Web Lecture - Demoncracy

One concept mentioned in the web lecture was the different kinds of democracy. I believe it is important to run an organization with a democratic approach as it shows to the employees you care about their opinions. There are different kinds of democracy such as:
1.) Procedural democracy - foundations of democracy— ie voting
2.)Competitive democracy - people compete for various positions to serve the interests of the larger group
3.)Participatory democracy - people do more than vote they actively engage in cooperative activities that will help the group achieve its goals.
4.)Deliberative democracy - reasoned, impartial discussion among all participants with an equal opportunity to present and listen to arguments relevant to the topic.
5.)Dialogic democracy - democracy emphasizing participation, and dialogue in decision making

The democracy I most agree with is the participatory democracy as it allows more active participation from the employees. I also agree with dialogic democracy because its deals more with making the discussion a reality since they can make the decision to make the topic a reality.

Chapter 11 - Being Mindful

Chapter 11 discusses working with integrity, a very important concept in business' these days. One topic I found important was being mindful. The act of being mindful allows an organization to understand talk. Its being considerate of other people. It is important for a business to be considerate of the people they impact--whether it is in terms of pollution, products, service etc. To be mindful they need to think of how people affect would feel by such actions and determine if the action is in the best course of action. It is about thinking of others first before self.

Chapter 10 - Competitive Strategy

Chapter 10 discussed the organizational alignment. One important topic is competitive strategy. Competitive strategy is a statement of why customers should choose a company over its competing companies. Businesses use this strategy, even if they do not intentionally seek to have a competitive strategy. Such strategies can be like: Enterprise "We'll pick you up", State Farms "Like a good neighbor"etc. These strategies can be verbally expressed or subtly implied. Such implied approaches is reducing the price of a product compared to the competitor as though to say "look our product is better because its cheaper". There are various approaches to a competitive strategies, and every company uses one. It is a very important part of running a successful company.

Chpater 9 - Open Communication

Chapter 9 discussed the ways of being a communicative leader (hopefully thats a real "phrase" haha). One topic I felt was important was being a leader with an open communication style. I believe all managers should have an open communication style. Having an open communication with your employees allows for a trust and friendship to be built between the employee and the manager. Open communication would allow for problems (both business as well as personal) to be discussed and solved which creates a healthier, happier person. When there is an open communication built, when there is a problem with an employee and the manager needs to talk to the employee about what they are doing wrong, the employee wont fell threatened or "attacked" by a "stranger", but rather comfortable hearing the flaws coming from a "friend". I believe being open is very important.