Monthly Archives: February 2017

CEO quits after argument with founder?

founder Ralph Lauren

CEO Stefan Larsson of Ralph Lauren Corp, a fashion and clothing company, quit after having “creative” differences with the founder, Ralph Lauren. In an organizational behaviour type perspective, we can immediately see a key problem, the employee leaving the organization because of unresolved differences with the employer. Although there is evidence of the two trying to resolve the problem through private conversations as well meetings with board members, the two ultimately split paths. The arguments came up through discussion on a new direction the company should take. Many organizations face this exact problem, some resolve their differences and some do not, like Ralph Lauren and the University of British Columbia’s previous president.

With decreasing sales over the decade due to increased competition, Ralph Lauren Corp had to take a new creative direction, the decision behind this direction was what led to the ultimate resignation of the Larsson. In organizational behaviour, we can see a generational difference as well as differences in values. Furthermore, there is a clear hierarchy between founder and CEO, with the founder having the ultimate decision making power. It is very admirable, in my opinion for a CEO to leave because of differences that they know that cannot be solved, rather than just listen to the founder and follow aimlessly. If the CEO does not believe in the vision set forth by the founder, it is very hard for any success to follow, so I am sure that Mr. Larsson made a very admirable and smart choice by leaving.

Ralph Lauren company logo

In conclusion, if differences cannot be worked out even after strenuous attempts, it is definitely for the best to leave in a situation like that. I believe that the declining sales in Ralph Lauren may see a positive turn should the founder find a suitable replaces that aligns with his vision.

Citations:

Wong, S. H. (2017, February 02). Ralph Lauren CEO Leaving After Creative Clash With Founder. Retrieved February 06, 2017, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-02/ralph-lauren-ceo-is-leaving-company-after-clash-with-founder

Worst job- In class exercise

My worst job ever was doing work experience at Starbucks. The program there was no pay, so there was no incentive to do well, basically volunteering for a corporation. Furthermore, the sanitary conditions were not very good with things being rinsed and not properly washed, seeing the occasional rat in the garbage area. I also disliked how enclosed the space was, making me feel claustrophobic at times. Most importantly, the manager was never there when I worked, providing no counselling or guidance whatsoever, I did not feel a sense of team unity there and there as an overall disconnect in the workplace environment.

Loss of the real employee

With the prospects of new technology there is an imminent risk in the job security of employees. Citing Lauren Weber’s article on the Wall Street Journal, “The End of Employees — U.S. companies shift work once considered core to contractors, pruning costs and job security” she highlights the fact that there are no more real employees, most of today’s companies prefer to outsource to other companies, including those overseas. Thus, shrinking employee base and benefits like job security and pay. The growing loss of the employee leads to onslaughts of problems in the organization, a behavioural analysis of these issues will provide a more insightful understanding.

source: Clover Network

The underlying issue behind outsourcing your employees is that you loose the personal relationships that can be built through hiring directly. Furthermore, you could personally motivate your employees through providing incentives. This would lead to higher worker efficiency in the long run even though it may not be as cost effective. I believe that by using different incentives like intrinsic rewards, we will be able to save company funds whilst motivate employees.

source: Prelude Services

An example in the article says that employees hired for a movie production do not have long term contracts, as soon as the movie is done, so is their job. The problem here is that the teams form and adjourn in a very short period time, limiting the amount of success and efficiency that a team can potentially bring to the table. As companies decide to outsource more of their employees elsewhere, competitors are faced to do the same, thus increasing the divide between employee and employer. My value added to this article is that with the promises of technology coupled with globalization, increased outsourcing is inevitable. How major companies as well as outsourcing firms adapt to these changes will be up to the future. Because if employers are asked, “What company do you work for?” no one will actually know because of outsourcing.

Citations:

Weber, L. (2017, Feb 03). The end of employees — U.S. companies shift work once considered core
to contractors, pruning costs and job security. Wall Street Journal Retrieved from http://ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/1864014900?accountid=14656

Learning about yourself- in class exercise

1/ Post your results to your blog, with the tag “in class exercise”. On separate “lines” list each of the four traits, your score, and whether this represents a high, medium or low value for the personality trait.

Machiavellianism: 45

Since this is ranked out of 50, I scored extremely high on this trait compared to the national averages. Basically this means that I will manipulate others and be pragmatic into achieving short-term goals.

Self-Monitor: 35

In this test I scored rather low on which I completely agree because I feel like sometimes I just say things before I think, thus limiting my self-monitor. I think that my filter is rather low and that I say things on impulse.

Emotional Intelligence: 87

For this test, I scored rather high, above the normal averages. I believe that this is somewhat true giving cause to the fact that I am able to detect emotions and signs of stress rather easily. I can use others emotions to by benefit, thus giving me a higher than average EQ score.

Competing Values Framework: 5.3

This test I valued traits like initiative, delegation, and communication. Especially communication between team members as well as between potential clients, I value these skills rather than the others because I believe a leader must be able to talk, communicate their ideas and lead indecently.

2/ Below the list of personality traits, blog about your results. Summarize your personality characteristics, as measured, and then show your thinking about how these might affect your ability to work with others. 300 words MAX.

My personality traits are that I am an Introvert, Sensing, Thinking and Judging, the “logistician.” Some of the traits associated with the “logistician” can certainly be beneficial to group work. Namely that I will get something done if I want it done, having a sharp mind that appreciates autonomy as well as hierarchy. However, it notes that I prefer to work alone rather than in groups, on the contrary, I do not mind working with groups at all, to that extent I disagree with the diagnostic in my results. Another point that I certainly agree with is that I extremely value honesty, however it gives off the impression that I am brutal and cold. In reality, ISTJ’s have trouble expression emotion however they certainly do and the assumption that they do not would hurt them. Interestingly, ISTJ’s make up most of the population in the world rather than extraverts. I believe that my personality characteristics will able to bring me to new heights rather than drag me down, this is because these small flaws can certainly be diminished through confidence in my positive traits. I think that I will be able to work well with others because I am pragmatic and will do whatever it takes to achieve my goals.

Toxic Leader?

Times Person of The Year: Donald Trump

With the 45^th President of the United States in office for just about two weeks, we’ve seen unprecedented decisions made, protocols broken as well as series of new legislature and executive orders. This blog post will analyze Donald Trump’s leadership and its effectiveness in his organization, the government of the United States.

Donald Trump’s attitudes towards policymaking are attributed to an underlying concept in organizational behaviour, perception and personality. His perceptual errors stem from negative stereotypes, prejudice and selective perception; creating distinguished divides between minorities under his presidency. In addition to improper perception, his personality is also skewed with unpredictability. Under the Big Five Personality Model, I see Trump as an extravert who is disagreeable, conscientious, emotionally unstable and open to new experience; after all, he is a successful multi-billionaire real estate mogul. In terms of emotion, I believe that Donald Trump has high Emotional Intelligence, because he is able to manipulate other’s emotions into doing his bidding; whilst possessing characteristics from the Dark Triad like Machiavellianism, Narcissism and Psychopathy. Literally, all Donald Trump really cares for is himself and his business, citing Twitter rampages linked to self-esteem as well as evidence of strong ties still remaining in his company. What other organizational behaviour problems do we see with this unprecedented type of Presidency?

Trump’s values for workplace diversity can be clearly evidenced through his pick for cabinet nominations. Clearly, there is a higher ratio of white males in his cabinet compared to past Presidents, showing how little he cares about diversity in the workplace, namely gender, cultural and religious diversity. However, we have yet to see how his cabinet, or “employees” will be committed to the organization in terms of engagement, involvement and satisfaction. In Donald Trump’s workplace we also see the use of Theory X where employees will be punished should results not be visible; Trump has already fired and criticized publicly on Twitter those employees who displayed disloyalty in the execution of his orders. Lastly, the communication is his government is truly non-existent, as evidenced with the confusion in citizens as well as border patrol agents in regard to his recent “Muslim Ban”. There are clear problems in Donald Trump’s leadership and his government. However, this may be due to the fact that the organization is still forming. We must remain hopeful as he has yet to accomplish the forming stage and move on to storming. Only by uniting together and recognizing what Donald Trump is doing is morally incorrect can we have a chance a defeating hatred and evil.

Citations:

Langton, Nancy; Robbins, Stephen; Judge, Timothy. Organizational Behaviour. Pearson Canada, 2016. Print.