The Man with Head of Blue Hortensias Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Man with Head of Blue Hortensias - Essay Example The paper "The Man with Head of Blue Hortensias" will be the formal analysis of the two famous paintings. Gazing at the painting and then taking notes on what is observed can be the best strategy to achieve this. The Man with Head of Blue Hortensias is a painting done by Salvador Dali, a prominent Spanish surrealist artist. He had a range of art work that included photography, statuettes, cooperation with other artists, and paintings. Salvador was recognized for his extraordinary art work. Many accredit his artistic skills to the inspiration he got from the masters of rebirth. This paper will look at the painting depth, iconography, and color. In the Painting Depth, The Man with Head of Blue Hortensias, Salvador Dali tries to create depth in a number of ways. First, the male stature is perceived to be seating on a small rock near other large ones with his head bent or seating in a vertical position, depending on the position one is viewing the painting. The use of slightly bright col ors makes the rocks and the male stature appear close. In addition, there are dark clouds in the sky. The use of darker colors helps to make some rocks and the clouds appear to be far away. There seems to be a pathway separating the towering rocks on the left and where the male shape is seated. It appears close due to the slightly brighter color used. The rocks that have been painted in blue appear further away than those painted in brown. This goes a long way in depicting depth in the painting.

Modernist Art Form and Post Modernist Art Form Essay

Modernist Art Form and Post Modernist Art Form - Essay Example The essay "Modernist Art Form and Post Modernist Art Form" discovers a modernist art form and the postmodernist art form. The history of art reflects different periods that conveys the changing views of artists as to what art is all about and how they want to express themselves using it. In the late 1800’s, the birth of Modern Art became evident through the initiative of Édouard Manet and other painters later known as impressionists. Their goal was to express their individuality as artists while criticizing the government. They strove to break free from the rules imposed by academic institutions which were deemed as the sole authority on art. As the industrial age progressed and art evolved to include different types of media, various modern art movements developed and soon it became impossible to find a single trend to the period. Modern art encompassed movements such as cubism, surrealism, dada and pop-art as well as collage and 3D variant assemblage. These latter moveme nts opened the path to the new period of postmodern art. Perhaps the unifying theme of modern artists was their belief that art mattered – that it had real value. Whereas before art was used mainly to convey ideas of powerful religious and political institutions, the period of modern art gave artists more freedom to suggest personal meanings to their art forms. This gave birth to the expression art for art’s sake which suggests art without any religious or political intention. Other theorists claim that modern art’s defining characteristic.... This was the time when some modern art movements such as pop-art and minimalism slowly developed into what is now known as contemporary or postmodern art. The disillusionment with life's meaning that the effects of World War II brought about, was what made artists lose sight of the value of their art. During this period, artists rejected the idea that life (and art for that matter) has any intrinsic value. For them the world has been filled with reproduction and as such originality and individual expression are no longer valid goals. There is nothing new to create as all visual images are mere copies of previous copies. This emphasis on reproduction has led many artists to master production techniques such that they are able to make art without undergoing the traditional processes of learning perspective, composition, color theory and the other knowledge and skills required by traditional artists. With the emergence of new image-based technologies such as the television and computer, artists were able to manipulate this media and they managed to emerge with something new. Postmodern art also focused on gratifying modern consumer's wan t of novelty and entertainment and anything that would equally shock them. Thus the period saw the emergence of huge ice-sculptures, islands wrapped in pink polypropylene fabric and a large monolithic block filled with discarded computers as art with the latter even winning the prestigious Turner Prize. Art then has acquired a new meaning where concept takes precedence over aesthetics and craftsmanship becomes secondary. Film or motion pictures are series of images projected into a screen to create the illusion of motion. When these images are flashed in rapid succession, the eye through a phenomenon called

Analysing advertisement form a sociological and marketing perspective Essay

Analysing advertisement form a sociological and marketing perspective - Essay Example They communicate class, personality and taste. The Guinness advertisement shows ostensive communication because of it intends the audience to make personal conclusions. This means that the advertisement achieved in the development of ostensive stimuli. The aim of ostensive communication is for the communicator to inform the audience about the informative intentions, in addition to the communicative intention (Scott-Philip, 2014). The bubbles caused by the water wave in the Guinness advertisement mimics the bubbles formed when the beer is poured in a glass. Mimicking the bubbles produces contextual assumptions, which leads an audience to make conclusions. In the case of the Carlsberg advertisement, the product is presented in comparison to a banana. The advertisement intends the audience to make a conclusion on whether the beer is the best in the world. This is ostensive because of the intention for the audience to make conclusions based on the product. The advertisement achieved the informative intention because it had an intention of informing the audience about something. Ostensive communication is overt because it involves extra layers of communication intentions, which inform an audience about informative intentions. This differs from the covert way of conveying information, which is not manifest. This form of communication requires an individual to draw inferences. Inferences in covert communication are less controllable. This means that the reader is exposed to manipulation (Anisoara, 2008, p. 1). The Guinness advertisement employs covert communication. The consumer is manipulated to think that the beer is unique to other beers. The success of the advertisement is dependent on the audience’s ability to recognize the intentions of the advertiser. Covert communication is based on the tendency of the advertiser to maximize relevance. This increases the possibility to manipulate or predict

Conflict Resolution Essay Example for Free

Conflict Resolution Essay Merriam-Webster (n.d) defines conflict as, â€Å"the opposition of persons or forces that gives rise to the dramatic action in a drama or fiction†. Interpersonal conflicts, whether they are between family members, students and teachers, employees and supervisors, or groups, have certain elements in common. Coser (1967) asserts that conflict is a struggle over values and claims to scarce status, power, and resources, in which the aims of the opponents are to neutralize, injure, or eliminate the rivals. (p. 8) Coser’s definition grew out of the cold war, when conflict between the United States and the former U. S.S.R. dominated Western method to conflict. Conflict was viewed as a win-lose solution. According to Dana (2001) there are only three ways to resolve any conflict; power contests, rights contests, and interest’s reconciliation. Power contest is based on Coser’s (1967) win-lose situation. Each party views their point as right each wanting power over the other. Rights contest is an orderly system which has rules, regulations, policies, precedents and a hierarchy of authority which is used in order to â€Å"win† again this model is a win-lose resolution. The solution to conflict resolution is interest reconciliation. This approach enlists support from both parties to find the best solution. All parties win with interest reconciliation model as their solution. Conflict in the workplace is a condition between or among two or more workers whose jobs are independent, who feel angry, who perceive the other(s) as being at fault, and act in a way that causes a business problem. Conflict has three elements feelings (emotions), perceptions (thoughts) and actions (behaviors). â€Å"Psychologists consider these three the only dimensions of human experience. So, conflict is rooted in all parts of the human nature† (Dana, 2001, p. 5) some confuse conflict with indecision, disagreement, stress, or some other common experience that may cause or be caused by a conflict. However, those elements are not best handled by conflict resolution. The question many ask, is conflict normal? Conflict is a fact of any organizational life. On the job, conflict is a stubborn fact of organizational life (Kolb and Putnam, 1992, p. 311). Rather than seeing conflict as abnormal, Pondy (1992) suggests we view organizations as arenas for staging conflicts, and managers as both fight promoters who organize bouts and as referees who regulate them (p. 259). In addition, Pondy states that in the company, agency, or small business, conflict may be the very essence of what the organization is about, and if conflict isnt happening then the organization has no reason for being (p. 259). One study surveyed workers and found that almost 85 percent reported conflicts at work (Volkema and Bergmann 1989). With an increasing awareness of cultural diversity and gender equity issues, it is essential that employees become familiar with issues surrounding promotions and harassment. In fact, one can see training in organizations as a form of preventive conflict management (Hathaway, 1995). The recognition of the frequency of conflict at work has led to books on mediating conflict in the workplace (Yarbrough and Wilmot 1995), showing how managers can learn conflict management skills to intervene in disputes in their organization. As employees, daily work with clients, customers, co-workers, or bosses can be a struggle. Conflict is as Wilmot (1995) wrote, What determines the course of a relationship . . . is in a large measure determined by how successfully the participants move through conflict episodes (p. 95). Conflict resolution has five styles, giving in, avoiding, fight it out, comprise, and work together style. No style is right or wrong; however some do work better than others. Accommodation, giving in to the others wishes or smoothing waves sacrifices ones own goals for the sake of the other person. Accommodators often use phrases like: Whatever you want is fine with me. When one party in a conflict genuinely does not care about the outcome of the conflict, accommodation may be the right choice for that situation. However, if accommodation is the only style a person utilizes, he or she is advised to learn more skills. Avoidance is characterized by behaviors that either ignore or refuse to engage in the conflict. While avoidance is by some consider a negative style that shows low concern for both ones own and the other partys interests, there are sometimes strategic reasons to avoid conflict. For example, when the relationship is short-term and the issue is not important or when the situation has a potential to escalate to violence, avoidance may be the prudent choice. Fight it out, competition, or win/lose, style maximizes reaching ones own goals or getting the problem solved at the cost of the others goals or feelings. While always choosing competition has negative repercussions for relationships, businesses and cultures, it can occasionally be the right style to choose if the other party is firmly fixed in a competitive style or there are limited resources. While competitive strategy is not necessarily dysfunctional, competition can easily slip into a destructive situation. Understanding the methods and strategies of others who use competitive styles can assist conflict managers in neutralizing the negative consequences of competition and work toward a mutual gain approach. Compromise is a give and take of resources. The classic compromise in negotiating is to split the difference between two positions. While there is no victor from compromise, each person also fails to achieve her or his original goal. Finally, working together to collaborate is when parties cooperatively team up until a mutually agreeable solution is found. Compromise and collaboration are win-win solution where as the other styles are win-lose. Why do people avoid dealing with conflict? People have a natural instinct of fear and some let that fear overpower them. The fear of harm causes people to fight-or-flight. Individuals will choose the flight option when in a dangerous part of a city that they have never been in before in order to avoid danger, it shows wisdom or strength to get out a of physically abusive relationship, commendable to stay out emotionally abusive relationships. In spite of this, in some cases people have the response to flight to a false perception of harm. People overstress in their minds the emotional h arm that someone can cause harm. The same is said for conflict in the workplace, people will avoid conflict for fear of being harmed by others. Some avoid conflict because of a fear of rejection from others. These individuals feel others will withdraw their friendship or push them away causing more hurt. People have the perception if they do not risk rejection they can suppress their needs and feelings. Loss of relationship is the fear of rejection taken up a level they fear totally losing a relationship. Others avoid conflict to mask their true desires because preserving a relationship is more important than getting what they want. These individuals are trapped into believing their worth is dependant on another accepting them. People avoid conflict for fear of anger. These people do not like listening to someone who is angry. They believe another will hurt them, reject them, or leave them, and they just cannot stand to witness anger. However, anger is just anger and it is not necessarily directed toward them. Individuals do not want to be seen as selfish. In some situations people are not afraid of others reactions, but rather their interpretation of the situation. They fear that they will appear selfish. However, is it wrong to have a need, feeling, or want and to express it? Society has sometimes had it seem that way. Although, there is nothing wrong with asking for what individuals want versus feeling they are entitled to always getting what they want. The truth is if one never asks, then they are depriving people around them from being able give to them effectively. Still, people who feel their wants should not be fulfilled, regardless of what others want, fall into the selfishness category. Sometimes people avoid conflict for fear of saying the wrong thing or something they will regret. Individuals will avoid conflict rather than risk putting â€Å"their foot in their mouth† they contain their anger and frustration which often leads to that which they fear. When people have conflicts in the past that have failed so they avoid future conflict for the fear of failing those too and begin to believe the confrontation is not worth the em otional energy it takes to deal with others. The fear of failing can impact other aspects of ones life. The fear of hurting another is more than just saying the wrong thing. These individuals are extremely sensitive and caring. They would rather hurt themselves than risk hurting another. The fear of success is a fear that most over look. However, it is much like the fear of failure. Some people are afraid to get what they want; they believe they will never get it. These people feel they do not deserve what they want, the consequences of getting of what they want is regret, or the responsibility is more than they need or desire. The fear of intimacy is the most subconscious of the fears. People do not want to share their dreams, desires, and wants with others. They feel they are private and do not want to be exposed. People do not want to appear weak. If resolution involves giving in, avoiding, or compromise they may feel they appear as though they do not have confidence. People do not want the stress of confrontation. They feel it is better to avoid conflict rather than deal with the stress it will cause them in the workplace between co-workers. Our society tends to reward alternative responses to conflict, rather than negotiation. People, who aggressively pursue their needs, competing rather than collaborating, are often satisfied by others who prefer to accommodate. Managers and leaders are often rewarded for their aggressive, controlling approaches to problems, rather than taking a more compassionate approach to issues that may seem less decisive to the public or their staffs. Conflict resolution requires profound courage on the part of all parties: It takes courage to honestly and clearly express one’s needs, and it takes courage to sit down and listen to one’s adversaries. It takes courage to look at one’s own role in the dispute, and it takes courage to approach others with a sense of empathy, openness and respect for their perspective. Collaborative approaches to conflict management require individuals to engage in the moment of dialogue in thoughtful and meaningful ways, so it is understandable if people tend to avoid such situations until the balance of wisdom tips in favor of negotiation. People have certain perceptions in conflict when dealing with different situations. Culture shapes and frames each individuals interpretation of appropriate behaviors during conflicts. Conflict across cultures, whether across nations or across the diverse cultures within a country, exacerbates the routine difficulties of conflict management (Fry and Bjorkqvist, 1997). There is no clear conclusion about whether men and women actually behave in different ways while conducting conflicts. However, gender stereotypes do affect conflict behaviors when individuals act and react based on stereotypes of how men and women will/should act rather than selecting behaviors appropriate for the individual one is communicating with (Borisoff and Victor, 1997). Parties respond to conflicts on the basis of the knowledge they have about the issue at hand. This includes situation-specific knowledge and general knowledge. The understanding of the knowledge they have can influence the persons willingness to engage in efforts to manage the conflict, either reinforcing confidence to deal with the dilemma or undermining ones willingness to flexibly consider alternatives. The person sharing the message is considered to be the messenger. If the messenger is perceived to be a threat (powerful, scary, unknown, etc.) the message can influence others responses to the overall situation being experienced. For example, if a big scary-looking guy is yelling at people they may respond differently than if a diminutive, calm person would express the same message. Additionally, if the people knew the messenger previously, they might respond differently based upon that prior sense of the person’s credibility. People are more inclined to listen with respect to someone they view more credible than if the message comes from someone who lacks credibility and integrity. Some people have had significant life experiences that continue to influence their perceptions of current situations. These experiences may have left them fearful, lacking trust, and reluctant to take risks. On the other hand, previous experiences may have left them confident, willing to take chances and experience the unknown. Either way, one must acknowledge the role of previous experiences as elements of their perceptual filter in the current dilemma. These factors, along with others, work together to form the perceptual filters through which people experience conflict. As a result, their reactions to the threat and dilemma posed by conflict should be anticipated to include varying understandings of the situation. This also means that they can anticipate that in many conflicts there will be significant misunderstanding of each others perceptions, needs and feelings. These challenges contribute to our emerging sense, during conflict, that the situation is overwhelming and unsolvable. As such, they become critical sources of potential understanding, insight and possibility. How do people respond to conflict? There are three responses to conflict emotional, cognitive and physical responses that are important windows into our experience during conflict, for they frequently tell people more about what is the true source of threat that is perceived; by understanding the thoughts, feelings and behavior to conflict, a better insight into the best potential solution to the situation. Emotional (feelings) are the feelings we experience in conflict, ranging from anger and fear to despair and confusion. Emotional responses are often misunderstood, as people tend to believe that others feel the same as they do. Thus, differing emotional responses are confusing and, at times, threatening. Cognitive (thinking) are our ideas and thoughts about a conflict, often present as inner voices or internal observers in the midst of a situation. Through sub-vocalization (self-talk), people understand these cognitive responses. Physical (behavior) can play an important role in our ability to meet our needs in the conflict. They include heightened stress, bodily tension, increased perspiration, tunnel vision, shallow or accelerated breathing, nausea, and rapid heartbeat. These responses are similar to those we experience in high-anxiety situations, and they may be managed through stress management techniques. Establishing a calmer environment in which emotions can be managed is more likely if the physical response is addressed effectively. Dealing with someone unwilling to negotiate can be difficult for the person who is trying to resolve the conflict. However, the 8 Step Model can be very beneficial, by focusing first on listening to the other person, and seeking to understand the sources of their resistance, the stage can be set for clarifying the conditions he or she requires in order to talk things out. This is not about being right or wrong in the situation, but a practical strategy for getting the other person engaged as a partner in the negotiation process. Another alternative is to focus on things we can do to influence conflicts in the future, rather than putting initial energy into understanding (or solving) problems we have had in the past. By remaining relatively flexible about the agenda taking on topics individuals care about, but not necessarily the most pressing issues – thus, creating an opportunity to reduce the fears associated with resistance. While the conflict may not be able to be truly resolved, some key issues that exist will be managed and will help to prevent the issues from getting worse. Power is an important and complex issue facing anyone seeking a negotiated solution to a conflict. Before negotiating clarify the true sources of power in the room: The boss has position power, associated with the carrots and sticks that come with the role. She or he may also have coercive power, supported by contracts or statute that compels employees to behave in certain ways and do certain tasks associated with the job. Some may have a great deal of expertise power, accumulated from doing your job over a period of time. Either conflict participants may possess normative power, through which they know the lay of the land in their department and, therefore, how to get things done. And either may possess referent power, through which others show respect for the manner in which the employee conducts themselves. Generally, referent power accrues to those who demonstrate a mature willingness to seek collaborative solutions. An impasse is the sense of being stuck. Impasse is the point within a dispute in which the parties are unable to perceive effective solutions. People feel stuck, frustrated, angry, and disillusioned. Therefore, they might either dig their heels in deeper, anchoring themselves in extreme and rigid positions, or they might decide to withdraw from negotiation. Either way, impasse represents a turning point in our efforts to negotiate a solution to the conflict. As such, rather than avoiding or dreading it, impasse should be viewed with calmness, patience, and respect. Multi-party disputes are complex situations, and they require careful attention and persistence. However, the same 8 Step Model can be applied to the disputes. In spite of using the same process expect everything to take a bit longer than if there where only two or three people. Patiently make sure that all points of view are heard, that issues are clarified for all to see, and that all members in the group accept the agreements being negotiated. If there are limits to the groups decision-making power, then it is important to acknowledge those limits and understand how they are perceived by all members of the group. There are many different ideas of the steps for resolution, some claim five steps while others claim six or seven for the purpose of this paper Weeks (1992) eight step resolution style is identified. Step one – Create an Effective Atmosphere Creating the right atmosphere in which the conflict resolution process will take place is very important, yet most overlook its importance. The atmosphere is the frame around the canvas which will be painted the negotiations and building of better relationships (Weeks, 1992). Step two – Clarify Perceptions Perceptions are lenses through which a person sees themselves, others, their relationships, and the situations they encounter. Perceptions have a great influence on behavior of people. Once people perceive something in certain way, even if the perception is wrong, in the mind it is that way, and often base behaviors on that perception (Weeks, 1992). Step three – Focus on the Individual and Shared Needs This step builds on the previous step as needs as the conditions people perceive they cannot do without, those conditions critical to each persons wellbeing and relationships. However, step three focuses more on skills involved in the conflict partnership approach. There are several key points to keep in mind in this step. 1) Needs are the foundation of relationship and are an essential part of that foundation. 2) People sometimes confuse needs with desires. 3) Personal needs in relationships perceived by individuals must allow for respect of the needs or the relationship (Weeks, 1992). Step four – Build Shared Power Power is a part of every relationship. However, the way people perceive and use power is seen frequently as a dirty word. Such as when people use power as means to control or to manipulate some else to get what they want. Although, power is and of itself not corrupt, it is the way in which people use their power and whether they allow such power to corrupt. Developing positive self power through a clear self-image means that we base our perceptions of ourselves not on what others expect of us or want us to be but what we believe to be our own needs, capabilities, priorities and goals (Weeks, 1992, p. 152). Step five – Look to the Future, Then Learn from the Past. All relationships and conflicts have a past, present and future. Resolving conflicts requires dealing with all three. The conflict partnership process encourages the use of positive power to focus on the present-future to learn from the past. The past experiences people face set the landscape for present and future decision making and how relate to others (Weeks, 1992). Step six – Generate Options People have the ability to discover new possibilities in their relationships as well as conflict resolution. However, both are often impaired by the packaged truths and limited vision people hold onto in times of stress, insecurity, and conflict. Generating options breaks through the predetermined restrictions brought into the conflict resolution process. Generating options imparts choices which specific steps to resolve conflicts and enhanced relationship can be agreed upon (Weeks, 1992). Step seven – Develop â€Å"Doables†: the Stepping-stones to Action Doables are the necessary stepping-stones taken along the way to resolve conflict. Doables are explicit acts that stand a good possibility of success, meet some individual and shared need, and depend on positive power, usually shared power to be carried out. Working on and accomplishing some doables can help the conflict partners see more clearly where they need to go. Many conflict partners have changed their preconceived definitions of both the conflict itself and the expected outcome due to the lessons learned and clarified perceptions through working with doables (Weeks, 1992) Step eight – Make Mutual-Benefit Agreements Mutual-benefit agreements are the next step on the pathway to conflict resolution. Conflict resolution agreements must be realistic and effective enough to survive and the potential to develop further as challenges arise in the future. Mutual-benefit agreements replace the need or want for demands, see the others needs, shared goals, and establish a standard wherein power is identified as positive mutual action through which differences can be dealt with constructively (Weeks, 1992). Conclusion Conflict is an unavoidable aspect of everyday life whether it is with family, teachers, students, friends, or an organization. The best approach to resolving conflict is interest reconciliation. It joins both parties of the dispute to find the best solution. In so doing, all parties win. People respond to conflict in three ways emotional (feelings), cognitive (thinking), and physical (behavior). All are important to the conflict experience. They allow a better awareness to best furnish a solution to the situation. An important tactic to conflict resolution is to develop persuasion skills with the ability to clearly explain one’s point of view and to argue for their conclusions and convictions. Week’s Eight-Step Process is a valuable tool in helping people to become more strategic about resolving conflict. References Borisoff, D., and D. A. Victor., (1997). Conflict management: A communication skills approach, 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Conflict, (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conflict Coser, L. A. 1967. Continuities in the study of social conflict. New York: Free Press. Dana, D. (2001). Conflict resolution. New York: Mcgraw-Hill. Fry, D. P., and Bjorkqvist K., (1997). Cultural variation in conflict resolution. Mahwah, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Hathaway, W., (1995). A new way of viewing dispute resolution training. Mediation Quarterly, 13(1), 37-45. doi:10.1002/crq.3900130105 Kolb, D. M., Putnam, L. L. (1992). The Multiple Faces of Conflict in Organizations. Journal of Organizational Behavior, (3), 311. doi:10.2307/2488478 Pondy, L. R. (1992). Reflections on organizational conflict. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13(3), 257-261. Volkema, R. J., and Bergmann T. J., (1989). Interpersonal conflict at work: an analysis of behavioral responses. Human Relations 42: 757-770. Weeks, D. (1992). The eight essential steps to conflict resolution: preserving relationships at work, at home, and in the community. Los Angeles, J.P. Tarcher; New York: Distributed by St. Martins Press Wilmot, W. W. (1995). Relational communication. New York: McGraw-Hill. Yarbrough, E., and Wilmot W., (1995). Artful mediation: Constructive conflict at work. Boulder, Colo.: Cairns Publishing.

The need for a strategic leadership role

The need for a strategic leadership role Strategic Leadership provides the vision and direction for the growth and success of an organization. To successfully deal with change, all executives need the skills and tools for both strategy formulation and implementation. Managing change and ambiguity requires strategic leaders who not only provide a sense of direction, but who can also build ownership and alignment within their workgroups to implement change. Leaders face the continuing challenge of how they can meet the expectations of those who placed them there. Addressing these expectations usually takes the form of strategic decisions and actions. For a strategy to succeed, the leader must be able to adjust it, as conditions require. But leaders cannot learn enough, fast enough, and do enough on their own to effectively adapt the strategy and then define, shape and executive the organizational response. If leaders are to win they must reply on the prepared minds of employees throughout the organization to understand the strategic intent and then both carry out the current strategy and adapt it in real time. The challenge is not only producing a winning strategy at a point in time but getting employees smart enough and motivated enough to executive the strategy and change it as condition change. This requires the leader to focus as much on the process used to develop the strategy-the human dimension, as the content of the strategy-the analytical dimension. Strategic Leadership is the ability to anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility and empower others to create strategic change as necessary. Strategic Leadership Process The company Gobind Industries Gobind Industries was founded in 1978 in Barabanki (INDIA), with the aim of providing farmers with Quality of Agriculture implements, at an affordable price, services, lower Horsepower (H.P). They now operate more than 100 stores in India. (Kushal Kumar Agarwal) The Products Gobind Industries offers Threshers, Harrow, Cultivator, Razor, Reapers, Levelers, Rotovator, Trolley, and other small accessories. Part I Culture A culture cannot be precisely defined, for it is something that is perceived, something felt. (According to Charles Handy, 1998) Organization Culture When a group of people works together and live together for any length of time, then form a belief in them what is right and wrong. This behavior based on the beliefs and there actions become habit that they follow routinely. These behaviors constitute the organizations culture. Culture reflects the peoples are performing tasks in an organization, for the objectives and goals to achieve them in a given period of time. It affects the way they make decisions, think, feel and act in response to opportunities and threats. The culture of an organization is therefore related to the people, their behavior and the operation of the structure. It is encapsulated in beliefs, customs and values, and manifested in a number of symbolic ways. (Strategic Management, 5th Edition, by John Thompson with Frank Martin) The impact of the culture in an organizations Location/ National culture Environment The organizations past Size The Mission The Aims and Objectives Management/Leadership Style Levels of consultation, participation and acceptance (Hand notes: Organization Culture) In organization, there are deep-set beliefs about the way work should be organized, the way authority should be exercised, people rewarded and people controlled. (Acc. to Charles Handy) When executives articulate and publish the values of their firm, which provide patterns for how employees should behave. E.g.: If I am not going to submit my assignment on given prescribed time, and faculty doesnt ask me or I submitted my assignment late then next time also I am going to do same, while looking to me other guys also started submitting there assignments late, then slowly-slowly the same process is going to be converted into habit then culture in college of submitting late assignments. In my work place the culture of speaking with the customers in Hindi, therefore for selling the product we required a salesperson those can speak good Hindi which helps the customer to understand the product properly, which will be beneficial to my organization, if I am going to keep those sales person who speaks in English then there is no use of it, but in India after every fourteen miles language changes, so for dealing in the market we had to keep that employee who can speak at least three different languages. So therefore the cultural impact on the organization is very much. Organizational specific, Legal, Regulatory and ethical requirements impact on strategic leadership As per my organization Legal Requirements Regulatory Requirements Ethical Requirements Regional, local laws and regulation. Government operating permits, licenses and approvals. Contracts and other documents that include legal obligations. Regulatory Requirements ensures that the organization identifies, accesses and evaluates laws, regulations and internal organizational requirements that apply to the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services. Identify these regulations helps to evaluate their potential impacts on the company and its products, activities and services. Ethical requirements in an organization for employees is to work for the company not for the personal interest, that the employee is trying to make money for himself, which will be against the ethics of the organization. Impact on Strategic Leadership Impact on Strategic Leadership Impact on Strategic Leadership If all these requirements doesnt fulfill by the company then it will be very costly for leader and as well as for the organization. E.g.: Painting work shop is not there in an manufacturing industry and the organization painting in the open air, then legally there is going to be problem for the organization by the government. So at this time leader had to think for the proper painting workshop that will be not harmful for any one. In an organization the employees doesnt follow the rules and regulation, then it will be affecting on the activities, product and services, for those the leader had to take initiative, and to control the people in an organization so that they can follow the regulation. E.g.: The regulation in the college is that no one should smoke in the campus, if it occurs then the leader can take hard and fast action on the particular person, who had broken the rules. If leader caught any of the employees doing any un ethical work that is against the organizational law, then he/she can be fired from his/her job or otherwise the employee can be handover to the police. Its all depend upon the leader that at what sought of problem is their with that employee. The leader can leave him while giving warning, its all depend upon the situation. The impact on the strategic leader is always a problematic one because if any one break any of these requirements then it will very costly for the organization and as well as for the strategic leader, if any problem occurs then he had to use his skills to resolve those problem, so that the organization should run in a smooth way. Current and Emerging social concerns and expectations impacting leadership in the organization Leaders impact organizational culture and that, in turn, determines levels of individual, group, and organizational effectiveness. These workshops are designed to help individual leaders strengthen thinking and behavioral styles that promote their effectiveness and moderate styles that prevent them from realizing their potential. It also helps leaders understand the impact they have on culture, and its implications for effectiveness at the individual, group, and organizational level. Leaders from the top-down in organizations are using leadership strategies that cause people to behave in ways that are contrary to how they want these people to behave. The reason for this is that we have failed to move from controlling to leading. The average leader operates on the basis of untried and untested but very commonly held assumptions about how to motivate people and achieve excellence in performance. Part II 2.1 The relationship between Strategic management and leadership Strategic Management Strategy is the pattern of decisions in a company that determines and reveals its objectives, purposes or goals, produces the principal policies and plans for achieving those goals, and defines the range of business the company is to pursue, the kind of economic and human organization it is or intends to be and the nature of the economic and non economic contribution it intends to make shareholders, employees, customers and communities. (Kenneth Andrews) Leadership The task of leadership, as well as providing the framework, values and motivation of people, and allocation of financial and other resources, is to set the overall direction which enables choices to be made so that the efforts of the company can be focused. (Sir John Harvey-Jones) When there is an objective to be achieved, or a task to be carried out, and when more than one person is needed to do it. (Armstrong, 1990) The relationship between the Strategic management and Leadership is that the strategic management is used to establish missions, objectives, and strategies for an organization. Leadership work is to complete those missions, objectives, and strategies with the support of their team, who must be inspired or persuaded to follow them. Therefore leadership is about the encouraging the individuals to give their best to achieve those missions that had been given by the strategic management. A series of strategic management components whose formulation and implementation will require a leadership input, these components include decisions about: Planning style Strategic Intent Mission Objectives Ethos and ethics Performance management Financial strategy and management Core values and ideology Understanding and choice of the basis of strategy formulation Perspective-the conceptualization, purpose, and direction of the enterprise. How the process of strategy formulation and strategic decision-making is to be implemented and facilitated How the enterprise is to move forwards into the future. How relationship with key internal and external stakeholders are to be managed within the architecture of the organization. How to ensure understanding and consensus about the critical success factors of the enterprise. How power is to be used within the organization; and how the politics of internal and external relationships are to be managed. (Principles of strategic management 3rd Edition, Tony Morden) 2.2 Leadership styles and their impact on strategic decision Leadership Style and its Impact There are three major leadership styles by psychologist Kurt Lewin a) Authoritarian Leadership (Autocratic) Authoritarian leaders provide clear expectations for what needs to be done, when it should be done, and how it should be done. There is also a clear division between the leader and the followers. Authoritarian leaders make decisions independently with little or no input from the rest of the group. Impact: Researchers found that decision-making was less creative under authoritarian leadership. It is more difficult to move from an authoritarian style to a democratic style than vice versa. Abuse of this style is usually viewed as controlling, bossy, and dictatorial. Authoritarian leadership is best applied to situations where there is little time for group decision-making or where the leader is the most knowledgeable member of the group. As per my organization the authoritarian leader is the Chairperson of the Gobind Industries, sometimes he had to take it self decisions which is good for the organization but it was less creative, therefore he tries to make decision while having a meeting with the department leaders. b) Participative Leadership (Democratic) Democratic leadership is generally the most effective leadership style. Democratic leaders offer guidance to group members, but they also participate in the group and allow input from other group members. Impact: In this group were less productive than the members of the authoritarian group, but their contributions were of a much higher quality. Participative leaders encourage group members to participate, but retain the final say over the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative. As per my organization the meeting is being held in every one month by leaders with the staff members to encourage them and to know something new for the organization, this meeting motivates the employee to achieve the objective that is being set by the leaders. c) Delegative (Laissez-Faire) Delegative (laissez-fair) leadership was the least productive of all three groups. The members in this group also made more demands on the leader, showed little cooperation, and were unable to work independently. Impact: Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance to group members and leave decision-making up to group members. While this style can be effective in situations where group members are highly qualified in an area of expertise, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation. (http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/a/leadstyle.htm) 2.3 Leadership styles in different situations and its impact In the graph we can see that there are three stages as per the different situation in an organization. In first stage: the environment and the targets of the organization are soft and they are not under pressure, so the managers should adopt a soft leadership style to maintain the feel-good factor in the team. In this type of situation the leadership is must required to check there members because if doesnt then due to easiness of the environment then became laziness, therefore at this time also there should check on the members. If the leader doesnt do this then in future this will be converted into problem for an organization. In second stage: the environment becomes harder and targets and processes are under pressure, at this stage the manager had to adopt the harder leadership style, in order to focus the efforts of the team to achieve their goals. At this stage the leader had to take some harsh steps against the members of his team, so that they can achieve their goals. If they cannot do this then it will loss for the organization and the blame is going on the team leader, at this point he had use his skills, talents to bring out his team from the hard environment. In third stage: if the environment remains hard and targets and processes are under pressure, then the manager had to adopt hard and soft leadership style, so that the members should not frustrate with the leader, which will be again harmful for the organization, at this stage the manager had to motivate its members and as well as at some times he should harsh so that the work should not be pending, due to the soft behavior of the manager. Part III 3.1 A culture of professionalism, mutual trusts, respect and support within an organization A culture of professionalism in an organization: Developing a Culture of professionalism in my own organization while giving example, I am going to be the leader in this organization and developing a culture of professionalism. While entering into my organization, I felt that I just came into the fish market I cannot recognize any of organizational members at first time and the environment is not that much good as it should be in the organization, some of the members are wearing t-shirts, some of them wearing colorful shirts, while looking all these I decided to make a culture of professionalism so that our members can treat to the customers in value able manner, and it will be easy for the consumers to recognize the staff members easily. I provided them a dress material and ask them to enter in a this formal dress only which changes the culture and as well as the creates the professionalism in an organization, giving them training how to behave or deal with the customer, which incr eases our sale and gives satisfaction to our consumers. A mutual trusts: mutual trust means the beliefs, truth, reliability, ability or strength of every members are there in an organization. This had to be maintained by the leader within the members. The leader should not be partial with any of the member, if he does that then the others members trust he is being loosing and it is going to affect the organization, which is not a good leadership by the leader, he had to make faith equally with every members, As parents makes trust, faith and treats equally to all of their children in the same way the organization is also like a family. Respect: respect in an organization is must because without respecting each other you cannot move a single step also. If the staff member gives respect to the manager then he/she also had to give respect to his juniors. Respect can be in terms of listening to the seniors and giving respect to juniors, helping them in any of the problem. In an organization giving respect to the customer is must, it can while dealing them asking about water or tea or a coffee, or while receiving them in the reception area, these all shows the respect towards a consumer and as well as within the members of an organization. Support: within the organization the support can be given with in the team members, it can be one department to another department also. The example, if a employee is being given some work to do and he is not able to complete within the time period, then his team member can give support to finish his work on time. Example between two departments, in sales department if any of the member sales something to the consumer and to the consumer he had to give bill of the product, then the sales person request to the finance department to give their support to them for printing out bill as soon as possible. 3.2 Strategic leader focus on Organization in the achievement of objectives The leader must focus on the objectives as higher profits, shareholder value and customer satisfaction. To achieve results, the leader had to develop a solid, sound, customer-focused, and entrepreneurial strategy, aimed at market leadership, based on innovation, and tightly focused on decisive opportunities. He had to provide the feedback to the organization about the higher profits every month so that he can came to know that where he is failing to bring up higher profits. These can be done while increasing the market share, increment in the quality of a product, good after sales service. While providing all these he bring the higher profits for the organization and as well as customer satisfaction and the shareholder value in the market. Shares are rising of the company on the daily or weekly basis, which is again beneficial to the organization. 3.3 Strategic Leader supports and develops understanding of the organizations direction The organizational direction means the organization vision, mission, values and direction towards customers. The strategic leader supports the vision of the organization, as the vision of the organization is To become a most successful and respected thresher company in the India and the best after sale service provider in the market. So the strategic leader had to work as per their vision because Gobind Industries is already a respected organization in India and it is easy for the leader to make more successful organization and he can develop this by working on it or by providing best after sales service to the consumers as compare to their competitors. We will provide high quality of product so that the consumer can easily use multi crop threshers this is the mission of the company which the leader had to support while making corrections in the machinery to achieve more better quality of product as in the mission is being mentioned. The organization values are: believing in excellence service through Integrity, Innovation and Learning Integrity that the strategic leader develops and support is the honesty and doing right thing for their consumers and always honoring our commitments. Strategic leader develop and support the creativity and change for achieving continuous improvements and results in our jobs and in our organization. As the organizational direction is about learning then the strategic leader support and develop this part in itself also which will be helpful for himself and for the organization too. Organization believe in on going learning new things by getting knowledge from consumer, market, suppliers, dealers, friends or from any stakeholder about our product fault or any better need for an organization which will be beneficial for our consumer and for the organization. 3.4 Strategic Leadership Styles are adapted to meet changing needs and to enable organizational development and commitment With varying degrees of success, many leaders get their strategy making to this point and either stop or their process stalls. A major reason is the lack of understanding and commitment to the steps required to build more effective strategic leadership practices and a strategy dialogue in the operating groups below the senior managers. These groups and especially their leadership teams frequently do not know how to proceed and there is no consistent in-house resource to assist them. The net effect is the sense of excitement and momentum that was generated at the top of the house in the earlier stages of the strategy process is lost and the strategy team of employees is derailed before it is even gets started. One of the best ways to address this is to identify and train a cadre of high potential line managers in the middle of the organization that can serve as champions of the strategy process to those both above and below them. In this sense they serve both as a catalyst for the pro cess and as a bridge between formulation and implementation. They do not replace the leadership role of the senior teams in each of these operating group but they do serve as a critical additional resource that is dedicated to creating momentum and fostering consistency. This can be especially important if the strategy defined requires changes in the organizational culture as well as the business model. This resource also helps to ensure that the day-to-day running the business is not neglected as the demands of building a large-scale strategy dialogue come into play. To integrate both dimensions into strategy making in a way that creates a winning outcome and gets the whole organization understanding and committed to this common agenda requires leaders who are clear about the strategic capacity of each of their internal stakeholder groups and who have the perspective and insights to lead in a way that incorporates both dimensions as the strategy is developed. The steps described below are intended to provide the leader with techniques to do that. Taken collectively, they define a process that incorporates both the analytical and human dimensions, while challenging individuals throughout the organization to raise the quality and quantity of their strategic thinking and their strategic leadership. Conclusion Finally, when deciding what vocabulary and toolset is best to use while working across large populations, simpler is usually better. The simpler the language and the fewer the tools, the more accessible the strategy becomes to larger groups of people and the more people can understand it, know how they should think and talk about it, and identify how they can contribute. Some situations require more sophisticated (i.e. more complicated) tools because there is a need for much more thorough analytics. Many do not. The right balance point between comprehensiveness and simplicity will provide enough analytical complexity to adequately describe the marketplace, the customers, what you do and how you will compete, but nothing more than that. Simplicity, where it can be found, makes a significant difference when working across a large population.

The Theme of Justice in King Lear Essay examples -- King Lear essays

The Theme of Justice in King Lear      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many themes are evident in King Lear, but perhaps one of the most prevalent relates to the theme of justice.   Shakespeare has developed a tragedy that allows us to see man's decent into chaos.   Although Lear is perceived as "a man more sinned against than sinning" (p.62), the treatment of the main characters encourages the reader to reflect on the presence or lack of justice in this world.   The characters also vary in their inclination to view the world from either a fatalistic or moralistic point of view, depending on their beliefs about the presence or absence of a higher power.   The theme of justice in relation to higher powers can be illustrated from the perspective of King Lear, Gloucester, and Edgar.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When reading King Lear, it is helpful to understand the Elizabethan "Chain of Being" in which nature is viewed as order. Rosenblatt (1984) states that there was a belief in   an established hierarchy within the universe.   Everything had its own relative position beginning with Heaven, the Divine Being, and the stars and planets which are all above. On earth the king is next, then the nobles, on down to the peasantry.   Holding the lowest position were the beggars and lunatics and finally, the animals.   Interrupting this order is unnatural.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   King Lear's sin was that he disrupted this chain of being by relinquishing his throne.   By allowing his daughters and their husbands to rule the kingdom, the natural order of things was disturbed.   His notion that he can still be in control after dividing the kingdom is a delusion.   According to Elizabethan philosophy, it wou... ...the universal conflict that members of society have always had in understanding their fate in this world.    Works Cited and Consulted Bradley, A.C. "King Lear." 20Lh Century Interpretations of King Lear. Ed. Jane Adelman. New Jersev; Prentice-Hall, 1978. Colie, Rosalie. Some Faces of King Lear. Ed. R. Colie & F.T. Flahiff. UniversitV of Toronto Press, 1994. Curry, Walter. Shakespeare s Philosophical Patterns. London: Mass Peter  Ã‚   Smith, 1968.  Ã‚   Hunter, Robert G. Criticism on Shakespeare s Tragedies.. University of Georgia Press, 1996. Matthews, Richard. "Edmund's Redemption in King Lear". Shakespeare Quarterly. Winter, 19q5. pps. 25-29. Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Canada Inc. Toronto. 1990. Snyder, Susan. "King Lear and the Prodigal Son." Shakespeare Quarterly. Autumn 1966. pps. 361-369.

Historical Events that Impacted Contact Improvisation Essay -- Dance T

Historical Events that Impacted Contact Improvisation Dance has evolved greatly throughout the centuries. It began with ballet and has led up to contact improvisation. This form of dance begun in the early 1970's and was started by a man named Steve Paxton and a group of postmodern dancers from New York City. Contact improvisation is a partnering form of dance and known as the art of moving spontaneously with a group or another person. This form of dance does not require the exact set of traditional skills of other dance form, it doesn’t have a technique that could be studied, and it is practiced in order to accomplish the highest potential. Contact improvisation came at a great time period, which of course was the 70's. The main historical events that were taking place then were the Watergate Scandal, the end of the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. The Watergate Scandal was a very important and altering event in our nation’s history. The Watergate Scandal was during a presidential campaign when DC police arrested five men caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in a residence complex, the Watergate. Eventually, the scandal got back to Nixon and they realized that he was behind it. Then the House of Judiciary Committee adopted three articles of impeachment, which were Nixon’s abusing of power, obstructing justice, and defying Judiciary Committee subpoenas. Before Nixon was impeached he resigned from the presidency on August 9, 1974. After this happened people had less confidence in the nation and Americans became suspicious of the government. This scandal I think had little affect on contact improvisation. They might have started this because they were showing their anger or unt... ... better way for people to express their emotions. First of all, improvisation is dancing what your feeling or thinking at that time so that expresses your emotions, and therefore contact improvisation would be more effective to get your feelings out on war. In conclusion, contact improvisation was a very big development especially for its time period. It is a partnering form and known as an art of moving spontaneously with another person. Steve Paxton began contact improvisation during the early 1970s. The events that were going on in the United States during the 70s had a great impact on contact improvisation. The main historical events during the 70s were the Watergate Scandal, the end of the Cold War, and the Vietnam War. Contact improvisation has been a source of many new understandings in dancing and it has affected a lot of contemporary choreography.