For the past few lessons, we analysed the working cultures and management styles of 2 different companies, which are Google and Lenovo. I feel that the different working cultures and management styles of both companies reflect their respective societies. For instance, Google is an American company. An American society believes in freedom, and the equal rights of everyone to speak out. This is evident in Google's working culture and management style, since much amenities are provided for employees to recreate and relax. Employees are also given 20% of their time to develop new projects and come out with new proposals based on their personal interest. These evidences show that Google doesn't restrain its employees but instead gave them more space to develop their own projects and much recreation. Therefore the idea of "Freedom" is evident in Google's working culture. The rights of people to speak out is also manifested in Google's management style. Employers actually listen to employees who have new proposals and who have constructive ideas on the prospects of the company. Employees are also given the right to comment on other people's proposals or project to improve the products together. This shows that Google's employees are not restrained by a strict hierarchy and bureaucracy but are able to voice out their thoughts and improve the products. Therefore the management style and working culture of Google reflects the American society.
I feel that Lenovo's working culture and management style also reflect the Chinese society. China is ruled by the Communist Party, and it still has a huge clout on the society. Communism believes in having a supreme leader or leading group, who will lead the country. This is much evident in Lenovo, where "a powerful CEO gives orders to a hierarchy of workers" (from: http://www.strategy-business.com/article/li00126?gko=a2988). Such leadership resembles Communist Ideology in China as a leading figure rules over the organization. Furthermore, employees in Lenovo are not given the freedom to voice out their opinions in the company. They usually take orders from the manager. According to the URL above, people "frown on lower-level employees proposing ideas to their superiors". This enhances the lack of freedom and rights in Lenovo. Such phenomenon is evident in China, as under Communism rule, people have little freedom and rights and do not have the right to voice out their thoughts to superior leaders. The censored materials and the control of the media caused Chinese individuals to have little freedom on what to watch or do. Therefore, the management style and working culture of Lenovo reflects the Chinese society.
Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages of the 2 management styles and working cultures in modern societies. For Google, I feel that by giving much freedom and the right to talk to employees, more creative ideas will be generated and products would be improved greatly. The reason is that creativity cannot be forced and cannot be squeezed out of one's brain. It requires one to observe, relax, and observe something from different perspectives. Furthermore, by granting 20% of their working time to develop individual project proposals and projects, Google will have a wide spectrum of projects to choose from, which widened their choices and will be beneficial in the long run. By granting employees with the right to voice out their views, Google is actually improving its products. With a greater audience to judge a project, more disadvantages to certain people can be corrected and better insights could be used to improve it.
There are also disadvantages to Google's management style and working culture. Google cannot make sure that its employees are not using the amenities for granted. If employees only use the amenities but do not work, then Google had failed a large investment. Even worse, these attractive amenities act as a distraction for workers who are doing their work. With low commitment and attention, projects would not be done as expected. This will affect the prospects of Google.
Even though writer Holstein, William feels strongly that Lenovo's management style and working culture results in incompetitiveness of the company at the International sphere, I still feel that there are advantages of the "monarchy" regime. When the CEO and a group of executives make a decision, there will be no opposing alternative or view. The order will be implemented promptly, and all the bureaucracy and the procedures would be done. Matters would be resolved with a high level of efficiency within the company, and the organization will be able to progress at a fast pace provided that the decision or order is a wise one.
Then, there comes the disadvantages. If the CEO and the group of executives made the wrong decision, then the prospects of the company would be at a great stake. Micheal Schuman mentions that "Liu guided the company by trial and error through the rapid swings and shifts of China's ever changing economy". This may prove to be dangerous, as when the leader(s) make(s) an incorrect yet important decision, there will be no opposing view in the company. If so, then the whole company will suffer a great loss.
For me, I feel that I am more inclined towards Google's way of management and working culture. I feel that when a company employs a person, it should provide the employee with the necessary space and time for one to work according to their own ways and preferences. Only by working comfortably can one develop one's own potential. The amenities in Google further enriches the conducive environment for creativity and high-efficiency work to thrive. Even though policies may be implemented at a slower rate, major mistakes are minimised as a greater crowd of people are providing feedback on the different products. By having many constructive feedback from its workers, Google is able to take care of the common problems faced by the populace and to meet their expectations. Even though Lenovo also has breached impossible benchmarks with its strict hierarchy, I still feel that creativity and meeting the expectations of the masses is critical for great success in the 21st Century.
(1010 words)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Reflective Journal 1
Today, we had our first Socio-Economics Studies lesson. The SES is actually a new course in our school. Before the lesson, my impression of Socio-Economics Studies was actually "Social Economics Studies", which would mostly revolve around Singapore's Social and Economics issues over the span of its development. However, the teacher's introduction of this programme changed my whole view of it. Based on what I can recall, this programme introduces the differences and similarities of the societies of China and the Western World. This course also encompasses other aspects, such as the different cultures, different ideologies, and the problems faced by both societies.
I was surprised yet contented that the school had provided such as course for us. I was surprised as I had expected to learn about Singapore's economy and society. Instead, I would be studying and analysing the cultures societies of China and the Western nations. However, my surprise was tinged with content. The reason is that the school is actually preparing us to survive in the future. In this highly tumultuous and fast-changing world, countries such as China are catching up with Western economic superpowers. Analysts estimate that by 2016, China may overtake America and countries in the European Union. Because we would be reaching adulthood by then, we need to have a certain understanding about the different cultures, economies, and problems faced. By having such wisdom, we are able to entrench ourselves safely on either countries. Therefore, learning such a course is actually preparing us to fare better in the future. Thus, I am contented. Furthermore, I feel that learning about China and Western cultures are also a part of the school's plans to inculcate bi-cultural understanding and encouraging effective bi-lingualism in students. By having a deep understanding of both cultures, languages, principles of thought, and practices, I feel that the school is again preparing us adequately for the future societies, where we can work both in the Western world and China with ease. Such mere thought of the future makes me very excited and happy to take on such a elective.
After the introduction of the course, we had our first SES tutorial. Today, we mainly discussed about Cultural Intelligence. There are altogether 3 competencies in CQ-- Drive, Knowledge, Strategy and Action.
This was the first time I was exposed to the ideology Cultural Intelligence. My definition of Cultural Intelligence, is to be aware of other's cultural backgrounds, being culturally sensitive and acceptance of unfamiliar practices, and the ability to adapt to different cultural settings. Albeit not having a firm grasp on it, I feel that Cultural Intelligence is highly efficient in the modern world. With the development of modern transport and the growing reliance of nations on one another, it is evitable that we will cross into the paths of foreigners from a different cultural background. By having a high CQ, we will be able to commune or make friends with them effectively without offending them. Such bonds of friendship not only makes us more wise and knowledgeable, but may also provide business or international cooperations on a large scale. I certainly feel that people who do not muster the 4 competencies of Cultural Intelligence will find it difficult to compete in a highly sophisticated and modern world. Therefore I feel that CQ is highly efficient in the modern world.
Commenting on the the way lessons are carried out, I feel quite strange and certainly quite uncomfortable on the mode of teaching. In this lesson, almost the whole hour was spent on discussions on different aspects of Cultural Intelligence. (The reason is simply because the school's Internet had broke down and we cannot access websites.) The teacher asks us many questions, and we volunteered to answer them. I felt a certain sense of uneasiness, since normally lessons were not carried out this way. Another reason is because I am not a avid outspoken person who likes to voice out my views during lessons. The fact that class participation was counted in termly grades further rubbed salt into my wounds. Albeit not being suited for such lesson modes, I hope that I would get use to it in the future and would respond eagerly to the teacher's questions.
Luckily, today's teaching mode was temporary due to the fact that the Internet was down. In the future, I would hope for more content-orientated lessons which included power point presentations or watching of videos instead of more class discussions. I prefer individual presentation over class discussion, since I would be granted with more time to craft my arguments and will be able to express myself fluently instead of thinking of answers to answer the teacher's questions.
The mode of assessment of SES is also very different from normal lessons. We will not have examinations. Instead, they would be replaced by class-participation, individual class presentation, reflective journals, and a research paper. Although I may not want to accept an unfamiliar mode of assessment, I still support it as it trains our skills to craft arguments and also teaches us to voice out our opinions confidently. I feel that the research paper is also a part of the assessment to teach us the skills to write effectively in the future. I feel that such a mode of assessment is very complicated as compared to the normal exams, since there are so many factors that contribute to the final grades. However I still look forward to it, with the knowledge that these "tests" will better prepare me for the future.
After briefly reading the syllabus outline on the SES website, I feel that lessons should be quite fruitful. The reason is that we will be learning both Idealogies of China and the Western World, and through this we would be able to compare the differences and similarities. The syllabus is also filled with case-studies to practice our skills and knowledge of different ideologies. However, I feel that more case-studies or examples could be given to further enhance our understanding of contemporary issues and to learn both idealogies of China and the Western World.
I was surprised yet contented that the school had provided such as course for us. I was surprised as I had expected to learn about Singapore's economy and society. Instead, I would be studying and analysing the cultures societies of China and the Western nations. However, my surprise was tinged with content. The reason is that the school is actually preparing us to survive in the future. In this highly tumultuous and fast-changing world, countries such as China are catching up with Western economic superpowers. Analysts estimate that by 2016, China may overtake America and countries in the European Union. Because we would be reaching adulthood by then, we need to have a certain understanding about the different cultures, economies, and problems faced. By having such wisdom, we are able to entrench ourselves safely on either countries. Therefore, learning such a course is actually preparing us to fare better in the future. Thus, I am contented. Furthermore, I feel that learning about China and Western cultures are also a part of the school's plans to inculcate bi-cultural understanding and encouraging effective bi-lingualism in students. By having a deep understanding of both cultures, languages, principles of thought, and practices, I feel that the school is again preparing us adequately for the future societies, where we can work both in the Western world and China with ease. Such mere thought of the future makes me very excited and happy to take on such a elective.
After the introduction of the course, we had our first SES tutorial. Today, we mainly discussed about Cultural Intelligence. There are altogether 3 competencies in CQ-- Drive, Knowledge, Strategy and Action.
This was the first time I was exposed to the ideology Cultural Intelligence. My definition of Cultural Intelligence, is to be aware of other's cultural backgrounds, being culturally sensitive and acceptance of unfamiliar practices, and the ability to adapt to different cultural settings. Albeit not having a firm grasp on it, I feel that Cultural Intelligence is highly efficient in the modern world. With the development of modern transport and the growing reliance of nations on one another, it is evitable that we will cross into the paths of foreigners from a different cultural background. By having a high CQ, we will be able to commune or make friends with them effectively without offending them. Such bonds of friendship not only makes us more wise and knowledgeable, but may also provide business or international cooperations on a large scale. I certainly feel that people who do not muster the 4 competencies of Cultural Intelligence will find it difficult to compete in a highly sophisticated and modern world. Therefore I feel that CQ is highly efficient in the modern world.
Commenting on the the way lessons are carried out, I feel quite strange and certainly quite uncomfortable on the mode of teaching. In this lesson, almost the whole hour was spent on discussions on different aspects of Cultural Intelligence. (The reason is simply because the school's Internet had broke down and we cannot access websites.) The teacher asks us many questions, and we volunteered to answer them. I felt a certain sense of uneasiness, since normally lessons were not carried out this way. Another reason is because I am not a avid outspoken person who likes to voice out my views during lessons. The fact that class participation was counted in termly grades further rubbed salt into my wounds. Albeit not being suited for such lesson modes, I hope that I would get use to it in the future and would respond eagerly to the teacher's questions.
Luckily, today's teaching mode was temporary due to the fact that the Internet was down. In the future, I would hope for more content-orientated lessons which included power point presentations or watching of videos instead of more class discussions. I prefer individual presentation over class discussion, since I would be granted with more time to craft my arguments and will be able to express myself fluently instead of thinking of answers to answer the teacher's questions.
The mode of assessment of SES is also very different from normal lessons. We will not have examinations. Instead, they would be replaced by class-participation, individual class presentation, reflective journals, and a research paper. Although I may not want to accept an unfamiliar mode of assessment, I still support it as it trains our skills to craft arguments and also teaches us to voice out our opinions confidently. I feel that the research paper is also a part of the assessment to teach us the skills to write effectively in the future. I feel that such a mode of assessment is very complicated as compared to the normal exams, since there are so many factors that contribute to the final grades. However I still look forward to it, with the knowledge that these "tests" will better prepare me for the future.
After briefly reading the syllabus outline on the SES website, I feel that lessons should be quite fruitful. The reason is that we will be learning both Idealogies of China and the Western World, and through this we would be able to compare the differences and similarities. The syllabus is also filled with case-studies to practice our skills and knowledge of different ideologies. However, I feel that more case-studies or examples could be given to further enhance our understanding of contemporary issues and to learn both idealogies of China and the Western World.
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