Management & Org Theory

BMGT 364- Management and Organization Theory- has given me tools to advance as a valued member within a company. This course, provided myself a different perspective of what Upper Management contends with on a daily basis. This perspective gives someone like myself who is lower on the command chain, a different view on how these management theories not only affect me, but also how they are derived. Some of these ideas and theories that I will begin to utilize in practice include building (effective) teams, identifying culture, creating innovation, and changing an organization.

The first subject that peaked an interest to me was managing teams. This topic identifies many factors regarding a team and most importantly factors that help a team succeed. Some of those factors include building and understanding teammates, creating effective goals and team deliberations, and handling members and leadership techniques. The takeaways and usefulness from this topic are many as most people throughout their professional career work in a group of some sort. First and foremost I think that learning the different personality types and how to deal and interact with them is the most important and not only applies to teams but also to everyday day interpersonal interactions. Knowing this and having this ability to identify will help alleviate the fundamental failures of team interactions. The next takeaway will be how to create clear and effective objectives during meetings. My current job already entails a multitude of meetings that are seemingly part of the daily functions in an office. After hearing the material I was easily able to identify and relate to all of the problems that occur in most meetings. What I will try to do now is set a clear precedent in the protocol in establishing and moderating a meeting. This topic is not only something that I will carry through my career, but is something that I have already been trying to utilize.

The next subject matter is culture which focuses on the different cultures, how they are shaped, and how culture affects output. This was especially interesting to me because having a limited work experience has not allowed me to fully experience the different business cultures. Therefore, having been exposed to the different offerings, I will always consider and try to find the best culture that suits myself. In addition, if it ever comes to leading my own business or group, I will strongly try to identify and mold the best culture for my company or teams.

Another favorite topic of mine was innovation. This topic focused on the definition, types, and sources of innovation and how to create an environment that promotes and fosters innovation. This topic is very important in that a large factor of businesses today is being able to be innovative, different and stepping outside the box and ahead of the competition. Simply identifying the main keys and steps can allow oneself and others to have innovative