Weekly Assignments

Weekly

Initial post

I made an interesting observation at the workplace where I noticed the CEO and the manager reflecting on the job of the day. They both were my bosses so I had to take care of the instructions. When I compare the role of the manager and the boss I find that they both adopted different ways. Their style of communicating and sharing knowledge was different. I believe that the first factor that caused a difference in style is their age.

The CEO was older in his mid-forties. While the manager was younger and in his mid-thirties. I observed that both of them tacked the situation differently. The CEO did not give an exact time of the meeting and demanded groups presence in fifteen minutes after his arrival in the office. The CEO is authoritative and he only gives orders to the employees have to just follow. The CEO never accept suggestions from the employees or the staff. He is always adopting an authoritative style and give instructions that are clear. The talking style is also firm because the boss lacks gestures like a smile or a positive tone.

Compared to him the manager informed the employees about meeting one day earlier. He adopts a flexible style of commanding and give certain degrees of independence to the employees. He acts differently compared to the CEO, and always take their suggestions and feedback. The manager stress on building a conducive and creative environment for the employees. He is always concerned about improving the participation of employees. The manager adds fun to his meeting by sharing stories of success and exhibits a positive body language. He maintains eye contact with the employees and some of his positive facial expressions include a smile.

Different interpretations

Boss 1 (CEO)

He didn’t follow a pre-planned schedule because he holds power. He is enjoying his executive power and avoids the following deadlines. There are no rules for him because he is the boss. He decides to brief employees about the new project by giving them instructions. In a 30 minute presentation, he speaks will slight pauses. But he won't allow anyone to speak. The boss is the one who decided everything and the employees have to follow instructions. As a boss the CEO exhibits feelings of pride, authority and certainty. There is no confusion or ambiguity in the role played by the boss.

Boss 2 (Manager)

The manager gets up early in the morning and follows a clear schedule. He has to be on time to give a brief about the new project. It is important to involve employees throughout the process because it improves their enthusiasm and motivation. The manager is a bit anxious because he doesn't know what would be reactions of the people. He adopts a positive tone and makes his meeting interesting by adding some motivational message. He gives a smile to the employees and asks questions for encouraging their involvement. Taking feedbacks from employees improve their participation in the meeting and motivation for the work.

James (Employee)

The employee exhibits worry and anxiousness because he is unaware of the meeting’s agenda. He has to be attentive and reach office on time. Late arrival can displease the boss. James wears a good ironed suit because he wants to look presentable in front of the CEO. During the meeting, he is attentive and listens to the brief for following the instructions. He looks a little distracted in the meeting of the CEO because it is boring. He is not given a single chance for speaking or giving feedback. He is more comfortable in his meeting with the manager.

Replies

I agree with the views of Riley S Adams who shares his personal observations about the incident. People have some preconceived thinking and perceptions that influence their interpretation of the actual event. Odams made a clear assessment of the personality and behaviour of the people involved in the interaction. He adopts an appropriate strategy by focusing on the boss and James. The comparison of two person's personality is more likely to exhibit differences. He started by observing their pattern of dressing and after than examined their way of talking. The observations are made on the body language that is also an important component used for assessing personalities. Clear observations are made as Odams state, “James, through his body language, appeared that he had somewhere else to be, and was less than enthusiastic about being held up, although trying to politely listen”. Positive listening is an effective element required for effective communications between people in a group. People maintain interaction by using facial expressions because simple talking lacks effectiveness. Odams has rightly identified the role of eye contact in interactions. Without eye contact or use of facial expressions, it is not possible to transmit a message in a clear way. This undermines the quality of interaction.

Odam’s has explained the event from perspectives of Ian, James and Micheal. The perspectives of all three people vary, depending on their self-assessment. Ian exhibited feelings of excitement in the meeting. This was because he had to present the case to James so he reflected enthusiasm. The meeting promoted feelings of anxiousness in James because he was focusing on the next job that he had to perform after the meeting. Time management remains his biggest concerns. The feelings of Michael were different because he was curious about the whole process and the persons.

The post of Rebecca A Bianchi shares an interesting observation about a group of people. She focuses on the formal interactions between people that either leads to small actions or remains unnoticed. She explains the concept of autopilot that means relying heavily on influences and perceptions of other people. When someone shares his ideas it might influence other people who are having their own ideas related to a concept or issue. I agree that personal perceptions and beliefs of individuals affect their interactions and relationship with others. The common elements used for interpreting the message include the verbal and non-verbal clues. The verbal clues are judged by the talking while the non-verbal clues are examined through body language and actions. Body language gives the idea of one’s feelings towards others. So, in interpreting the communications it is crucial to consider the gestures and body language. The three people involved in communications perceive the situation differently.

From James perspectives, it is important to consider the feelings of Ian. Because he exhibits stress due to his focus on his boss's decision. This reflects his position as an inferior affects his feelings associated with the meeting. The employee is concerned about satisfying the concerns of the boss that promotes feelings of anxiousness. While from Michael's perspectives he stresses more on the tasks that he has to perform after the meeting. This indicates that people evaluate meetings and interactions according to their own perspectives. Ian compared to the other two people is an enthusiast for presenting his work and reflecting on it. Michael is more concerned about sharing his vision and making it acceptable in the group. I agree with Rebecca that a similar event holds a different meaning for the people. This is due to their concerns associated with the event.

Reference

BIBLIOGRAPHY Biggi, G., Professor, & Cortese, C. G. (2013). Well-being in the workplace through interaction between individual characteristics and organizational context. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being, 8 (10).