading with specific reasoning. I know that the feedback I received from others was in an appropriate manner and I considered it as constructive criticism.

Minding the feedback I received (almost) each week, I believe my posts have changed for the better. Not only did I carry it over to the following week, I was also able to provide more clarity to the posts that were graded. Depending on the feedback, my scope was either broadened to include a fresh perspective or narrowed down for more depth.

Overall, I believe the feedback has helped me in producing my special project for the course. Thank you all for taking the time to read and grade my posts :)

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Wk 9: Change - Fixed vs. Continuous

Do you see change as a fixed cycle, or something more continuous? A mix of both?

I see change as something more continuous, simply because change is the only thing that is constant and it is ever-evolving. With that said, organizations need to implement ‘Change Management’ within their culture. According to Matt Barnard & Naomi Stoll (2010), “… change should be seen as a process of learning, where the organisation responds to the internal and external environmental changes” (p. 2). Rather than focusing on “… specific pre-planned steps for each change project and initiative”, Rune Todnem (2005) suggests that this approach is more focused on “… change readiness and facilitating for change” (Barnard & Stoll, 2010, p. 2); (p. 375).

Although I believe change as something more continuous, I understand the perspective of it being a fixed cycle. Considering an organization’s current state and intended future state, this may be the only perspective going into the development and throughout the execution of their change. Additionally, a fixed cycle could be used as a baseline for metrics or a pilot run before an organization takes a bigger initiative.

Regardless of the organization’s approach on change (fixed vs. continuous), there are not enough success stories to build and improve upon. According to Balogun and Hope Hailey (2004), 70% of change programs fail. I agree with Todnem (2005) that there is a “… need for a new and pragmatic framework for change management” (p. 378). Understanding that the framework would need to be dynamic and adapt with change, it would be better to engrain change management within the organizational culture.

Barnard, M., & Stoll, N. (2010, October). Organisational Change Management: A rapid literature review. Retrieved August 6, 2017, from http://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/cubec/migrated/documents/pr1.pdf

Todnem, R. (2005, December). Organisational Change Management: A Critical Review. Retrieved August 6, 2017, from https://www.evernote.com/shard/s19/sh/a89b445f-0f7e-42e3-b620-d637bc8d3b35/fa0833b8bd90729208c5d3a714e129d9/res/cb14bbda-0690-4cdf-a65e-17de5db774a1/Todnem_Org%20Change%20Crit%20Review_2005.pdf

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Continuous change management - a necessary evil

I see change as a continuous process that needs to be monitored diligently and adjusted carefully (Wikipedia, 2017). The higher education field is constantly in-flux due to many factors, such as funding and enrollment changes. These factors mean that constant change is required for survival. Viewing change as an ongoing, incremental, and emergent process can help lessen the stress of change and create an organization where change is an important part of the culture (Wikipedia, 2017). The emergent philosophy is especially appealing to me because it shifts ownership of change management to organizational stakeholders at all levels, and moves away from a top-down implementation lead by upper management (Barnard & Stoll, 2010). Stakeholders at the lower levels of the organization may be the first to notice problems requiring change so they should also have a role in the implementation of those changes.

While it would be nice to have long periods of stability with minimal periods of change, I’ve never worked in an environment where this would be realistic (Todnem, 2005). Throughout my career, I’ve seen drastic change projects attempted, and they usually tend to go over like ripping off a band aid – they’re painful and can further deepen an existing wound. These types of initiatives are usually poorly executed, leaving employees stunned and surprised by the change. While better communication plans and different management styles may improve the outcome somewhat, they will be hard to maintain without support from employees (Barnard & Stoll, 2010). That will not happen if they employees feel they were overlooked during the initial process. A more measured process will have a much greater change of lasting success.

References:

Barnard, M. & Stoll, N. (2010). Organisational Change Management: A rapid literature review. Centre for Understanding Behaviour Change. Retrieved from http://www.bristol.ac.uk/media-library/sites/cubec/migrated/documents/pr1.pdf

Wikipedia. (2017). Continual improvement process. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continual_improvement_process

Todnem, R. Organisational Change Management: A critical review. Journal of Change Management. (December 2005). Retrieved from https://www.evernote.com/shard/s19/sh/a89b445f-0f7e-42e3-b620-d637bc8d3b35/fa0833b8bd90729208c5d3a714e129d9/res/cb14bbda-0690-4cdf-a65e-17de5db774a1/Todnem_Org%20Change%20Crit%20Review_2005.pdf

Meme originally posted by alboardman

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Week 9: Thoughts on peer grading

Peer grading is an interesting idea. It has actually helped me to slow down when doing my work. I have been very busy lately with the moving of country and settling down. But while we are still busy, I have made a push to dedicate more time to my writings. The reason that pushed me to do so, was not the marks but the fact that the gadding received were focusing on the grammar and not on the content. Repetitive flags made me realize that I was doing my homework perhaps too fast and not paying attention to details… At the end of the day, devil is in the details, isn't it?

Lesson learned: a fast work may carry out misspellings or grammar oversight, preventing the reader to concentrate on the content. At work, this may be even worst, as consultants need to focus both on the content and building/maintaining relations as well as reputation, and we don’t want clients to loose focus on details, preventing them from focusing on what matter the work.

And thank you for those who have commented, or taken the time to edit my text!

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Week 9: Do you see change as a fixed cycle or something more continuous? A mix of both?

Change within organizations should be considered as a continuous process in which specific events may require more attention. Organizations should be open to change when required and focus its efforts on maintaining and developing new modifications to ensure sustainability. The question to me is more whether or not organizations are ready to maintain this approach.

Moran and Brightman (2001)[1] define Change Management as the process of continually reviewing an organization’s direction, structure and capabilities to serve the ever-changing needs of internal/external customers. An emergent approach qualifies nowadays Organizational Change as an open ended continuous process, considering both internal and external environments, and adapting changes to the needs and times, as a continual improving process.

Any knowledge management practice introduces and requires change. But change should not be seen as one big task or this will immediately encounter employees’ resistance. Instead, change should be carried out in phases and focus on improving and adopting change while learning at slow path. Any knowledge practice requires a changes of attitudes, tools or work interaction[2], it requires the establishment of a system thinking that supports the practices and avoid the risk of a change fatigue, main reason for failure.[3]

As consultant, there are a number of issues that need to be considered when carrying out any knowledge management practice. Considering the implications and changes that all new practices requires for the change to be successful, and building upon the readings[4], I have drafted a checklist with 12 points to keep in mind when carrying out an assignment.

Looking backwards, I see now how I could have improved my response to obtain more positive outcomes. In one specific case, I recall that my main concern was the lack of communication among the different programs and how to promote knowledge sharing to improve their work and avoid duplication. I considered that the best strategy to mitigate this issue was to profit from the repository that we were building, and by involving the programs themselves in the construction through their feedback to our initial draft.

The strategy was focused on the programs themselves, developing a repository as a work-space for the units, and not list a center of documentation. There was always a consideration for a minimum commonly established information package: from the project to the organization. The strategy was considering the program as the center of the change: seeking ownership from their employees –as they were to sustain the site by keeping it updated-, and providing “on-the-job” training –considering that the change would start by piloting with each and every program. I did not consider that the lack of communication was a profound part of the culture of the organization in that specific country.

The result was that I never managed to pilot even one program, not even the one that I was attached which was a cross-cutting unit and would have already benefited the entire organization. Seeking the “usefulness”, I forgot the culture.

[1] Rune Todnem, “Organisational Change Management: A Critical Review” . Journal of Change Management. Vol.5, No.4, 360-380 https://www.evernote.com/shard/s19/sh/a89b445f-0f7e-42e3-b620-d637bc8d3b35/fa0833b8bd90729208c5d3a714e129d9/res/cb14bbda-0690-4cdf-a65e-17de5db774a1/Todnem_Org%20Change%20Crit%20Review_2005.pdf , Queen Margaret University College, Edimburg, Uk. December 2005

[2] Péter Fehér, “Combining Knowledge and Change Management at Consultancies”. The Electronic Journal of Knowledge Management. Vol. 2 Issue 1 pp 19-32. https://www.evernote.com/shard/s19/sh/20e443c6-8054-47b8-9c01-629f08f3c52f/fdb97f847766e91faa5a87eafbafbc9f/res/d38cc610-6a26-44e5-b13f-3f1e1eb1a1c5/ejkm-volume2-issue1-article38.pdf Budapest University of Economic Sciences & Public Administration, Hungary 2004.

[3] “How to lead change management”, interview to DeAnne Aguirre, Senior Partner with Strategy. Video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ0doKfhecQ 9 June, 2014. Video linked to article « 10 principles of leading change management » : strategy-business.com/ChangeMangement

[4] Information obtained mainly from:

a) Change Management. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management

b) Podcast : Episode 247: Managing Change in Organizations: A Practice Guide. http://www.project-management-podcast.com/index.php/podcast-episodes/515-episode-247-managing-change-in-organizations-a-practice-guide

c) Rune Todnem, “Organisational Change Management: A Critical Review” (see above)

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