Is Power a Personal or a Relationship Attribute?

According to David W. Johnson (2009), power is “The ability to influence and control others while resisting their influence and control.” Based on this definition, in some direct or indirect way, everyone has power. However, some have more power than others or a better ability to influence others. Therefore, I believe power is a personal and relationship attribute. For example, a parent and child relationship shows how both parties have their share of power. The parent influences the child with rules, education and love. A child influences a parent when sick, with his/her actions and so forth.

However, power is also a personal attribute. This does not mean that all people are born with it. I know we (people) are all different in many aspects; some people have more charisma to influence than others. Because of their personality and interest this type of people develop leadership skills. Therefore, these skills can be developed via many means such as money, knowledge, abilities, networking and more.

In my mind, having power should not be one’s ultimate goal. It is more important to know how to use power constructively while keeping a clear understanding and connection of others affected by your decisions.

Sources

Johnson, David. Joining Together Group Theory and Group Skills. 10th. ed. New York, NY: Pearson/Merrill, 2009. 217-261. Print.

Do people that accomplish all of their goals become successful and happy?

While reading the chapter 3 “Establishing Goals Consistent with Your Values and Ethics” from the Interpersonal Skill in Organizations book. I asked myself a couple of questions. Is a person who accomplishes all of his/her goals successful and happy? Ever since I joined the working force, I have dealt with many managers and bosses. They all had their own way and approach to manage people and resources. For the most part, it was evident that they had worked very hard to attain their management position. I imagine they defined their goals to become managers and strived to achieve it. Despite of their achievement, many of them did not come across happy despite of having accomplished their goals. Why is it that the ultimate goal for many of us is to takeover a management position? Once in that position, responsibilities, conflicts and stress are greater. The paycheck might increase but also time spent at work. I think there are two answers: The idea to accomplish certain goal seems great, until it is reached and one realizes that the goal was not as desirable as it seemed. The second answer is that society engraves in our brain that a management position should be our ultimate professional goal. However, having a management position, means that your actions and decisions affect other people’s lives for the worst of the best, which is a big responsibility. Many times managers have to go against their principles and ethics to make decisions. Therefore, it is important to evaluate different options when facing an ethical dilemma. The book mentions that as manger you should put yourself as a member of the community before making decisions.

Sources

Janasz, Suzanne. Interpersonal Skills in Organizations. 3rd. ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2008. 49-70. Print.

Making decisions and solving problems can one get better at this?

Personally, I know that making big decisions takes me a while. Janasz (2009) mentions seven steps to assist on the decision making process. The steps are very clear and helpful. However, it seems that following such steps can be time consuming and contradicting with regards to the current market and work environment where decisions are expected and demanded promptly. I have made many decisions in my life some I really regret some I don’t. But it still takes me a long time to make big decisions and if I do not take my time contemplating the situation, I usually do not feel good about my decision.

Sources

Janasz, Suzanne. Interpersonal Skills in Organizations. 3rd. ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2009. 285-306. Print

The Influence of technology on Interpersonal Skills

The Influence of technology on Interpersonal Skills

Has interpersonal communication within society improved with the current technological advances? According to de Janasz (2009) “Much electronic communication in the work place now takes place via e-mail, instant messaging, texting, faxing, teleconferencing, cell phones, voicemail and other means such as websites and Internet technologies.” (p. 134). During the past 20 years, I have experienced numerous technological innovations from the personal computer, to the Internet and mobile devices. This technology not only has become a reality, but also easily available and affordable. On a normal day an individual has many tools to communicate with coworkers and family, such as email, telephone, Facebook©, or in person. But this does not mean that an average person has developed effective interpersonal skills due to the wide telecommunication technology. On the contrary, technology has made us less personal.

Human interaction is part of our culture and nature. Establishing bonds such as friendship and sharing experiences and feeling are examples of our need for interaction. However, due to current telecommunication technology, impersonal interaction has become the normal social interaction. For instance, the Internet has been around long enough for us to realize that newer generations lack the ability to read body language or build conventional relationships. As mentioned by de Janasz, most school of business graduates lack interpersonal skills (2009). This is a problem that although is not totally due to current technology replacing ways of communication, it has played a big role deterring us from building interpersonal skills.

I see the online dating site eHarmony® has been promoting its services on national television for several years. This leads me to believe that many people rely on online services to meet and interact instead of using traditional social events. “An additional issue raised by social network sites is what the meaning of ‘friends’ is in these environments. Some observers speculate that the meaning of friend is more broad than conventional understandings” (Tong, Van Der Heide, Langwell, & Walther, 2008). This leads me to check my Facebook account. It has 130 friends listed. The more I look into the list the more I realize it consists of acquaintances.

Moreover, as mentioned by de Janasz (2009), “Electronic communication also has the potential downside of reducing the quality and amount of human interaction.” (p. 134) A nominal day at the office for many of us consists of checking and responding to emails, communicating via instant messenger and attending a meeting via teleconferencing. These tools allow us to keep track of activities, requests, ideas, and so forth. However, this also promotes losing the interpersonal relationships that people need to engage.

It is now very common in the work force for people to work from home one or two days a week, better known as telecommuting. Current technology such as the Internet and teleconferences make this possible and it is very advantageous to employees and companies. However, permanently adopting this practice will hinder the ability for people to develop close working relations. But it is important to allow coworkers to know some aspects of your personal life in order to help them build an emotional and personal connection (Janasz, 2009).

Telecommunication technology allows for virtually instantaneous access to information. The phrase “google it” has become part of our everyday language. It refers to search certain information on the Internet. This is a great advantage although not all the information available online is necessarily reliable. The fact that there are many means to communicate, allows for a more convenient way to exchange information with a global audience. We rely on websites to do research instead of using the Internet to communicate with experts on topics of our interest. The use of technology can enhance and promote personal interaction if used in a diverse and personal manner.

The advancement of technology has expanded the communication channels available to us. However, it is important to maintain and continue polishing the conventional “people skills” necessary for personal and professional relationships. Current technology allows for global and mass communication, which offers great benefits; however, it does not replace conventional interpersonal skills. Therefore, the need is to make sure technology is not our predominant form of communication or a deterrent in developing our interpersonal skills.

Sources

Wenbin Nah, WN. (2008, August 16). Technology's effect on interpersonal communication [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://communicatebetter.blogspot.com/2008/08/technology-and-its-influence-on.html

Johnson, David. Joining Together Group Theory and Group Skills. 10th. ed. New York, NY: Pearson/Merrill, 2009. Print.

Tong, S. T., Van Der Heide, B., Langwell, L., & Walther, J. B. (2008). Too much of a good thing? The relationship between number of friends and interpersonal impressions on Facebook. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(3), 531-549.

Experiential leaning is effective

Is experiential learning the most effective way to gain knowledge?

While reading the “Experimental Learning” chapter from the book “Joining Together group theory and group skills.” I asked myself if experiential learning is the most effective way to gain knowledge. My personal opinion is that experiential learning is one of the best ways for me to retain information. I have noticed that my brain maintains and understands information in more detail when I have performed or experienced certain events with regards to such information. The book elaborates how failure and success can shape someone’s theories based on their experience, which I agree. I do believe that academic learning is also an effective process to acquire information, because it allows acquiring knowledge faster than experiential learning, but the retention of such knowledge can be lost if not used or experienced.

Sources

Johnson, David. Joining Together Group Theory and Group Skills. 10th. ed. New Jersey, NY: Pearson/Merrill, 2009. 45-65. Print.

Persuasion is not manipulation

What is the difference between manipulation and persuasion?

I have always thought that effective leaders have the capability persuade others to work towards as specific goal. However, according to de Janasz (2009) there is a fine line between persuasion and manipulation (p. 158). Fortunately, de Janasz provided some guidelines to determine whether certain persuasion efforts are rather manipulating. Such guideline boil down town to the concept of inspiring people based on two main concepts: Lead by example based on good ethics, and make sure that the every individual knows that his/her effort and contribution will benefit everyone.

Being able to detect and self monitor misuse of motivation factors to avoid losing credibility and being perceived as manipulating is rather critical as a leader. The ability to become persuasive allows for great accomplishments not only at work but also in personal life. As a parent, child, spouse and so forth we need to work together to accomplish goals and objectives. Therefore, it is imperative being able to inspire others in order to accomplish collective goals.

Sources

Janasz, Suzanne. Interpersonal Skills in Organizations. 3rd. ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2009. 150-161. Print.