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In our first discussion board, we were asked to describe ourselves using hints about our interests. I love home design, architecture, and interior decorating. This is a picture of a client's home that I did last year. I had to work with existing furniture and coffee table, but we changed out the end tables, the rug, the throw pillows, and lamps. We also changed the coffee table decor. Just
a few simple changes transformed the room.  It's so much warmer and brighter.

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Discussion Board Topic: Steve Jobs and Apple (an older logo)

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Ethics and Corporate Governance
"moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity"
dictionary.com

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PADLET INSTRUCTIONS FROM PROFESSOR CURRY

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PADLET INSTRUCTIONS FROM PROFESSOR CURRY

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As you reflect upon each module and how it has affected your learning and professional growth, find an interesting article, cartoon, link to a video or audio file, news story, editorial, photo, or some other type of artifact that you found to be interesting, relevant, and representative of the course topics. Post your artifact and type in why you included the artifact and why you found it to be interesting or important to your learning.

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Our textbook for Spring 2018 MAN 2021 with Professor Curry

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CHAPTER 2:  ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

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Corporate Philanthropy - Chapter 2

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Insightful article on the differences between business planning and corporate planning
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-between-business-planning-corporate-planning-882.html

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Diversity and inclusion are a large part of the culture of my employer. A diverse team is a strong team.

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Management within a Global Organization

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Five Main Steps of Organizing Process
1. Reflect on plan and objectives
2. Establish major tasks
3. Divide major tasks into subtasks
4. Allocate resources and directives for subtasks
5. Evaluate results of organizing strategy
(Certo, et. al, Chapter 8, p. 178)

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Global Management
http://fortune.com/2015/02/19/wmac-globalization2-0/
Interesting article from fortune.com on globalization, the author said, "Globalization, in particular, is at the forefront of business planning and strategies."

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Chapter 3 - DB 2
The Benefits of Gender Diversity

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MANAGING IN THE GLOBAL ARENA
This article's author, Jackie Vilet wrote:
"A global leader has to manage multiple viewpoints and perspectives from various countries. They must be flexible, responsive to true differences in problem-solving among countries, have the ability to learn from mistakes and the ability to balance shorter and longer term objectives."

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Global leadership is about managing a business across borders where there are different cultural, legal, and economic systems. It's about knowing how to operate in multiple environments trying to achieve a common corporate objective.

Unlike many other articles on this subject, I don't want to focus solely on cultural differences. Yes they are important, but there are other "must haves" that are important as well. And as you will see, the tie-in to cultural differences is part of each "must have."

Also, I do not include global competencies here. This may create a stir. In my opinion, the standard global competencies that have been developed and published are generic and are necessary for every leader anywhere in the world.

None of the ones I have seen include competencies that specifically deal with the reality of global business. This is important.

So, here are my 5 "must haves" for a global leader:

1. Inquisitiveness

This is absolutely No. 1. The best global leaders are open to new experiences. In their everyday life, they are generally curious about anything new. In becoming familiar with culture in other countries, they are able to suspend criticism/opinion.

According to J. Stewart Black, former director of INSEAD in Singapore, "When in a new country, high-potential global leaders seek out new experiences. They want to try the local food, not the internationalized cuisine at some five-star hotel. They pick up the local newspaper; they talk to local residents."

Don't be fooled into thinking that an overseas assignment automatically makes a person "global." During my time working overseas, I ran across executives that lived in an American expatriate "bubble." They never made an attempt to understand or learn anything about the local culture.

In fact, sometimes they were critical and/or joked about it. They socialized with other Americans and complained about local "inconveniences" like not being able to buy their favorite brand of cereal. People with this mindset may have several overseas assignment, but to be an effective leader globally they must change their mindset.

2. Dealing with multiple perspectives and ambiguity

The ability to deal with this occurs 24/7. It is more prevalent in global roles than purely domestic ones.

A global leader has to manage multiple viewpoints and perspectives from various countries. They must be flexible, responsive to true differences in problem-solving among countries, have the ability to learn from mistakes and the ability to balance shorter and longer term objectives.

3. Frame-shifting

This is the ability to shift leadership style depending on the country/culture.

Example: A consultative style that draws upon the input of others may be OK when operating in Italy. But that style would not be appropriate in Korea where employees are used to very hierarchical relationships and expect management to provide all the answers.

4. Adapt and add value

There is a time to teach employees overseas as well as learn from them, a time to make decisions, and a time to listen. Getting the right balance is an effective leadership skill.

Global leaders who adapt too much to the local environment are unlikely to accomplish their goals. But those who are overly quick or eager to teach (to add value) may find others turned off. The leader will likely come across as an "ugly" American that knows everything and thinks the U.S. way is the only way.

5. Multiple business models

Business models are different from country to country -and certainly different from those used in the U.S. A global leader must understand the requirements in each country for customized marketing, branding, products/services and selling techniques.

American companies have had success domestically in focusing on operational efficiency and business processes. This doesn't work in many other countries. In the developing ones, for example, a more entrepreneurial approach is required. The focus is on breaking into a market, learning a new business model and developing a presence/branding. Developing operational efficiency and processes are put on the back burner.

With 50 percent of revenues in U.S. multinationals coming from overseas, it becomes critical to have leaders who understand the strategic markets of the future. Tomorrow's successful companies will be those that are already grooming managers to be global leaders.
This post was originally published on TLNT.

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5 critical skills for effective global leadership

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Global leadership is about managing a business across borders where there are different cultural, legal, and economic systems. It's about knowing how to operate in multiple environments trying to achieve a common corporate objective. Unlike many other articles on this subject, I don't want to focus solely on cultural differences.

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Sustainability - Chapter 2
This is a very important arena for businesses in today's competitive market.

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Organization Structures
In a recent article, author Jacob Morgan broke down the following:

1. The traditional hierarchy (part 1 is already available)

2. Flatter organizations (part 2 is already available)

3. Flat organizations (part 3 is already available)

4. Flatarchies (part 4 is already available)

5. Holacratic organizations (part 5 is already available)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2015/07/06/the-5-types-of-organizational-structures-part-1-the-hierarchy/#5233480c5252

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I couldn't resist adding a picture of my BIGGEST homework distraction. Professor the Pug - my favorite grandpug.  I have to take occasional breaks during study time and homework in order to play with him.  He loves a toy.

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Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

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How to Do a SWOT Analysis

Avoid relying on your own, partial understanding of your organization. Your assumptions could be wrong. Instead, gather a team of people from a range of functions and levels to build a broad and insightful list of observations.

Then, every time you identify a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, or Threat, write it down in the relevant part of the SWOT analysis grid for all to see.

Let's look at each area in more detail and consider what fits where, and what questions you could ask as part of your data gathering.

Strengths

Strengths are things that your organization does particularly well, or in a way that distinguishes you from your competitors. Think about the advantages your organization has over other organizations. These might be the motivation of your staff, access to certain materials, or a strong set of manufacturing processes.

Then turn your perspective around and ask yourself what your competitors might see as your strengths. What factors mean that you get the sale ahead of them?

Remember, any aspect of your organization is only a strength if it brings you a clear advantage. For example, if all of your competitors provide high-quality products, then a high-quality production process is not a strength in your market: it's a necessity.

Weaknesses

Weaknesses, like strengths, are inherent features of your organization, so focus on your people, resources, systems, and procedures. Think about what you could improve, and the sorts of practices you should avoid.

Once again, imagine (or find out) how other people in your market see you. Do they notice weaknesses that you tend to be blind to? Take time to examine how and why your competitors are doing better than you. What are you lacking?

Be honest! A SWOT analysis will only be valuable if you gather all the information you need. So, it's best to be realistic now, and face any unpleasant truths as soon as possible.

Opportunities

Opportunities are openings or chances for something positive to happen, but you'll need to claim them for yourself!

They usually arise from situations outside your organization, and require an eye to what might happen in the future. They might arise as developments in the market you serve, or in the technology you use. Being able to spot and exploit opportunities can make a huge difference to your organization's ability to compete and take the lead in your market.

Think about good opportunities that you can exploit immediately. These don't need to be game-changers: even small advantages can increase your organization's competitiveness. What interesting market trends are you aware of, large or small, which could have an impact?

You should also watch out for changes in government policy related to your field. And changes in social patterns, population profiles, and lifestyles can all throw up interesting opportunities.

Threats

Threats include anything that can negatively affect your business from the outside, such as supply-chain problems, shifts in market requirements, or a shortage of recruits. It's vital to anticipate threats and to take action against them before you become a victim of them and your growth stalls.

Think about the obstacles you face in getting your product to market and selling. You may notice that quality standards or specifications for your products are changing, and that you'll need to change those products if you're to stay in the lead. Evolving technology is an ever-present threat, as well as an opportunity!

Always consider what your competitors are doing, and whether you should be changing your organization's emphasis to meet the challenge. But remember that what they're doing might not be the right thing for you to do. So, avoid copying them without knowing how it will improve your position.

Be sure to explore whether your organization is especially exposed to external challenges. Do you have bad debt or cash-flow problems, for example, that could make you vulnerable to even small changes in your market? This is the kind of threat that can seriously damage your business, so be alert.

A SWOT Analysis Example

Imagine this scenario: a small start-up consultancy wants a clear picture of its current situation, to decide on a future strategy for growth. The team gathers, and draws up the SWOT Analysis shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. A Completed SWOT Analysis.

Strengths What do you do well? What unique resources can you draw on? What do others see as your strengths?

Weaknesses What could you improve? Where do you have fewer resources than others? What are others likely to see as weaknesses?

We are able to respond very quickly as we have no red tape, and no need for higher management approval.

We are able to give really good customer care, as the current small amount of work means we have plenty of time to devote to customers.

Our lead consultant has a strong reputation in the market.

We can change direction quickly if we find that our marketing is not working.

We have low overheads, so we can offer good value to customers.

Our company has little market presence or reputation.

We have a small staff, with a shallow skills base in many areas.

We are vulnerable to vital staff being sick or leaving.

Our cash flow will be unreliable in the early stages.

Opportunities What opportunities are open to you? What trends could you take advantage of? How can you turn your strengths into opportunities?

Threats What threats could harm you? What is your competition doing? What threats do your weaknesses expose to you?

Our business sector is expanding, with many future opportunities for success.

Local government wants to encourage local businesses.

Our competitors may be slow to adopt new technologies.

Developments in technology may change this market beyond our ability to adapt.

A small change in the focus of a large competitor might wipe out any market position we achieve.

As a result of the team's analysis, it's clear that the consultancy's main strengths lie in its agility, technical expertise, and low overheads. These allow it to offer excellent customer service to a relatively small client base.

The company's weaknesses are also to do with its size. It will need to invest in training, to improve the skills base of the small staff. It'll also need to focus on retention, so it doesn't lose key team members.

There are opportunities in offering rapid-response, good-value services to local businesses and to local government organizations. The company can likely be first to market with new products and services, given that its competitors are slow adopters.

The threats require the consultancy to keep up-to-date with changes in technology. It also needs to keep a close eye on its largest competitors, given its vulnerability to large-scale changes in its market. To counteract this, the business needs to focus its marketing on selected industry websites, to get the greatest possible market presence on a small advertising budget.

Frequently Asked Questions About SWOT Analysis

1. Who Invented SWOT Analysis?

2. What Does SWOT Analysis Stand For?

SWOT Analysis stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

3. What Can a SWOT Analysis Be Used For?

SWOT analysis is a useful tool to help you determine your organization's position in the market. You can then use this information to create an informed strategy suited to your needs and capabilities.

4. How Do I Write a SWOT Analysis?

5. How Do SWOT Analysis and the TOWS Matrix compare?

6. What Are the Biggest SWOT Analysis Mistakes?

Making your lists too long. Ask yourself if your ideas are feasible as you go along.

Being vague. Be specific to provide more focus for later discussions.

Not seeing weaknesses. Be sure to ask customers and colleagues what they experience in real life.

Not thinking ahead. It's easy to come up with nice ideas without taking them through to their logical conclusion. Always consider their practical impact.

Being unrealistic. Don't plan in detail for opportunities that don't exist yet. For example, that export market you've been eyeing may be available at some point, but the trade negotiations to open it up could take years.

Relying on SWOT Analysis alone. SWOT Analysis is valuable. But when you use it alongside other planning tools (SOAR, TOWS or PEST), the results will be more vigorous.

How to Use a SWOT Analysis

Use a SWOT Analysis to assess your organization's current position before you decide on any new strategy. Find out what's working well, and what's not so good. Ask yourself where you want to go, how you might get there - and what might get in your way.

Once you've examined all four aspects of SWOT, you'll want to build on your strengths, boost your weaker areas, head off any threats, and exploit every opportunity. In fact, you'll likely be faced with a long list of potential actions.

But before you go ahead, be sure to develop your ideas further. Look for potential connections between the quadrants of your matrix. For example, could you use some of your strengths to open up further opportunities? And, would even more opportunities become available by eliminating some of your weaknesses?

Finally, it's time to ruthlessly prune and prioritize your ideas, so that you can focus time and money on the most significant and impactful ones. Refine each point to make your comparisons clearer. For example, only accept precise, verifiable statements such as, "Cost advantage of $30/ton in sourcing raw material x," rather than, "Better value for money."

SWOT Analysis Tips

Here are four tips for getting more out of a SWOT analysis:

1. Be specific. The more focused and accurate you are about the points you write down, the more useful your SWOT analysis will be.

2. Work backwards. Experiment with filling in the four sections of your SWOT analysis in a different order, to stimulate new ways of thinking. Working backwards, in particular, from threats to strengths, may cast new light on the situation.

3. Get together. Highlight the most useful people to contribute to your SWOT analysis, then gather information and ideas from them all.

4. SWOT your competition! To stay ahead of your competitors, carry out a regular SWOT analysis on them. Use everything you know about them to evaluate their situation, and use SWOT analysis to plan your competitive strategies accordingly.

SWOT Analysis Infographic

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SWOT Analysis With SWOT Templates and Examples !

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SWOT Analysis is a simple but powerful framework for analyzing your organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Includes template. Access on-demand resources, expert videos by becoming a Mind Tools member now!!

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Organizational Structures and Processes
Chapters 8, 9, and 16
Organizational Skill is "the ability to create throughout the organization a network of people who can help solve problems as they occur." (Certo, et al.)

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My professional portrait :-)

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Management Skill:  A Classic View.

As one rises the corporate ladder, conceptual skills become more important and technical skills become less so.

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Chapters 10, 12, and 15
The chapters detailed Human Resources and Effective Communication

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Leadership Inventory Assessment Article

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Note: these tools are no longer being maintained. I have left them up as a curtesy but please consider their use 'as is'
These exercises assess your ability to apply critical management skills to identify and solve key organizational problems. Distinct from IQ, managerial intelligence can improve through assessment, learning, and practice. Click on the images below to go to the corresponding test. Scores are automatically calculated and compared to reference distributions of the scores of random samples of managers.

Excercises:

Exercises taken from Developing Management Skills 3rd Edition by David A. Whetten and Kim S. Cameron. See this book for more assessment tools and exercises related to managerial intelligence.

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Web Development by Andy Marfia (burncoil.com)

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Brian Uzzi - Kellogg School of Management | Leadership Assessment Tool

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Note: these tools are no longer being maintained. I have left them up as a curtesy but please consider their use 'as is' These exercises assess your ability to apply critical management skills to identify and solve key organizational problems. Distinct from IQ, managerial intelligence can improve through assessment, learning, and practice.

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Management Skill:  A Contemporary View.

Robert Katz - the author of the earliest most widely accepted article about management skills.  This diagram can also be found on page 10 of our textbook. This details the Contemporary View of Management Skill and what managers need to be successful.

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Spring Break!                                    I decorated my spring table and visited with family in Georgia.

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Spring Break!                                    I decorated my spring table and visited with family in Georgia.

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Human Resources
I am a charismatic leader and building relationships with my team is at the forefront of my efforts. I consider myself a servant leader and I know my most important resource is my Human Resources. Here's a picture of my team a few years ago. Every person in this team picture has moved on to promotions in the Clinic.

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Leadership and Motivation
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40604345
Article on the expectancy theory

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Spring Break 2018 is important for students to decompress and rejuvenate.

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Controlling Performance and Operations
Dr. Deming

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Managing Human Resources  - Professor Howard Curry, Module 6

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Six Sigma History

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Six Sigma Green Belt Training Video | Six Sigma Tutorial Videos Part 1

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SIX SIGMA

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Leadership and Motivation

Decision making

Motivation Strategies

Leadership Styles

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This course has been very beneficial.  Thank you for your excellent course and helpful feedback.

P.S. This wall was a nice, fun, creative piece of the course.  I'd never heard of Padlet.  Thank you again!

All my best,
Carey

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Dr. Deming, who taught companies how to produce better product, even with fewer employees and for less money. He used the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle.

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CHAPTERS 13 AND 14
How leaders and managers differ.