OA Chronicles: Organization, TRANSFORM!!!

I haven't been involved in things transformational for the greater extent of my two years as an instructor. Maybe because I'm still starting to have a career. But I do believe that the idea of transformation can be planned, managed, and talked into reality. As I was trying to understand the diagram above, I came to realize that like managing an organization, transformation cannot be made to happen. Transformation emerges as the consequence of many definable and fairly easily created circumstances. Transformation is not something you only do to an organization. It is a process that you go through yourself. Now, here are some basic set of questions regarding organization transformation:

WHY is an organizational transformation necessary?

We all know that for an organization to succeed, one must adapt to change. Since most organization bases their success in internal and external factors, change is very common. The people involved in the organization are also one factor. Organizations may change for a variety of reasons: to regain product quality and market fitness; as a response to a failure; new technology requirements; the ambition to increase competency, the requirement of improved management and work processes -- and other unlimited possibilities.

WHAT distinguishes organizational transformation from organizational change?

It is always pointed out that organizational transformation refers to a change in form or structure. Mere change -- whether for good or bad -- is not transformation. What differs between the two is that change should be a day-to-day basis and is usually short-termed, while transformation happens periodically and is long-termed.

In my organization in UM, since I have only been working there for two years, there is not much I can share about the transformation of the institution. But whenever we look back to the years when UM started, there was indeed a great transformation that happened through the years. These days, most of our courses and programs prepare for a sort of transformation due to accreditation. We are all preparing for the visit of the Commission in Higher Education for the courses Criminology and HRM. I could really see how these courses have transformed over time. You can see what are the compelling needs and opportunities of these programs and understand why they decided to take the next step. But I guess before they were in this stage, there were crisis on process. It is not easy to adapt changes in any way and this kind of change is really a big thing for them. Though its not just in a snap that everything will be transformed, it will really take time to implement whatever will be the feedback of the visit.

Again, there is no such thing as a perfect organization. It is not possible to define what organization architecture will truly prove to be viable in the coming years. In the process of transformation, directly acting on existing, large, complex structure will only distract the effectiveness of the organization. Maybe the best way to implement transformation is just to create new initiatives and make it as experiments. This way, the new will influence the old and the integrity of both is preserved and not put into conflict with one another.

OA Chronicles: Core Competencies

What makes an organization competitive derives from its core competencies. As described, core competence is the collective learning in the organization, especially the capacity to coordinate diverse production skills and integrate streams of technologies. It is sometimes made clear that core competencies are the source of competitive advantage and enable the organization to introduce a new line of products and services.

First, companies must identify core competencies. According to C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel, there are at least three tests that can be applied to identify the core competencies of an organization. First, a core competence provides potential access to a wide variety of markets. It somehow makes an organization versatile to any competition. In my organization, one of our core competencies are the talents and abilities of our students and highly educated instructors. We are not only known for our educational standards but as well as the talents we show in  competitions. In any field of competition, UM excels high and it helps us become globally competitive. Also, our students are not only competing against local competition, they also show their skills and talents abroad. This way, potential students will have to choose their desired courses in our institution easier as this competitions and skills may also market the different programs.

Core competencies should also make a significant contribution to the perceived customer benefits of the end product. For most academe, skill and services are the common core products. I think for any academe, every time we market our school, it is best to inform and let our potential students know what they can benefit if they enroll in our school. Every year, faculty members are assigned to travel and give career guidance to high school students. Part of such is to introduce what they can get if they enroll in UM. Since our school aims to give education for all, we usually introduce the scholarships that students may get and the facilities and services offered by the school. 

Finally, core competence should be difficult for competitors to imitate. A rival might acquire some of the technologies that comprise the core competence, but it will find it more difficult to duplicate the more or less comprehensive pattern of internal coordination and learning. UM is the only school in Mindanao, I believe, that offer the Term system instead of Semester system. And I believe this becomes a core competency against other schools. This Term system has been long established since UM started and I think other schools may have difficulty copying or imitating this system. The main reason why UM implements this system is for us to cater working students. Classes are classified to morning, afternoon, and evening sessions so students can choose their own schedules.

Core competencies really help build and establish an organization's integrity. Nevertheless, there is also a possibility of a loss of core competencies, specially when it is not recognized. Core competencies are the wellspring of new business development. They should constitute the focus for strategy at the corporate level. 

OA Chronicles: Passive-Aggressive Organization

Some organizations are risk-takers and some are just merely going with the flow. Why is it that some organizations hum like well-oiled machines, while others stall at every intersection? Today, in an increasingly fast-pacing race, organizations must be able to shift quickly to succeed and grow.

It is said that a Passive-Aggressive Organization is when everybody agrees, but nothing changes. The worst case of passive-aggressive behavior involves destructive attitudes such as negativity, sulleness, resentment, procrastination, forgetting to do something, chronic lateness, and intentional inefficiency. This might be sad to hear, but this might also be true in some organizations. Nevertheless, it is also said that passive-aggressive organization are friendly place to work. I am wondering now if my organization can be considered as a passive-aggressive organization. But the question here is, "how do we know if this organization is passive-aggressive?". What are the qualifications?

According to Harvard Business Review, the following are the characteristics of a passive-aggressive organization:

Unclear Scope of Authority
Whenever this happens, it is not clear who makes the decisions, leading to dropped balls and to second-guessing or interference. Maybe I would be biased but I believe that my organization, as an institution, does not have this characteristic. But I have an experience in other organization that may relate to this. It happened just recently within my department. We had activities and competition from different departments of the school. I could say that our program head is passive one and so most of the actions taken by the department specially with competitions are assigned to me. It happened that the students did not cooperate with the activity and I was somehow blamed for it. I never thought it would happen since I did what I had to do and what was assigned to me only to find out that they were expecting for me to do everything.

Misleading Goals
These are common mistakes by managers when they give employees wrong interpretation or concept of something. Sometimes, because we are employees, we follow anything that is told us to do. There are times when I am given a task in my organization, I just follow it even though it's against my will or even though I know there is something wrong. There was a time when I talked to some students from other department about their misbehavior during an activity. Turns out that I was scolded by their department chair because according to her, I am not part of their department and I don't have enough right to do it. After that incident, I became passive when it comes to activities.

Agreement without Cooperation
There are employees who just say YES in every task or responsibility given to them, but in the end, it turns out that they don't even give any effort on what they say. There was another incident that happened just recently in my department, this time, with the students. We were joining a competition in creating a website. What I told the students is to prepare a template so that if the information are ready, all we have to do is just fill it in. My students just nodded and always said yes whenever I check or ask for an update from them. In the end, their YES turned out to be nothing. So we did the website the last minute and the result did not turn our well.

Do how do we solve the problem or even prevent this kind of organization? Here is map showing how to defend your career in passive-aggressive workplace.

For me, the best way to fight against a passive-aggressive organization is by starting with oneself. If you will be able to control yourself not to be a part of this type of organization, then you can influence others to do so.

OA Chronicles: May The FORCES be with You

Managing an organization is not the only challenge managers get or try to solve. It is very common and in nature to have competitive forces that challenges the organization but gives it more power and motivation to reach and strive for more. Sometimes, managers don't take competitions seriously, not knowing that these competitive forces might be the basis for an organization to succeed or failed. Commonly, there are five competitive forces that shape the strategy of an organization. Let me discuss it one by one and I will also relate it to the previous organization where I belong.

As these five forces might differ in form in different types of organization, the underlying drivers of profitability are the same. We all know that to sustain long-term profitability, an organization must respond strategically to competition. By understanding how the five competitive forces influence profitability in the industry, we can develop a strategy for enhancing the organization's long-term profits.

Rivalry Among Existing Competitors

Rivalry happens between organizations when there is a large number of same type of organization since these organizations must compete for the same customers and resources. Also when there is a slow market growth and high exhibit of barriers. In my organization, the University of Mindanao, this institution has already established its standards regarding higher education. But still, rival schools exist specially in Davao. Thought UM has been operating for a very long time, the administration are still concerned on how to deal with existing competitors. In the Tagum Branch, even though there are only few schools that offer higher education degrees, UM still considers these schools as competitors. Some of the rival schools of UM in Tagum is the St. Mary's College, University of South Eastern Philippines, and other technical-vocational schools that offer 2-year courses such as AMA Computer Learning Center and STI College. With these existing schools, it is a challenge for UM to maintain their educational standards and to find ways on how to keep UM as the school for everyone.

Threat of Substitutes

A threat of substitutes exists when a product or service's demand is affected by the change of price or amount  of a substitute product. As for the academe, I think I can relate this factor with the entrance of Technical-Vocational Courses and the schools that offers them. UM offers 4-year courses and does not cater 2-year courses except for the Caregiver course which is only taken for 6 months. Nowadays, students are looking for an easy escape and finds these 2-year courses easier to surpass as this might help them get hired for jobs faster. That's why every time UM markets for their 4-year courses, we always indicate and insist that most companies hire graduates who finished a 4-year course, which I know is evidently true.

Threat of New Entrants

It is not only the existing rivals that pose a threat to organizations. The possibility of new organizations or companies may enter the industry also affects competition. This another challenge that any organization might face. As for UM, though their educational standards and integrity are already established, it is still a matter of marketing strategies that may bar the entry of new schools. Some of the new schools that can be considered as rivals of UM only offers 2-year courses such as Academia de Davao, TCIT, and ACES College.

Bargaining Power of Customers

The power of the customers is the impact they produce in the industry. If there is a great demand form customers, example is the stopping of tuition fee increase for schools, there is a great power from them to negotiate. In UM, the very common problem and issue usually raised by students is the increase of tuition fee each year. Some activists had rallies and some initiated a signature campaign. I think UM had it in control because there were years that they have imposed a NO TUITION FEE INCREASE and that, I think, is the effect of the power of customers.

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

Unlike producing industries that requires raw materials from suppliers, an academe such as UM still has a challenge with regards to Power of Suppliers. UM Tagum Branch depends on the supplies and support given by the UM Main Campus in Davao. Also, all the activities and all decisions done by the branches should be approved first from the main campus. And so, it is sometimes a challenge for the branches on how to convince the main campus and how to deal with consequences if ever requests are not approved. This shapes the strategical ability of the organization on how to solve the problem.

These days, we are introduced to these five forces for us to prepare ourselves with the challenge of competition. In the next coming years, there might be new forces that enters, but this shouldn't be a great threat to us, but instead a challenge to conquer everything.

OA Chronicles: Managing Organization Process

One of the greatest challenge in an organization is the management process. Selecting and implementing significant change is one of the most challenging undertakings that faces an organization. If the change involves the entire organization and also requires new rules that will replace established ways of doing business the challenge is crucial. This topic was discussed by our group and as I was researching about the assigned topic to me, I was also able to understand other factors that affects managing organization process.

Organizing, like planning, must be a carefully worked out and applied process. This process involves determining what work is needed to accomplish the goal, assigning those tasks to individuals, and arranging those individuals in a decision-making framework. According to the website http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/The-Organizational-Process.topicArticleId-8944,articleId-8875.html, the following image shows a diagram of the principles of Management Process.

 

I guess this diagram shows the idea correctly. As I will discuss each of the step, I will also try to relate it with my organization. Step 1 discusses about the Job design. Typically, this step refers to the objective that of the specific activities that must be completed to achieve goals. Plans shape the activities needed to reach those goals. Managers must examine plans initially and continue to do so as plans change and new goals are developed. Part of this planning is defining each job of each member of the organization. Goals and mission cannot be achieved without starting from the primary unit of the organization. In my organization, job designs are specifically designated to every employee, specially to us as instructors. Of course, our main job is to share our knowledge to our students and be a facilitator as well. But not only that. We are also responsible for guiding our students to the right path, not only in education but with their personal lives as well. As instructors, we should serve as role models to our students.

Step 2 is the Departmentalization. This is where tasks are identified and departmentalized. Although this task may seem overwhelming to some managers, it doesn't need to be. Managers simply list and analyze all the tasks that need to be accomplished in order to reach organizational goals. Then, it is also the tasks of managers to divide the tasks to whoever fits the responsibility. In industrial companies, tasks are divided by department or unit. Some of the common departments are the Finance, Audit, Human Resource, and Customer Service. In an academe such as my organization, departmentalization usually applies in the administrative offices having the same departments with industrial companies. But departmentalization also happens in the faculty and courses where we are divided our grouped as one department depending on our courses or major subjects.

Classifying and grouping the necessary work activities into manageable units is the Step 3 in this process, also known as delegation. This is similar to departmentalization, only that it involves smaller units or sub-departments. There are departments that needs to still be divided to even distribute the tasks properly. In the school where I am currently working, in every department, there are also sub-departments that represents the different programs under that department. For example, in the Department of the Business Administration, it will be divided into smaller units according to the programs namely Management Accounting, Finance, and Human Resource Management.

Step 4 then refers to the Span of Management, merely discussing about assignment of activities and delegation of authority. Managers assign the defined work activities to specific individuals. Also, they give each individual the authority (right) to carry out the assigned tasks. This part also defines the span of management of every authorized person, meaning, the boundary of his authority to people. It refers to how many people reports to one manager. Though according to research, there is no perfect number of people in one management that's why span of management refers only to how narrow or wide is the span. 

The last step of the process is the chain of command which refers to the design hierarchy of relationships. A manager should determine the vertical and horizontal relationships of the organization as a whole. Since chain of command links all persons in one organization, it is important to understand the two underlying principle of this step which involves unity of command and scalar principle. In my organization, the hierarchy starts with top administrative office, then goes down to the different department chairpersons, then down to program heads, and then the faculty members.

There is no such thing as a perfect organization. But a properly implemented organizing process should result in a work environment where all team members are aware of their responsibilities. If the organizing process is not conducted well, the results may yield confusion, frustration, loss of efficiency, and limited effectiveness.

OA Chronicles: How to Motivate Employees

If you think about it, part of the success of an organization comes from the motivation of the employees to give effort in doing their jobs. I think the question here is not "how to motivate employees?" because I believe that there is no such thing as a perfect formula or process in motivating employees. It varies accordingly to different types of people. Some may be motivated by money. Others may be already satisfied just by being recognized. It also depends on the type organization where an employee is involved. But I think issues about motivating employees are focused on what the employee wants or what they need. 

Some articles would give advises or tips on how to motivate employees. And these are only some of them.

1. Ask what they want out of work.

2. Consider each employee’s age and life stage. 

3. Match motivators to the company or department culture. 

4. Pinpoint each employee’s personality. 

5. Use flexibility wisely. 

6. Put money in its place. 

7. Don’t rely on stock options.

8. Offer help with career goals. 

9. Help employees learn. 

10. Recognize that motivation isn’t always the answer.

But then again, motivation depends on the person.

Before I graduated in college, I already told myself that I would NEVER be a teacher, EVER! But when a vacant position in teaching was offered to me, I had to grab the opportunity. So, I said to myself that since I did not plan this job, I should somehow be motivated to do my responsibilities. I was not asking for any amount or any material stuffs. I just want something that would make me get through the day. A simple recognition or appreciation from our program head would suffice it. Just knowing at the end of an examination that my students got high scores is already overwhelming knowing that I was an effective teacher. In the institution where I belong, scholarships are given to interested instructors in taking their Master's degree. This is one of those motivational strategies that they implement so instructors would feel that they are given privilege and at the same time recognized. I am also an online English tutor to Japanese students and one of the company's ways to motivate their tutors is by giving cash incentives and recognition as best tutor.

For me, in the end, its still up to the employee if they would let their selves be bribed to be motivated. I still believe that for someone to last in a job, its a matter of LABOR OF LOVE.

OA Chronicles: EmPOWERment!

When talking about organizational empowerment, we deal with the planning and organizing. And what does this two words even mean? How do they differ? The first thing that springs to my mind when I hear the word organization is the Organizational Chart. I believe that behind every organization, there are people responsible in every tasks or planned activities. By having this idea, we will know what is the difference between planning and organizing. Planning is deciding what to do and Organizing is deciding how to do it.

After careful thought, I started analyzing the organizational chart of our institution. How are the numerous tasks and responsibilities divided and who are the people behind it? Since our organization is one of the largest schools in Mindanao, there are really various individuals or groups assigned with different tasks. In the main campus, all of the administrative officials are there starting with president, vice president, and board members. Then under their level are the in-charges of different departments: Finance, Human Resource, Payroll, etc. Then the dean of every college in the institution followed by the faculty. In the case of the branches such us our campus, we don't have the same hierarchy of officials like the main campus. The person on top is our Director, followed by the Dean of College. Then right under are the Department Chairperson for every college department, and followed by Program Heads for every program under a department. I had the privilege before of talking with our own Program Head in the Computer Science program. We talked about the responsibilities and tasks given to him as the Program Head and how it differs from the tasks and responsibilities of a Department Chairperson. In my opinion after that talk, there was an unequal division of labor or responsibilities in the institution, but I think that's how the administration sees it would work.

It is very important in an organization to have proper organizing. The assigning of planned tasks to various people or teams are crucial. It is proper to understand the organization design decision, the decision made about the structure of the organization, and the job design organization, the decisions made about the nature of  jobs within the organization.

Now, let's talk about Organizing Strategies and how are they important in an organization. Leading -- means getting other to perform necessary tasks by monitoring them to achieve the organization's goals. Controlling -- a process by which a person, group, or organization consciously monitors performance and takes corrective actions. I can still recall back in college when I became the president of the Computer Science Program. I was given a very high position yet a very difficult responsibility. It is never easy leading an entire department and you will come across different students of different attitudes. Also, one of the challenges  as a president was to get my constituents to do their assigned tasks. You have to establish a sense of responsibility, team work, job enrichment, and show them how important their positions are. You should be able to control and monitor them, making sure that it's not only you working alone. It was not an easy task to become a president, but I think it really helped developed myself on how to handle people and how to become an effective instructor that I am now.

In any organization, whether big or small, it is very important to know that the employees or members are its greatest assets. Employee involvement really matters. Employees should have their say on any matter. Soliciting their own opinion and considering their inputs gives employees an empowerment to the organization.  It is very important to make them feel that they belong to the group and they are part of its growth. We should  always remember that empowerment doesn't only include the organization but also refers increasing the spiritual, political, social, racial, educational, gender, or economic strength of its individuals.

OA Chronicles: Change

Change, as defined, is a law of nature. Nothing remains constant in this world but change. To understand change in an organization, where do we start? I was thinking about the answer to this question when I remembered a recent experience I had regarding change in organization.

In the institution where I am currently working, the administration started imposing new regulations that we should follow. When I started working, I thought that those regulations were already imposed back then before I was hired. But when I had chitchats with my colleagues, I came to know that these regulations were imposed all of a sudden. There was a sudden change. It caused confusion to most of the employees. You could hear a lot of complaints and comments from different sides. They find the new regulations too strict and are OA (over acting.. :)). As for me, I did also find it too strict. Its like the institution was under Martial Law. Days passed by and we came to know that the school was applying for an Accreditation and to become a university. We understood then the reasons why those new regulations were imposed.

Now let's talk about the common reasons why there is a change in organizations. Why change? One of the reasons is the change in business conditions. Just like in our institution, since we are applying for an accreditation, we need to impose change to pass and to promote the quality education offered from the school. Another reason is the change in managerial personnel. On example I can give is the situation in government employees. Since my mother is one of them, I often hear her say that there will be a "RE-OR" whenever a new mayor or new official is elected. "RE-OR" meaning Re-Organization. There are employees who will be fired and hired. Personnel of different departments will be changed. Another reason for organizational change is the deficiency in existing organizational patterns. I think among the reasons given so far, this should be one of the major reasons why there should be a change in organization. It's like changing for the better. Technological and psychological reasons is another cause. I really did not understand how this affects the organization but I think these refer to the members of the organization. Government policies and the size of the organization are also causes of changes. Whether an organization is private or public, they are not excused to be affected with this type of changes.

When the reporters started sharing about organizational change, it was the first time I knew that there are different models considered in such natural occurrence as change. And so I tried to pay attention to the different models presented and was hoping to understand organizational change further. The first model presented had three steps called the Lewin's Change Model. This model was composed of the first step: Unfreezing. This step refers to the readiness of the organization to accept change. It is indeed important to prepare an organization in changes, whether big or small, so employees won't be surprised or have violent reactions when changes are implemented. Members should be educated and informed. Consultations, planning, organization, and appointments should be made. The second step: Changing refers to the implementation of change. This is the part where you should prepare for different scenarios that might happen. You could receive praise, encouragement, recognition and empathy. In this stage, there should be proper coaching, leading, managing, and help or guidance to monitor feedback from the members of the organization. The last step is Refreezing which sets the performance indicators. This is the stage where the changes should stick to the organization. Monitoring and evaluating performances and establishing controls should be done to determine if the change was successfully applied.

The previous model presented was not that difficult to understand since normally, this model is applied in most  organizations. What surprised me is that there is a model which is composed of eight steps! This model was called John P Kotter's Eight Steps to Successful Change. As I was reading the eight steps, I was also comparing it to the previous model presented and tried to identify its differences aside from the number of steps it has. For me, there is not much difference found with the two models except that the John P Kotter's model was more detailed and very specific. Nevertheless, both models are really helpful in understanding how to apply organizational change.

As always mentioned, change is the only constant in the world. As members of an organization, we can't expect everything to stay the same. The world is turning and every now and then, changes happen. If you don't adapt to change, organization won't grow. I always believe that beyond every change there is a better plan and brighter future. Just like in the lyrics of Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror, "If you wanna make the  world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a chaaaaaannngggge!!!" ^________^

OA Chronicles: The Bee and The Lion

It was just like one of the ordinary Saturdays for our Masters class, only that it’s the first class of the new year. And almost all of us were late (chuckles). I don’t know if it made the class nervous about how Pareng Randy will react to our ‘lateness’, but all of us were so quiet and ready to listen to the reporter as we entered the room. Less expected, Pareng Randy just treated us like professionals letting us realize our own mistakes. And so the sharing started and was presented by one of my classmates that I idolized, Dustin Ramirez (parang artista lang ang name!).

 “Again?”, I thought, when I saw that we will be repeating the topic about managers and leaders. I really thought in that moment that I have already full understood the difference between a leader and a manager. I even have chosen what I am as an instructor. But I was wrong. There are far much more considerations to make for us to say if someone is a leader or a manager.

And here’s the story about the bee and the lion. It’s not actually a story but it’s how Dustin explained to us the difference of a manager and a leader. The bee as a manager and the lion as a leader. I even thought that it was a mismatch and got confused again of what a leader or a manager is. There were some categories presented to fully understand the differences. First, the attitude toward goals. Managers take impersonal and passive outlook. Goals arise out of necessities and not out of desires. Leaders, on the other hand, take personal and active outlook. He changes how people think about what's  desirable and possible. Next, is the conceptions of work. Managers negotiate and coerce, trying to balance opposing views. Leaders take fresh approaches to problems and are risk takers. Another category is the relationship to others. Managers prefer working with people with minimum emotional attachment while leaders are attracted to ideas and describes subordinates with emotionally rich adjectives. And another is the sense of self. Managers continue what is already strong in the company and feels part of the organization. The leaders comes from struggles to profoundly alter human and economic relationships and feel separate from the organization. To sum it up, managers impose rules and orderliness and leaders impose influence.

There were still a lot of arguments and discussions that happened. But as my classmates were arguing and discussing about it, I was already thinking that being a leader or a manager depends on the environment or organization you belong. I say that as an instructor, we are managers because we follow rules and we continue what is already strong in the organization. But if you belong to an industrial company, its important to be a leader, someone who is a risk taker and is open to fresh approaches. Can all of us be managers? NO. Can all of us be leaders? YES! Can we be both??? (grin).