Learnings

Discussion with John Swanwick (Tutor)

Q.Am I doing the right thing putting in a Johns refelctive matrix for TMA02?
Yes, but be open and honest

Q.Do I need a stakeholder analysis in TMA02 - shall I leave it to TMAO 3 when we have to decide the Workshop members? Advice is to do some preliminary work and put a S.A in the Appendix.

Q.Leadership theme - personal development on its own or can I bring in contrasting writers/theories? Yes, by all means, just be careful not to go too broard.

Q.Can I use a change model as well as one of my themes?
Yes, but signpost it well.

Q. Can B824 be my theme or do I have to be specific? Advice would be to be more specific without burning you boats if you wish to change later.

Current theme thinking:

I realise that I have to select but one academic work for my Leadership theme - all these listed below is too much to learn in too short a time scale for B830:-

Action Enquiry is too abstract and lacks "punch" for me - an interesting concept but over complex which does noy resonate with me.

Kegans view on modern life and Adult development is interesting but I cannot see how this is going to help me to the level I am looking for in my intervention.

Spriral Dynamics really has my attention - it resonates with my need to hae an integrated set of tools and behaviours that I can pick out and utilse easily.

After a full day slog, I am 97% complete.

I need to write up my interview notes from my discussions with Edwin and Victoria and put them as an Appendix.

Read it through and correct any obvious errors.

Learning from today - I can still see Lewin's model of unfreezing/freezing to have relevence to todays change management.

I can also see how I have to guard against the change theme getting too "wide" - John was right!

In full flight now! I have scanned the OD model of change from unit 9 of B751 and annotated it with B830 criteria, saved it and imported it into TMA 02.

Also, developed the GANTT chart for the EBI from a freeware package I found on the Internet and have printed it out prior to scanning and importing.

More tomorrow.....

Okay, lots of reflection and reading so here goes with the latest installment:

Cross boundary management is OUT - not relevent enough - but an interesting possible slant - two sub groups working in the same MNC. But that is not really what it is about. If we are going to merge the two groups, where is the cross boundary management?

Leadership is IN - excited at what I read and have ordered the books on Spiral Dynamics, Kegans model of evolving self and Torberts seven developmental frames. So that is my B830 theme. Will it help my EBI? We'll see - it could be all b*ks but my instinct tells me that I will get a lot out of it, some really good learning.

Plus Organisational structure and restructuring from B824.

Organisational Development (OD) and Pugh Matrix from B751.

So my strategies for learning are now in focus, my EBI is well developed, my boss is supportive so its all systems GO!!!!!

Sunday 20th May

Reflecting on John's advice - it's going to be difficult :
1) To find the right level of theorist to give me learning without going to narrow or wide
2) Because I find research difficult - I prefer action orientated learning and hate reading theorists work - just give me a model to use!

Potential theorist areas to think about:

- Organisational culture - differences in sub-culture between two groups of people in the same organisation - how to recognise, measure and what to do about it? Theorists?
- Change management process - OD - Pugh Matrix - does it work/add value? - B751
- Leadership - B830 Theme - what factors should I be aware of in change management - dynamic power shifts/resistance to change?
- Organisational Structuring and Restructuring - (B824) - SHRM - Post Bureaucratic norm/HR - - Chapter 9 HR course reader - Paul Sparrow - new methods of working (P3 and ISB groups)
- Cross boundary management Theme (B830)

Food for thought - some more reflection required - and start committing some notes to the TMA02 planner.

Where to go next - I have defined my EBI, identified functional feedback, identified Key issues, Stakeholders and theories.

But Task 8 of the Resi school talks about Options - what options? I can see how I can produce an action list of the information I have gleaned to date - is that the way to go?

And where are the printed notes from DS 2?Did I pick any up?

Need to read about:
Leadership
Change Management - Diploma
Power and Politics
Job Enlargement/Job design
MRR for AMS/Leadership
GAntt chart

Oscar speech learning's - the manager I am today
Define first few steps of the change
Choice of theories - those chosen/rejected and why?
Note : describe your theories as Tacit, Abstract or theories in use
Reflections

Finding it hard to read the theories - much more interested in clunky quick models - feel to a certain degree that theorists are making a mountain from a mole-hill.