Response 1 W:

The success of any organization depends on the people who are a part of the organization. The leaders of the organization must have goals that motivate employees to perform at their best while upholding the values of the team. There were several topics that were introduced in this course that will lead to a rewarding career if followed as advised.

Three topics that related to my current professional role are the use of decision making techniques, conflicts of interest, and communication and collaboration. In my current role as a tech support agent, I am empowered to make decisions that will be satisfactory for my customers while ensuring the decision is wise for the business. Going forward, instead of primarily using intuition as my method, I will rely on using the rational model follow a six-step process to arrive at the best solution (Editorial Board, 2015).

Another topic that appears often in a call center environment are conflicts of interest. It is not unusual to be assigned to manage or work on the same team as friends, family, or even neighbors. In my current organization, we are required to make any relationship known to our organization that may be viewed as unethical.

My sister worked at the same company with me for a few years, and we always worked in a different department. Another topic that relates to my current field is communication and collaboration. In any organization, teamwork is key to success. In a call center environment, it is imperative to communicate with others to ensure the productivity and efficiency of the business. In my experience, in an environment that is always changing, it is best to keep all employees informed about the plans of the organization. Employees tend to feel valued, and want to contribute to the progression of the organization when they are aware of the transformation of the organization.

Using the rational method to make decisions going forward will ensure that I am making the best decision for my team, my customer, and the organization. In the past, using prior experience has led to making decisions that had positive outcomes. On the other hand, when a decision is made in haste, one tends to look back and explore how the situation could have been handled differently. By using the rational model, I will no longer have to worry if I have made the best decision.

The other change that I plan to implement going forward is increasing awareness of the code of conduct that is in place. Code of conduct training is provided at the time of hire, and for other employees it is provided once a year. I believe that this training should be provided quarterly or at least twice a year. This will ensure that employees are aware of the expectations of the organization and will hopefully decrease any unethical behaviors or actions due to the increased awareness.

Response 2 S:

Unit 5 Discussion Board

I have enjoyed this course even though the name of the course is misleading compared to the content. The course is mainly about ethics, code of conduct, and change management. I believed at the beginning of the course that we would be discussing leadership traits and principles. It also appeared that we would cover the decision making process. Even still, this has been a great course.

Anytime that I can learn about ethics in business and learn another way to apply what I have learned is a benefit. I plan to apply more of what I have learned in this course to managing conflicts of interest in the future. I also am going to ask my current company for their code of conduct. I want to hold my leadership accountable for our company. We all own shares of our company. I want it to be successful. I want to help build a code of conduct and a change management plan in real life. I think leading a change within an organization will be a new challenge to tackle.

I have seen Kotter's change management model in action within a couple of organizations. (Editorial Board, 2015) When the process is applied correctly, the system works extremely well. Working toward the change as a team is extremely satisfying. Watching employees of a company grow together towards a common goal is not something you see every day. It is amazing to watch a company grow together like that.

I have been a fan of total quality management since I first learned about W. Edwards Deming in my first college. Later on when I was serving in the Marines, we implemented a total quality management program called AIRspeed. (NAVAIR) It involved streamlining the aviation maintenance using Six Sigma, LEAN, and 5S. (NAVAIR) I believe that removing error and wasted effort from a process will be what helps a company stay competitive in today's market. I try and find ways to apply total quality management and its principles every day.