Session 4/Dosage 4

Brief overview

“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Albert Einstein

With this being said it goes to show that technology is a double edged sword that can be abused. With the prevalence of globalization in the world driving the advancement of technology, we need people to stand up to guide and lead this advancement of technology in the right direction. Towards the use of technology for the greater good of all mankind.

Week 4 marks the last week of having 2 topics in one lesson and also my individual presentation. Honestly I was quite psyched up for it. It was interesting to present on the topic of change management, change leadership. It made me explore and learn about management and leadership in the ‘real world’. How companies operated. What people based their management and/or leadership on? The implications leadership on the world, so on and so forth. I liked that prof gave us a certain sense of freedom and did not narrow down on what we could or could not present on.

Interesting observation and ideas

At the start of the lesson Prof brought up a thought provoking discussion. He questioned the controversial views of industrialization in today’s world. How developed countries feel that less developed countries should not take up industrialization at present as it harms the world, when developed countries themselves did so previously. He then went on to a discussion the class had last week, about the development/use of green technology in Singapore. Ultimately, to me everyone is guilty right now for contributing to the degradation of the earth. We should keep that in mind and take a step forward, be proactive in changing our ways to make a better future. No what our status is the change will be significant. Everyone has a part to play. This is the mindset each and every one of us should have.

In the PDCA cycle, one of our peers mentioned that the ‘C’ was for change. However, when I went to look up on it I found out that the ‘C’ actually stands for check not change. Check meant to study the results and compare them with the expected results to ascertain any differences. Look for deviation in implementation from the plan and also to look for the appropriateness and completeness of the plan to enable execution. The PCDA is also similar to kaizen which means improvement or change for the better in Japanese, referring to philosophy or practices that focus upon continuous improvement of processes in manufacturing, engineering, and business management. (Went to look kaizen up after a fellow peer mentioned it in class)

Lastly, the definition of leadership and management as discussed in class is subjective. I do agree that a leader creates the paradigm, while the manager does the guidance towards the paradigm. However, in my opinion, the difference of a leader and manager: All leaders are managers, while not all managers are leaders. Leaders being leaders still have to manage certain aspects under them. In addition, the term manager is an official status at a workplace, while the term leader is not. At a work place people given the position of a manager, not a leader. E.g. Senior Manager Shane.

Key takeaway points

1)    Every individual makes a difference
2)    The ability to adapt and embrace change is vital
3)    Technology, globalization and competition are inextricably intertwined. In a constant cycle driving one another.

Personal rating for session

8/10 Interesting subjects discussed and sufficient time for the discussion of both topics.