Week 5, Blog 4 “Competitive Democracy”

The Web Lecture goes into detail about democracy and democracy models. The table that outlines strengths and weakness points out that “majority rule may overlook minority interests” is a weakness of competitive Democracy – or the electoral system used in our national, state and local governments.
I think that this is very important to take note of. When someone is elected to office, he/she is supposed to represent ALL constituents, not just the majority opinion holders. This is a huge challenge because chances are that the person elected to office by the majority holds strong values represented by the majority of the population. The best combatant to counteract the threat to minority interests is to elect individuals who have the ability and the inclination to take balanced approach to leadership and who may stray from party or majority interest ideals in order to better represent the broad-based interests of the population. These “moderate” leaders stand to accomplish much more with this approach than by embedding themselves in the dominant mentality.

Week 5, Blog 3- “Phatic Communication”

Chapter 11 talks about mindless or “phatic communication” as “a form of small talk that helps us appear social and gives the impression that we are interested in others”. It goes on the suggest that this type of mindless communication exchange shows a disregard between each of the participants because the scripts are meaningless.
I disagree to an extent. Sometimes, people are not comfortable trying to relate to other on deeper levels, and this “mindless communication” serves as a valiant attempt to at least TRY to relate to others. While throwing in at least SOME personal exchange like “How was your weekend? I recall that you were going to a ball game”, would make the exchange more meaningful, it is still communication. Sometimes asking how someone is doing simply communicates that the first person cares enough to even ask. Not asking says a lot more.

Week 5, Blog 2 – “Performance management”

The section in Chapter 10 which refers to human resources, specifically performance management grabbed my interest. This is where a system “tracks and gives feedback to employees about how well they are accomplishing objectives tied to each for their key dimensions.” The section goes on the say however, that in the absence of such a system managers are more likely to go with their gut feeling or play favorites. There is a lot of truth to this. I think that so much of how successful people are in an organization is tied to how well they have been able to build key relationships, and not necessarily their job performance.

“Transformational Leadership” (Wk 5, Blog 1)

Ch. 9 talks a lot about leadership and communication of leaders. I thought that the concept of “Transformational Leadership” was particularly interesting in regards to what that type of leader communicates. According to the text, a change agent is “one who seeks to lead an organization through and increasingly turbulent global business environment through the strategic use of communication.” This type of leadership style is easily identified in amongst our political and religious leaders, but it is also something that savvy organizational leadership must also utilize.
The book talks about change agent espousing their “vision” and constantly communicating that out to people. I can definitely think of people who I have come across in work places who fit this seemingly exhausting role. It also strikes me that change agents are often not “leaders” inasmuch as they are just out in front of a certain movement or change.

Where can I buy a compucellipod? (Wk 4, Blog 4)

(Lecture: Technology and Teams: “Living in a Pervasive Communication Environment”) The lecture draws a comparison between current emerging technologies and those from many generations past: “… the printing press, telegraph, and telephone were all new communication technologies in their time. What's different this time?” It goes on the explain how the printing press paved the way for one person or small group to communicate out to a larger audience (mass communication). The largest difference is that our numerous communication methods- especially those which are WiFi and thus portable, have unleashed endless avenues of two-way and web-like communication. While more convenient, it also means that managers may have increased expectations for being able to get a hold of employees or monitor their progress. Because the tools of the jobs have increased for employees significantly, so can the expectations of employers for what people can do. I would imagine that there are studies out there which examine the increase in communication technology as it relates to real information dissemination and communication. “Information overload” jumps to mind…..

imo u r def rt! (Wk 4 Blog 3)

(Lecture, Technology and Teams: “Virtual or real communication”) Looking at how technology influences our lives is hard to even see, since it has become such an accepted daily occurrence to use cell phones, email, facebook, myspace, ipods, etc. Virtual meetings are becoming more commonplace in business. The lecture asks a great question about these interactions being “real” or not. I would say that they are, but because they lack direct human contact, they are missing out on many types of non-verbal communication. The difference should not be “real vs. virtual” as much as “in person vs. virtual.”

I attended a lecture recently in which the instructor pointed out that most of communication is non-verbal. I am sure that how much is non-verbal is up for debate, but his point was well-taken. How someone says something is almost more important than what he/she says. When IMing, the “how” (tone, gestures, sarcasm, etc) is hard to communicate and can be lost. I would guess that everyone reading this has had the unhappy experience of either being misunderstood or misunderstanding someone else during virtual communications! It is not fun and happens very easily.

Power and Communication Networks (Wk 4 Blog 2)

If information is power and communication is how information is shared, then communication networks are a perfect way to examine power and group dynamics. (Communication networks Ch. 8, p.256-8) The book gives us a great visual for thinking about the different types of communication networks. The circle is like the children’s game of “telephone” where information is passed from one person to another. The all-channel model does not restrict communication to be centralized like the wheel and chain models do.

The book talks about these networks in terms of superior and inferior ways to communicate. I like to think that these different models are appropriate to different types of groups. Any military or para-military group must be centralized in some way in order to maximize efficiency. People operate solely on a “need to know basis”. However, this restricted information flow results in people knowing only what their superiors allow them to, making them completely dependent upon their leaders. On a fundraising committee for a non-profit organization, decentralized communication may result in more active member participation and the overall meeting of goals. The will also diffuse power throughout the group as any member may bring their leads to the table, and get credit for their input.