Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Prompt #3
There has been a lot of debate among scholars regarding the changing relational aspects of organizational behavior. Specifically, scholars have been interested in the idea of individuals working together in "teams." As part of your internship, how often are you expected to work together with other interns or supervisors? If you often work in a group with others, have you had to deal with others not pulling their own weight? How do you make sure you do your part without encroaching on your group members creativity? If you have not worked in teams, do you wish you were working in a group? Are you happy working independently. Also, feel free to share any other thoughts that you have.
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Hey guys! So the best way to answer this question without giving too much information away would be that it can be challenging at times. I've found myself really getting into my internship and loving the position I have taken hold of but working with someone can definitely be challenging. In my office it's just my boss and me and a typical day starts out by "Bob" starting the morning shift and me normally finishing it. In that sense it sounds fairly easy but the thing that I don't understand is the lack of effort he puts in once those tasks need to get finished. I understand that I'm the intern and I'm the one who has to do the dirty work but a little help now and then wouldn't hurt.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that gets on my nerves is when things are started but never finished, and the best example I can give for that is when "Bob" takes something out to grab an item from, but never puts is back so I'm the one stuck with the clean up. It's just one of my pet peeves so I had to vent.
As of right now I can comfortably say that my boss has expressed his kindness by acknowledging the fact that I do pick up after him and provide a cleaner environment for us to work in, so it's not that bad because at least he's aware. The cool thing about our relationship is that we bounce ideas off one another so it never feels like one is trying to outshine the other. We definitely call each other teammates and sometimes refer to each other by that name just in case one of us forgets. Cheesy, I know, but it works.
All in all, so far so good! I couldn't have asked for a better experience to kick-start my career, and I'm just a little excited to see how much more I can gain from this internship!
"Israel" here reporting. I am constantly with other interns when im working at IMG. We have an intern office with a few computers, so anytime we are working in the office we are usually all working on the same thing. When it comes to research, i would say we are working as a team because each person is individually researching and it seems at times that it is almost a race among us to come up with the best information for our supervisors. Although, there are times that the interns bounce ideas off each other in this scenario. Also, a lot of times i will be given things to do where me and another intern have to leave the office and perform a task. Usually it something stupid like normal busy intern work but sometimes its something important like promoting the next event. When I do one of the latter tasks, i feel that working with another intern is definitely beneficial. It helps build trust and confidence with the task at hand.
ReplyDeleteI have not had to deal with others not pulling their own weight, in fact it seems like when we work together, we are all on the same page. I think this is unique because i do find myself working with very hard working interns who want to get their name out, as do I. I have not found myself really working with my supervisors unless it is an event outside of the office, which still means that i am working under their instruction, not really with them.
I personally don't think that anyone has encroached on another creativity. Its been more like feeding off of it. I love working in teams because i am the most creative when i can bounce ideas off of other people or use their ideas and run with it. I also dont mind working alone because sometimes doing your own thing is also great.
Overall, i am happy with how all the interns get along. We work together and it feels liek sometimes its "Us against them" in terms of us trying to please them and all look good.
I work with a marketing company who puts on alot of promotional activities during events that they sponsor, so as part of my internship, I usually always work in groups of at least three to five to run the promotional side of the sporting event, among other things.
ReplyDeleteIt really takes a group of at least that to successfully run a sporting event like soccer or football. At the same time you are working along side your boss, so you pick up on a few strategies that apply with running any event, it really is helpful. The people I work with know their stuff, very experienced and helpful, by now we all kind of gotten into a groove, so we are all pretty much at the same level. We have learned from the first day, that it is just best to get thrown into the fire right from the start, you get the gitters out of the way, and you start getting the hang of things. We all had trouble the first event, but as a group we successfully overcame those troubles by asking questions and working together.
At first, I really didn't have much experience working with groups of this size. I thought I did my best work alone, and with some things I do (school projects, sudying etc.), but after my first event I learned that when it comes to marketing a sport, running promotional activities and everything that goes with it, working with others is where I am comfortable. Also it really is impossible with just one.
As of now I am pretty much a seasoned vet, we all are. I am continuing to learn how best to work with others, the people I work with really make it easy on me and each other,we are feeding off of each other and it shows with the events we work.
Talk to you later,
Leo
I work with a variety of people for my internship. Since it is online, I have over 5 people I keep in contact with every week and I have to listen to them for ideas and topics each week. They are always there if I have a problem and I can bounce ideas back and forth with them so I can do the best job that I can.
ReplyDeleteSo far, the writing part has been done just by myself and I haven't been able to work with any of the other interns.I have to pull my own weight when it comes to assignments and deadlines and I make sure I get them done right away.
I guess one way to throw ideas around and not step on others creativity is by talking and just getting to know the group you are working with. If you get to know their style and how they are, you might pick up on certain things they might do.
So far, I have enjoyed working by myself for my internship. I can focus on the task at hand, and I get my things done. I do wish that I could do a group assignment if it presented itself, but for right now, I am content with the way this internship is working out.
Miguel
As a coach, I am constantly working with others to accomplish something, but lucky for me, I already know the people I am working with. It makes the job much easier because I knew how they operate and expect things to be done. I work very closely with someone who I have known for a number of years, so it certainly helps us get things accomplished. I do no work with my supervisor much due to the fact that he spends the majority of his time coaching football since we are in the off season.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I work with another coach, I am still free to do as I please. I create the workouts the kids do and instruct them. Because it is conditioning for track & field, and now basketball, my workouts do no need reviewing. My experience as an athlete comes in handy because I know what is too much for the off season.
My internship is fun, but I wish it required more of me. I feel the challenges I face are minimal and easy to deal with. I would like to do another internship that will force me out of my comfort zone.
Hi guys!
ReplyDeleteNormally, I’m not a big fan of working in teams, although when it comes to my internship, I love working with others. This may just be because I really enjoy the people I work with. Whenever I go into the office, it is always with another intern who just happens to be one of my good friends. Having her there makes time go by faster and in turn, makes work not seem like work.
Because we are such good friends, we work great together. When one of us forgets something, the other has got it covered. When one can’t make it to work, the other will fill in. Having her makes things easier not only on us, but on our boss as well. When we have to work certain events, we alternate driving. This is actually a major benefit to working with other interns.
At certain events, we work with the interns of other people in the office. They are all easy to work with and take direction well. When everyone has a job and does it effectively, it allows us to concentrate on what we need to do individually. This makes for a more enjoyable working environment because no one has to worry about what everyone else is doing. Working with “employees” and interns at these events is actually something I look forward to being a part of.
Working together with others is not something that I have had to do much of at all. Not working in a group has its ups and downs. Some of the ups are that I would have someone there to show me the ropes and to correct me before I make a mistake. Also I would be able to likely work more efficiently with others by dividing up the work load as well as not having to always take the long route for most of the task that I am assigned. Some downs of working with others in my daily task is that most of the missions that I am given are one person tasks and someone else there may just slow me down. Working alone also gives me the freedom to do it my way and make my own path. I think that not working with others has been very beneficial to me because I was able to adapt successfully. In my mind working on my own is more rewarding whether I am getting as much work down with or without a group I believe it is all about the self satisfaction and being able to please your boss successfully.
ReplyDeleteThe only time I've really had to work with others is on home gamedays. I work with one other person who delivers the programs to the sellers while I wait for everyone to come back. I haven't really had any problems working in a group mainly because the guy I work with is pretty on top of everything. He usually is out looking for sellers making sure they have enough programs before they run out. This is greatly appreciated because it makes my job a lot easier.
ReplyDeleteThe way I make sure that I'm not encroaching on his creativity, is that we both give our ideas and then we kind of discuss the pros and cons of it. Both of us have had input on the operation and both of us had ideas shot down of used inside of the operations. I really think it makes it a lot easier to work with someone when both of our ideas are being used.
Although my internship involves me working with a women's soccer team, many of the actual tasks I perform are things that I do as an individual. I would say I typically work with a group including contemporaries and/or supervisors about 25% of the time.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy and feel I receive the most benefit from the activities I perform when I am paired with at least one of my supervisors. It allows me to get instant feedback on what I am doing and if I have any questions, I have a resource available that allows me to get the information I need immediately. I like the idea of having the opportunity of being able to do some things on my own, but also think it is invaluable to be able to work with professionals who can share their experience with me and I can interact with them while the job is being done.
I believe that it is imperative that you can work in a team setting, as most jobs require more than person to complete. If you cannot work with someone else, you restrict what you can accomplish and that ultimately will limit how successful you will be.
Without getting into too much detail about my internship, I would say 90% of what I have done has been based around teamwork and cooperation among the interns and our supervisor. Luckily, I have the pleasure of working with some great people who are all hard working individuals. Because of this we all do pretty much the same amount of work, which makes the relationships we have with each other very enjoyable. If one of us has an idea for something, we will state that idea or listen to whoever is giving the idea and are fully supportive of each other. None of us, including our supervisor, are afraid to try new things out. Testing new projects make the job fun! and it is even better when that new idea proves to make our jobs less stressful. The only time we do not do a lot of work based around teamwork is when we go in for office hours, but even sometimes then we will have jobs that require more than one person.
ReplyDeleteIn my internship there are a lot of opportunities to work in groups or work with our supervisors first hand. For events everyone pitches in and works together to get things set up. After that, we are usually divided into separate groups based on the tasks that need to be completed. At that point people become shy and it usually requires one person to take initiative to get the ball rolling.
ReplyDeleteI never feel like people aren't pulling their own weight, but sometimes people choose to sit back and let other members of the group take the initiative to start things off. I enjoy working in groups and usually don't mind taking the first step for the group. After you have broken the ice, the key is to ask other people what they would like to add to the initial idea. By putting people on the spot they have the floor to say what they truly believe about the idea at hand.
I enjoy working independently, but group work is necessary to success later in life. This internship is an excellent opportunity to build my group work skills.
GoJags
In my internship I help in various aspects of the program so most the time I am expected to work with a team, usually a group of 2 or 3 to finish a task. A benefit of working with people who are already knowledgeable in an are is they are efficient and usually easy to work with. Even when I find myself in a situation of working with other interns, everyone is usually open a willing to assume any role.
ReplyDeleteI think We all do a great job in letting whoever was given the task or project at hand lead, while playing into the strength of those involved. Mine personally is anything to do with computers, excel & photoshop
It's reall cool to be able to work with some great people and make the job atmosphere alot enjoyable.
-StudentXII
At my internship we work in teams for the majority of our work. A lot of the work is the interns teaming together to help set up stands or other things that we are using for the specific event. Also, when we run promotions it usually takes the work of a few people to make them run smoothly. While working in our groups I have not encountered anyone who has not pulled their own weight. Our tasks are usually very easy and people can perform the tasks with ease. I feel like working in groups helps us become more creative and I feel that my co-workers are not shy to bounce ideas that might improve the workplace atmosphere. Overall I am thoroughly enjoying my time working at my internship and working in groups has a major impact on me.
ReplyDeleteClint
Hello all!
ReplyDeleteI just recently started working in a group for my internship. Baseball season is right around the corner, and I have been working with one other intern, doing work for the SID that is in charge of baseball. In particular, we have been tasked with doing introductory interviews of the newcomers to the baseball team this season. I haven't had to deal with any sort of unequal division of work so to speak... each of us is pulling our own weight. I am truly enjoying the experience, and at this rate will definitely continue to work the same internship in the spring semester. I look forward to working at the baseball games!
Chuck Finley
Every internship is different and unique, but I agree with an earlier comment. The facility and supervisors appear to benefit greatly from mostly unpaid labor. However, in today’s economy internships may be the only way for large numbers of students to gain experience. Personally, I don’t believe I am being taken advantage of in any way and most of the staff work together to get the big tasks completed. The hours are long during baseball season and there are multiple games most weekends that involve a great deal of travel. During these trips, I have learned a great deal about the coaches and players. The team is not having the typical year and has suffered many losses; many of these are key district games. I have gained much experience from observing the coach as he deals with the players, the community and the parents. Like most sports majors, I took the position hoping for a foot in the door and way to network for similar paid positions after graduation. Many of the coaches and staff I work with interned early on or volunteered while job hunting. It seems almost a rite of passage.
ReplyDeleteDuring tough economic times, internships may prove to be more important than ever. Jobs are scarcer because many of the cuts that schools make are in the area of sports. Job experience and a reputation for being knowledgeable and dependable can go a long way, even if it comes from an unpaid position. I appreciate the time the staff spend with me and how they have made me feel part of the team. Overall, it has certainly been worth the time and effort on my part.