responses

CLASSMATE 1

Why do organizations need to develop strategic plans? (Discussion 9)

In order to understand the importance of a need of a thing, it is first important to know what that thing is. A strategic plan can be defined as an organizations game plan (David & David, 2017). When I envision a strategic plan, I think of football and basketball teams. Coaches develop different plays to utilize to assist the team in bringing home the win. So, it is with strategic planning. Strategic planning derived in the 1950’s and have emerged over the years. Strategic planning assist organizations to not only plan for now, but also optimizing opportunities for the future. It is imperative that leaders understand the significance of strategic planning.

Benjamin Franklin once stated, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail (Hall, 2019). This statement alone speaks volume as I can personally relate. No one was prepared for COVID-19. There are plans in place in the event a natural disaster occurs, an attack occurs, etc. However, when the pandemic hit, there was no plan. Although this pandemic may be one of the biggest pandemics, with more than expected or wanted fatalities. However, envision if there was a plan developed that would have decreased the number of cases as well as the number of deaths surrounding the COVID-19.

Organizations are constantly competing with one another. Therefore, it is vital for leaders to ensure that their strategic plan is effectively developed. Part of developing a strategic plan is first envisioning where the owner/leader desires for the organization to be. Based on where the organization is going, the vision, mission, assessing internal abilities and external threats and opportunities, assessing strategies, and prioritizing those strategies can assist in the formulation of a strategy, within the organization (David & David, 2017). Goals and objectives are also established within the organization. Another element essential to having an effective strategic plan is developing policies and procedures. Policies and procedures can assist organizations with maintaining order within as well as the do’s and don’ts within the organization. Some policies can include, safety, risk, trainings, health concerns, leave, etc. It is imperative to recognize that each component of the strategic plan is vital to the success of the organization. Therefore, it is vital for organizations to develop a strategic plan, to be prepared for adversity, even before it arises.

David, F. R., & David, F. R. (2017). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach. Boston: Pearson.

Hall, S. (2019, August 01). PR Insight: If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail. Retrieved October 16, 2020, from https://www.cumanagement.com/articles/2019/08/pr-insight-if-you-fail-plan-you-plan-fail

CLASSMATE 2 

        Discussion 9

Topic: Why do organizations need to develop strategic plans?

             The development of an effective strategy can assist a company in ensuring long-term profits and the maximum growth of the company. However, in order to secure this success a strategic plan must be developed and implemented. According to Bryson and Alston (2011), strategic planning is defined as a set of concepts, procedures, tools, and practices designed to help an organization’s (collaboration’s or community’s) leaders, managers, planners, staff, and other stakeholders to think, act, and learn strategically. Strategic planning assists business owners and leaders in knowing what to do to alleviate a problem and how to do it. This process is a direct guide that aids businesses in traveling from where they currently are to where they want to be. Bryson and Alston (2011) highlights six benefits of utilizing strategic planning. The first benefit is that strategic planning can be used to help organize and manage effective organizational processes. The second benefit is that strategic planning assist with improved decision making. The third benefit is that strategic planning enhances the organizations effectiveness, responsiveness, and resilience. The fourth benefit is that strategic planning enhances the legitimacy of the organization. The fifth benefit is that strategic planning enhances the effectiveness of broader societal systems. The last benefit is that strategic planning can directly benefit the people involved. These benefits demonstrate the vitality of employing strategic planning.

            In Martin Reeve’s video (2014), “Your strategy needs a strategy”, he mentions that one approach to strategy doesn’t fit all. He furthers that the approach to strategy has to match the issue. For example, I work for a very large mental health agency and this agency has been around for a very long time. As one can imagine, things in health care are constantly changing. Consequently, the company has to stay on top of those changes and the issues that arise because of those changes. The changes that occur in health care effects the business, their consumers, their employees and so on. Therefore, it’s impossible to implement only one strategy and then apply it to each issue that arises within the company. As a result, the company is constantly developing plans to assist with problems as they arise within the business.

Bryson, J.M. & Alston, F.K. (2011). Creating your strategic plan: A workbook for 

          public and nonprofit organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Reeves, M. (2014, October). Your strategy needs a strategy . Retrieved from

https://www.ted.com/talks/martin_reeves_your_strategy_needs_a_strategy#t-367254

leadership

 Throughout the term you have explored an examined numerous topics around management and leadership.  Successful organizations require an environment of support, sustainability, and life-long learning.  As an emerging leader share two lessons learned and how you will implement them within your current role and organization.  

Human Resource Management

 

You are the HR manager for a commercial airline. You have been assigned to develop a realistic job preview for flight attendants. Your objective is to give a balanced picture of the job so that applicants will better understand what they will be asked to do. Job duties, schedules, and other facets of the job should all be well understood early in the recruiting process to avoid poor P/E fit later on.

  • How would you gather information about the job context and environment? Explain what sources you would use and why.
  • How could you use technology to show the positive and negative aspects of the job

Your discussion is to be submitted in 12-point Times New Roman font using APA format.  You must have a minimum of two sources to support your answer. You must also have a minimum of two intext citation of your sources. This is very important.

Students are required to post their primary response (200 word minimum) by Wednesday midnight. Students will respond to 1 other posting (150 words minimum each) by Wednesday midnight..

I need a discussion done for my wk 10 Business Comm Class and a respond to 1 other student

 

Executive Presence and Communication Skills

Reflect on how your Executive Presence and communication skills have grown this term. Use the prompts below to organize your thoughts:

  • Reflecting on your first video in the course, what changes did you make for Assignment 3, to improve your Executive Presence?
  • What have you learned this term about how you communicate in the workplace? Include both positive and negative aspects of your communication style. 
  • In what ways have you improved your communication skills during this term?
  • What will you do going forward, to continue to improve your communication skills and Executive Presence?

Post your initial response by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates’ initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone.

 

Class:

Take a deep breath and let it out. We are in Week 10, our last week, and all of your major assignments have hopefully been submitted. So let’s relax, reflect, and have fun.

This is an important week as you sum up what you have learned in this course, and how you can apply this information at your current job and in the future.

Please spend some time answering these questions. Just writing one sentence to complete the assignment is not what is intended for this week’s discussion. Please include references and in-text citations.

Please print the questions out separately within your post so you can be sure to address them all.

Read the four questions carefully and reflect on how your Executive Presence and Communication Skills have grown this term.

1.    Reflecting on your first video in the course, what changes did you make for Assignment 3 to improve your Executive Presence?

Go back and read my suggestions from your first video recording and see if you included them in Assignment 3.

Do you feel your Executive Presence was elevated?

2. What have you learned this term about how you communicate in the workplace? Include both positive and negative aspects of your communication style.

Think about how you responded in the past to your colleagues during a normal workday. Now think about when things got tense or there was a crisis. What did you do before this course? What have you learned and applied now? What will you do in the future when these situations occur?

3. In what ways have you improved your communication skills during this term?

List specific improvements that you feel demonstrate that your communication skills have improved. Have any of your colleagues at work, boss or family members noticed a positive change?

4. What will you do going forward, to continue to improve your Communication Skills and Executive Presence?

This question requires thought. Will you continue to refer to what you learned here in your future journeys? Will you look deeper into any specific subjects?

I look forward to reading your answers and what changes your colleagues have noticed and identified that have taken place in your “persona” through your writings this semester.

Response

 
55 minutes agoJocelyn Johnson Sanders RE: Week 10 DiscussionCOLLAPSE

Hello Professor Paulson and Classmates,

Comparing My Videos

My Assignment 3 video provided an opportunity for adjustments to some of the technical aspects of my presentation as well as executive presence overall.

Learnings

The first technical change was the position of the camera.  Instead of looking down into the camera, it was placed at my same height.  Additional adjustments were made in order to stand during the video presentation, another great recommendation in my feedback and the reading assignments (Paulson, 1).  The final adjustment was the lighting and background for the video which improved the glare from the original assignment.

The Positive and the Negatives

One negative aspect regarding my communication at work that has definitely been improved is the ability to hold back and truly listen.  Due to my Di personality style, getting right to the point of my presentation has always been my workplace communication style.  Learning about storytelling tactics and examples was a huge benefit and growth opportunity in this course.  Conversely, positive aspects include the clarity of my voice and the fact that over the years, my experiences are of great interest to others and can be shared to help develop and grow my team.

Improved Communication Skills

Storytelling and increased listening skills would be the biggest areas of improvement.  Understanding the importance of the “jaw-dropping” moment (JWMI, 2) is the best improvement.  Through these exercises, recalling stories of the past are appropriate for both the Business Communications and Leadership MBA courses.  Sharing these skills with my team has improved business relationships and provided a feeling of trust in places that did not exist previously.  Taking the listening to the next level by referring back to a statement or recommendation made by a team member has encouraged others to share more ideas and openly communicate with the entire team.

Going Forward

Referring back to my learnings will be utilized throughout my MBA program.  At work, the executive sponsorship opportunities are abundant with my team, my peers, business leaders, and community events throughout the year.  Taking advantage of these opportunities and properly preparing for them will be the biggest take away to continue improving my skills.  There’s also a note of laziness during internal leadership meetings where sitting has become the norm.  My preference lately is to stand and there is a better quality of voice and reaction from the audience as a result.  This will remain a practice going forward.

Normal Workdays of the Past

When a crisis happened in the past, my adrenaline would kick into high gear.  Time for listening was a challenge.  Remembering to make sure there was a focus on the bigger “Why” is always a challenge in these situations.  At GE, we tend to go right to the solution or fix it mode of thinking.  My learnings have reminded me to ask “why” and “what did we learn from the crisis” and “how do we make sure this doesn’t happen again” when these situations occur.  My readings of Simon Senik in the past had taught me this but the culture quickly pulled me back into the “fix it” mode (3).  Asking the right questions must increase in my communications.

Demonstrations of Improvement

My team has been most impacted by my communication skills work in this course.  That was intentional due to the number of opportunities in any given workweek.  The dynamics on the team continue to improve and the benefits of team performance and openness are definitely noticed with a positive reaction.  No one has specifically asked if I’m taking a world-class MBA course in Business Communications but the increased feedback and dialogue from my team are evident.

Future Communications Journeys

There are often compliments with regards to my speaking capabilities and when the proper preparation is utilized, the response is abundant.  To that end, there are many speaking engagements on my path forward, and honing these skills coupled with the areas of career expertise will open the door to refer back and improve my skills in the future.  The storytelling, the succinct, and clear thinking in my message, and the body language will be my points to excel and grow.

  1. Paulson, E.  2020.  JWMI505 Business Communications Assignment Feedback.
  2. JWMI.  2020.  Week 10 Lecture Notes.
  3. Sinek, S. 2009.  Start With Why

Risk Prevention Policy

 Deliverable 7 – Risk Prevention Policy

Competencies

  • Evaluate the safety and security compliance of organizational and employee work environments.
  • Analyze organizational practices as they relate to union-related and labor relations laws.
  • Design reasonable accommodations to meet the needs of employees and the organization.
  • Appraise the workforce relations of an organization to ensure optimal performance.
  • Integrate negotiation strategies with legal decision-making to ensure policies and practices reflect ethical values.
  • Design an organizational risk management plan.

Scenario

You have been hired as the new Vice President of HR for your organization. One of the first areas in which you need to familiarize yourself with is in how well (or not) the organization manages and prevents risk. Upon review, you realize that there is no comprehensive policy for risk prevention and management currently in place. You report your findings to the CEO, who agrees that this lack of documented policy must be corrected immediately. The CEO has instructed you to develop a policy document to protect the organization and its employees from risk. As part of your role as VP of HR, you will need to research your organization, note that it is publicly-traded.

Instructions

Based on your research, prepare a policy document for the company that:

  • Outlines standards for employee safety and security.
  • Designs measures for reasonable accommodation.
  • Designates critical components that must be addressed to assure business continuity in the event of a natural disaster.
  • Describes how management decisions must align to the ethical values of the organization.
  • Illustrates the impact of labor laws and unions.
  • Incorporates a Human Resources audit.
  • Provides attribution for credible sources used in the policy document.