Beginning the Observation Process

My classmates/group mates and I conducted our first organizational observation today. We visited a local business with which I was not previously familiar, and were able to tour the facility. Our ‘host’ was friendly, informative, and it was easy to get a sense from the employees that we encountered that it is a warm and positive work environment. My first impression “vibe”, if you will, was that it was a family-oriented business that seeks to meet the needs of its clients. I truly appreciated their openness to talking about their services/programs/business details. It will be interesting to compare today’s observations to my own organization. Fortunately, we have our next visit already set up and will be able to meet with a manager at that time. I have a feeling we’ll be able to ask some deeper questions about the guiding vision/missions/principles of the organization, and I look forward to learning more. It is a completely different perspective with which to enter an organization/business, and I think the sense of curiosity I have about organizational development and culture is something that will stick with me far beyond this assignment or course.

In reading about conflict identification and management I have realized how many different levels of conflict may exist in an organization and how conflict may be perceived and managed in different ways depending on individual personality styles. Constructive conflict can be incredibly useful in organizational growth, and in education, I believe conflict is inevitable. My personal struggles arise when colleagues do not seem to be able to manage the type of open, collaborative communication that would create useful management of conflict. I witness high-level administrators who shut down ideas put forth by subordinates, and I wonder if their fear of losing power drives them to belittle others and speak condescendingly. Reading through the various websites on conflict resolution, I found that a theme of power ran through many articles. I suppose my focus as an educator is on students, not on power, but perhaps others do not feel the same? Finally, I arrive at a place in which I remind myself that the decisions and actions of others are nothing I can control; to embody the teachings of William Glasser, I utilize “Choice Theory” and remember that I can only control myself and my own choices.

I imagine that in the relatively brief time my group and I will spend observing our designated business, we will not likely witness a plethora of conflict because, as “guests”, I think we will be sheltered from the inner workings and potential conflicts that naturally occur. I would guess that management consultants spend enough time within an organization to witness, and potentially be involved in, conflict within a workplace. One major difference, however, would be that the consultant was hired, and, therefore, is likely trusted to be engaged in constructive conflict. As a mere participant observer, I do not think I will be able to see how this particular organization handles conflict. I am curious if my meeting with the manager will lead to a discussion of policies and the opportunity to learn about how grievances and issues are slated to be managed… For the time being, I will continue to develop rapport and simply be open to the wealth of information I can glean from this experience.