Leadership gap

            My first experience with leadership (in an organizational context) was when I joined the U.S. Army.  This was the first job I had in which there was a large hierarchal structure of leadership.  I had experienced other forms of leadership from teachers and coaches (i.e. youth sports) but none like military leadership.  Military leadership “guided” almost every aspect of my life – how I ought to think, behave, look, etc.  At the time, it was the type of leadership that I needed considering (at the age of 18) that I was somewhat misguided and undisciplined. I believed that my leaders knew what was best for me and the organization, and therefore I did not question it. 

            My grandparents and parents also held the attitude that “leaders” knew better. However, it had nothing to do with them being misguided and undisciplined but more to do with a cultural upbringing.  Filipinos (like many Asian cultures) can be submissive or passive – not out of fear but out of deference. In the case of my forefathers/mothers, they held the belief that leaders were extraordinary people who deserved to lead. This may stem from the fact that my family was raised poor and lacked education. 

            However, in my life, as I found success in the military and became a leader myself, I realized that an individual has more control of his or her life (and environment) that I previously thought. I am a college graduate (and now pursuing an MBA) and have more control on the outcome of my situation, and relying less on others “leadership”.  My children are also raised to know they can determine their destiny, through their decisions/choices.  Yet, those decisions must be guided by knowledge and critical thinking.  In this day and age, it is inexcusable to be ignorant or naïve. 

            Yet, with all the knowledge, methodologies, courses, etc. dedicated to making better leaders, there is still a gap. Despite the world being more connected, I believe that egocentrism is one reason why leaders have failed.  In some cases, the people who have risen to power are more focused on their own interests than that of the people they lead.  In a complex and ever changing business environment, leaders must strive to develop subordinate leaders – the power to make decisions cannot rest in one person (or a select few).  To correct this, leaders must work to develop the traits of trust, empathy, humility, and fairmindedness to name a few.

Reflections

            I believe that this course was invaluable to my personal, educational, and professional growth.  The only negative aspect was the pace at which I had to conduct my studies and work.  I feel that I could have ‘grown’ more intellectually if given more time to synthesize and apply the concepts of critical thinking.  Yet, I say this understanding that my situation results from an accelerated nine-week term.  More so, I may even say that I may not fully learn everything even if MSLD 500 was several weeks longer.  Further adding to the problem was the fact that I was taking three graduate courses simultaneously and working!  I had pursued my education with the intent of getting as much done in as little time as possible.  Although I always put forth my best effort, I realize that I imposed irrational limits to my learning, that is, ‘learn only what you need to learn to get through it’.  The critical thinking teachings of this course opened my eyes to my error.  The self-reflection blog provided me an avenue to look at myself as a student.  I had never done this before.  What I am learning is not isolated to academia but is useful in all aspects of my life.  Therefore, I have gained appreciation of the knowledge I am given and the mentorship from my professors.  The topics covering action research were especially helpful and relevant.  I now have a better understanding of the distinct differences between quantitative and qualitative research.  Moreover, I recognize the value that each method offers.  I think one way that the university can provide additional support for learning is to collaborate more with aerospace companies and create real-world case studies or problems that students can work on.  One criticism I have heard from leaders/managers is ‘yes, you have the knowledge but have you proven it to work on x, y, or z problem?’ Overall, my experience with this course is positive and I believe the teachings in critical thinking will undoubtedly help in future courses.  

Presentations

            If I am to give a presentation, I consider two things.  First, I ask myself, “What is the purpose of my presentation?”  Another question I ask is, “What does the audience expect?”  I believe this will dictate the freedom and creativity I have when creating the presentation.  The majority of my experiences when it comes to presentations have been isolated to two specific environments, my career in the Army and my time as a university student.  In these two environments, the purpose and the expectation of my presentations were cut and dry – in most cases, I was given specific guidance as to the outlay of the presentation and what information is displayed.  In the Army, MS PowerPoint has become the tool of choice for visually communicating a brief.  For instance, PPT is the tool used to create a ‘storyboard’.  A storyboard reports the loss of life, limb, or eyesight of a soldier (on or off duty); an incident/accident (on duty/off duty and/or involving Army equipment); or other (DUIs, domestic violence, other criminal activity) – reporting the ‘5 W’s’ of the event and there was a very specific template.  In the Army, I was creating a storyboard many times a week!  Senior commanders did not want to hear the news unless you were armed with a storyboard.  Likewise, I have given presentations in ERAU courses in which I was told the outlay of my visual presentation (i.e. text, font, colors, etc.) and how to conduct the verbal presentation (i.e. no less than 8 minutes or longer than 10 minutes).  Students were reminded that no extra points were given for ‘bells and whistles’ on the presentation.  In fact, it may hurt the one’s grade if he or she did not follow guidance.  As a result of these experiences, I have been conditioned to create straightforward (and usually uninspiring) presentations.  However, I do recognize that there will be a time when I may give a presentation in which I must articulate and illustrate a vision, inspire or motivate people, or persuade others of my claim/argument.  In these situations, I must consider these good presentation design elements.  First, the visual presentation is only a supporting tool to my speech.  Second, make the presentation memorable – provide facts, images, and graphs that are easy to understand and remember.  Third, only have the minimum and relevant information needed to get the point across.  Lastly, be a storyteller.  The presentation should be coherent and logically flow from start to finish.

Quantitative research

            Quantitative research is the systematic empirical investigation of observable phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques (Given, 2008).  In contrast, qualitative research uses non-statistical methods.  Quantitative research can begin when a theory or hypothesis is proposed.  For example, “38% of aviation mishaps at Chicago O’Hare airport are caused by weather”.  In another instance, this author has used quantitative research when he applied Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodologies to solve a “problem”.  Lean Six Sigma refers to a process that is 99.99966% error free (or in other words, less than 3.4 defects per million opportunities).  When a process falls below the LSS standard (3.4 DPMO) a problem statement aka hypothesis is made.  This type of quantitative research occurs in manufacturing (i.e. aircraft component/part manufacturing) when a good that is produced does not meet specifications.  In both of the above-mentioned scenarios, data is gathered to determine cause-and-effect relationships and the root cause analysis of the errors.  Data is collected from documents/reports where data was collected over time or data can be collected through observation.  In this type of research, the problem and solution can often be straightforward, that is, tangible answers will be produced. 

            However, in social science research, the problem and answer may not be so clear-cut.  For instance, a study may be on the “relationship between intelligence and self-esteem” or “what is an effective organizational leader?”  Quantitative research is used in social science to collect and analyze data to explain phenomena (Mamia, n.d.).   In social science research, the data is collected by using research instruments i.e. questionnaire/survey, interviews, and observation.  Quantitative research focuses on gathering numerical data and generalizing it across groups of people or to explain a particular phenomenon (Babbie, 2010).  Although the data may be quantitative, it demands that the researcher is an expert in the given field and has the intuition to discern and assess the data.  

            The main elements of quantitative research are research design, choice of data collection instrument, and choice of analysis tool (Mamia, n.d.).  Research design refers to the research being either descriptive or experimental.  A descriptive study is observational – the researcher observes the phenomena in its natural setting.  In experimental design, researchers may implement controls.  These “controls” refer to the choice of data collection instrument i.e. surveys, focus groups, etc.  The choice of analysis tool refers to the type of statistical tool i.e. t tests or f tests with significance levels. 

            Quantitative (and qualitative) research will be a tool that I will continue to use in my personal, education, and professional needs.  It will help me to understand and solve problems as well as answer the whys of everyday social phenomena.  For instance, it would be interesting to read a study on why there is a notion of “entitlement” with the millennial generation!

References

Babbie, E. (2010). The Practice of Social Research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage.

Given, L. M. (2008). The Sage encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.

Mamia, T. (n.d.). Retrieved from erau.instructure.com: https://erau.instructure.com/courses/34959/pages/a500-dot-7-1-dot-cr-readings?module_item_id=1548192