Interviewing

Today in class I regretted not having an input when we discussed how when a company interviews candidates, they "select" the best few that they really want with a variety of current employees interviewing the candidates and providing input. I mentioned in the beginning of the semester about my co-op and how the atmosphere that I experienced there was not normal -- to have partners of the company refusing to talk to each other, trickling down to the bottom of the company, creating problems all over. But today during our discussion I was reminded of a time this fall when a few of my coworkers were interviewing a candidate for a tax professional position. About five in total interviewed him - two partners and three tax professionals. The three tax professionals and one of the partners left the interview not wishing to hire him, knowing that he would not be a good fit. But because the other partner had set up the interview, she offered him a position at the firm, all after receiving the reviews from the other interviewers. This displays something much deeper than looking for a "culture fit" in a candidate; it is a fight, a recurring and constant conflict that I'm still trying to work out in my head how it can be resolved. Perhaps this class will help me work into the answer... or at least come up with some more creative ideas.

Syn·er·gy -- noun \ˈsi-nər-jē\

I had never heard the idea of synergy explained so well that I did in class today.

"Two plus two equals five," Professor McCarty breathed. "The whole is more than the sum of the parts."

I am giving in to the idea that a group can function as well as, or better than, an individual. And I'm seeing it all around me. For example, in Management Information Systems, I really have no clue what my professor is asking for in most of the case studies. Which stance should I take? How do I even begin? Most times this confusion and loss of a starting point is eased by simple questions to peers. What do you think? I think he's referring to this (x), but I'm not positive. By simply juggling thoughts and bouncing ideas off of each other, it becomes easy to see the main point of the problem and build from there. It is important to have a solid starting point that is mutually agreed upon before beginning.

In-Class Discussion

This morning we got down to the basics - if we as a class really believe this whole opinion that a group as a whole functions better or worse than an individual, even if they are an expert in the field. Something I considered saying, but didn't know if it would be appropriate in class, is the religious stand point. For example, my father has a masters in Theology and Ministry, as do many other Priests, Ministers, Reverends, etc., but he chooses to be a Mennonite. Others have gone through and received the same education, are equally knowledged in the subject, and choose to be Catholic or Presbyterian, or Mormon, or Amish. My mother is a radiologist and will openly admit that she reads cases as she sees them to the best of her ability. I would trust her word above any, but still understand that another doctor may interpret it differently. I do believe the power of the group is important, but I also think that the power of the individual is equally if not of greater importance. Because if all our lives we had worked in groups, we would not have individual opinions. The fact that we have at one time worked alone and struggled to come up with our own answers brings to the group and greater girth of knowledge and understanding.

12 Angry Men

We watched "12 Angry Men" today in Organizational Behavior. It is about a jury of twelve beginning their discussion with eleven on the guilty side and one, Henry Fonda, on the non-guilty side. As the movie progresses, Henry Fonda eventually leads each of the eleven over to his side of the argument, helping them see a way that there are completely unable to think about in the beginning of the movie. I thought it was intriguing because of the way some of the men acted. Many had such quick tempers and jumped to conclusions and to their own defense. I thought this was very interesting as it connected to the readings that we also had to do today. People always have their own motives and when attempting to work in a group, this will not work. People have to come to the table open-minded and with equal participation. Some men spoke down to others in a way that was unfair and belittled opinions. Henry Fonda spoke mildly and never raised his voice, but also didn't back down and was open to listening to what others thought... as long as they weren't shouting. It's definitely important to take that into consideration. If you want your opposing party to seriously listen to you and think about what you're saying, you cannot yell at them or degrade them. It is vital that, as Henry Fonda had, an educated, yet unbiased and willing-to-be-challenged mind is necessary to have a reasonable conversation with parties that do not agree. And maybe you will change their mind... or eleven minds.

Artic Survival

Today in class we discussed the pros of group work in comparison to individual work. Professor McCarty definitely had a lot of important points, but I'm still not sold! It is so hard to think about how much of a positive group work is when I have consistently been stuck with peers that wait for me to do work or do not show up to group meetings. I have a hard time trusting other people with work that I will be graded on because I know that I am an incredibly motivated person and others either do not share that work ethic or it takes them more time to get going. I know realistically that if I want to get my homework done, the other readings for my other classes, get to the gym, spend time with friends, AND find time to sleep, I need to be productive and schedule my time accordingly. That being said, I know that there are others that are like me and motivated, but may work on a different time schedule. I know in the "real world" life revolves around the aspect of the group, but I also think that in those situations, as I saw and worked with others productively on co-op, persons are more likely to want to be there and to be working hard. "Work hard, play hard." Just hoping that others in my groups for this class feel similarly!