Although complex information and
situations may seem overwhelming, they are often rich in details: which may
come in handy in certain situations. Eric Berlow stated that complexity should
be embraced to increase the chance of finding simple answers. The key here is
to gather as much information possible to make thinking and explanations easier
(Berlow, 2010). Embracing complexity is a handy tool for many organizations, as
this help pinpoint problems and outcomes. With more information and a better
understanding of a situation, decision-making becomes more effective.
Organizations run like any complex
machine. It consists of many different parts: each of them serving its own
purpose. If even the smallest part of the machine becomes weak or broken, it
can make a huge impact on the entire organization. This phenomenon is also
known as the Butterfly Effect. As leaders, it is important to identify and be
prepared for different situations to avoid and reduce potential damages. In
1982, the Johnson & Johnson Company dealt with a huge crisis that started
from a few cyanide-laced Tylenol pills. This eventually led to several deaths,
which ultimately lead to severe damage to the company. Despite the company’s
losses, they were able to overcome the crisis by identifying specific areas
that needed to be fixed and or enhanced. To regain consumer trust, the company
established new tamper-proof packaging, and even refunded and provided other
customer service to assist those effected by the crisis (Markel, 2014).
As an academic
advisor, I work directly with students and seen many different reactions from
changes made from the university. One of the biggest reactions I encounter
almost daily are student’s thoughts and experiences with online courses. Over
the course of years, my university is becoming more and more digitalized. We
went from hosting in-seat classes with professors physically in the classroom
to mostly hosting courses with professors located elsewhere. While many of our
prospects and current students understand the change, we struggle to maintain
relationships with most of them. Due to the lack of physical interaction,
course workload, etc., many of them go to other schools. This then leads to
lower enrollments and admissions, which then leads to university headquarters
questioning and encouraging us to bring students back. If many other physical campuses
are experiencing the same issues, this will eventually lead the university to
restructure their organization.
As a past and current
student, I understand and relate with students who prefer traditional
classrooms. Just like them, I sometimes find far distance interactions to be
difficult, and most importantly understanding how digital interaction is not the
same as physical interaction. While I cannot do much in terms of how the course
is built, one thing I try to do for my campus is to encourage a social environment.
While emails and answering phone calls are part of our daily business, I also
try to squeeze in some face-to-face interaction when possible. Unlike electronic
communication, face-to-face interaction has more non-verbal communication
involved. Whether it’s facial expression or tone, we’re expressing our true
emotions. This often times make relationship building easier, which can lead to
many positive outcomes for the campus (Nogales, 2010). Over the course of
years, I’ve noticed that I not only made my students more social, but it
reached out to prospective and students with online advisors (online campus).
Since more than 90 percent of our students work at the Boeing Company, many are
informed by word-of-mouth. Despite losing students who prefer in-seat courses,
I am able to have a steady stream of students applying at my campus for
face-to-face, local-time advisement.
References:
Berlow, E. (2010). Eric Berlow: Simplifying complexity. TED.
Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_berlow_how_complexity_leads_to_simplicity/transcript?language=en
Markel, H. (2014). How the Tylenol murders of 1982 changed the way
we consume medication. PBS. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/tylenol-murders-1982/
Nogales, A. (2010). Facebook versus Face-to-Face: What’s missing
when friends connect online?. Psychology
Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/family-secrets/201010/facebook-versus-face-face
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