May 8-14 Question #3

The concept I enjoyed reading the most about this semester would have to be the guidelines for observer feedback. As a refresher, here are the ten guidelines to follow when providing feedback:

1. avoid generalizations such as phrases like “well done”
2. focus on behaviors that can be changed perhaps instead of other non important factors that there is no control over
3. do no debate or argue with the group
4. do not micromanage the group process
5. remember your role as the observer
6. accentuate the positive
7. end with specific suggestions for improvement rather than broad and general suggestions
8. be clear and concise 
9. complement in public and criticize in private
10. develop positive relationships

I chose this topic because I find these guidelines to be true and very useful not only in the workplace, but other areas such as school and personal relationships. I enjoyed learning about this topic because it was something I felt I can actually put to good use and perhaps enlighten other people with. I would really like to share these ideas with my manager because I believe our team could truly benefit from these guidelines which would make us a successful small group J. I also found this useful when observing my group for the observation project. I wrote these down and kept them by my side as a reminder to be an effective observer. Overall, I had a pleasure learning about all the concepts discussed in class, and I am very pleased I took this class!

May 8-14 question #2

I have learned so much in this class, it's hard to pick just a few. What I liked about this class is that every topic discussed had some if not complete relevance to my own life. I liked that in every weekly discussion, people had the opportunity to use their own personal examples and apply them to the concepts. My favorite thing about the class would have to be the movie analysis because not only was it fun, but it was an interesting way to look at the movies we already saw and liked! For instance, I did my paper on the movie Mean Girls, and although I had seen the movie plenty of times before, I never took the time to sit down and analyze it the way I did for the paper. It was really interesting to break it down and see the concepts from the book applied in media. My least favorite thing about the class would have to be the strict rules on posting our blogs. I found it difficult to try and post 12 hours apart every week, especially being a full time student and working at the same time. Other than that, I really enjoyed the class and would recommend to all students here at SJSU :)

May 8-14 question #1

I found the group observation project to be very useful and insightful. Because I observed another department from work, it was nice to have the opportunity to really observe and see the group in a different light. I learned a lot about my own organization as well as how groups function in the working world. Another reason I found it useful was because I was able to understand why the specific group functions as it does. For instance, after observing the group for hours, I was able to truly understand what they go through on a daily basis. I liked being able to see this because it gave me a different perspective on their situation. Also, it allowed me to justify their actions and be able to have a more diplomatic approach if and when conflicts arise in this group. What I liked about the project was that we were instructed to observe a group outside of our own. This allowed for a better understanding because if we had been allowed to observe our own group, we would probably have predispositions and that would influence our thoughts. One thing that could be improved is to maybe incorporate more of the weekly discussions in our group observation. For instance, have one of the topics for the week be about our observations prior to us finishing the assignment, that way we can get some feedback and ideas going.