A521.5.4.RB_OyeyemiOlusanya

Base on the readings in the Denning text and the assessment you took in A521.5.1 identify in detail the process of developing and aligning organizational values. Identify the three basic components of an ethical community and discuss how they might be applied in your organization. Are there values that are missing from your organization?
Discuss how you might develop those values and also align them with the values of the individuals in the organization.

If companies want to embody certain values, then they have to begin by ascertaining what values are currently operational. Only then can they decide which value they want to change and how to go about it Stephen. (2011, P.136). 

The first step is to identify which value are lacking in the organization, followed by ways to align it. For instance, in my present organization (US Navy), In terms of ethical value, they have all you can think off to put it under control and are operational. Taking care of their personnel family, they have the best program. The foundation of USN was built on trust, in all their trainings, they taught their personnel how to be self confidence in doing their job as a professional at the same time how to work together as a team. They establish Loyalty with continuity in their training, repetition make their training a reality, never assume but train over and over again. In Navy, you are never alone. No one stands watch alone there is always someone to watch your back and you need to trust each other and be loyal to each other. In addition, their custom of transferability is a good system that does not make any personnel a subservient to another. Your benefits are not control by your immediate boss. The day you resume in a command, you already know the day you are going to leave the command. Navy train you so that you can train someone else, because of the effectiveness of all these over centuries, has sustains Navy loyalties and Trust amidst her personnel.

Solidarity, it is only in the Navy I have ever seen people been punished for the misfortune of others. Personnel are train to look out for each other, share phone numbers, know individual home addresses and study the mood of other shipmate. If you see your shipmate lonely from usual behavior and do not ready to open up to you, you are to report to your superior officer before he does something stupid to him/herself or to others. When you are oversea, you never allowed to go to town alone at least one buddy. If your partner misbehaves in town, all of you in that group are going to be punished for it. With my Ten years of working experience and two and half in Navy, It is only in Navy I have seen it, that personnel will be release from work to go and help other colleagues move to his new apartment. If you are foreigner, since you become citizen through Navy, to visit your home country you have to process it officially because they are concern about your safety. They provide all possible logistic for your safe trip. On the aspect of ethical value, USN has a reasonable percentage, they are not awarded 100 percent because it is not feasible for any organization. To the best of my understanding, USN still have the best ethical standard structure in place that go beyond requirement and I can not think of any missing value.

Reference:

Stephen, D. (2011).  The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling.

A521.4.3.RB_OyeyemiOlusanya

SUBTLETIES OF COMMUNICATION AND HIDDEN MESSAGES

Sometimes people misunderstood my intention or let me say what observer sees in my body language are totally different from my thinking. For instance someone ask, “What is wrong? Are you angry? Many a times my response is no, but that was what they pensive with my body language. This happen mostly when I looked door. Observers see confusion in my facial look. Seriously, whenever I am confused it can be easily noticed because I will be short of words. Nonverbal communications are what give first impression about self before verbal. Nonverbal language: as facial expressions, gesture and postures, and with special relationships. McKay et al. (2009, P.800).

Sometimes the context is difficult for others to ascertain. I may be soliloquizing about how tedious the week workload is affecting my class work, but colleagues asking, “Oye are you Okay? Is anything wrong with your family?”

I am beginning to see how cultural differences affect both verbal and nonverbal languages. Many gesture are restricted to a specific peer group, others are typical of a particular region or culture, and some body movements are universal McKay et al. (2009, P. 834).

USN has a pool of nation’s diversity culture; hardly would you see a tribe or nations that are not represented. In less than three years of my service in three commands and one Ship, I’ve worked with people from many nations including many from different American states. Working together as family, relates as one force. Body language means different things to us and even some verbal languages.

For instances, when we are discussing and someone asked me “Oye! are you mad? ‘Mad’ in Africa means “Crazy” but in America they interchange it with “Angry” Even if I was not angry before, that question got me angry. Here you will see that even the use of language differ with different culture.

Recently, I observed in one round table meeting with my Commanding Officer (CO), and my division, that I was the only the one leaning forward all others seated relaxed though still responding to the conversation as I did. I felt embarrassed as if I was hearing impaired for leaning forward then I adjusted my posture, but few seconds latter I was leaning forward again, on and on like that. With this study I come to understand what was going on then; erect posture is generally associated with higher spirits, greater confidence, and more openness and interest McKay et al. (2009, P. 883).

In Nigeria where I grew up, there is what we call ‘official language’. Irrespective of your age, who ever is your box has to be respected with your tone of voice, the way you relate and address them. That has been part of me, but in Navy it is different, I was used to addressing my Chief as well as officers and my entire superior as ‘Sir’ but corrected several times that “sir” is only for officers. In Africa, even your Teacher in schools, Pastor in church and anybody superior to you in whatever capacity are addressed as ‘sir’ or ‘Ma’ as a means of salutation. Paralanguage is the vocal component of speech, considered apart from the verbal content. It includes pitch, resonance, articulation, tempo, volume, and rhythm McKay et al. (2009, P. 958). When addressing people officially, it has to be more different from when off work.

Finally, one more thing I have to work on is to always have it at the back of my mind the purpose of agendas at every communication. Listeners sometimes misconstrue me for “I know it all” have in mind that; the agenda serve to build up and preserve an existential position, a basic stance in the world, also promote ulterior motives and needs. I will try and put in practice the four corrective suggestions; to let my audience know about my agenda, keep track of the agenda, reward myself with something nice when I block an impulse to use the old agenda and rehearse a new position, not to be stuck on one agenda.

Hope this will make me a better orator.

Reference:

Matthew .M, Martha.D, and Patric .F (2009). MESSAGES The Communication Skills Book Third edition,

A521.3.4.RB_OYEYEMIOLUSANYA

TOMORROW BEGIN NOW

I hail from a polygamous family of 4 wives and 19 children. When I was in high school, six of my father’s children were in high school scattered across the classes. It was tough for my father to pay our school fees in most cases. He was a peasant farmer along with other wives except my mother that has her separate business. She sells raw foods order from the northern part of Nigeria, she was a little richer than the rest of the wives and my brother and I lives with our mum separately in her house of about two street from my dad’s house.  Our usual system was attending school Monday through Friday and on Saturday we help our father in the farm.  In 1991, I was at the middle of high school, as usual, whenever my father could not raised all our school fees at once.Some would have their money and asked the rest to get loan from our mum and promised to pay back.  I was usually a victim of this because he knows my mother is capable she was also responsible for the full fees of my brother’s undergraduate. Then I decided to stop going to my father farm instead work for my mum where my school fee could came easily. At that time, another five of my step sisters and brothers were in different higher institutions which my father was the only source.. All my siblings advised me to stay but I told them, we are still together only that I wanted to be serving my mother for a prompt school fees. The decision I made that day exposed me to the world of business, after my high school my mother would sent me to the northern part of Nigeria where we bought raw Beans and some other raw foods that she sells. Though I was a science student, my experience of my mother’s business was a training ground for my entrepreneurship and risk taking.  I have seen the rising and falling of business.  It’s my driving strength today for a friendly negotiating ability.

THE PREFECTS

In 1988, I was nominated as the senior prefect in my primary school after three years of class captain consecutively. Two of us were nominated for the position, but I won the election leading with 25 points. I led the school for one academic year successfully and was honored for my performance.

I became the first class captain in my first year in high school for three years. In the forth year, I steps down for someone else to occupied the post but my classmate disagree that I should continued. I insisted that someone else should do it, still they wants me as assistance to help the new class captain.

In 1993, I was in my penultimate class when our seniors misbehave and the school authority dismissed their entire prefects. Four people were nominated to lead the school for that year from our class, two male and two female. I was fortunate to be the senior prefect for that year while I was still having senior in the school. I led the school successfully with no rancor.

In 1994, I was announced the labor Prefect of the school though, the entire student was amazed because everybody’s expectation was that they we retain me as the senior prefect. The school concern for changing my portfolio was that I have the ability and charisma to lead the school than the guy that was selected and they need such skill in labor prefect than in senior prefect. With our school system, the position of Labor Prefect supervise the cleaning and clearing of the school compound. On the other hand, senior prefect position is just a general overseer, a figurehead position.

In 2003, I was nominated in my class as their representative in the student union government and the president of the Drama Group in final year of my undergraduate.

All the leadership ability accrued from different stages of my academic life has been my knowledge based bank to withstand the secular world. Even when I do not think of it, without my knowledge leading role will just come my way. No matter how little, as an adage in my culture says; a one eyed man is the king of blind people. At times, because of my little experience or too early challenge at work I felt reluctant when called appointed to a leading role even if I refused completely they still seek for my advice at long run which has been so useful. And all accepted leading role has always ended up successful beyond my understanding. This is one of the reason behind my chosen cause for this master degree to build initial confident require in any leading role I find my self in future.

A521.2.3.RB_OyeyemiOlusanya

How do you view her message in terms of what you have learned in this module?

Watching Chimamanda Adichi: The danger of a single story, the perspectives of people about Africa, was an interesting topic to me and for the fact that it was presented by a Nigerian makes it more attractive and arrests my patience.  Her points were real, updated, and exact of what I am experiencing.

In her introduction, she built confidence in her audience to proof to them her credibility to handle such topic: her background, family set up, and educational experience both in Nigeria and America.  The way she was a victim at one time or the other and how she realise such dangers.  All these show her involvement on the theme.

Her gesture was natural but her movement was mechanical, as she remains statue in a single place throughout the presentation depict a lack of confidence in her.  It does not show individuality in her audience.  She felt shy like a new presenter who was more concern about her words and lack attitude. Attitude is the engine - The good news is that the engine driving your tone of voice and the way you move is your attitude. To be a great oral communicator, first you must manage your attitude. It’s the way you say your words that makes you persuasive, not the words themselves Whalen (2007, P.17).

In her presentation, it was obvious that she could not control her own fear. She talks carefully as if the audience would react negatively to her points. She acted like what Whalen referred to as Professional visitor. This type is a nice, friendly, well-mannered individual who may be knowledgeable about his or her products and how they can help prospective customers. The professional visitor does make some sales, but not enough to be outstanding Professional visitors can take prospective customers to the edge of the decision, but in the face of the customers’ fears, they are not equipped or trained to help customers make the decision Whalen (2007, P.60).

The way she link her story was perfect match with a balance of what the change will bring. She first narrated the dangers she has experienced in single story and other prospective consequences; rub people of their dignity, makes equality in humanity difficult and emphasize how different rather than similarity. Spelling out what would have happen without the change idea helps make clear that the story isn’t about “the way things normally happen around here.” Stephen, D.  (2011,P. 70). It’s critical to link the change idea to the story with one of these magic phrases: “What if…” “Just imagine…”  “Just think…”  Stephen, D. (2011, P.77).

Reference:

Whalen, D.J. (2007).  The Professional Communication Toolkit.

Stephen, D. (2011).  The Leader’s Guide to Storytelling.