Can money buy you happiness? It can buy things that make you happy such as a new car, a vacation, or that snazzy leather jacket you’ve been looking at for the past few months. So yes, money can indirectly buy you happiness – the real question is for how long? The new car gets a scratch, vacations end, and someone spills their Frappuccino all over your leather jacket in the crowded coffee shop. The truth is happiness is fleeting. So, when a company wants to make a change, is offering incentives the best option to convince the employees to accept the change?
This is one of the ideas Dr. Roloff posed in class last week. There is no doubt that offering incentives such as raises and bonuses can make employees adopt change more quickly. The short-term effects are very beneficial, but the long-term effects can be detrimental to the company environment.
One of the worst things about money is that it turns an intrinsically motivated person into an extrinsically motivated person. The once joyful employee who loved working for the subtle nuances suddenly loses that joy as their attention turns toward the next raise or bonus. Since intrinsically motivated employees produce better effort and quality over extrinsically motivated employees, companies should be weary of using incentives.
Another downside of adding additional incentives is that it produces reduced organizational citizenship behavior. What was once done on an uncompensated basis such as working longer hours or tiding up the office is gone. The employee starts performing the tasks only listed in their job description. This can damage the work culture as everyone starts becoming more selfish and focused on their own work.
Some of my favorite co-workers are the ones who do things that are not expected of them. Gitta baked treats at least once a month for all the people in our office before she retired after 50 years in the organization. She also took care of the plants in our office which only has three windows for 35 people. Manny always fills the printer with paper, even if it isn’t empty and genuinely wants to know how you’re doing when he asks. These intrinsically motivated co-workers do the little things that make a significant difference in the work environment.
Even though money can hasten the change process and produce short-term compliance (or happiness), it won’t last in the long-run and isn’t the best way to encourage change. Instead, Dr. Roloff posed a better solution. People will accept change if they feel the company cares about them. Rather than giving everyone a little extra money, it’s better to put that money in discretionary funds or personal training for the employees. The money still goes to the employees, but it creates the sense that the organization supports them – which makes implementing change easier.
It’s fascinating theories like these that keep my mind active and attentive during Dr. Roloff’s lectures. You never know what you’re going to learn next in the MSC Program!
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We are quickly approaching the registration for our second quarter… hard to believe, right?
As fast as this first quarter is flying by, I cannot imagine how fast graduation will approach.
After this first quarter is completed, I think we will all be able to agree that this program will be the best thing to happen to us, as if that isn’t something we already know. The content we are learning and people we are meeting will change our future.
Being able to network with other students in the program is eye opening. If you are thinking about entering this program right out of undergrad, thinking you’re going to be out of place, don’t worry that isn’t the case.
Being surrounded by people in the professional world allows you to rethink a career for yourself. You get to meet other people and discuss what they do, and can even network to find yourself a job. You can find a mentor, naturally.
Mentors do not always work, especially when it is forced, but if you meet someone in the program you really get along with, they can become your mentor.
When looking for a mentor, studies have shown that the person you pick should be the same race as you and preferably the opposite gender according to one of the Northwestern professors. You may not need a mentor, but it will never hurt to have someone you can communicate with about school and work problems.
Everything we learn in class can be related to the real world and can be beneficial for the future, not only in the work place but in all aspects of our lives.
One of the more fascinating theories Dr. Roloff introduced last week was Attraction-Selection-Attrition (ASA) Theory. The theory conveys that one applies for a job because they think they fit the organization’s culture, they are hired because the bosses feel the applicant fits the organization’s culture, and the applicant stays or leaves the organization based on how they fit with the organization’s culture. Of course, I related this to my personal work experience and tried to determine what type of culture embodied my organization.
After reflection, I concluded that my organization is predominantly a Detailed-Oriented Culture. This makes sense because my department’s responsibility is to monitor and maintain my organization’s Data Center. My co-workers and I tend to have open personalities and are very conscientious. The goal of our job descriptions is to ensure the Data Center is operating to its optimal ability. Our focus is oriented around the quality of work we are producing rather than the quantity of work like an outcome-oriented or reward-oriented culture does.
When I first applied to my organization, I had a positive experience with everyone I came in contact with. After my interviews were complete, I was hoping to be offered the job position because I felt that I could succeed at the job’s descriptions and was attracted to the work environment.
As for my five interviewers, I’m sure they felt the same way about me. It is likely I was selected not only for my credentials, but also because I would fit in with the culture and atmosphere of the department. I can say that I made a personal connection with each of my interviewers which greatly increased my chances of being hired.
I have been working at this job for 16 months and continue to enjoy my daily tasks as well as the new responsibilities I am given. I can see myself staying in my organization for many years to come. Granted, if the culture of my organization changes, then I will probably seek another job with a Detailed-Oriented Culture.
It helps to know what kind of person you are before you start searching for jobs. Sometimes, we don’t have a choice and must accept any job offered to us. However, if we want our work to be fulfilling and enjoyable, then we need to find a culture we are compatible with. So I challenge you to reflect – what kind of culture is your organization and what kind of culture do you want to work in?
Innovation: an idea or practice perceived as new by an individual.
This is what we are discussing in Change Management. Do we think that innovation is good or bad? The truth is, innovation can go both ways. Whether or not innovation works is based on the organization and the type of people in said organization.
Northwestern University is constantly innovating, changing and adapting, like any good organization.
Currently on campus, we just broke ground for the new Lakefront Athletics and Recreation Complex. Construction began on Friday, Nov. 13.
“In support of the project, Northwestern Athletics and Recreation recently received a new leadership gift of $23 million from University trustees Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson as part of We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern,” according to the NU website.
The complex will include a huge multipurpose facility for football practice and competitions, along with another facility that will house academic support services for student-athletes, a nutrition center and dining facility, a sports performance center and office space for coaches and administrators according to northwestern.edu.
This new complex will be new for all the students and faculty on campus, and will cause us all to innovate.
For complete information on the Lakefront Athletics and Recreation Complex visit SupportTheCats.com.
One of the great benefits of being in the MSC Program is that you are part of the School of Communication. As a result, you have access to attend private events with prominent professionals in their fields. Recently, I just attended an event where Len Kasper, the Play-by-Play Broadcaster of the Chicago Cubs spoke about his career and how he entered the field of sports media.
He had some fantastic advice for the students sitting in the lecture hall. He said that “experience is paramount for broadcasting” and he had to learn it by taking advantage of any opportunity he received. He also said that if we are passionate about something to just do it as much as we can because that’s the only way we will get better.
Also, since he works in the world of television, he has some fascinating insights to the business. He said that within the next five years, an internet company like Google or Yahoo is going to buy the television rights for a professional sports team. This will allow fans to watch the games on their computers and devices instead of their televisions. The world of sports is constantly changing which offers more opportunities to enter the field than when he first began. He encouraged us to be creative with these new entry points and find a way to make ourselves known in whatever profession we want to be in.
The last interesting comment he made was that he understands the magnitude of importance his job as the voice of the Chicago Cubs is. His friend was in a hospital during the season and every room he passed, he could hear Len’s voice on the televisions broadcasting a Wednesday afternoon game for the Cubs. For the hospital patients and all Chicago Cubs fans, it is comforting to hear Len’s voice narrate each Cubs’ game.
I would encourage anyone to take advantage of the opportunity that have and attend these events hosted by the School of Communications.
Six weeks completed, three weeks to go.
We had no idea what to expect, but for me, it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Starting my Master’s program, I did not know what was all entailed but after the first six weeks of class; it is totally manageable.
I am learning so much in my elective class, Current Issues in Law, Technology and Strategy. We discuss strategies companies use to regulate their business. Current topics are discussed like Netflix, the UFC and twitter.
We partnered up and picked a topic to present on. My partner and I wrote about a local high school closing and the strategies the district used when going about the closing. From “In the Public Interest” to “Being in Control”, there were many strategies used in the process.
This class is one I would recommend for future students, you learn a lot about recent issues without feeling like the workload is insane.
I love negotiation. I love negotiating. I wish I could do it more often. I receive the same exhilaration from it that I do from playing a competitive sport – without the risk of physical injury I might add. After another insightful lecture in my Change Management course, I was ready to apply my new negotiation skills immediately.
The first opportunity I had was when I needed to add a Northwestern hoodie to my wardrobe. I was going to a Wildcats football game with some of my MSC classmates after classes were done and I needed some school spirit gear for the chilly evening ahead.
I walked into a Northwestern apparel shop and started inspecting the various options. The store was empty, so the attendant was eager to assist me in any capacity. When asked who I was shopping for, I casually mentioned that it was for myself and my siblings who had birthdays soon. I could see the attendant’s excitement rise at the thought of convincing me to purchase my siblings’ birthday gifts at his store.
As soon as I asked a question about one of the products, he answered it quickly, but then proceeded to say it was “on sale”. I had made a few rounds in the store and new there were no sales going on. It was clear the attendant wanted to make a sale and please his customer. I looked at the clock and noticed it was fifteen minutes to closing time. I told the attendant I needed to think about it.
After waiting a few more minutes, pretending to ponder the hoodie I had my heart set on, I tried it on and asked the attendant how much it was “on sale” for. His price was 25% off the list price and I made my decision to purchase it immediately. I liked the hoodie and the attendant wanted to make the sale. This was a clear Win-Win negotiation. I left the store before it closed with my new hoodie for the game the following evening. The store attendant was pleased because not only did he make the sale, but by offering me the special discount, I assured him I would return if I ever needed more Northwestern gear.
As I was sitting in my apartment trying to write my 1st Paper for the Change Management Course, I kept getting distracted. Whether it was the television and the various sporting events going on, seeing the book I’ve been reading in my free time, or the dirty dishes I needed to clean, just writing each sentence in my paper was becoming more difficult. It became like trying to take the next step up a mountain becoming increasingly steeper.
Eventually, the fire alarm in my building went off and we had to evacuate. Now my work was completely disrupted and my train of thought fell off the tracks. I realized that the product I was writing was not my best quality and I needed a change of scenery.
After we were allowed back into the building, I packed up my laptop, notes, and bubble gum, (my secret homework tool,) and went off to the library. I immersed myself in a stronghold of books and zoned in on my topic. After two solid hours, I cranked out a few pages of my paper and felt a great sense of accomplishment.
It’s important to keep your places of work and leisure separate. My best advice is to get out of your room or out of your house to complete your homework. If that’s not possible, then set aside a special place in your home designated for schoolwork. It’s important to complete your homework, but it’s also important to have a place of rest and relaxation. As a Full-Time working professional and part-time Graduate Student, you need a place to kick back, relax and unwind apart from the anxieties of work and school
Here we are, in the middle of our first MSC quarter where the weeks seem to be flying by. We all are adjusting our lives to fit the new course load, the Saturday classes and balancing school with work.
As someone who commutes from an hour south of campus, I thought the drive to class every week would be bad but in reality, the commute is worth the degree. In the past 5 weeks, the amount of information I have learned is unbelievable. The professors are amazing, understanding and extremely knowledgeable.
I am looking forward to the next year, and everything it throws at me and I am sure my classmates feel the same.
Check back soon to see how the program is going!
I’ve been yawning a lot in class lately. One might assume this is because I am in the throes of the infamous MSC summer session—10 weeks of material executed in 6 weeks, and as many papers due in that time. This quarter has lived up to everything I heard about it, and in many ways it is what I expected the entire program would be. Despite the compressed academics, though, I can’t really blame them for my fatigue.
Though I can’t say for certain, I suspect my Friday night insomnia might have something to do with a deep-seated anxiety about what I am facing in the coming weeks. That freshly pressed diploma will effectively strip away the identity of “graduate student” to which I have been clutching like a teenager with concert tickets. Also, my goal of finding a job still eludes me. Being a student without a job seems okay. But a graduate without a job? Not as cool.
And then there is, of course, the bittersweet anticipation of the end of program itself that is at this point a well-formed routine. Recently I enjoyed the company of some classmates as we pondered our adjustments to life after the program: (more…)