Manag-Elegy

Porters Five Forces
Are stuck in my mind
Tyler and Kotter
Have made me refined

I’m now ready to manage and lead
Using Strategic Management Process
Without a doubt I’m sure to succeed
I’m taking MGT 3650 next, nonetheless

Blogging A+

This blogging assignment has been a trying infliction, a thorn in my flesh, a pang in my tuchus…

But I’ve grown accustomed to writing it every two weeks. Even more so, I have come to appreciate and even enjoy the process. Thanks to MGT 3120, but more importantly to Professor Kurpis, I’m proud to call myself a blogging blogger of the world wide blogosphere.



Frankly speaking I didn’t benefit from reading 60% of blogs written by my fellow students. In these cases I did not bother commenting on such posts, knowing that I would spend more time verbalizing a meaningful response than their respectful owners spent to write them. However, I did find a fair amount of blogs that were in fact like mine, complete and interesting. Ha!

Not only did this blog help me to understand our elaborate class activities, but also to unknowingly prepare for tests through posts about these activities. Putting my observations and actions in writing helped to understand my own doings and those taken by my peers during class exercises.

I’ve gotten much out of the posts made by professor Kurpis on the Water Cooler. I thought our professor was very inventive when choosing the topics, making references to management across centuries, realms of reality and fairy tale. If there was more of such outside reading, instead of regular posts, I would only welcome it.

I know that this blog will soon accumulate a thick layer of dust, and eventually expire. But, I do intend to keep it alive…or possibly create a new one.

"I Said No Pickles 4 Salt!"

There is a McDonald’s near my work on Fulton, one block away from the South Street Seaport. It caters to white collar workers, tourists and urban middle school kids. It has two floors, wooden tables and an average serving time of 1 minute 30 seconds. To summarize - it sucks.

The McDonald’s on Coney Island and Ditmas Avenue, where I live, is where the local crowd allays their after-school, after-midnight and after-doobee munchies. This place is not your archetypal Ronald McDonald house. In fact, it is the opposite. Ketchup is on the floor instead of the ketchup dispenser, napkins are a luxury and the average serving time is almost 5 minutes. And to sum up – it’s quite an experience, but you get exactly what you order.

The first time I went to McDonald’s to complete this assignment I forgot to ask for a receipt, so I was forced to go again. It paid off given that now I can delve into the management process of both fast food franchises, compare and contrast my experiences, and most importantly avoid being redundant.

About a month ago during brunch I went to McDonald’s near my work with a friend/neighbor/co-worker, who volunteered to be the guinea pig (provided that I’m not a big fan of greasy, fast food that never putrefies). The place was empty, however brimming with personnel. I ordered a hamburger with 4 pickles and small fries with no salt, trying hard to contain my grin. The ordering process was swift and straightforward, yet I felt that the person taking my order overlooked how important the instructions of “4 pickles and no salt” actually were. So I repeated my order and emphasized that I only needed 4 pickles, no more no less, and no salt on my fries. I did this twice. The girl taking my order smiled, as well as the rest of the personnel standing at the counter, and relayed the information to those making my hamburger in the back, stressing that they put only 4 pickles. After some stares at the anally-retentive, control freak of a guy in business attire, more concerned about the pickles on his hamburger at 11 AM in the morning, than anything else in the world, the order was ready. I timed the whole process at 1 minute and 30 seconds. Throughout the whole ordeal about 5 people got involved: the girl who took my order and put the fries and the hamburger into a paper bag; the manager who packed my small fries carton full of unsalted fries; 2 people in the back who prepared my hamburger, functioning as a conveyor belt; and another employee who repeated my instructions to both the manager and hamburger assemblers in the back. Aside from stares, which made me quite uncomfortable, the ordering and waiting process were satisfactory. In fact, one of the staff members even joked about how tough Tuesday mornings are, and a hamburger with 4 pickles sometimes makes the world go round. My co-worker, a.k.a. – the guinea pig, found the fries to be unsalted as ordered, but after carefully examining the hamburger we found that it contained 5 and a half pickles. What a comedown!

Considering the serving time and how my order was processed I would rank the management process as very efficient. I would go even further and say that personnel involved worked like a well-oiled machine, such as one employee taking initiative to repeat my instructions and the manager filling a small carton with fries as soon as the order appeared on the computer screen. Nevertheless, there is sill the issue of 5 and a half pickles instead of 4. This slip-up can be attributed to the general logic of “more is better than less” that influenced the decision of the overachieving personnel in the back. For ranking’s sake, I would grade the manufacturing process and communication as average (factoring in the speedy order process and the unnecessary 1.5 extra pickles), coordination as excellent, and customer service as slightly above average (bearing in mind how self-conscious the 8 person staff made me with their stares). Nevertheless, I wasn’t satisfied with my order, and in the case that I enjoyed a McDonald’s hamburger with 4 pickles and small, unsalted fries, next time I would try my luck at McDonald’s 3 blocks down the street.



After I realized that I forgot to get a receipt I scheduled another “4 pickles and no salt” experiment with my friend/neighbor/co-worker and guinea pig – Alex. At his request we went to a local McDonald’s, so that I would have a richer experience to write about. And I did. Approximately a week ago at 11 PM on a weeknight, Alex and I drove into our neighbor‘hood’ McDonald’s, the location of many childhood memories. There was a line of a few people, and the personnel consisted of about 6 people, three of which were in the back. The manager seemed brash, overworked but eager to take the order and help his employees in the process. When the line cleared the manager took my order, spit out the receipt and change in the matter of seconds. After I repeated my order he also reiterated the “4 pickles and no salt” instruction in an army manner, both to himself and to me. Instantly I knew that the guy meant business. The manager shouted to the staff in the back to put only 4 pickles onto my hamburger, while he filled up a small carton with fries. He did this on another occasion 3 minutes later when my hamburger was actually being made. It was evident that compared to the McDonald’s on Fulton, this franchise was greatly understaffed, especially if we take into account the constant line of customers and drive-in orders. The manager kept a short leash on his employees, but in no way deprecated them. He used an authoritative style of management, and exerted more effort and steam than a coal powered locomotive. Roughly 5 minutes later my order was ready. The fries were unsalted once again, something both me and Alex have come to expect. However, the sense of genuine triumph came after we discovered exactly 4 pickles on the hamburger. ShaZZAAM!

I would assume that about 3 staff members were involved in process. Those were the manager, and the two employees in the back who produced my hamburger. I was treated very well while I both ordered and waited, and I didn’t mind lingering that extra time. I would rate the manufacturing process as good, communication between the staff as excellent, coordination as excellent, and customer service as good.

As a consultant for McDonald’s I would recommend the franchise on Fulton to train their back room employees to prepare very specific orders, such as mine. I would possibly advocate an option to pass on such specific information through computer screens used in the ordering process. As for my neighborhood McDonald’s I would not advise any change, except to hire more personnel, so that they can alleviate the pressure on the manager, and cut the serving time threefold.

DiSC

I’m an “I”. I’m also a “C” and “S”. Moreover, I’m “D”. I join the ranks of “DISC chameleons” (a term I borrowed from a fellow pupil), an adoptable and versatile bunch, whose dimensions of behavior change with the circumstances.

In reality I scored a high “I” and a low “C”. Although greatly oversimplified, the DiSC test offered an interesting insight into my management orientation. Prior to taking the test I identified myself as purely analytical, with a tendency to influence others. Yet, the test revealed a reverse of these dimensions of behavior. Taking into consideration my own self-assessment and that of the DiSC test, I believe that my “I” and “C” attributes lie in balance with each other.



What I found most helpful about the test were the action plans for each of the dimension of behavior. These explain the type of organization and measures required for each management orientation to be successful. In my case, concentration, quick and objective decision-making are key to transforming me into an effective manager.

The DiSC test can be quite useful in gauging an individual’s management orientation, especially when we consider how little time it takes to complete. The test might be most helpful to developing managers, such as middle managers, in pinpointing weak spots in their management style and making instantaneous improvements to increase efficacy of the organization. Whereas CEO’s, CFO’s and upper management might find this test too shortsighted, provided that it generalizes and separates dimensions of decision-making behavior into distinct profiles. On the level of personal interactions the DiSC profile system can be quite accommodating, especially if each individual involved is familiar with other’s dimension of behavior. If these individuals are in the know about each other’s weaknesses and strengths, they can cooperate and act as facilitators when such a need arises, consequently creating synergy and greater value. I haven’t applied any insight I’ve gained about my managing approach from the DiSC analysis, but I’m quite certain that once I do, my personal relationships will undergo a positive change.

My Powerision

We are inborn visionaries. Tomorrow I have a meeting at work where I will get a chance to communicate my ideas about the current state of our product. In a week I have a test in finance. Today, in fact right before I started writing this post, I was jotting down my thoughts and suggestions for tomorrows meeting, and at lunch I went through a chapter in my finance book. However, it takes a little more than planning one day ahead to make life-altering dreams a reality. One week doesn’t cut it either. Our life’s challenge lies with having a long-term vision and a continuously evolving plan to realize it. To summarize everything above and stop myself from verbalizing any more redundancy I'll quote Joel Barker, the mastermind behind The Power of Vision.

“Vision without action is just a dream. Action without vision merely wastes time. Vision with action can make things happen!”



My current vision is a vague compilation of ideas, wants and aspirations. Let’s turn that around!

Vision # 1: Roughly 4 years from now I will have a Masters degree in Finance & Investments from one of the top business schools in NYC (Columbia, NYU Stern).
Actions Taken: To accomplish this goal I’m working towards a Bachelors degree in Finance at Baruch and pulling my GPA upward. I’m also working as a full-time analyst, and refining myself and my knowledge of finance through spiral working experiences.

Vision # 2: By the end of my senior year I will take time off to study or work in Europe, preferably in London or Milan. I will also travel through the rest of Europe, as well as Asia and South America.
Actions Taken: To realize this vision of mine I’ve curtailed my expenses and kept in close contact with my international friends.

Vision # 3: In a year and a half or by the time I finish my senior year at Baruch, I’m planning to be employed by a major firm in the Financial Services sector as an analyst. Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley will do just fine.
Actions Taken: To bring about this change I’m building and sustaining a network of professionals and studying for the CFA exam.

Vision # 4: 3 years from now I will invest into a shack/condo close to NYC in New Jersey or Staten Island in order to move out of my parent’s house.
Actions Taken: I have begun investing into the stock market to increase the value of my savings. I have also done some preliminary research about locations and the housing market, and shared my idea with a friend willing to take part in this endeavor.

Vision # 5: 1 year from now I will enter and win the Baruch College Entrepreneurship Competition.
Actions Taken: To win the BCEC next year I’m presently learning from the mistakes I made during this year’s competition. My team and I has began work on a new concept and a new approach to captivate next year’s judges.

I was skeptical about expounding my goals for the future when I began writing this post. Now that I have finished, my 5 year “vision” is still hazy and incomplete. Nonetheless, the fact that I spent 20 minutes pondering over my long term goals has brought me a new kind of awareness. I’m conscious of the fact that I need a set of explicit long term goals to “make things happen!”

Conflict (101) Resolution

It was one of the most enthralling decision making processes I’ve ever been a part of. At the very beginning of the activity we referred to Professor Kurpis as Professor Kurpis, minutes later the name gradually became a “professor” outburst and a pointed finger in his direction. By the end of this unforgiving endeavor, I couldn’t tell if Professor Kurpis ever existed. Everybody kept on referring to a mysterious “he” figure and the things he said or did not say.


In terms of leader and class interaction I suppose we drifted between “Facilitate” and “Delegate” decision making methods. Given that, the leader influence was low to very low, while group freedom ranged from high to very high. The leaders defined our objective, assisted the class in exploring alternatives, and worked to get a consensus on the final proposal. Using the above mentioned approach the leaders made it easier, or facilitated, for us to make a final decision. Although to a lesser extent, the leaders also delegated by playing almost no role in the decision making process, as well as setting inexact but obliging boundaries. Both of these methods require strong group skills - a quality that our class lacked, but salvaged through support for the general cause - a grade freebie. Considering time and goal constraints, and in regards to the class size, I think we would’ve been happier in groups of 15, fully utilizing the “Consult Group” approach. This way we would save time, everybody's opinion would be heard, resulting in viable demands and copious alternatives to add to the proposal.

When the World War 2.5 erupted in class, I did it all to handle the conflict. I played to win when somebody proposed to rewrite the essays; avoided when I felt overwhelmed by the many leaders and decision makers; compromised when a conflict of interest arose; accommodated when fellow students wanted no multiple-multiple choices on the next test; and finally collaborated with the single guy who threw off the final vote. I’m certain I chose the best way to handle this kind of conflict, because I couldn’t be more satisfied with the final result. I got an ...

"He" certainly has a fascinating approach to teaching management, and I LIKE IT. Professor Kurpis might not show us how decision making/planning/management skills are applied in the very real of the worlds, but his class is not a lecture, it's a memorable life-lesson. Let's hope this counts for that extra credit;-)

RIP T-Rex

T-Rex was the name of our egg. Some members of my team might argue if he even had a name, but from our very first moment together I knew…

In the Eggs-Cellent Competition, Team Rex, whose egg ricocheted off the garbage can and fell pompously under professor Kurpis’ table, was too divided to follow a planning process. Initially united, our team of 7 clearly defined the objectives, understood the deadlines, but was not specific enough to recognize which approach would work best. For the first 5 minutes, we brainstormed as a single entity about a foolproof technique to save T-Rex, and our various alternatives. Our team came up with over 4 different methods of saving the egg from the terrifying drop of 10 feet, 2 of which were sure to bring success. However, considering that 4 of the 7 people neglected to choose or follow a single leader, our team in fact consisted of 4 teams, while the rest sat quietly, flabbergasted by this split. Instead of consolidating our intelligence and physical strengths we instead began quarrelling over what kind of structure would be built. While some of us bickered like old hags, other more proactive yet delusional “leaders” built what resembled a discounted plasma lamp. On the side, as another proactive “leader” I tried to assemble a half crooked square box out of the remaining straws, inside which the egg was to be suspended by an adhesive paper tape. However, at this point there was only about a minute left until the erection of our structures had to abandoned. That was when all of our 4 teams along with the flabbergasted decided that without one another our egg had no way of surviving the plunge. More so, we finally realized that the resources provided were too scarce to be used in 3 different projects. In that last moment of competition we reached a point of absolute desperation, which resulted in a frenzied gluing of all three projects. Our logic was simple: birds had it figured out millions of years ago. So we built a nest out of colored juice straws and adhesive paper tape.


From my real life account scribbled above, a thorough evaluation of our planning process would be superfluous. Although team T-Rex completed Step 1, we circumvented each and every other step except for # 4. It was shoddy work nevertheless. We didn’t pick a method that would accomplish our objective, instead we were forced by the lack of time to collaborate. Nothing was offered to the person who merged our projects into a bird-like nest except of: “slap those together, and don’t you save any tape”. As a team we didn’t behave like a team, and that is the only reason why we fared so inadequately. Team T-Rex had brains, muscles and character, but it lacked unity and a chosen leader. I believe a little open-mindedness to others opinions and a strong leader would make T-Rex a successful team.

Manager Schmanager

Looking back at my Introduction, I’m now even more resolute to write something far squarer, and long-winded. Tetragonal?! Here I go.

Every summer and winter my friends and I plan a major retreat. Although, some of these plans never realize, we’ve been able to power through some major ones. For instance early this year we went to Pennsylvania to ski for 3 days, however there was no snow. We played volleyball outside and shot desert eagles at a range instead. In any case, it took many man hours, a load of determination and bargaining to arrange for 10 people to spend time together. Such factors as living space, activities, waking time, relationship status, car spec's, but most importantly food played a vital role in the grounding stages of that excursion. I have to admit that the managing person outdid himself because the trip was nearly flawless, even considering that a skating rink turned out to be a roller disco. Well, and the no snow part.

This time around we've been planning (and I'm using that term most generously) a trip to Vermont for 4 days for New Year's. Although the preparations began early in August, the planning have stalled...also early in August. This is due to the fact that people are terrified to commit, are unsure of their current financial situation or are unable to plan for the long term. Being spontaneous is great, but it doesn't work when you're renting a house for a major holiday in a major holiday destination, major:-). Rent in advance! Given that I've been co-planning this trip, I must say that it has been quite dreadful. I've done a great deal of research and preliminary plans but all of my negotiations, emails and phone conversations have been ignored or shrugged off as being "too ahead of time". Nevertheless, everyone still wants to go, they just don't want to commit in case someone bails out and the initial plan falls apart. I've been thinking that the best way to manage this situation would be to redistribute the planning responsibilities among all the members. In theory this should make them feel empowered, and when their own planning is at stake they would surely think twice before bailing out on the trip. Luckily, I've made arrangements for a backup getaway in case this managing style, or the one you will propose falls short of resolving this issue.

Introduction

My name is Ivan. I was born in Lvov, Ukraine, a city name that is derived from the word 'lion'. 8 years ago my family won a Green Card and shortly thereafter we emigrated to America. Currently I'm a Junior majoring in Finance & Investments, and balancing my life between work, school and things unrelated to the latter two. Although I've worked and earned money before I came to America, I held my first part time job at 11, working as a bag boy in a local Key Food store. My manager didn't speak English, and neither did I. Understanding was uncommon, an aspect that contributed to my on-the-job frustration, and which I've never encountered afterwards. Ever since I've held numerous jobs, from working as a tuxedo salesman, a waiter and a cold caller, to interning at Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers. Every one of these working experiences came with a manager of one sort or another. Although I couldn't possibly remember the specific characteristics of each one of these, I can certainly differentiate between a manager I regarded as an overseer and one whom I called 'my boss'. At any rate, I'm looking forward to learn how a good manager is ought to be!