Implications of Casual Dress At Work

Implications of Casual Dress At Work Contents (Jump to) 1. Abstract 2. Introduction Professional dress Casual dressing at work 3. Literature Review Background/history Definition of casual wear Business casual A brief history of the Bank of America The role played by clothing The origins of casual dressing Consequences of casual wear Positive consequences Negative consequences 4. Methods of analysis Methods of collecting data Results of analysis 5. Conclusion and recommendations 6. References 1. ABSTRACT This paper seeks to establish the effects and implications of getting casual within the work environment of Bank of America. The Bank of America being the largest bank (by assets), it is known for its high levels of professionalism and its workers formal dress code. This paper will therefore discuss the banks service delivery to its clients while at the same time highlighting the aspects of effects of possible causal approaches that may be employed by the bank employees in discharging their duties. This discussion will be done systematically with special emphasis on different sections that will comprise of a table of content, introduction, literature review, method of analysis, results of analysis, the conclusions and recommendations made, a list of the references used in the collection of the information and finally a list appendices showing the additional material used in this discussion. 2. INTRODUCTION The Bank of America Corporation is based in charlotte which is in North Carolina, it is considered to be one of the largest financial institutions that offer financial services, it is also considered to be the largest bank in the assets category (it ahs the highest asset value).The bank is also the largest commercial bank by deposits. It is also ranked as the second largest bank on the basis of market capitalization in the United States. The bank (company) is known to hold about 12.2% of the total U.S deposits. It also holds the number one position of underwriting the global high yield debt, it is considered to be the third largest underwriter of global equity. The Bank plays a very important and critical role as an adviser to the global mergers and acquisition (it is therefore placed at the ninth position as an adviser on global mergers and acquisitions. The total numbers of clients served by the Bank of America originate from more than 150 countries from across the world. It has the highest percentage of relation with the U.S Fortune 500 companies (this percentage stands at 99%).Its relation with the fortune Global 500 stands at 83% (of these companies).The bank is a very important component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and also an influential member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).The bank demonstrated its ability to weather the 2007 credit crisis and emerged as the healthiest financial institution during that period. It later plunged in market value after incurring heavy losses as a result of purchasing the Merrill Lynch. The 2009 first quarter profits were valued at 4.2 billion with 3.7 billion having originated from the Merrill Lynch. Professional dress Before engaging in an informative discussion on the possible impacts of casual dressing at the work place or any other associated aspects of casual attitude in the work environment, it is important to understand the concept of professional dressing and its significance in the professional world of business. Professional dressing has a lot of significance especially in the Financial sector (which the Bank of America is part of).There is great significance that is attached to the color of the professional dress, this is largely due to the different meanings expressed by the different type of colours.For example, deep and dark colors are associated with wealth.Nuetral and the basic colors are most appropriate for business attire. In the Bank of America most senior managers dress in Dark colored suits which is a symbol of authority, the dark colors also symbolize power. Blue is a color that conveys dignity. Green has been labeled as a very inappropriate color for a male suit; this is because it is a common color for many hotel uniforms has cannot live up to the status demanded by the professional world. Gray is a common color that represents success and trustworthiness. The female employees have realized that the black color is an important and is able to complement many of their professional dresses. They therefore need to choose their clothes carefully based on solid colors that can easily blend with as many colors as possible. Female employees can always soften the basic colors for their professional dresses like brown and black by adding jewel tones, these usually demonstrates their confidence and energy, which is much needed by customers they serve in the professional environment of Bank of America. The corporate and professional standards must be respected during the selection of the Professional dresses; the color of these dresses is a key factor to making a good a selection. The type of fabric is also a factor in the selection process simply because it is symbolic (For example the natural fibers like linen, wool, cotton and silk are a symbol of status. The most preferred type of fabric for both male and female employees in the Bank include 100% pure wool. It is the most appropriate fabric for the professional dresses, followed by cotton. The likes of suede, leather, velvet and satin are fabrics that are inappropriate for professional dresses. There have been different interpretations for the meaning of professional dressing in America (different states have their interpretations, for example the Texas and some Western states believe that a business man can wear polished cowboy boots and their business suits and remain professional).Florida and California has a more casual dre ssing standard compared to New York. There are States that have remained very conservative with their dressing style (meaning they tend to dress professionally more often than not) these states include D.C, Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago).It is common knowledge that professional dressing has its important significance, in the sense that it builds confidence of the employees and also helps to build a professional environment within the Bank environment which is a plus to the image of the Bank of America. It necessary that the customers or the Bank clients constantly feel that they are dealing with professionals who will at all tomes give them professional advice to help them protect the investments and also give them sound financial advice. It is interesting that professional dressing helps to build this environment. A good professional image for the male employees within the bank is to ensure that they wear good quality suits that are solid and have dark colors. These suits should be complimented with good quality ties. They need to maintain a conservative way of dressing, simply because Bank of America as explained in this introduction is an international bank and has clients all over the world and therefore employees within the American Branch have a high potential of serving customers from all over the world and must remain professional if they are to handle such customers who constantly need assurance that the bank is professional and has safely kept their deposits. Casual dressing at work The major possible causes of the emerging trend of the casual dressing trend in the financial sector with specific interest in the Bank of America include; the need to return to a state of elegance as a new approach of expressing professionalism and slow but progressive change from the formal dress code. This paper will therefore will address the history or origin of the casual dressing and its possible consequences within the Bank of America. Some of the casual dressing trends also adopted by other banking institutions or businesses include the casual Fridays and the dress-down days. 3. LITERATURE REVIEWBackground/history This section of the paper will focus on the corporate history of the bank in an attempt to trace the reasons for the Banks dress code policy in relation to the type of customers or clients that they serve. It must be noted that the term ‘getting casual at work does not specifically refer to the dressing code but can be broadly discussed in the context of the employee behavior within the bank; this behavior could also be referred to as being informal be it in the hierarchal level or towards the delivery of services to customers. The Bank of America does not really have an extremely strict type of dress code but insists on smart business casual or any other dressing style that excludes jeans-shirts or in appropriate dressing, suits are not very common within the Bank(this is with reference to the junior employees who are not part of the management team). There are different types of casual dressing which include: Smart casual, Business Casual and sports wear. The most commonly used casual dressing style is the business casual followed by the smart casual. Definition of the casual wears Smart casual: This type of dress code is loosely defined and is very distinct compared to the business casual. The only challenge is that its definition is not very precise and many confuse the term smart casual with the term business casual, this definition of smart casual contains dress trousers even though other definitions include jean trousers. It also includes long sleeve dress shirt, loafers, tie (is optional), a belt, a sport coat. For female employees this could mean a skirt (either long or short), a fashionable belt, a jacket, a sweater that complements the dress that the employee has worn. The women are free to wear jewelry that compliments there type of dressing. It must be noted that this type of dressing is mostly appropriate in academic circles that majorly involves events where the said expert or professional speaks in front of an audience during lectures. Business casual This is a dress code that emerged in many white collar jobs in a number of western countries; this trend emerged in the early 1970 when there was the energy crisis. During this period the government had decided to raise the thermostat setting which then led to many managers authorizing their employees to do way with ties and jackets. The popularity of the business casual had surpassed the business formal attire wear. There are different definitions with regard to the business casual wear, meaning there is no generally accepted definition for this kind of wear, every organization defines this type of wear according to their interpretation which is majorly structured to suit the objectives or the interest of the organization. A definition given by the New York Times cites job search engine Monster.com states that a business casual wear means dressing professionally and looking neat while at the same time remaining pulled together. Business casual for female employees comprises of a ski rt of reasonable length or even full length pants of non jeans material. This can be complimented with a top. The business casual wear for men is considered as a combination of a collard shirt, belt and shoes (e.g. loafers) with socks. The neck ties and cufflinks are generally not recommended for business casual wear. A brief corporate history of the Bank of America Amadeo Giannini founded the Bank of Italy in the year 1904 in San Francisco. The main function of this bank was to cater to immigrants. Amadeo was brought up by the Fava family; this happened after his lost his father, who was shot trying to collect a debt. Opportunity knocked at Amedeos door step when the San Francisco earthquake struck in the year 1906.He was able to rescue all his funds from the banks building which was ruined. He then used the rescued funds to loan out to individuals who were willing to rebuild. He got his fortunes in the later year after all his debtors paid up their loans. He used his money to start the bank of America and Italy in the year 1922 (this was in Italy where he had bought Banca dellItalia Meridionale which had been established in the year 1918).In the year 1927 Amadeo consolidated his Bank of Italy which already had 101 branches with the Liberty bank of America which had 175 branches. This resulted into the Bank of Italy National TrustSavings Association which had a capital of $30,000,000 and had resources worth $115,000,000.It was later in 1928 that he merged with Bank of America Los Angeles, he later renamed his Bank of Italy to Bank of America in the year 1930.The Merger was completed in the year 19 29 and resulted into BANK OF AMERICA. The role played by the Clothing There is great importance pegged to the dressing style in the corporate world and this includes the Bank of America. It is common for executives within the bank to be associated with Business suits which usually symbolize the executive status. This simply means that the dressing styles acts as a code of differentiating the employees within the bank. In cases where the corporate body has a corporate uniform, there is increased ease of employee identification by the customers (this greatly helps to promote the corporate image).Since there is never a second chance to make a lasting impression to the customers, it is important for the employees to realize that the appropriate clothing for a given role within the bank can help improve the image of that employee within that role or even potentially help the employee win other roles within the bank. There is an interesting fact about clothing and the role it plays in placing individuals within a given social order. It is undeniable that there are different social orders that exist within the Bank of America, and these social orders are characterized by the dressing styles that are adopted by the employees (this usually happens whether they are aware or not).It is advisable for the employees to identify the type of role that they want to play and then dress the part. Status is another role played by the type of clothing chosen by a bank employee. A museum specialist called Barbara Dickstein argued that clothing was the major thing that represented an individual as opposed to the jewelry they might own. Wallach also stated in the year 1991 that clothing was a way of stating the status, the role of an individual in life and his social position.Role of clothing (examples). Blue velvet represented or symbolized the French nobilities (this was in the seventeenth century).The European court officials in the past wore clothes that were royal blue and purple in color. In Germany, clothing that were red in color were only designated to the members of the upper class. The ‘casual revolution begun in the year 1990, it was noted that during this period many employees including the company Managers were slowly adopting this emerging trend of casual wear. Apart from bank of America the trend was largely noticeable in downtown financial districts, businesses and corporate rooms in America. The characteristic of the trend is that employees would be casually dressed but look very presentable at the same time. As mentioned in the introduction there are different types of casual wear, the most common being the business wear (It is a very interesting dressing style in the sense that it allows the employee to feel comfortable while at the same maintaining his or h er professional image (examples include cotton shins,sweaters,and khaki pants. Care must be taken during the selection of the casual wear, simply because some of them are in appropriate for an office environment. Many employees have ignored the fact that casual does not imply that one should dress in a sloppy manner, examples of inappropriate casual wear include sleeveless shirts, tank tops and sports wear. It is appropriate for the female employees to avoid clothes that are revealing as these fall under inappropriate dressing. The main reason given by many accounting firms like Delloite and Touche and KPMG is that the casual wears affect the professional image of these professional companies that are always expected by their clients to maintain a corporate and professional image. John Molloy who authored the book ‘Dress for Success mentioned in his book that ‘Rulers of the Corporate and Political America wear suits-always have and always will, There are some large American companies that have also embraced the concept of casual dressing, examples of these companies include General motors and the Ford (they have come up with casual dress policies that cover the entire week as shown by Rothenberg, 1995.Another notable example is the Chrysler car company, where the employees at the headquarters are to dress as they please, twice in a week, there is a possibility of this trend completely taking over the dressing policy of the company. The customer expectation is an indispensable factor when it comes to choosing the most appropriate type of dressing. The management team of the Bank of America strongly believes that the dress code could affect the perception of the customers towards the company e.g. inappropriate or unprofessional dressing badly dents the professional image of the company. The Human Resource Manager of Price Water House Coopers (Pat Cooper believes that â€Å"Appropriate dress reflects good judgment and clients feel someone who has good judgment will give good advise† (walker, 1993).There is need for clear dress policy within the bank to assist with the definition of the casual wear that is acceptable to the customers and the bank ultimately. The different origins of casual dressing The current trend of casual wear within the Bank cannot be traced to one particular origin but can be attributed to the egalitarian movement in the business and industrial environment in the early 1980.This also brought with it the idea of empowerment and teamwork which aimed at reducing the distinctions that resulted from class. The dress codes are greatly influenced by the customer and employee demands. The bank only recommends very casual dressing for those events that are considered charitable. Consequences of Casual wear Positive consequences This section of the paper will explore the different aspects of casual wear with respect to their impact on employee behavior towards customers and even the Bank management team. It can be argued that appropriate casual dressing brings with it positive consequences. These positive consequences benefit both the employer and the employee. If the management team of Bank of America would dress more casually then they would be more comfortable and therefore look approachable to the other employees and this could in a great way boost interaction with the management team which could result into sharing of ideas that would otherwise not be shared.There is a growing popular realization that companies can immensely gain from more comfortable and flexible employees, it is an interesting fact that casual wear usually creates a more relaxed environment thus making the employees to have sense of freedom. If this kind of environment was enhanced through positive control, then the productivity level of employees within the Bank of America can be improved greatly. The casual ware also has its secondary impact in the clothing industry. The emerging trend of casual wear has led to an increased sales volume for many casual wear clothing firms; hence they have experienced positive growth in terms of profit margins. The fashion firms have also engaged in extensive campaigns to encourage the firms to adopt the casual wear for their employees. Departmental stores like Jacobsons have realized that they can promote the trend and in turn boost their sales volume in the long run. They have opted to taking the campaign to the door steps of these financial institutions or Banking corporations by giving them free seminars on the type of casual dressing that can be adopted. Negative impacts of casual dressing It is undeniable that the business casual wear and many other types of casual wear which were popular in the early 1990 have sent shock industry across the financial institutions that had adopted them. The focus of this paper will be on the negative impacts of this casual on the Bank of America. The discussion will therefore capture both aspects of the term of ‘getting casual at work. The aspects in this case will refer to the business casual dresses used by the employees and the casual attitude adopted by the employees towards discharging their duties. The current statistics show that this formerly popular trend is on the decline after the Bank realized that this particular type of dressing was projecting an image that was perceived by the Bank customers as unprofessional therefore eroding the confidence of the customers in the bank. The issue that alarmed the Bank is the statistics that showed that employees who dressed more casually at work tended to be more casual at the place of work in the sense that they discharged their duties more casually. This meant serious implications for the Bank. The casual attire was the largest contributor to the damaging of the corporate image, it also led to casual interaction among the employees for example it encouraged slacking off in the work productivity. The employees tended to joke more frequently, engage in non productive discussions through comments that encouraged flirtatious behavior thus creating an environment that could encourage sexual harassment within the work place. This directly meant that the bank could potentially lose skilled employees through court cases and court penalties. It also posed the risk of dragging the Banks image into these court cases (this could dent the banks image).It also led to the loss of manpower hours. Evidence from a survey conducted by a law firm further supports this fact. There survey which was conducted in 1,000 companies revealed that 50% of these companies had noticed an increase in absenteeism and tardiness after implementing a casual dress policy.30% of these companies also realized that flirtatious behavior had risen. Another challenge that faced the casual dress was the fact that there was no clear definition of what casual business attire should entail. Many employees interpreted the casual wear as what they usually put on at home (some even walked around in the office without shoes. This had the potential of making the work environment not conducive. Molloys research showed that women who were trying to get ahead in the corporate world found it increasing challenging to be taken seriously when they were casually dressed. The business casual wear in the bank sent a strong subtextual message to the customers who interpreted the message to mean that the Bank employees were going to handle their financial needs including their hard earned moneys in a very casual manner. This signal sent to the customers was not the message the Bank would at any one point wish to send to its clients and customers, hence casual wear sends a contrary message to what the bank wishes to send to its clients and customers. A critical review of the casual dressing policy reveals that the policy has more disadvantages than the advantages the Bank would want to achieve at the end of the day. Hence the Bank has become very skeptical of the proposed advantages the business casual wear would bring to the Bank environment. The bank bases its argument on the far reaching effects the casual wear would have on its customers who are the Banks number one priority. 4. METHODS OF ANALYSIS The following techniques were used in the analysis of data and information that was collected in this research paper: Case study, this involved conducting inquiries in order to investigate the phenomenon of ‘getting casual at work within its real life context, this was done on purpose because the boundary between the phenomenon and the context was not very evident. It involved the extensive use of qualitative data that was drawn from interviews and observations. It therefore was used to draw a clear understanding of the concept of getting casual at work. It involved the examination of surveys that were conducted in companies that had the casual wear policies and its main focus was on the Bank of America. The second technique used was the Experimental Design, which is an investigative technique that provided maximum control. It enabled the relationship between the casual attitude and dressing at the work place and its possible impacts to the Bank of America in terms of employee productivity and customer relation, to be isolated and then measure accurately in a carefully controlled experimental environment (where there is the experiment and the control) Methods of collecting Data The type of data that was collected in this case was qualitative data which was structured; this kind of data was produced through closed questions. This involved the use of questionnaires, which made the process of data analysis easier and more efficient. The questionnaires were administered to the employees, customers, and even managers of the Bank of America. It important to note that the questionnaires can only allow the prescribe questions and restricted responses. The design of the questionnaire was largely influenced by the type of data analysis. Interviews were also used to collect the data, in this particular case the structured interview approach was used to get information directly from the bank employees, customers and managers. Results of Analysis These will presented through the use of charts and graphical tables 5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS This paper has demonstrated that ‘getting casual at work poses a potential threat to the image of the Bank of America and can therefore the casual wear can not be adopted as a possible dress code for the bank, this is largely due to the fact that the disadvantages the casual wear holds outweighs the advantages of this concept of ‘getting casual at work. It is important for the bank employees to maintain a professional image by maintaining or putting on professionally recognized dresses. The female employee can dress in the upper class type of business wear that are mostly of natural fibers and respect cultural standards. 6. REFERENCES Button, G. (1995, November 6). No bathrobes, please. FORBES, 130. Davies, R. (1992, September). Managing by listening. Nations Business, 6. Himelstein, L. (1996, April 1). Levis vs. the dress code Business Week, 57. Rothenberg, A. (1995, June). What to wear? Wards Auto World, 32-33.

How My Children Helped Change My Life Essay

When my children were born, I knew my life was going to change. I started to feel complete with my life the day my son arrived. Even more complete when my little girl was first placed in my arms. My children have been my rock over the last three and a half years. They have helped me learn, grow, and love by showing me the world through their eyes. My children have helped me become a better role model and friend. They have helped me through my education. With my children I’m always learning something new. Most importantly my little ones have taught me how to love in a whole new light and it’s the small things in life that matter. A few years ago when I was about the age of 16 I knew that I had always wanted to be a mother. At that time I was going through a very difficult stage. I had my head wrapped around alcohol and a not so pleasant drug. As I proceeded to live the life I knew I never wanted, I had a lady a couple years older than me express that she loved her children but she loved the drug we chosen to do and that would never change. I threw my hands up, walked out the door and never returned to that life. I knew I was not destined to be that person. At the age of 18 I had found I was pregnant with my son. My old life was behind me and I knew this child was going to change my life forever. It had changed me into a mother. A month after my son’s first birthday when got the news I was pregnant with my second child. Even though Alieric was only a year old, I think the little man was more excited for a baby than me. He helped me as much as his little fingers could during his my pregnancy. He would grab me trash cans, rub my tummy, and talked to the baby every day. He loved his sister before she even arrived. He touched my heart in more ways than one and showed me even as a tiny person, love still had the power to conquer all. The day my daughter was born, I had to leave my son with a friend until his sister actually arrived. It broke his heart. I promised him that as soon as she was here he would be one of the first people to see her. I reassured him that she was going to love him as much as he had already loved her. That was the day I vowed never to break a promise to him or our new little bundle of joy. Now my children are hitting 4 years and 2 years. As they have grown I have tried my best to show them right from wrong and encourage them to help others as much as they can. Respect and appreciation is something that has been a huge part of my life and now that I have passed that down to my children, I get scolded from them when they think I’m being rude. They teach me right from wrong , and put their mommy in check. â€Å"Say bless you mommy†, â€Å"You’re excused†, â€Å"Mommy that wasn’t nice†, â€Å"I think you owe grandma an apology mom†. Those are the statements you might hear my children say on a daily basis. As I instill respect in them, they also instill respect and courtesy in me. I started school at the Goal Academy in 09 right after my son was born. I pushed myself for him so I could give him a future but that schooling wasn’t working for me. I moved on to the Alternative High School Diploma Program at PCC. Through that program I was pregnant with my little girl and with another baby on the way I pushed myself even harder to get through the program to graduate for them. Every day before I left my son would wish me luck, tell me to do a great job and that he knew that I could do it. That was all the motivation I needed. I made it through it 6 months! My little man guided me through it. He was there to watch me walk across the stage at graduation and all I could hear was him rooting for me. I was on proud momma that my son had so much faith in me. Now as I walk out the door each morning for college and my kiddos stay home , it fills my heart to hear them say things like â€Å" kill that test mom†, â€Å"you got it mommy†, â€Å"see you later, I know you can do it†, â€Å"Have a good day at school†. They are my inspiration and guidance to stay in school. They move me to better and get good grades so I can get the degree I want so I can give them a great life. With my children encouraging me and always being there for me through school , I know I will never give up. They won’t allow it. My children have so much faith in me and knowing that helps me have faith in myself. They teach me compassion and love . They have taught me that every day is a blessing . That god has given me these children for a reason and they have a purpose in life. To my children I’m wonder women for everything I do. They teach me something new with each new passing day, whether it be how to let loose and be free or how to care for their own owies. They teach me how to care for them by just being the little unique individuals that they are. They teach me different things through their personalities. In life they are going to teach me who they are, and along the way, even now, they have taught me who I am. I am a mother. It’s an amazing feeling to say that my children are two of my biggest accomplishments in life. As the end of November 2013 rolls around we will be welcoming a new baby into our little family and I couldn’t be more excited. Just like when I was pregnant with my daughter and how my son helped out, he has now taught his sister to help mommy and how to love this little baby even though he/she isn’t here yet. I could be anymore grateful or proud of my children than I am now. My children are my role models, my blessings and most of all my best friends. They have changed my life more ways than I can count and helped me mold into the person I am today. I honestly wouldn’t change one thing in my life and I’m proud to carry the title â€Å"Mommy†. I will forever hold that title dear to my heart and will never forget who was and still is there for me the most, my beautiful amazing children.

 Developing my Leadership Style Essay

Pressures on organizations are increasing; even in the Students’ Union where I work. There are growing needs to become more efficient, and to deliver success against strategic goals with shrinking resources. Quantitative analysis can measure performance outputs, and managers can make judgments using business information by qualitatively analyzing. Employees often represent the largest expense for organizations; therefore it is vital to monitor staff performance in order to recognize success and failure. Leaders can achieve little without the support of their followers. Flatter hierarchal structures are more prevalent in modern times; this means managers cannot expect blind allegiance. Engagement with followers is vital. Effective engagement must happen continuously. It is important not to limit the times of communication to employees. This can lead to misunderstandings of tasks and direction of work. For example, if I were to only talk to my team members on a one to one basis annually, it would be likely they would not be working on what I would ideally want to them to work on. It is useful to note however that some employees might not like too much engagement from a manager. They might feel like they are being monitored too much, and fear they are doing something wrong. They correct balance must be found. An important outcome of effective engagement is that team members can link their daily actions to the organization’s strategic plan. This will motivate individuals, as it will give them clear goals to work towards. To improve this in my team I could organize a mapping day where everyone links his or her work to the Students’ Union’s strategic plan. Some see a leader simply as an individual others follow, whereas others define leadership as organizing a group of people to achieve a common goal. Studies of leadership have produced theories about the different duties and traits of leaders. I am interested in leadership, as I would like to become a more effective manager. It is useful to understand the similarities and differences between a leader and a manager. Usually a manager is concerned with specific tasks such as budgets, projects, or organizing. Management does not always include a responsibility for people. Leadership, on the other hand, typically have bigger responsibilities than managers; for instance, creating new visions or forming new policies. Leadership always involves leading a group of people. There is a large overlap between leaders and managers. Both strong leaders and strong managers are skilled in keeping their teams focused by challenging individuals to perform strongly in line with objectives. Weak leaders and managers fail to engage with their teams; and so accept chaos and apathy. Leadership Styles It is important to recognize my own leadership style so I can be mindful of my weaknesses. One way to carry out the self-analysis is by using the ‘six specific scales for leadership’ table. The six scales are listed below along each row. Task Person Flexible Dogmatic De-centralised Centralised Reward Punishment The ‘means’ The ‘end’ Structured Organic Task / Person relates to if a manager is task focused or people focused. Task focused leaders emphasize the need to perform to achieve certain goals. A task directed leader would more likely portray an authoritarian style, or a top-down approach meaning they make most the decisions. This could improve efficiency, but lessen moral. On the other hand, person orientated leadership is a behavioral approach in which the motivation and well-being of the team are prioritized. These leaders may have a servant leadership philosophy where rather than giving orders they try to persuade people to work, and try hard themselves to serve the team. There is a risk a team may not function well with this untraditional style, or they could enjoy feeling more valued. Flexible / Dogmatic refers to if a leader will alter practices when a situation changes, or will strictly keep doing things they way they have always been done. A dogmatic leader would want their team to follow established procedures and would reject suggestions to do things differently. A flexible leader would be much more likely to use suggested ideas to modify the statue quo. De-centralised / Centralised is an issue all businesses face; are decisions made by senior managers, or made further down the hierarchy. De-centralised leadership gives an organization a flatter hierarchy, and as decisions are made closer to the customer; this can improve customer service. However a disadvantage of De-centralised leadership is decision-making is less holistically strategic. Centralised leadership makes it easier to implement overarching policies, and prevents people from working in silos. On the other hand, extra layers of bureaucracy are added and disengagement from the front line could lead to bad decisions. Reward / Punishment refers to how a manager chooses to motivate their staff. Do they positively reinforce positive behavior though rewards, or discourage undesirable behavior using punishments? Transactional leaders often reward employees for loyalty and good work. Authoritarian managers may be more likely to use punishments to encourage industry. The means / The end questions whether the method to reach a goal is the most important, or is the end result more critical. A values based leader will probably prioritize ‘the means’ over ‘the end.’ Whereas a leader driven by performance targets may only worry about ‘the end.’ Structured / organic refers to the culture a manager creates. A structured leader will favor bureaucratic structures, precision and strict subornation. On the other hand an organic manager will work to reduce hierarchical structures, and will highly value external knowledge. Different leaders prioritize the things on the scale differently. The scales are useful because a strong emphasis on one aspect suggests a weakness of another trait. If an honest self-analysis is carried out, a person will be made aware of their weaknesses. They can then plan strategies to strengthen the flaws. Own Style I am going to assess the effectiveness of my own leadership style by plotting my characteristics on the six-point scale. Task x Person Flexible x Dogmatic De-centralised x Centralised Reward x Punishment The ‘means’ x The ‘end’ Structured x Organic When I manage I almost wholly focus on the task completion, often at the expense of the welfare of my team. I am flexible in the way I strive to meet my goals as I am not averse to taking on board other people ideas; that also means I do not hold all the decision making power, (de-centralized). I am not the best at recognizing good behavior, as I have always thought people are being paid to do produce a high standard of work, I more typically penalize team members rather than reward them. Again my performance valued nature means I focus on the end rather than the means. Lastly, I prefer to follow a structured approach because it is easier to monitor individuals’ performance and is arguably more time efficient. This is not to the required standard for my job in the Students’ Union, steps will need to be put in place in order to improve. Implications I work as Students’ Union President. I have to manage my fellow full time officers, (the four Vice Presidents), and the seven part-time officers who volunteer their time to help students. An advantage of being a task based leader is that I can ensure deadlines are met, and jobs get completed by all members of the team, especially those who are not good at managing their time. On the other hand, staff wellbeing may be neglected causing retention and motivation problems. To become a better manager I need to find a way of both organizing the team while not forgetting to look after their welfare. It is important that I am flexible in my role as I am meant to represent the views of all BCU students. I would not be a popular student leader if I did not take into account all new ideas that students suggest to me. Also, as all of my projects involve working with the ever-changing student population, I could easily do something wrong if I did not keep gathering the most current student views. Constantly changing tactics though, does slow work progress; sometimes with time sensitive decisions I must push ahead with what I think is best. A way I could improve would be to define projects that it is appropriate to have a wider student input, and those projects that do not. Doing this would save time on some projects, which I could use to instigate better quality engagement with students on other projects. In regard to decision-making, I usually consult the whole team in our weekly meetings before a decision is made. I think it important to make the team feel empowered, especially the volunteers. I hope that giving others control of decisions gives them ownership of projects, so they are more motivated to work hard on them. However, consulting team members with things does slow things down; but I think it is worth it to make more informed decisions. I am not the best at rewarding my team. My ethos is that I expect team members to do a good job. I do reward individuals if they go above and beyond the call of duty. But, on many more occasions I have had to speak to people about why something is not quite up to scratch. I do have a tendency to focus on the end results rather than the journey there. I don’t mind how people reach their targets, as long as they do. I favor procedures; I like the team to follow the designed routes to get things done. This result of the self-analysis worries me. Forgetting to reward individuals will demotivate them. If I carry on doing this I could reach the stage where every time I pop into the communal office my team thinks I have come to highlight someone’s failure; this would be a big problem. I need to find a way to regularly reward hard working people. This will create a more positive environment, and people who are comfortable and happy will likely perform better. Adair proposed the Three Global Factors of leadership. The three factors are, determination to deliver, engagement with individuals, and engagement with teams. The three factors overlap, and are inter-related. Different leaders prioritiesprioritize the three factors differently. I certainly lean toward the ‘determination to deliver’ strand. By focusing on the task, the team may feel undervalued and pressured. Little communication may also mean individuals feel neglected or ignored. I must try to engagement more with individuals and teams to become a more balanced and effective leader. I should set aside time in my calendar to get to know people. This will let me know the best way to communicate the targets to them to motivate them. Spending time with people will also make it a lot easier for me to detect issues. For example, if I know that someone is unhappy, I can investigate why that is and take steps to improve things for them. Developing my Leadership Style After assessing my leadership style and evaluating the results I have produced an action plan to improve my management approach. Action Plan: Benefits of Action Plan Creating an action plan will help me maintain focus working towards goals that I have set to improve my leadership style. The goals relate to weaknesses, (such as prioritising the means and ignoring people), identified in the assessment of my style. The action plan will help ensure that actions and decisions are oriented toward accomplishing the specific goals. The action plan will help me gain self-esteem. Effective action plans contain small steps to achieve ambitions. As I succeed at each step of my plan, I will gain confidence in my ability to be successful and bring change. To create an action plan, I had to determine specific steps linked to the self analysis. The goals and steps are measurable so I am able to tell whether the goals have been met or not. The team will be heavily involved in the action plan. Hopefully this will help strengthen morale and the sense of unity. There are opportunities for team input. Team members who feel included in adaptations will be more motivated to follow through on actions toward achieving the goal because they will feel they partially own the goal. It is important to monitor, evaluate and adapt an action plan to sustain its effectiveness. I will periodically check that I am completing the actions I said I would take by keeping a record of the progress. Objectives should be investigated if they do not in keep with the timeframe defined. My team and myself can sit down and discuss reasons why the success criteria is not being fulfilled in the time predicted. Then the action plan could be reformed or work could be refocused to get things back on track. A More Effective Leader? Having completed this process, I feel confident I can become a more effective leader. For me, the self-analysis was the most important part. I tried my best to give honest answers. It was interesting linking back the findings to the preceding research I had done about leadership styles. I intend to use this Action Plan to complete the objectives I have set myself. I am sure it will strengthen the team I work in.

Legal Age to Drive Should Be Raised to 21 - 1443 Words

Teen drivers are every adult’s nightmare. With the lack of experience and maturity, both parents and fellow drivers are frightened to share the road with adolescents. Through much research, juveniles as a whole have proven to be incapable of obtaining respectable driving skills. According to â€Å"Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association,† motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death among 13-19 year old males and females in the United States. Culpable for this statistic is the three main distractions: visual (taking one’s eyes off the road), manual (taking one’s hands off the wheel), and cognitive (takings one’s mind away from the driving task). Factors causing these distractions are cell phones, passengers, and adolescent’s†¦show more content†¦This study was conducted by comparing decision making in both adolescents and adults while driving alone and with a peer. The results were somewhat predicable. The study sho wed that adolescents and adults performed comparably when alone (both making 45% risky decisions). But when a peer was present, adolescents took significantly more risks compared to adults. Adolescents made 57% risky decisions while adults only made 50% risky decisions. The difference in percentage may not seem like much of a difference visually but when you look at the trial conducted with a large sample size comparing the number of crashes between adolescents and adults, the disparity is clearly evident. While driving alone, both adolescents and adults crashed about 4 times, but when a peer was present the number of adolescent car crashes increased to about 6 crashes while the number of adult car crashes decreased to 3 car crashes. As projected, adolescents, but not adults, suffered from increased risky decisions with the presence of a peer. Such outcomes have been imitated in past findings (Gardner Steinberg, 2005), which from a scientific point, proves that adolescents arenâ₠¬â„¢t mature enough to drive with peers. Sure, statistics prove that juveniles drive just as safely as adults when they are alone, but how many times are they driving alone each day. Teens sure aren’tShow MoreRelatedLowering the Legal Drinking Age to 18 Essay748 Words   |  3 PagesLowering the Legal Drinking Age to 18 Sarah, an eighteen-year-old college freshman, walks into a convenience store and moves timidly to the back, hoping that no one she knows will see her. Opening the refrigerator door, she pulls out a chilled case of Coors Light. Sarah nervously approaches the cashier, with her fake ID ready to be shown, and places the case of beer on the counter. Upon first sight, the cashier assumes that Sarah is not of legal age to buy beer, because she is petite and looksRead MoreThe Minimum Drinking Age Act1700 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum Drinking Age Act made all 50 states raise the legal drinking age to 21(Dejong). The debate is on whether the age should be lowered or not. Statistically, having the age at 21 has been very helpful in keeping the nation safe. If there is not an issue with age now, would it make sense to lower the age and create unnecessary problems? In this case, the negative effects outweigh the positive. Simply because there is no good in lowering the age. The legal drinki ng age has been set at 21 for 30 yearsRead MoreTempest in a Bottle Essay732 Words   |  3 PagesThey look at drinking as something glamorous, and I am here to say that I feel the drinking age should be higher. Just because at the age of eighteen you are a legal adult and can do adult things like vote, smoke, marry, drive, fly, pay taxes, take out loans, hold public office, serve on a jury, and fight for their country doesn’t mean you should have a drink. My first reason on why the drinking age should be higher is because of maturity level there is a difference between an adult brain and theRead MoreSmoking Age At Washington State1445 Words   |  6 PagesTuan Nguyen Donna Miguel English 101 3/16/2015 Smoking age to 21 in Washington State Cigarette smoking has been identified as the number one cause of preventable disease as well as, death worldwide. Today, smoking-related diseases are claiming over 4 00,000 American lives each year. Among people who smoke, 70 percent of them are teenager. Smoking harms almost every organ in the body, causing lung cancer, coronary heart disease, and chronic pulmonary diseases. As a result, researchers have found outRead MoreJoining the Military: A Life Changing Decision1588 Words   |  6 Pagesenough to die for his country why can’t he/she drink? The history of the minimum legal age to drink alcohol dates all the way back to the end of Prohibition in 1933. At that time, lawmakers chose the age of 21 as the youngest age at which people could consume alcohol. That number, however, has changed as time passed. For instance, 29 states lowered the minimum legal drinking age between 1970 and 1975. The minimum age throughout the country during those years was 18, 19 or 20, depending on whichRead MoreThe Dangers of Underage Drinking775 Words   |  4 Pagesthe legal minimum age of alcohol should not drink, nor should it be lowered. Researchers say that giving alcoholic beverages under 21 could create a lethal addiction and would not have the responsibility to drink. If teens drink a certain amount of alcohol it could be lethal by alcohol poisoning. â€Å"Alcohol can enter the blood stream; binge drinkers can ingest a fatal dose of alcohol before passing out.† (â€Å"Binge Drinking Can Be Fatal†). The legal minimum a ge should not be lowered, teens under 21 don’tRead MoreEssay on Driunk Driving Statistics1109 Words   |  5 Pagesmany times have you made it home safely while drinking and driving? Hopefully you have never tried. In 2011, on average someone died every 53 minutes from an alcohol related accident in the US alone (2011 Drunk Driving statistics). It is illegal to drive under the influence in all of North America and Puerto Rico. A car crash is considered â€Å"alcohol-related† if at least one driver or pedestrian involved in the crash has a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higherRead MoreThe Legal Driving Age Should Not Be Raised1738 Words   |  7 Pagesto become doubtful about the legal driving age being sixteen. They believe that teenagers are immature, childish, indecisive and underdeveloped. People feel that the driving age should be raised to twenty-one so that the society is safer and has more responsible drivers. These peop le are wrong because teenagers are not as irresponsible as they think. Teenagers need a chance to change others view on them as drivers and become more independent. After turning a certain age, youth do not depend on parentsRead MoreShould The Drinking Age Be Lowered?994 Words   |  4 PagesShould the Drinking Age Be Lowered? Approximately 2 out of every 3 high school students have drank to the point of getting intoxicated (binge drink), in more than one occasion (Centers for Disease and Control Prevention [CDC], n.d.). Binge drinking has become increasingly common for youth under the minimum legal drinking age, making it increasingly dangerous because of the lack of supervision that young adults have that can consequently, lead to death because of fear of the law (Bonnie O’ConnellRead MoreThe Drinking Age Should Remain 18 in Australia1563 Words   |  7 PagesThe Drinking Age Should Remain 18 Years Old in Australia The Drinking Age Should Remain 18 Years Old in Australia These days there are a number of social issues in the community, such as drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse is rampant in today’s society, Australian Drug Foundation states that, â€Å"Alcohol is the most widely used psychoactive, or mood-changing, recreational drug in Australia.†(Healey, 2002, p. 11). Underage drinking and binge drinking are some of the problems