organization behavior « Breaking Barriers

01 Jun

Workshops worthwhile?

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I snickered while reading an article in The Guardian (1) that reported that around eighty percent of New York City police officers viewed the three-day diversity workshop they were required to take as “a waste of time.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who most police officers view with contempt, required that all 20,000 officers take part in this workshop after Eric Garner’s death by chokehold, promising great things from the program. But according to a high-ranking New York Police Department official,…..

18 Dec

How The Donald Stole Christmas

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Everyone in Blueville loved Christmas.

Except for The Donald, who hated the Christmas season! No one quite knows the reason.

Some said it was fear of dirt. It could have something to do with his shirt. Maybe his hands were two sizes too small Or maybe he had no heart at all.

So he watched Fox in the box on Christmas Eve, Hating the Blues, so hard to believe…

“They’re hanging their stockings!” he whined with a sneer. “Tomorrow is…..

10 Dec

Improving Lives with Every Connection

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On Sunday, November 4, 2018, colleagues started telling me they weren’t receiving my e-mails.

Since CenturyLink is my Internet provider whose website promises to improve lives with every connection, I called their customer service number once a day for the next three days, but no one called me back despite earnest promises from the people I spoke with.

Three days later, the problem appeared to be solved.

Hallelujah!

But twelve hours later, colleagues again stopped receiving my e-mails.

So I…..

28 Jun

Leadership Is For Everyone

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“Leadership isn’t for everyone,” asserts Tacy Byham (1). Before you take on a leadership assignment, he says, answer these ten questions, and if you answer “no” to too many, don’t lead. The questions center around “why lead?”, as well as “people skills”, ability to learn, and flexibility.

All good questions.

But each of us engage in leadership activities all the time: influencing others to move in a given direction and/or supporting them to get there. We often lead without even…..

19 Jun

Guest Blogger Allon Shevat

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Unsolvable organizational problems

27 Oct

The Mizzou Desert

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An of-of-tune, bumbling bureaucracy.

Undertones of employee irritation.

Diversity dissonances.

A football team with major problems with diminished fan support.

But like other bureaucratic deserts, signs of a nurturing life force are scattered throughout the University of Missouri. The Journalism School. The School of Medicine. The Veterinary School.

And the choral conducting department of its school of music.

Since 2011, I have been a member of the Choral Union, a mixture of Columbia, Missouri residents and the university community. Our…..

15 Aug

Universal Design

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Universal design is one of those terms that occasionally gets thrown around when professionals with disabilities get together. Google the term and you’ll find the following definition:

“Broad-spectrum ideas meant to produce buildings, products and environments that are inherently accessible to older people, people without disabilities, and people with disabilities.”

A corollary of this unwieldy definition is that products and services designed for disabled people can become valuable to others. People with strollers and shopping carts use wheelchair ramps. Medical…..

09 Aug

Success Stories

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Over the years, I have gone through dozens of job interviews conducted by hiring managers and human resources professionals representing all kinds of organizations. For the most part, the quality of these interviews has been drearily average.

Recently, I interviewed for a mid-level management position at a large Missouri state government agency. A friendly competent representative called to tell me that a three-person interview team would conduct a 15-minute interview.

“Fifteen minutes?” I thought, snickering inwardly after double-tapping to disconnect.

…..

23 Mar

King with a heart

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Pastor Kendall Walker’s Palm Sunday sermon got me thinking.

He explained that both “King” Pilate, the Roman ruler of the area, and “King” Herod, the man who reported directly to Pilate, would have each preceded Jesus into Jerusalem, each riding in chariots with large groups of noisy followers and battalions of soldiers for protection and an aura of strength. Like Pilate and Herod, King Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on a donkey — a Jewish symbol of royalty — with a…..

02 Mar

Workshop Worthlessness

peteraltschul organization behavior 6 0

I inwardly sighed while reading a February 23 article in the Guardian that reported that around eighty percent of New York City police officers viewed the three-day workshop they were required to take as “a waste of time.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who most police officers view with contempt, required that all 20,000 officers take part in this workshop after Eric Garner’s “death by chokehold”, stating “I think you’re going to see a very different reality after this training has…..

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