EqUaL oPpS aNd DiVeRsItY...

Equality is being treated equally and being seen equally to others, it also compasses having equal rights to carry out a certain task or to be saying something.

‘State of being equal: rights, treatment, quantity, or value equal to all others in a specific group’
Diversity on the other hand means having the ability to understand that each individual is unique and showing acceptance and respect to individuals.

‘Diversity is a commitment to recognizing and appreciating the variety of characteristics that make individuals unique in an atmosphere that promotes and celebrates individual and collective achievement.’

Diversity is what influences an individual’s uniqueness, and how the individual’s unique attributes allow them to achieve their achievements.

Individuals are legally allowed to start part time work at the age of 13. In October 2001 when the new age legislation took place this must have been a very difficult hold back for employees to employ younger people or older people due to the stereotypes there are associated with the age groups. For example younger people are stereotyped not to work so well together and because of their age they do not have tend to have much experience. Another issue with having a younger individual working as part of your workforce with other older people there is going to be a communication barrier, as the culture and society norms will be very different of a 16 year old and a 50 year old as they were bought up in completely different times.

The following are the main stereotypes the younger crowd is associated with:

• Rowdy and very argumentative
• In experienced as this may be their first job
• The younger women less independent on the opposite sex
• Anti social
• Very much into their circle of friends in school/college
• Disruptive
• Capable in regards to it skills

These are some of the stereotypes that older people are associated with:

• Boring
• Anti social
• Have further experience
• Career minded people 9-5 workers
• Calm, and patient
• Excellent literacy

Organisations can attempt to change these attitudes by treating their entire workforce equally by sharing the levels of authority amongst all the staff regardless of what age they are. This would aid in the different age groups working together in more an effective way as one way or another they do have one thing in common... They are all part of the same organisation!!

The two organisations that I have chosen are British Airways and Homebase, having thoroughly studied British Airways website and spoken to my cousin who works as part of the recruitment team, it comes to knowledge that there is no way that British airways can discriminate their staff as in certain departments you have to be a certain age to work and also they have to have a mix of race etc in the workforce so they are able to deliver on an excellence level to their consumers without a communications barrier.
Homebase also uses equal opportunities when recruiting or advertising jobs, they enforce innovative practice also which encourages them to recruit and advertise job vacancies and work with their current employees to a fair level.

Overall equality is very important in any type of organisation regardless of what background, age, ethnicity, disability and individual has, it should never be used against them to discriminate them as an individual.

TeAmWoRkInG...

Team working is an essential tool, when there is a goal or a handful of targets at hand that need to be achieved in a set period. It is essential for every team player to work co-operatively in order for the team to hold success.

There have been a number of times in which I have worked as a part of a successful team, where everyone in the group has contributed equally in order for the goal at hand to be achieved. The most recent team that I have worked as part of and that was extremely successful team is last year during the Christmas period, at my part time job. Working as part of a helpful and successful team enabled me to exceed my Christmas targets and goals as an individual. My monthly target for a month was to ensure that I get £600 product care on products, and 8 Argos cards, being one of the smallest stores on the region this was a very high target but my Customer Service Manager who was my line manager, had faith and trust that I had the ability to do this, from help from other team members in my store we met the target as a store also.

Over viewing Dr.M.Belbin’s proposed team working roles model, I can see that all the designated roles within the proposed model were actually being fulfilled by one or more members of staff in my store.

·        Co- ordinators: This individual normally works out the teams targets and then delegates them to all the people with the correct skills.

·        Implementers: turn ideas into action to get a job done

·        Completer: individual that adds all the finishing touches to things polishes up the task at hand.

·        Specialist: an individual who specialises in certain aspect.

·        Monitor- evaluator: a logical and analytical individual, that makes clear judgements at the team’s best interests

·        Planter: a creative individual who also has the ability to problem solve.

·        Team worker: aid the team in sticking together and binding in an appropriate manner

Majority of the above roles were covered on the day, the co-ordinating role was being implemented by my line manager who held the title of Customer service Manager in the store, he ensured that all members of staff were aware of what they need to be doing, and everyone had set duties which they were all carrying out. So the manager had ensured that all team members have jobs to be doing and everyone was working together as a team to ensure we all met our targets. In order for the manager to do this, it was essential for him to remain on the shop floor and be observant and make sure no one’s standing around doing nothing.

The supervisor in my store was implementing the role of monitoring and evaluating, this individual spent majority of the day lurking over the sales team to ensure that were all ok, and if we need a break to take time out and all paperwork is set we have all the correct documentation and stationary to be completing the argos card applications and all the correct flyers to be issuing customers with for details on their insurance.

The specialists in my store was the 2 individuals that were specialised in jewellery and were fully trained in the department, as it was only them that had the ability to give full details of what they were selling to customers, what material the jewellery is made out of what purity it has of gold etc. this role was being carried out by myself and another team member who at all times was ensuring that I was doing well to exceed my targets and vice verse!

The implementers and completers/finishers were all the remaining sales team in the store, these individuals were ensuring that all customers on the main till and collection point were being served and all customers inquiries were being dealt with. Advising customers with further information on the product the customer was purchasing making sure that the consumer is comfortable with their purchase.

All the stated roles above had to work together and help one another in order for the team to be successful and meet our set goal as we all were working towards the some goals but some with higher expectations others with lower.

http://www.belbin.com/rte.asp?id=8

Referring back to my first group assignment, and reviewing it against Tuckman’s proposed model, which consists of 4 stages that influence the progress of the team getting to know each other and forming a working relationship and having the ability to tackle the task at hand. Tuckmans theory consists of the following four stages:

·        Forming

·        Storming

·        Norming

·        Performing

The first stage forming which consists, of  an individual taking on the role to be a leader and ensuring that everyone is doing what they need to be doing all individuals are of what to do, and tasks are delegated to individuals ensuring they have the ability to complete them within a time constraint if there is one. My team for the first assignment went through this stage also, I , myself took on the leader role and ensured that the other two members of the team, understood what was required of them and that they did the delegated tasks within the time limit we had.

The second stage of this model consists of storming which involves, the team members at this stage are trying to establish themselves so they can fulfil the task at hand to their best of ability and knowledge. The team went through this stage also, in which we all were getting to know one another and trying to tackle the task at hand to the best of ability. The clarity of what needs to be done is all cleared at this stage.

The third stage in this model consists of Norming, roles and leaders are clear and established at this stage there is acceptance of the leader, the team in some cases may begin to involve themselves in social activities also, so a form of friendship is formed in some occasions.  The team that i worked as part of in my first assignment went through this also, in which two of us were already friends and we befriended the third member of the group/team.

The fourth and last stage of this model is performance, which is highly focused on the group performing what they have done to their best of ability, the task at hand is completed to the best of every individual’s ability and all members of the team are happy with the completed work. We performed this stage also, in which we all presented a high quality piece of coursework gaining us all a 1^st in the assignment overall.

In regards to Tuckman’s theory we established to be a very successful team, with a number of things in common, that enabled us to hold a good relationship between us, and use that within the time we were working from which we then achieved a great mark.

http://www.businessballs.com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming.htm

Looking into the 100 best companies within the UK it comes to attention that Nandos is amongst this list, and one of their strong beliefs is teamwork. A survey had been carried in which it was found that over 80% of the workers enjoy working for Nandos and over 80% of their workers also stated, that they thought their work force team as a close knit family.

‘Employees say they love working for Nando's, giving an 80% positive score, they agree that there is a strong sense of family in their teams (81%) and not only feel that managers care about them as individuals (79%), but say they also talk openly and honestly with them (82%), all top scores.’

This is enabling them to become successful as the employees are enjoying their work, because they feel valued and they have friendship running across the store, which leads to them enjoying their work and being highly motivated, which a good factor as there is high productivity, low levels of absenteeism, which is profitable for the business.

Another company whose success is due to team work is ‘Big yellow group’ , over 80% of their staff across over 50 different stores say that the staff members genuinely care about one another and there is recognition etc in the store, as the staff care about one another, they willingly help one another achieve goals and targets. Teamwork has aided them in being part of the 100 top companies to work for as they appreciate and value all their staff.

‘Employees, who work at its 61 different sites, say staff care about each other (83%), that their team is fun to work with (82%) and that managers share important information (78%, a top 10 result). Senior bosses are good listeners too (71%).’

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/article7030277.ece

over all it is found that teamwork is essential for any organisation, as it is difficult to achieve the set goal for organisations if there is no communication, initially every individual that is employed by the same organisation has the same goal they all work towards the same target so help from one another and support is important so individuals don’t feel isolated and as if they are the only ones that cares about the organisation doing well.

PeRsOnALiTy...

Definition.

 The complex of all the attributes--behavioural, temperamental, emotional and mental--that characterize a unique individual.

The debate of nature approach and nurture approach to personality has been going on for numerous years now. The nature approach to personality consists of an individual’s attributes in regards to the persons qualities, involving mind, body and spirit. In other words the nature of personality is the way and individuals mind, body and spirit reacts it also involves the way an individual behaves. The nurture of personality all depends on a person developing from their personal experiences.

The differences between the two are that the nature approach to personality is largely based on genetic and more general attributes within most humans. These are characteristics such as looks, certain things we do simply because of the family backgrounds we come from or because it’s within our DNA to react to certain things the way we do as it’s acceptable in the background and culture we come from. However the nurture approach to personality is more about what we have learnt from our personal experiences, it also consists of the upbringing that we have been given up till date. Social influences are also a large factor that influences the nurture approach to personality.

The following are all my results to the test I took on the bbc website:

·        Openness

4.2/5

You scored 4.2 out of 5 for Openness

You scored high on Openness.

This trait is sometimes known as ‘Openness to experience’. People with scores like yours tend to be imaginative and curious about a wide range of things, from appreciating different art forms to exploring new places, cultures and foods.

Generating lots of imaginative ideas probably comes very easily to you. However, it's likely that you are prone to daydreaming too.

Innovators, investigators and creators often score highly on this trait. It has also been suggested that Openness is related to a person's likelihood to hold unusual beliefs. Do you enjoy the odd conspiracy theory?

·        Conscientiousness

3.7/5

You scored 3.7 out of 5 for Conscientiousness

You scored medium on Conscientiousness.
Conscientiousness describes how dependable, organised and hard-working a person is likely to be. This may be the reason why, of all the personality traits, Conscientiousness is the most consistent indicator of job success. People with scores like yours are less likely to be workaholics, instead achieving a good work-life balance.
Conscientiousness often gives clues to the amount that a person plans. You probably enjoy planning aspects of your life and may indulge in occasional list-making, but you are unlikely to be averse to behaving spontaneously.
Some studies have shown the more Conscientious an individual is, the more disciplined they are likely to be about exercise and diet.

·        Extroversion

4.5/5

You scored 4.5 out of 5 for Extroversion

You scored high on Extroversion.
Extroversion is characterised by positive emotions and the tendency to seek out pleasure-stimulating or risk-taking activities. People with scores like yours are often perceived as gregarious, expressive and energetic. You are likely to be someone who enjoys socialising and be quick to form new friendships.
Personality studies have shown that scoring highly on Extroversion often translates to a natural capacity for leadership. High Extroversion may also indicate a tendency to earn more than those with lower scores, but the reasons for this are unclear.
People with high Extroversion are more likely to lead risky lifestyles and take greater risks in pursuit of rewards. Health studies have shown they are more likely to smoke and less likely to get enough sleep than people who score less highly on this trait.

·        Agreeableness

4.2/5

You scored 4.2 out of 5 for Agreeableness

You scored high on Agreeableness.
Agreeableness measures how sympathetic and considerate a person is likely to be. People with scores like yours are likely to find it very easy to get along with other people. You probably find that you are sensitive to the feelings of others and that people find it easy to warm to you.
As a 'people person' you will probably be very comfortable in situations that require teamwork.

·        Neuroticism

3.1/5

You scored 3.1 out of 5 for Neuroticism

You scored medium on Neuroticism.
In the context of the Big Five personality traits, the term 'Neuroticism' relates to a person’s response to threatening or stressful situations. People with scores like yours are likely to be comparatively level-headed about perceived threats, but you may find yourself worrying when faced with uncertainty or unfamiliar situations.
Some scientists have suggested that Neuroticism was beneficial in evolutionary terms. Early man may have found it advantageous to live in a population where certain individuals had a high sensitivity to threats to the group's survival.
There is evidence to suggest that Neuroticism, when combined with high scores in personality traits such as Conscientiousness, can result in a powerful work ethic and a will to succeed.

·        Life satisfaction

5.4/7

The questions you answered about your life satisfaction have been used to reveal the degree to which you feel contentment in key areas of your life. Data from this part of the Big Personality Test will help scientists understand the relationship between personality and life satisfaction.
You scored high. Research has uncovered relationships between personality and life satisfaction. People with high Extroversion consistently score more highly than others on scales used to measure a person's level of wellbeing or happiness.
You scored high on Extroversion. This is consistent with research that shows that people with scores like yours tend to score high on measures of wellbeing.
Extroversion relates to how much positive emotion a person experiences. This may help explain why they often score highly on measures of wellbeing.

·        Relationships

4.1/5

The questions you answered about your relationships have been used to generate a score that indicates how satisfied you are in your current or most recent relationship. Data from this part of the Big Personality Test will help scientists understand the connections between personality and relationship quality.
Research shows that there is an association between relationship satisfaction and the trait of Agreeableness.
You scored high on Agreeableness. This neither supports nor contradicts research that indicates an association between relationship satisfaction and the trait of Agreeableness; successful relationships are often based on concern for the feelings of others. It is important to remember, however, that many factors can influence satisfaction in a relationship, not least the similarity of the couple's values.
Agreeableness relates to a person’s ability to understand other people’s thoughts and feelings. It may be this greater awareness of the feelings of others is what leads them to experience generally higher relationship satisfaction.

·        Job satisfaction

3.2/5

The questions you answered about your job satisfaction have been used to generate a score that indicates how happy you are in your job. Data from this part of the Big Personality Test will help scientists understand the relationship between personality and job satisfaction. Good job satisfaction is seen as a key feature of a well-balanced life.
You scored low. Research indicates that a low Neuroticism score in a person's Big Five results is the best predictor of high job satisfaction.
You scored medium on Neuroticism. This neither supports nor contradicts research that shows that people with scores like yours tend to score medium on measures of job satisfaction.
The reasons behind the relationship between job satisfaction and Neuroticism are not clear. However, it is known that those scoring highly on Neuroticism generally report a less positive outlook on life. Accordingly, this could be reflected in their feelings towards work.

·        Health

51.9/100

The questions you answered about your health have been used to generate a score that indicates your general level of health and wellbeing. Data from this part of the Big Personality Test will help scientists understand the relationship between personality traits and physical and mental wellbeing.
Research has uncovered relationships between personality and health. In particular, Conscientiousness has consistently been shown as a positive predictor of good health.
You scored medium on Conscientiousness. Research shows that people with Conscientiousness scores broadly similar to yours are more likely to score highly on measures of health. It is important to remember, however, that there are many other factors that affect also your health, from your environment to your genes.
One reason that has been suggested for the relationship between Conscientiousness and health is that highly conscientious people can be disciplined and controlled in their daily habits, such as diet and exercise. Behaviour such as completing a course of medication prescribed by a doctor is thought to be an example of how a personality trait can contribute to a measurable outcome in our lives.

·        Life goals

Economic

The questions you answered about your life goals have been used to reveal common themes in how you live your life and the things that are important to you. Data from this part of the Big Personality Test will help scientists understand the relationship between personality and life goals.
Your results showed your goals are predominantly economic; you value the prestige your job brings you. Research has uncovered relationships between personality and life goals. It suggests that people with high Openness scores tend to pursue aesthetic goals, while people with high Extroversion scores tend to pursue hedonistic goals.
Scientists would like to know more about the personalities of people with life goals similar to yours.
The results I have received from carrying out the personality tests are highly agreeable, the analysis show the type of individual I may be or the type of individuals that normally score the scores that i have scored in each section. However this may not be the case with everyone, as a lot of individuals show certain traits in front of certain people. Some attributes of personality we gain genetically from the second we are born, which work through our minds body and soul others are traits that we pick up from social groups or traits that we develop from experiences.

Ø  http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml

PeRcEpTiOn...

The above video explains how individuals perceive time, the concept of perceiving something whether it is time, product or even an individual is the same. It is like a stereotype or an image we build of something regardless of whether how correct our observations may be.  There have been a number of times in which I have made a perception of an individual and item and it has not been anywhere near correct when I’ve actually realised or got to know the individual. Perception in majority cases is not what we are but it’s how we come across, for example I may not be a very strong person at all but in emotional situations I may wished to be perceived that I am a strong individual therefore I may act in a certain way and hold a strong front to come across as a strong individual.

The most recent time in which I have found that my perception of an individual was not as I had built at all is my manager, from my part time job. Two years ago before I met my manager, I had been told that she is a horrible cranky Scottish woman, so before even meeting her the comments I had heard about her from people who had previously worked with her were all of a very negative nature, which aided me in building a bad perception of her, however it has taken me 2 years to break that perception and actually get to know my manager and find that she’s actually one of the people that I get on with most in my workforce. Before I went onto even meet my manager I had already built up barriers and a bad image of her therefore this was going to make me obviously pick all the bad points about the individual regardless of who the individual may be.  in the future before I make a perception of an individual I would firstly get to know them and then after a couple of meeting I would start to sketch an image of the individual in my mind, rather than already holding a nasty image in my head before even meeting the individual.

There are a number of ways in which universities can improve the communication they have with individuals; however I will be highlighting three on this occasion.

The article attached suggests, a number of recommendations on how to improve communication with staff, one of them is to keep a personal touch, the university should consider this and maybe generate a text messaging service, as phones are personal to every individual or majority of people who attend universities, therefore  having a text messaging service is personal and allows staff and students to have a understanding and it also gives a more meaningful meaning in the sense that tutors /lecturers texting individuals on how well they have done on their assignments or attendance whether it be a issue or not. Another mean of communication could be fact to face meetings, on a weekly basis, as face to face communication has a great effect indicates personalisation, also because the lecturers and students share the same goal, in regards to the lecturers aim is to help the student pass and the students aim is to pass, therefore on face to face meeting both individuals can discuss the holdbacks and the improvements that need to be made and any concerns may also be raised and discussed. Having understanding and engagement between the staff and students is also essential has they need to be able to engage into what one is saying to another, therefore there should be smaller sized lectures in universities so there is a closer focus on each student, and all students have a set amount of time individually each lecture so they are able to discuss work issues, or trouble shoot anything they don’t understand so lecturers will need to be more approachable this will aid in communication between the lecturers and students.

Overall Perception, can come across as a very negative and bad process, as it is an image or info people collate before seeing or testing and item, or person.

EnTeRpRiSe WeEk...

Enterprise week consisted of a series of programmes in which were organised in aid to make students aware of all the opportunities that are still there whilst they are studying, as well as opportunities after graduating. 

The event I attended was the event that was presented by the winner of the apprentice, Yasmina Siadaten.

This session consisted of her explaining her experience and what degree of struggle she had pull through in order to actually succeed and win the apprentice. Yasmina went onto saying how difficult it was to build team working skills and work with the other team members in the show.  

This was a great opportunity for students to realise that shows like the apprentice are great opportunities and are achievable for people like us also as she was also a graduate and lived locally. She explained how it is achievable and if we work hard towards a goal it is just a mile away and we can reach for all our dreams and achieve all our goals. 

Listening to her talk about her experience on the apprentice was very inspiring as it motivated me to also do well in y degree and achieve all my goals and make m y dreams come true, it was an excellent opportunity to realise that all dreams are achievable no matter how high and far your dream may seem.