A633.2.3.RB-Butterfly Effect- Trey McNeil

Before this week’s readings, when I thought of the butterfly effect one of two things would immediately come to mind. First, would be the movie starring Ashton Kutcher that shares the name of the theory. In this movie, Ashton Kutcher discovered he had the ability to go back in time and change moments from his past. What started out as a relief quickly became disastrous as each time he went back in his past to fix a situation for himself or one of his friends, he ended up making something else worse. At one point, he goes back in time to stop his friend from blowing up a mailbox with a cherry bomb, because after the friend was caught, he began to live a very troubled life. When Ashton wakes up from stopping the explosion, he finds himself missing his legs which were lost during the mishap. Aston learns that no matter what he does to correct instances in the past the future is affected by the altered actions.

The second thing that usually comes to mind when I hear the term butterfly effect is any movie or TV show where the characters go back in time. The number one rule is never to disturb the past because it will have an adverse effect on the future. After the readings this week, I understand that the movie was more than likely named for the theory developed by Edward Lorenz (Lorenz strange attractors), or more commonly known as the butterfly effect. The discovery made by Lorenz was an accident. In trying to study a previously run weather simulation, he left off a couple of digits in numbers containing lengthy decimal points while entering the beginning parameters (Obolensky, 2014).

What he thought was an insignificant change in the starting parameters produced, at first a minor, and then a colossal change in the ending numbers. Lorenz then wanted to determine why a small change could have such a large effect and discovered that even complex systems that seem chaotic have a core pattern.  “When a situation has a great sensitivity to initial conditions, a small change can have a disproportionate effect” (Obolensky, 2014, p. 70). In other words, in an organization, a small change can have a massive effect on the company.

As I contemplated complexity science and the butterfly effect this week, I wondered if a small change has ever yielded large results for my organization. I thought about many examples and would like to discuss two in this post. With our previous computer system, when a check was voided and purged the check numbers had to be adjusted to mirror the changes. Why is that piece of information important? Because the implications that would occur if the checks numbers are not corrected could be catastrophic.

Several years ago, on a Friday morning, hundreds of student checks were administered for returns and scholarships. This was a seemingly fluid and easy process, but the individual who processed the checks was unaware that a check was previously voided and the check numbers remained unadjusted.  By Wednesday of the next week, the finance department received a call from the bank stating that several checks were numbered incorrectly and therefore must be voided. Several was a very generous phrase as there were much more than “several checks.” Because most of the students had already picked up their checks, chaos ensued. The department had to reach out to the students to let them know about the mistake.

Though it was the fault of my department, some students were purged from their classes because the money they received was to be used to pay for their classes, which represented a lack of communication by the departments of the college, but that is a different subject for a different blog. There were even a couple of students that stated that their bank allowed the check to be deposited, only later to realize that the check was voided and the funds were then debited out of their bank account. In the end, the checks were re-issued, all the students were placed back into their classes, and the department learned a very important lesson about the check process.

The implication of complexity theory was visible in this example.  This small change caused a large ripple that created work for the bank, the accounting department, and student accounts.  The department learned the chaotic result and process that can result from one small change. Improvements were created from this example. A checks and balances system was generated where another employee must verify and sign off that the check numbers are correct before they are delivered to student accounts to be mailed out to the recipient.

I recall another instance where transposed numbers almost caused a group of music students to have to cancel a trip to Nashville. The college has several hundred cost centers and each center is managed by a cost center manager. For big ticket items, the cost center manager will request the funds to be placed in their budget at the beginning of the fiscal year, and the Vice Presidents would approve. The trip was approved and the funds were placed in the budget for that particular cost center. The problem began when the cost center manager sent the request to accounts payable to pay for the chartered flight. This individual accidentally transposed the numbers in the cost center. When accounts payable tried to pay the invoice a budget error occurred explaining that no budget existed, leading accounts payable sent the invoice back cost center manager saying that there was no budget.

The ping-pong match then began with one individual saying that the trip was approved and the other individual saying that the cost center did not have the budget to pay the invoice. Because things used to move slowly around the college, and an attempt to pay the invoice was not made until the due date, the airline canceled the chartered flight due to an unpaid invoice and alerted the cost center manager, which did not go over well. The final result comprised of a check being cut quickly, once the error was discovered, and mailed overnight to the company. Like my first example, lessons were learned. The cost center manager learned to be more careful and timely when filling out check request and accounts payable learned to pick up the phone and call if they notice an invoice may be late, instead of sending the invoice back through the college mail system. This example also illustrates how a small change or mistake can create a large wave in an organization.

A leader or organization will never know exactly what is around the next corner.  Complexity theory explains that no matter how prepared you are a small change can alter the destiny of a project. Therefore, a leader must be aware of how everything fits together in the big picture, because when dealing with the butterfly effect everything matters. “Even studying the small things can tell you about the complexity of the real world” (Onion, 2016, para. 19).

References

Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty (2nd ed.). Gower.

Onion, A. (2016). Science behind the butterfly effect. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=99596&page=1 

A633.1.2.RB-Leadership Gap

Growing up, I had two different ideas about leadership. My first idea centered on my parents, teachers, principals, grandparents, and even characters like Papa Smurf or Master Splinter from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I believed a leader was an individual who would guide a person into doing great things. They were there to “lead” by example and direct someone to reach a goal, whether it be learning to ride a bike, drive, grasping algebra and geometry, or even fighting the foot clan and Shredder. I also had another vision of a leader that stuck with me well into my twenties. This vision was the thought process Obolensky (2014) warned about. The assumption that leaders must be “gifted, charismatic, articulate, ambitious, knowledgeable and well-educated” (p. 18). As a child, I assumed that my parents’ bosses were leaders because they held the title of supervisor or manager. When I got my first job after college, I was under the impression that my manager was a leader because of their title. As I spent more time in the working world, I began to realize that the title did not make a leader. A leader is defined by the actions of the individual.

My attitude on leadership began to change drastically when I started the MSLD program. My thought process started to shift from the leaders are the individuals who are in charge to the leaders who are the individuals who take charge. Recently, my accounting duties were altered and I now report to a new supervisor. As I began my new job, I believed that my new supervisor would lead and teach how to be successful in my new position. But, I was wrong. The individual who has been most helpful is my fellow co-worker. They have been there to teach and guide me and help me grasp the new information.

I have never considered myself as a leader. I never believed that I had the qualities or skills to be a leader, but the leadership program has helped me see that I am a leader in my job. One of my responsibilities is to allocate funds for student scholarships. Every year I allocate and award approximately one million dollars in student scholarships. Though I am in the background and not visible with my cape, I still believe I help lead these students. I help guide them to be successful which, in my opinion, is leadership at its core.

The truth is that the attitude held by the younger generation (Gen Z) compared to the older generations (Traditionalist or Baby Boomers) toward authority and leadership has drastically changed. My grandparents are Traditionalist. Both of my grandfathers fought in the Korean War. They were raised by their parents to be respectful to everyone. The lessons their parents and the military taught them created individuals who had respect for leadership and authority. Unfortunately, they had the belief that leaders were the best of the best and were always right. I do not believe they would ever question leadership or authority. 

In regards to their beliefs on leadership and authority, my parents are complete opposites. Over the last several classes, I have had conversations with my mom about the concepts I have been fortunate enough to learn. I have discovered that she shares the views of my grandparents. She does not like to question leadership and authority and does so very rarely. My dad, on the other hand, finds nothing wrong with questioning leadership or authority if he is steadfast in his beliefs about the correct things to do. He has a healthy respect for leadership and authority but also likes to voice his opinion every now and then. Though I am a millennial, I do not question authority often. My beliefs about authority and leadership have shifted recently, so I do find it myself occasionally voicing my opinion when I believe I know the correct answer or process.

If we fast forward to the younger generation, the attitude toward leadership and authority is much different. The attitude is almost one of disrespect and disdain. At some point, leaders have begun to be viewed as non-authoritative. But how did this happen? In my opinion, there are two reasons for this alternative view on authority- pop culture and technology/knowledge. Pop culture today is full of disrespect and lack of manners. Music videos and popular music seem to degrade women and that spills over to how the younger generation feels about authority. I recently found myself watching an episode of Scared Straight. In the clip, I saw a young girl with behavioral problems being scorned by an officer and she was laughing at everything the officer said. As a teenager, my authority consisted of my parents, police officers, and teachers/principals. If some kids cannot respect police officers, how will they ever respect teachers or supervisors?

Another reason I believe the younger generation views authority and leadership differently is because of the accelerated pace of technology and knowledge. Obolensky (2014) discusses the rapid growth of knowledge in the 20^th century. Everyone these days has access to information at the touch of a button. The instant technology and knowledge has created a generation that does not believe leadership is as “all knowing” as once perceived, which may not be a bad thing if combined with the respectful leadership view of the past generations. Millennials and Gen Z have also seen their parents pushed out of jobs after giving many years to the company just because someone younger could be hired. The fact that their parents got pushed out causes a lack of trust in leadership and authority.

Though our modern technology has created a world filled with information about leadership, a gap still exists in the quality of our leaders. Why would a gap exist given the plethora of information available? One reason is because most businesses are out for the revenue and not the employee. This mind frame could lead to a lack of trust in the workplace. In a 2014 TED video entitled Why good leaders make us feel safe, Simon Sinek discussed the topic of trust in the workplace. Sinek (2014) discussed how leaders should sacrifice the results for the people to create the largest return. I agree with Sinek (2014) if companies begin to care more about the people and not the revenue, a trust will be renewed and both the organization and leader/follower relationship will be the beneficiary.

Also, leaders need to understand that they do not know everything about the job. Today I was called into the office of one of my managers. He asked me to show him how to run a report in the accounting system. This act was a breath of fresh air and more leaders should understand that the employees sometimes have the correct answers.

References

Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty (2nd ed.). Gower.

Sinek, S. (2014). Why good leaders make you feel safe [TEDGlobal]. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_why_good_leaders_make_you_feel_safe?language=en

A633.1.2.RB-Leadership Gap

Growing up, I had two different ideas about leadership. My first idea centered on my parents, teachers, principals, grandparents, and even characters like Papa Smurf or Master Splinter from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I believed a leader was an individual who would guide a person into doing great things. They were there to “lead” by example and direct someone to reach a goal, whether it be learning to ride a bike, drive, grasping algebra and geometry, or even fighting the foot clan and Shredder. I also had another vision of a leader that stuck with me well into my twenties. This vision was the thought process Obolensky (2014) warned about. The assumption that leaders must be “gifted, charismatic, articulate, ambitious, knowledgeable and well-educated” (p. 18). As a child, I assumed that my parents’ bosses were leaders because they held the title of supervisor or manager. When I got my first job after college, I was under the impression that my manager was a leader because of their title. As I spent more time in the working world, I began to realize that the title did not make a leader. A leader is defined by the actions of the individual.

My attitude on leadership began to change drastically when I started the MSLD program. My thought process started to shift from the leaders are the individuals who are in charge to the leaders who are the individuals who take charge. Recently, my accounting duties were altered and I now report to a new supervisor. As I began my new job, I believed that my new supervisor would lead and teach how to be successful in my new position. But, I was wrong. The individual who has been most helpful is my fellow co-worker. They have been there to teach and guide me and help me grasp the new information.

I have never considered myself as a leader. I never believed that I had the qualities or skills to be a leader, but the leadership program has helped me see that I am a leader in my job. One of my responsibilities is to allocate funds for student scholarships. Every year I allocate and award approximately one million dollars in student scholarships. Though I am in the background and not visible with my cape, I still believe I help lead these students. I help guide them to be successful which, in my opinion, is leadership at its core.

The truth is that the attitude held by the younger generation (Gen Z) compared to the older generations (Traditionalist or Baby Boomers) toward authority and leadership has drastically changed. My grandparents are Traditionalist. Both of my grandfathers fought in the Korean War. They were raised by their parents to be respectful to everyone. The lessons their parents and the military taught them created individuals who had respect for leadership and authority. Unfortunately, they had the belief that leaders were the best of the best and were always right. I do not believe they would ever question leadership or authority. 

In regards to their beliefs on leadership and authority, my parents are complete opposites. Over the last several classes, I have had conversations with my mom about the concepts I have been fortunate enough to learn. I have discovered that she shares the views of my grandparents. She does not like to question leadership and authority and does so very rarely. My dad, on the other hand, finds nothing wrong with questioning leadership or authority if he is steadfast in his beliefs about the correct things to do. He has a healthy respect for leadership and authority but also likes to voice his opinion every now and then. Though I am a millennial, I do not question authority often. My beliefs about authority and leadership have shifted recently, so I do find it myself occasionally voicing my opinion when I believe I know the correct answer or process.

If we fast forward to the younger generation, the attitude toward leadership and authority is much different. The attitude is almost one of disrespect and disdain. At some point, leaders have begun to be viewed as non-authoritative. But how did this happen? In my opinion, there are two reasons for this alternative view on authority- pop culture and technology/knowledge. Pop culture today is full of disrespect and lack of manners. Music videos and popular music seem to degrade women and that spills over to how the younger generation feels about authority. I recently found myself watching an episode of Scared Straight. In the clip, I saw a young girl with behavioral problems being scorned by an officer and she was laughing at everything the officer said. As a teenager, my authority consisted of my parents, police officers, and teachers/principals. If some kids cannot respect police officers, how will they ever respect teachers or supervisors?

Another reason I believe the younger generation views authority and leadership differently is because of the accelerated pace of technology and knowledge. Obolensky (2014) discusses the rapid growth of knowledge in the 20^th century. Everyone these days has access to information at the touch of a button. The instant technology and knowledge has created a generation that does not believe leadership is as “all knowing” as once perceived, which may not be a bad thing if combined with the respectful leadership view of the past generations. Millennials and Gen Z have also seen their parents pushed out of jobs after giving many years to the company just because someone younger could be hired. The fact that their parents got pushed out causes a lack of trust in leadership and authority.

Though our modern technology has created a world filled with information about leadership, a gap still exists in the quality of our leaders. Why would a gap exist given the plethora of information available? One reason is because most businesses are out for the revenue and not the employee. This mind frame could lead to a lack of trust in the workplace. In a 2014 TED video entitled Why good leaders make us feel safe, Simon Sinek discussed the topic of trust in the workplace. Sinek (2014) discussed how leaders should sacrifice the results for the people to create the largest return. I agree with Sinek (2014) if companies begin to care more about the people and not the revenue, a trust will be renewed and both the organization and leader/follower relationship will be the beneficiary.

Also, leaders need to understand that they do not know everything about the job. Today I was called into the office of one of my managers. He asked me to show him how to run a report in the accounting system. This act was a breath of fresh air and more leaders should understand that the employees sometimes have the correct answers.

References

Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex adaptive leadership: Embracing paradox and uncertainty (2nd ed.). Gower.

Sinek, S. (2014). Why good leaders make you feel safe [TEDGlobal]. Retrieved from: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_why_good_leaders_make_you_feel_safe?language=en