Twitsted DISCO

The DISC Personal Profile System is a four quadrant behavioral model that examines the behavior of individuals in their respective environments.  People's ccharacteristics of behavior are  grouped into the four major "personality styles" dominance, influence, conscientiousness, and steadiness.  People tend to exhibit specific characteristics common to that particular style. All individuals possess all four, but what differs from one to another is the extent of each.
The test definitely accurately gauged my management orientation as having a primary influence style paired with a secondary dominance style.  Simply, I attempt to shape my environment by influencing or persuading others.
Throughout my managerial lifetime I have exhibited tendencies that describe me as DISC's influence style.  Specifically, I feel that I have always strived to make favorable impressions on others and I do use my charm and enthusiasm to generally generate motivation in group settings.  Also, DISC suggests to be more firm with others, and in these situations where I am trying to win people over, I sometimes find myself being codependent, thus lowering my usefulness to the group.  Perhaps it has been my relentless desire for public recognition of my ability that makes me appraise others unrealistically - I usually expect too much from others and shut down in a group setting when they don't meet my expectations.  
To be more effective I must first be aware that my participation in the management process has halted in those aforementioned situations and then apply my tendency of creating a motivational environment to the situation so that my group's goal will not ultimately be compromised.  The former has happened numerous times this semester in group settings and also throughout my lifetime - if I can't influence you to agree with me, or if you're not saying something that I view as substantial, you are probably not much use to the group.  It is obvious that this way of thinking and behaving can not be totally efficient.
Being aware of the DISC behavioral profile system and other people's management characteristics can help me in group settings to understand where others are coming from and thus provide me the correct means of interacting with them.  I feel that it is more relevant that I learn how to interact with others rather than to change my style since I feel that I have had these characteristics my entire life. Also, any style of the DISC ultimately runs into conflict with another style.  For example, in the future instead of trying to influence someone who has a dominant style to agree with me, (I now know from DISC that this is usually impossible or too time consuming) I would try to pace and relax this person while keeping a focus on the groups priorities and deadlines.  It is being able to identify what group setting I am in and how to adjust to it the most effectively, in regards to the group's goal, that will prove most successful.      


  

McDonald's Management Meal

In 1948, the brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald introduced
the "Speedee Service System" which established the principles of the
modern fast-food restaurant.  The brothers decided to close down their
successful carhop drive-thru operation and reinvent their McDonald’s hamburger
restaurant, focusing on efficiency and consistency. Dick and Mac, as they were
known, simplified the menu and took great care in setting up their kitchen as
an assembly line to maximize efficiency. 

In 1954, Ray Kroc, a seller of Multimixer milkshake machines, learned that
the McDonalds brothers were using eight of his high-tech Multimixers in their
restaurant. His curiosity drove him to visit their San Bernardino, California
restaurant (his other clients only used two of his machines at most).  From what he saw, Kroc immediately felt that
the McDonalds “Speedee Service System” was a ticket to success and the future
in restaurant services.  Kroc soon convinced
the McDonald brothers to franchise, believing that their streamlined operations
would provide the consistency ultimately needed to expand to a national market.  McDonald’s Corporation was born.

Today, McDonald’s Corporation’s mission statement says:

“McDonald's
brand mission is to "be our customers' favorite place and way to
eat." Our worldwide operations have been aligned around a global strategy
called the Plan to Win, centering on the five basics of an exceptional customer
experience – People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. We are committed to
improving our operations and enhancing our customers' experience.”



It
is clearly observed from McDonald’s mission statement that the “customers’
experience” is of paramount importance to McDonald’s Corporation today.  McDonald’s is attempting to add value to its
brand by providing much more than food…an experience.  Also, by clearly defining this in its mission
statement, McDonald’s is attempting to establish a strong organizational
culture which it hopes will ultimately benefit its customers.







Is
McDonald’s Corporation actually successful in delivering on their global
customer experience strategy?  Can a company
who has conditioned me throughout my lifetime, by brilliant advertising
campaigns, to order in ways that will not disrupt the hamburger assembly line
also genuinely provide customer experience to me?  Early McDonalds shortened its menu, which
decreased variations in orders and in turn increased order completion speed.  Modern McDonalds’ came up with “value-meals”
which streamlined customers’ ordering habits. Today we walk into McDonalds and order a number one without a second
thought coming to mind that we have been trained to do so.  Am I not upset that McDonalds doesn’t believe
that I can order a hamburger meal efficiently? Maybe they are right…I am a picky eater.

What happens when we deviate from
the plan?  What happens if we decide to
get adventurous at McDonald’s?  Will ordering
something off the menu halt its hamburger assembly line, just as customizing a
Model T would have disrupted Ford’s automobile assembly line?    Or
has McDonald’s mission statement developed a strong organizational culture that
trickles down even to those service employees that I interact with?  When McDonald’s is forced to temporarily
revert to the company’s founders’ “Speede Service System” mission, does the
integrity of their proclaimed “customer experience” become compromised? We will
test whether or not McDonald’s Corporation’s mission statement has actually transcended
throughout the company, specifically by attempting a simple off-the-menu food
order.  We will rate McDonald’s staff’s
management processes or our “extra special order,” examining organization,
communications, training, and leadership qualities of McDonald’s processes.

I walked into a McDonald’s
franchise located at 3215 Kennedy Boulevard in Union City, New Jersey.  While standing in line, somewhat nervous
about my upcoming order, I observed eleven staff members:  four cashiers, four chefs, two managers, (they
were wearing white shirts) and one “drive-thru” cashier.   An unassuming cashier who we will call “Gloria”
said, with a big smile, “Welcome to McDonald’s, would you like to try a
value-meal?”  I place my order: “Sure,
may I have a number one, (“Big Mac” meal), one six piece chicken nuggets, two
cheeseburgers, one small well done french fries accompanied with “Big
Mac” sauce for dipping, and one “McDouble” hamburger with exactly five
pickles on it.  I also told Gloria
that I needed a receipt that stated my order exactly. 

Gloria inputed my aforementioned “usual”
menu items into the register easily. However, when I began to modify the menu items (above underlined) she
seemed to be bewildered.   One of the
store’s managers, who seemed to be “floating around” the restaurant in an
attempt to ensure its “business flow,” immediately sensed her discomfort and
embraced I guess what he felt was his responsibility to accommodate my special
requests.

Ronnie asked me if he could “start
the order from scratch.”  I agreed and he
cancelled the previous order.  As he
became aware of my special requests and decided how to address them, he first
explained to me what he would have to do to accommodate me, and after my “okay”,
he then preceded to give directions to his fellow employees.  For example, when I explained that I needed
exactly five pickles on my hamburger and that the receipt had to say that
exactly, he explained to me that it was no problem for his chef to accommodate me,
however, that the register only gave him an option of adding pickles once (his
reasoning was that McDonald’s doesn’t charge for extra pickles).  He then shouted an order to his chef in Spanish
which I could not understand - I did here “cinco” though and assumed his
directions were in regards to the pickles on the hamburger.  Also, he explained to me that I would have to
wait an extra five minutes for the well done french fries.  What was interesting was that when I
requested “Big Mac” sauce on the side for dipping he responded, “Oh, you want “Mac”
sauce,” as if it was a “normal” special request. 

As I stood waiting for my well done
fries I was still skeptical.  I thought
to myself that there was no way that there was going to be exactly five pickles
on my burger, and that I would not be able to tell the difference between well
done fries and regular cooked fries. However when I received my order, in contrast to my expectations,  every special item order that I had requested
was executed perfectly, and the entire order process didn’t take any longer to
complete (besides having to wait for the well done fries) than any other “normal”
orders I had previously placed at McDonald’s. 

Through this simple ordering
experiment, I experienced first-hand how organizational culture can actually
influence the way a company’s employees interact with its customers.  Ronnie made me feel that it was his duty to
ensure my satisfying “customer experience” and most importantly, it did seem
that he genuinely did care.  I was
impressed on how efficiently (Mac and Dick would be proud) and how effectively
(Ray Kroc would also be proud) McDonald’s staff handled this special situation.  Ultimately, I attribute the success of the
order process to Ronnie’s confidence, although it is unclear to me whether or
not this manager’s actions in handling of this special situation were trained
to him by McDonald’s or it was just his natural leadership abilities.  I would suggest to McDonald’s to instruct its
employees to always ask a manager’s input if they are uncertain about how to accommodate
the customer.  Perhaps, I would even go
so far as to suggesting to McDonald’s that it should hire people in “plain
clothes” to carry out similar special orders in an attempt to measure how
effectively McDonald’s is actually providing for a satisfying customer experience.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

  

  

Faith Without Works Is Dead

          It took me my whole life to learn how important it is to set goals and to be concerned about a vision for my future.  Until recently, I had no vision at all - I simply lived my life by acting without a vision.  Sure I set goals for myself but those goals were never really aimed towards a specific vision, and although I learned alot, things really didn't happen.  Sometimes I thought I had a vision but I was really only dreaming -  I continuously failed to truly dedicate myself and work towards a substantial vision.

          I'm not saying that I did not acquire knowledge and a skill set over the years, but without a focused vision, in my case, that knowledge and skill set did not "connect" with each other in the end (chef, d.j., botanist, math major).   For some reason, I didn't often  consider a vision - I was "okay" with just doing good in school and working hard - I thought thats all I needed to "make it".  Looking back, I can summarize my behavior as jumping back and forth amongst various career paths, gravitating toward the one that was of most interest to me at that particular time in my life.  Was I just not ready or mature enough to accept the responsibility that comes along with embracing a true vision? Perhaps I was just being selfish.

          I can only be grateful that today I have learned this lesson and now know that I must fully embrace the vision I have today for myself in order for it to someday materialize - to be able to care for myself and the people around me.

A few goals that I consider to be feasibile in the near future are (with potential actions to take):

• Run a marathon (start training, eating right)
• Push myself harder (enroll in Honors classes)
• Be more emotionally intelligent (stay teachable, control my emotions)

I promise to you that I will do everything in my ability to fully embrace and materialize my aforementioned goals, with the vision of being able to care for myself and others always in mind.  I will document the progress of the actions I take on future blog posts - hopefully this will fuel my motivation and keep me somewhat accountable.  Please help me keep me honest. Thanx.

Remember,

Vision without action is just a dream.
Action without vision merely wastes time.
Vision coupled with action can make things happen!*



*from Joel Barker in "The Power of Vision"

I Can't Call It

I immediately became aware that the next thirty minutes were going to be challenging. We had spent the first half of class reviewing and discussing a midterm in which our class test average was below fifty percent and were now to decide a "curve and extra-credit proposal"  which we would present to Professor Kurpis at the end of the allotted time.
I announced to my peers that we should separate into smaller groups in order to address our ad-hoc situation.  My suggestion was received differently amongst my classmates.  Some people agreed, some people disagree, and some people seemed confused.  I could feel the pressure building throughout the class.        As I observed the class' chaos as we negotiated how we were going to go about getting the extra-credit-points, my initial idea to divide the class into groups was then, in my head, reinforced - I believed that there was no chance of the class making progress if we did not do so. Many of my classmates were very adamant about what they wanted as extra-credit points and what was the best away of going about acquiring them. It's hard to say, but I'm pretty sure that the immediate thing I told myself was "Vincent, some of the people in here may be a little more passionate about this process than you right now." At that point I stood down, without giving it much thought, and allowed someone else to be the leader of the entire class - I was willing to lead a smaller leader/group interaction since we had success doing so in a previous class exercise, but for some reason I was not willing to be the leader of the entire class.  It is the latter here that fascinates me:  although my initial instinct was to lead, why did I ultimately choose not too?

Initially, I attributed my disengagement of the exercise to "just not caring" since I had scored well on the exam.  This sounds cool and hip, however, I now question: is that all there was which influenced me to withdraw?  

By definition, the above would suggest that due to  the frustration of this decision making process, my behavior was avoidance-withdrawal from process when no making progress is suspected (I felt that the class would not progress if it did not break into groups and plainly did not want to deal with it).

However, I generally do care.  I have always been comfortable assuming responsibility in group settings.  Although I did not lead the class, I did not totally disengage-I still discussed alternatives and gave input.  This illustrates that my behavior could be described as accommodation-seeing issues more important to others than yourself and allowing them to make decisions for you when your interests are not critical.

It can be argued that we ultimately "succeeded" as a large class group since we did get more extra-credit points passed than other classes.  

I am not satisfied with my behaviour during this process.  Too often in life do I accept responsibility when something pertains to me and disregard it if it doesn't.  I sometimes even justify in my mind that something doesn't pertain to me, when it in rationally does perhaps to avoid responsibility and uncertainty.  This is a valuable lesson that I will consider in future decision making processes.  In hindsight, I would have tried to clearly define who in the setting ultimately had the power: the group or the leader.  It would then be possible to determine which decision making process to apply based on power distribution.  I was in an unbiased, low-emotional position to act since the points did not apply to me, and instead of "shutting down" with self-serving behavior, it may have been more ethical for me to take a utilitarian approach for the betterment of the entire class.  In a perfect world I would have implemented some kind of voting system to ensure that every voice in our class was heard - ultimately I felt that the more aggressive, perhaps more business-experienced students had the most say and influence.

Are you satisfied with the decision we ultimately agreed to?  Given the time constraints, were we not "successful"?  Did your score on the exam affect your behavior?      

   

Scrambled Planning

My “eggs-cellent” management professor held an impromptu, in-class planning assignment on Wednesday.  We split into groups of four or five and were to plan, design, and construct an “egg-protection device” that would prevent the egg from breaking when dropped from ten feet onto the classroom carpet (don’t worry we had a tarp).  Since this “social experiment” took place before our planning lecture, it is interesting to compare known academic theory on planning with the class’ planning culture and how we ultimately performed.

What are we doing?

The first step in the planning process is to define your goals and objectives.  The entire class was initially somewhat confused about what the goals and objects of the assignment actually were (we did not receive a formal handout).  We must be specific in order to be effective in achieving our goals.  This takes structure.  Luckily, roles naturally emerge in group settings.  Hence, the first “bureaucrat” of our team was “elected” a Secretary, in order to immediately pen the rules and record our progression in design and implication.  We all soon became aware of what we wanted to achieve.  The goal and deadlines were already specified by the professor - we just had to figure out the “best way of getting there.”

Who can do what? What can’t we do?  

I threw around a few questions: Does anyone have engineering background? Is anyone an artist? Google it?  Step 2, determining current status compared to objectives, does suggest to examine group strengths and weaknesses and apply each members skills accordingly.  However, when I asked, nobody had any relative skills, so they thought.  I was subsequently elected the “Leader.”      

What is the best way to do it?

Something told me to brainstorm.  I instructed the group to sketch ideas for at least our first five minutes.  However the group’s roles were further emerging and half of the group focused on the design aspect of the contraption while the others acted as “overseers” of the design - constantly checking our use of the resources, reminding the group of time deadlines, and making sure the group was satisfying all requirements.  Ideally we should have developed a premise by comparing the pros and cons of various premises and should have had several alternative strategies (if for some reason our strategy does not seem to be working).  However, time constraints narrowed our choices.

How can we do it the best way?

Step four in the planning process suggests to analyze alternatives and make a tactical plan.  Our pyramid-design plan was the plan most likely to complete our objectives, since it was our only plan.  We allocated jobs so that everyone could play their role in the actual implementation - two of us were to construct sides, one of us was to deliver the device and test it, one of us was to check and oversee our process, and one of us was to record and edit.  However, these roles were not ideally based according to the person’s skills or experience.  

Do it, correct and revise.

Out of necessity for completion, our implemented plan was constantly corrected and revised during the 10 minute construction phase.  The overseers repeatedly edited the fabricators construction and questioned the professor about design requirements.  Group roles even were somewhat revised - my hands were shaking so much during fabrication that Greg jumped in to help me.  

All in all, our group planning culture, which was largely based on previous life experiences, did not totally achieve its goals - the egg slightly cracked when the apparatus was dropped.  The underlying obstacle that repeatedly caused hardship was the time constraint.  Teams that were successful were not necessarily better planners than the teams that were not successful.  The divider in this case was an idea - to connect the straws and tape so the eggs would be dropped from only two feet (both winning teams shared this theory).  Perhaps if we had more time to draw-up and compare different strategies, we may have had been able to choose a more effective application.

Borderline Ethnocentric

Please enjoy an excerpt from the journal I kept when I was blessed to study abroad in China/Mongolia. In very few other settings will I ever be able to learn so much about culture and myself. I plan to add more selections as the semester progresses.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

...We were directed to put our seat-belts on.  As the plane started to descend, the flight crew released a mist into the plane's cabin. Naturally I was concerned but learned it was to treat any air-born viruses. Other passengers seemed to pay it no mind. I immediately became aware of the country's sheer population.  Lines at immigration and customs made me feel as though I was in a cattle-herd. Space between others is more intimate here than back in the states. I felt uncomfortable as we entered the terminal's arrival hall.  Somehow Doctor Lee found our tour guide, Chu-yi, amongst a sea of livery drivers and tour guides waiving signs and flags.  Our Toyota tour bus was spacious and luxurious compared to the overcrowded vehicles on our way to Beijing city. As our driver maneuverd through traffic dodging on-coming cyclists and cars, Chu-yi explained that of 12 million people in Beijing, 8 million of those people commute with bicycles. Alex noted that the bikes only had one gear and we jokingly considered opening a multi-geared bicycle shop.

As we checked in to the Avic Hotel, I was eager to enjoy its four-star amenities - mainly the bed after that 18 hour flight. But when I opened my suitcase, I discovered that I had taken someone else's luggage at baggage claim!...

Tiananmen Square - Beijing, China

   

Don't you know who I am?

The Narcissism Epidemic says that Generation Y is self-absorbed and feelings of entitlement will make us less valuable future professionals.  I'm from New York - not me, no way! :)