Critical Reflection on Learning in the Course (Blogpost #4)

It has been a long 13 weeks since the start of interpersonal and works communication module and the journey was challenging and yet fulfilling one. Right from the very first day of the lesson, I felt compelled yet excited to learn this module. I learned about the importance of communication skills, process, models, and channels as well. Thankfully, I have achieved the objectives that I set at the beginning of this course which is having a flexible and open mind to improve my body language as well as boost confidence level in public speaking.

Besides the objectives that I have set for myself, I also learned more about “Conflict management” and relationships in the workplace” where leadership played a part in the latter. Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument(TKI) helped me to learn that there is 5 conflict management mode that will help me in working in teams as conflicts between team members are inevitable.

Adapting Danial Goleman Emotional Intelligence management strategy have also empowered me with the ability to identify my own emotions which lead to boosting my confidence level especially when I am doing a presentation towards a huge crowd. Personally. with this management strategy, I am now able to manage my own emotions knowing that it has the capacity to influence people around me both positively and negatively.

In forming a group of five team members, we displayed teamwork, mutual understanding, and trust to complete the video production as well as power point presentation. Being the leader of the group, I learned how to be effective and precise in spreading out a task for each member to complete so that everyone contributes fairly. In addition, I sincerely appreciate that my group members were very easy to work with and they did their assigned task when the deadline is nearing.

With other various communication strategies, such as the six seconds EQ model, it molded me into a better effective communicator that integrates me to stop, think and analyze a situation before speaking. Furthermore, I must manage my nonverbal cues to prevent unnecessary misunderstandings.

Overall, the project and mini-presentations have been a lot of fun and challenging experience right from the start to the finish. As well as producing the five-minute video skit production regarding workplace abuse was very rewarding. This could not have been possible without good teamwork and everyone’s participation. Lastly, I believed that I became a better communication and I hope to work with my classmates again.

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Project Summary BlogPost #3 (Edited)

Introduction

Currently, Singapore has the status of a First World nation and it is true that engineers have played a considerable role in building the nation. Engineers can create a lot of value in different sectors as they undergo intensive training that enables them to find out complex issues, and applying the knowledge of engineering to arrive at a practical solution(Matthew, 2016). Furthermore, job prospects in engineering are indeed getting brighter making engineering graduates greatly sought after in Singapore.

However, working in an engineering industry, workplace abuse does occur and will eventually lead to a decline in morale and a change in organizational culture. Therefore, there should be a way to raise awareness of dealing with workplace abuse and detect the signs and symptoms before the situation worsens.

Problem Identification

Workplace abuse is becoming become more frequent and interns often kept silent to avoid getting a bad review of their work performance as it might give them a bad reputation and affect their chances of landing a good job(Tan and Lee, 2013). Therefore, it is essential for interns to be aware and detect the signs and symptoms of workplace abuse before it gets out of hand.

Objective of Study

The aim of this study is to detect and recognize the signs and symptoms of workplace abuse as it is a valuable skill to acquire in an industry. Through my team's recommendation, an intern can perform several techniques when faced with a plausible conflict in a working environment.

Potential Solutions/ Implementation for Problem Resolution

As an intern working in an office, colleague and superiors could be a potential abuser. In 2012, an online survey conducted by JobsCentral, 24 percent of Singapore employees said they were victims of workplace bullying. In addition, Workplace Bullying Institute (WBI) found in an empirical research study in 2014 that 32.3 percent of bullied targets engaged in self-behaviour such as overeating and turning to alcohol as well as gambling due to stress-related symptoms and emotional pain. Therefore, there are still ways to resolve the problem before it is too late. Such techniques and methods are described below.

Thomas-Killmann conflict mode - It defines five different modes for responding to conflict situations. “Compromising” is used to find a mutually acceptable solution that partially satisfies both parties. This model is valuable because it addresses an issue more directly than avoiding it (Thomas & Kilmann, n.d). In addition, this model allows the intern to practice his/her negotiation skills to interact better with their boss.

Daniel Golemann Emotional Intelligence - is defined as the ability to identify, access and control one’s own emotion and the emotion of others. “Self-awareness” is important in this situation as it knows one’s strength and weaknesses and recognizes their impact on others while using gut feelings to guide a decision(Goleman, 2014). An intern can benefit from this model by recognizing his/her own fault before a plausible abuse might occur.

Data Collection/Research Method

The data collection and research methods that were used include newspaper articles and web pages containing information pertaining research topic regarding workplace abuse.

Benefits

Solutions such as Thomans-Killmann conflict mode and Daniel Golemann Emotional Intelligence can be used to overcome and be wary of workplace abuse. Furthermore, learning how to compromise and collaborate in a group project setting will enable a productive outcome instead of conflicts and unnecessary arguments.

Concluding Thoughts

Workplace abuse will still be a persistent pattern of mistreatment which causes either physical or emotional harm to the victim. With techniques such as Daniel Goleman 5 components of emotional intelligence and Thomas-Killman conflict modes(Thomas & Kilmann, n.d), interns will be able to improve the quality of life at work and reduce workplace abuse.

-Revised as at 110817-

References

Goh, N. (2014). Facing up to bullies at the workplace, Singapore News ... Retrieved July 20, 2017,from http://www.bing.com/cr?IG=A1D6771D7E2A442D95EB15DBDBEAFE1B&CID=35B27EE1C2C56D2801AF7424C3C36CA2&rd=1&h=xk1OsTYMdx_1w4mBuhVxxw4sZruxNGP6DelrZw5zQAM&v=1&r=http%3a%2f%2fwww.straitstimes.com%2fsingapore%2ffacing-up-to-bullies-at-the-workplace&p=DevEx,5066.1

J L (2014)."Emotional Intelligence (Goleman)," in Learning Theories. Retrieved July 21, 2017, from https://www.learning-theories.com/emotional-intelligence-goleman.html.

Tan, A., & Lee, J. (2013). When internships go wrong. Retrieved July 20, 2017, from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/when-internships-go-wrong

Tan, M. (n.d). 5 Reasons Why Engineering Grads Are Highly Sought After In ... Retrieved July20, 2017, from

https://www.bing.com/cr?IG=74A7FE1B455441F694C1A06036221FB2&CID=0B0C26F9C69E61C830762C3CC7986087&rd=1&h=VHC28tLgrY92Gr2WME92iuhmkIn_wHjpIryIaQP8jCg&v=1&r=https%3a%2f%2fwww.auston.edu.sg%2f5-reasons-why-engineering-grads-are-highly-sought-after-in-singapore%2f&p=DevEx,5063.1

Thomas, K., Kilmann, R. (n.d.). An overview of the Thomas-Kilmann conflict mode instrument (TKI). Retrieved from http://www.kilmanndiagnostics.com/overview-thomas-kilmann-conflict-mode-instrument-tki

Interpersonal Conflict Resolution #EDITED

Conflict happens when two people want different things and neither of them can come to a common agreement to get what they want without the other person’s acknowledgment. Most of the common conflicts in my life probably involve people I am closely connected to, such as friends, family as well as the people I work with. As such, I would like to share a situation that occurred a few months back regarding a misunderstanding between two group members during a group project. 

I was the leader for the engineering group project which comprised of three other members. By nature, all of us were very vocal and expressive in our recommended ideas and sometimes, we potentially get into heated debates during project meet-ups on who’s idea should work the best for sake of our team. During this unfortunate situation, the discussion escalated into a heated conflict between Eileen and Javier.

At that moment, we were gathering in a discussion room and expressing our ideas for a proper design of our locomotive tank system. Javier, as usual, kept giving concepts and thoughts than he usually would during this particular incident. Regarding this topic, my group members and I would be listening and writing down notes he addressed while nodding our heads in agreement on his point. On the other hand, Eileen was acting the complete opposite of us as she felt restless and she kept fidgeting when Javier was speaking. Her gestures indicated to us that she was not interested in the conversation and instead, kept using her phone and was distracted throughout the discussion.

Unfortunately, I noticed Javier was displeased by Eileen’s action as his mannerisms can be seen with utmost displeasure. He gazed deeply at her with a frown on his face that expressed his unhappiness towards Eileen’s rudeness. His tone started to change towards a deep and aggressive voice every time Eileen was distracted with her phone. Eventually, after being patient for quite some time, Javier started to unleash his emotions and confronted Eileen about her actions and focus regarding the discussion. As a leader, I decided to step up and intervene the situation.

In your opinion, what would you do when facing a similar situation while holding a high position? Would you confront your team members neutrally or would you side with a person to remedy the situation?   

(390 words) Edited on 050717

Interpersonal Conflict Resolution

Conflict happens when two people want different things and can neither come to an agreement not get what they want without the other person. Most of the common conflicts in my life probably involve people I am closely connected to, such as friends, family as well as the people I work with. As such, I would like to share a situation that occurred a few months back regarding a misunderstanding between two group members during a group project.

I was the leader for the engineering group project which consists of three other members. By nature, all of us were very vocal and expressive in our recommended ideas and sometimes, we might get into heated debates during project meet-ups on who’s idea should work the best for sake of our team. During this unfortunate situation, the discussion escalated into a heated conflict between Eileen and Javier.

At that moment, we were gathering in a discussion room and throwing up ideas for a proper design of our locomotive tank system. Javier, as usual, kept giving concepts and thoughts than he usually would during this particular incident. Regarding this topic, my group members and I would be listening and writing down notes he addressed while nodding our heads in agreement on his point. On the other hand, Eileen was acting the complete opposite of us as she felt restless and she kept fidgeting when Javier was speaking. Her gestures indicate that she was not interested in the conversation and instead, kept using her phone and was distracted throughout the discussion.

Unfortunately, I noticed Javier was displeased by Eileen’s action as his body language can be seen with utmost displeasure. He gazed deeply at her with a frown on his face that expresses his unhappiness towards Eileen’s rudeness. His tone started to change towards a deep and aggressive voice every time Eileen was distracted with her phone. Eventually, after being patient for quite some time, Javier started to burst out his emotions and confronted Eileen about her actions and focus regarding the discussion. As a leader, I decided to step up and intervene the situation.

In your opinion, what would you do when facing a similar situation and you hold a high position? Would you confront your team members neutrally or would you side with a person to remedy the situation?   (390 words)

Reflect on what you have learnt about the role of emotional intelligence in interpersonal communication. “How good are you at social awareness and at developing relationships?”

Emotional intelligence (EI, or EQ) is the ability to identify and manage one owns emotions and the emotions of others.

In my opinion, EQ is an essential component that helps to improve and build my own interpersonal communication skills as from a task we did regarding Daniel Goleman, I too agree that success is more closely related to EQ than it is to IQ.

I am confident that I have good social awareness and at developing relationships. During my national service(NS), I have taken leadership roles that enhance my internal motivation, building social skills and being self-aware which are the components/characteristics of Emotional Maturity.

Few points I have learned when I was an officer in NS are, it is important that I first gain the respect of my peers and building good relationships with my subordinates or even superiors to get the job done. For example, during route marches, a lot of preparation task such as liaising with store personnel, making a co-ord with my commanders are essential for my conducts to be smooth. I would like to state this quote that means a lot to me which is “If you want to go fast, go alone if you want to go far, go together”. In this world, emotional intelligence is much more sought after compared to having good IQ.