Experience Based Inc.

Memo

To: All Personnel
Date: November 3, 1998
From: Caroline Gray
Department: Responsibility
Group: Staffing
Subject: Weekly Memo

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 Goals for Last Week

  1. I will help my reading group to complete the reading memo and understand the readings. I plan to do this by taking notes on the reading and writing our memo together. I will know I have accomplished this goal when the memo is completed and everyone has participated in the discussion.
  2. I will meet with my group on Sunday to finalize our presentation. We plan to meet at 6:30 and I will know I have accomplished this goal when we have covered each learning objective for cycle one in our presentation and have everything ready to go for Tuesday.
  3. I will make sure that everyone in my group understands their responsibilities so that we are more effective. I plan to do this by e-mailing my group and getting feedback on what they are doing. I will know I have completed this goal when everyone in my group has talked to me in class about what they are doing or e-mailed me.
  4. I will write up my definitions for the presentation. I plan to do this by rewording the definitions in the book and making them more applicable to XB through examples. I will know I have accomplished this goal when I have put my definitions on the disk.
  5. I will e-mail the groups I am responsible for again, to find out how they are doing and if they have anything going on in their groups (positive/negative). I plan to do this at home before the weekend and I will know I have completed this goal when I have heard something back from at least a few people in each group.

 

What I Did

  1. I met with my group on Sunday and we finalized our presentation. We also planned out how we would complete the assignment for the Group Group during the next week. I wrote up and distributed the agenda for our presentation, as well as responsibilities for each member of our group so that we would be able to complete all of our group objectives. We decided to start a "Member of the Week" contest for our XB division so that there will be incentive to perform to the best of one’s abilities and receive feedback for a job well done. I am excited to see how this will work!
  2. I prepared my part of my group presentation and have practiced it so that I will hopefully be able to speak without notecards.
  3. I read the assignment for my groups reading memo especially well, since it was my group’s material. I tried to bring clarity to any confusion or points of interest, but my group understood this material well.
  4. Because my group is faced with taking on a great deal of responsibility in the coming week, I postponed contacting my groups so that I could decide within my group how to approach the idea of people switching between departments and groups, so that XB will be more fun and more effective. This has been a huge wake up call, and so I am still in the brainstorming stage of how to deal with this.

 

What I Learned

This week I learned how truly dedicated I am to XB and how big a part of my life this class has become! I was forced to miss Thursday’s class due to a concussion and all I could think about was XB and what I was missing. On one hand, this is kind of good because I feel invested in my work and responsibility. However, on the other hand I have to wonder if this is normal and if this class is dominating my life! A large part of my anxiety from missing class stems from the confusion that seems to grow with each class period. I was afraid that I would be totally out of the loop, lose all hope of doing well (even though I have no idea where I stand), and that my group would be angry at me for not coming to class. I learned that I can depend on my group and on my other alliances in XB to fill me in on what has happened, and this was very important to me. I also realized the importance and convenience of e-mail communication on the list-serve and how it should be used. A few weeks ago, I thought our organization came to the conclusion that we would not bombard each other with endless messages, but it seems as though we’re back at square one again with this, and with e-mail insulting. I’m really glad that our senior manager stepped in a few times this week to put us on the right path and I am just now learning how to use her as a resource.

During our class presentations, I learned a lot about control and how it is used in XB. However, I wonder how the control group themselves are monitored and I have several questions about the ethics of our specific control system. I think that our evaluation guidelines are constantly changing and I’m not sure how things will turn out in the end, which scares me. The informal group’s presentation, on the other hand, I could really relate to. I had to get most of my information from the readings and from the individual I contacted in that group because I was sick, but going through the stages of group development helped me to realize that the conflicts and problems my group has experienced is normal and can be anticipated. I think this information will also help my group to complete the observing assignment from the Group Group, so that we can learn how we communicate best and how we hamper our communication efforts.

 

My Goals for This Week

  1. I will complete my part of the Staffing presentation and make sure the class has learned our objectives. I plan to do this by handing out a word puzzle and an application question that will allow our members to apply our concepts to their own roles in XB. I will know I have succeeded when we get the handouts back and the majority of the class receives a 3 or higher.
  2. I will immediately begin preparing for my group’s cycle two presentation. I will do this by coming up with ideas to bring to my group’s next meeting and making sure the other members of my group come with ideas so that we can immediately start brainstorming and planning. I will know I have succeeded when we have a clear plan and individual responsibilities for our next presentation by the end of our meeting.
  3. I will complete the reading memo assignment and try to be the recorder for this week. I plan to do this by contacting the members of my reading group to arrange a time we can meet for discussion. I will know I have succeeded when I have contributed to the discussion and hopefully written the memo and turned it in to the envelope.
  4. I will complete the Group Group assignment. I plan to do this by meeting with 3 members of my group after our next meeting and writing up what we have observed during our interactions. I will know I have completed this goal when I have turned in the assignment.
  5. I will complete the Control Group memo. I plan to do this by trying to meet the requirements for a 5 evaluation and I will know I have succeeded when I have turned in the assignment and also received a high evaluation.
  6. I will work with our senior manager and my group to discuss the possible switching that may occur early in cycle two. I plan to do this by brainstorming ideas that I will e-mail to my group and the senior manager, and also to meet with Tracey for additional advice and guidance. I will know I have succeeded when we have allowed anyone who wants to change groups that opportunity and when I have thoroughly discussed this issue with my group and the senior manager.