A521.5.4.RB - Aligning Values

A521.5.4.RB_Manglona, Matthew-Napu_Aligning Values

The process of developing and aligning organizational values is trying to distinguish an individual’s values with the organization’s values. Developing one’s values at an individual standpoint starts off with how the individual was raised, their cultural background, and their personal beliefs. Cha & Edmondson (2006) state, “. Values are also considered to be essential to the experience of meaning. Furthermore, values are tied to the affective system, such that “people feel happy when their important values are fulfilled.” (p. 58) Now when it comes to aligning organizational values an organization already has a set of values that they can match or follow. Denning (2011) states that, “Sometimes personal and corporate values have substantial overlap, and the overlap is mutually reinforcing.” (p.134) What this means is that both personal and organizational values somewhat compensate each other all though they are different.

The three basic components of an ethical community as Denning describes (p. 132) are Trust, Loyalty, and Solidarity. In my organization loyalty is already established. Loyalty is something I truly believe in because of my loyalty to my country, organization, and fellow soldiers. Loyalty is already established in my organization. My soldiers have gone through thick and thin in order for them to establish their loyalty amongst each other and the organization.  Trust however, in my organization is somewhat slipping away and needs to find it once again. It starts from the Top of the organization and down. There are too much “political” games and favoring which soldiers see and distrust the organization. An example would be when two soldiers are up for promotion and you have one who has all the right schooling, Physical Fitness scores, and an outstanding evaluation report. Then you have another soldier who is close with the board members and does everything he can to sway decisions of the promotion or what I call the “gopher” and squeeze whatever favors he needs to give to get that promotion.Sure enough the second individual as described is the one who gets the promotion. So instances like this needs to turn around for trust to be instilled in the organization once again. 

There are other situations that occur but the one I just stated tops them all. To align them I would follow Shockley‐Zalabak & Morreale (2011) 5 key drivers to having trust in an organization. They state that the 5 key drivers to instill Trust in an organization are competence; my organization needs to show the competence to do what is right. Second is Open and Honesty; Being able to show this brings back trust in an organization by having an individual feel comfortable. Third is Concern for Employees; This ties into showing solidarity for one another. Fourth is reliability; and lastly Identification; letting the employees know who the organization and leaders are.

Then finally the value of Solidarity is another one that needs to be practiced. We have in the army “Selfless Service” which kind of ties into one another. Solidarity is caring for others rather than one’s own personal interest. (Denning, 2011) I know I practice this as I encourage my peers to get promotion packets squared away, help them with their Physical fitness test, and overall help them when they need it. I love competition and I don’t like succeeding if I know the playing field wasn’t leveled. With encouraging this type of playing field it will bring out the best of everybody in my organization therefore producing results. Amos & Weathington (2008) state, “When employees' values match those of their coworkers, employees report higher levels of satisfaction. In addition, employees who perceive that their supervisors' values are similar to their own were found to be satisfied with their job.” (p. 616)

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Trust, Loyalty, and Solidarity fortunately are taught in my culture as we are such a small organization and island all together. So not too much work is needed in developing them and using it within our organization as it is already is a core belief amongst us.

References:

Amos, E. A., & Weathington, B. L. (2008). An analysis of the relation between employee-organization value congruence and employee attitudes. The Journal of Psychology, 142(6), 615-31. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/213828178?accountid=27203

Cha, S. E., & Edmondson, A. C. (2006). When values backfire: Leadership, attribution, and disenchantment in a values-driven organization. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(1), 57-78. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.10.006

Denning, S. (2011). The Leader's Guide to Story Telling - Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative. San Francisco, CA: Josey-Bass

Shockley‐Zalabak, P. S., & Morreale, S. P. (2011). Building high‐trust organizations. Leader to Leader, 2011(60), 39-45. doi:10.1002/ltl.467

A521.4.3.RB - Subtleties of Communication and Hidden Messages

 A521.4.3.RB_Matthew-Napu Manglona_ Subtleties of Communication and Hidden Messages

When it comes to in-congruent messages in my National Guard organization I can think of over hundred instances where it actually left me puzzled, angry, and speechless at times. Then there are times where I actually felt like I was able to provide some good to the situation or dilemmas.  At an individual scale of things I know I can definitely use these skills to help me communicate better with others. When it comes to the Eight Hidden Agendas Mckay, Davis & Fanning (2009) hit on point with how I see myself. I see myself as a humble person and see the “You’re Good (But I’m Not)” concept when it comes to myself. Through the times of being in a leadership position I have been told that I am the future of the organization, however I never believed in myself to be that person they put up on that pedestal. 

 I never thought my communication skills were good but to others they were.

Mayfield & Mayfield (2007) wrote, “Research shows that leadership models that incorporate language as a principle attribute, leader–member exchange (LMX) in particular, often fulfill these roles to improve desirable employee consequences including job satisfaction, turnover intentions, and performance.” (p. 86) LMX from my previous classes from what I took away is something that can be used to enhance communication between subordinate to superior, superior to subordinate, or peer to peer for example.

I can recall situations of body language notifying me on just how my presentation was going. Kaps, R. W., & Voges, J. K. (2007) states that “The instructor who fails to observe the unspoken delivery of information and interpret recipient's attitude is conveying only a small portion of the intended message. Gestures and other kinesics signals synchronized to reinforce a verbal message clarify its meaning and create a sense of the speaker's presence and purpose.” (p. 2) when I saw arms crossed, bubble gum popping, eyes drooping, and saw heads looking down at smart phones I knew that my message wasn’t getting across and had to revert to getting their attention back. There would be times where I would ask the audience to pause everything that they are doing mid presentation and have them stretch. Another tactic I would use is to get them involve in my presentation is simply asking them all questions during my presentation. I try my best to ensure that I get the undivided attention of my audience.

If I can change anything to my approach it would have to be my Paralanguage and Metamessages. There are times when I brief that my tone of voice depicts what I am actually trying to say. There are also times where my articulation and tempo can throw me off. Mckay, Davis, and Fanning state, “If people have difficulty understanding you because you speak too rapidly, mumble, or otherwise distort your words.” (p.74) that is something I would like to change. We all have experienced those tongue twisting words that are inevitable when we speak. There are times I go into a presentation over confident and start talking then a few minutes later I am mumbling words because I’m just trying to breeze through my presentation. It’s a habit that needs to be changed. That feeling when you mumble in front of a crowd can be a letdown to oneself, but I have learned to adapt and continue like nothing happened. It simply comes down to me rehearsing before I go into a presentation, being more prepared, and ensuring if I am trying to pronounce certain words I can calmly say it with no mistakes.

References:

Kaps, R. W., & Voges, J. K. (2007). Nonverbal communications: A commentary on body language in the aviation teaching environment. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, 17(1) Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1689380126?accountid=27203

Mayfield, J., & Mayfield, M. (2007). The effects of leader communication on a worker's intent to stay: An investigation using structural equation modeling. Human Performance, 20(2), 85-102. doi:10.1080/08959280701332018

McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: the Communication Skills Book (3^rd edition). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. (ISBN:  978-1-57224-592-1

A521.3.4.RB - Personal Reflection

 A521.3.4.RB_Matthew-Napu Manglona_Personal Reflection

When it comes to sharing stories about my personal life and situations from both my childhood and early adulthood that changed my life, it is quite difficult to think of events that have impacted me because there are so much that has happened to me in the last 20 years. I guess you can say as Mckay, Davis, and Fanning (2009) had stated about self-disclosure, in regards to “Increased Self-knowledge” that “The process of making someone else understand your demands that you clarify, define, elaborate, and draw conclusions.” (p. 25) is a statement that people can use to improve themselves when they experience a particular event.

During the summer 1998 I was 10 years old I had just received an invitation to try out for the Guam’s Under 10 National Baseball team. I was excited to even be invited and could not wait to get to practice and give it my all for it was a 3 day event. When I arrived to the field I was competing with the island’s best Little League players with a total of 38 players showing up with only 15 able to be on the roster. The day was not going as I expected, I guess you can say I was nervous being around all the other good players. I was missing fly balls, not hitting the ball efficiently, and I wasn’t fielding ground balls either. I wanted to quit. I remember telling my dad at the end of the day I don’t want to go back. My dad was not having any of it, as my dad was a hard man who believed that quitting is not the answer to life’s problems.

He sat me down and told me his story of my grandfather who disciplined him whenever the thought of quitting came in his head. I remember my dad telling me, “Manglonas don’t quit son, you are something and better than majority of the players out there, you just have to believe in yourself as I believe in you.” That’s when he kept poking my chest (heart) and notifying me that’s the place where the belief needed to come from. At 10 years old I understood what he meant. So I went back out there and proved to myself most of all and played the best that I could. It was that turning point when my dad spoke with me where the pressure was off and I performed good enough to make the team. I will always remember my dad telling me that little speech as it carried me to be the person I am today. Foster (1999) discusses that, “One powerful reason for parents telling stories to children is that the story-telling event strengthens the parent-child relationship. It is part of the learning process and new life experiences can be given meaning and context.” (p. 13)

Another story I recall was when I was in 2013, I was 24 years old, and in Afghanistan. My mentor Maj. Santos got me involved with a 10,000 Kettle Bell swing challenge, in which you take a Kettle Bell and swing it 500 times a day for a whole month in one training session. I did not want to participate in the first place but I ended up doing it anyway. It was toward the middle part of the challenge and about 2,000-3,000 kettle bell swings in and I told him “Sir, why are we doing this? What are we getting out of this? This is crazy sir!” He straight up told me “Get out of my gym, Napu! I don’t want to hear your whining.”

 I literally dropped a tear when he said that and I walked out. I was surprised at what he said and was not expecting him to say it. I was embarrassed and ashamed of myself. Later that night he came to my bunk and spoke with me. He asked, “Do you know why I snapped at you? I said what I said because you gave up on yourself before you even tried, when you give up on yourself, you give up on your soldiers, who are those same men you lead in battle. Think about the brothers who we lost who would love to be in your position, which is to simply be alive.” He then shared a story with me about him being in my shoes and saw himself in me. That he too wanted to give up on the simple things and realized there were bigger issues outside of us.  It was that moment where no matter what challenge is put in front of me whether it is physical or mental I would never give up, complain, or whine about it. 

For I know there are people out there who I have to set an example for and people who would want to be alive for the blessings that I have. O’Leary states that, “Stories help individuals make sense of the world and help leaders provide context. Stories enable a person to see issues in a new light and help inspire people to action” (p.11)

References:

Forster, N., Cebis, M., Majteles, S., Mathur, A., Morgan, R., Preuss, J., . . . Wilkinson, D. (1999). The role

of story-telling in organizational leadership. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 20(1), 11-

17. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/226914173?accountid=27203

McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The Communication Skills Book (3^rd edition).

Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. (ISBN:  978-1-57224-592-1)

O'Leary, J. J. (2012). Telling the story: Teaching leaders the art of storytelling and its impact on

individuals and the organization (Order No. 1518860). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Global. (1073424999). Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1073424999?accountid=27203