MANAGING THE CHAOS

Firstly, this was a very generous gift to all of us as well as a very difficult managerial project. My first response was a sense of agitation…I was dissatisfied and a bit depressed when I received my exam, and I also felt skeptical toward the plausibility of the project. I anticipated that due to the large group of students in the class and the vague task assignment outlined by our professor, it would be difficult if not nearly impossible to succeed in producing a “reasonable solution” to the project. Then when the chaos that I had expected began, I took two behavioral positions: Compete to win and Compromise. Naturally, I hoped that everyone in the class would support my ideas, however as there were 50 other students with the same objective as I had, I needed to compromise for the common wealth. I made two propositions regarding solving the dilemma of what do with the exam, as well as using organizational techniques to determine a class decision. I tried to be respectful and listen to the other students’ ideas, however I did shout a few propositions from my desk when we began to run out of time. Generally for the tasks like this the model when a big group of people divides into smaller groups for decision generating purpose works better, but the time factor didn’t allow us to use this strategy. Even when such proposal arose our group used the common sense to reject this idea and we managed the project quite effectively.

An Eggs-cellent Way to Plan

Step 1. Define your goals and objectives

Our goal was to create a device and method by which a representative from our group could drop an egg on the floor without breaking its shell, standing on a table from a height of approximately 10 feet, using only six straws and a piece of electric tape.

Step 2. Determine your resources and current status vis-a-vis objectives

Our resources: One uncooked egg with shell; six straws; one piece electric tape; one pair of scissors; seven human brains; and one android cell phone with internet access. Our strength was our number and access to google.com. Our weakness was the limited resources with which we were provided for the experiment.

Step 3. Develop several alternative strategies

We discussed a few strategies that didn’t seem very viable until we decided to search what the best method of protecting and dropping the egg would be via google search. Our weakness was our failure to brainstorm more strategies, as well as the skill with which we imitated the strategy found on the internet. The instructions we found were not very descriptive and lacked diagrams and clear instructions, so we still had to improvise a bit.

Step 4. Make a tactical plan

We chose to replicate the method we found on the internet, as it was guaranteed as the most practical method of transporting the egg. The plan called to tape two of the six straws around the circumference of the egg (in a cross pattern) so that it would act as a brace/shock absorber. The remaining four straws were to be taped together into a “mat” to drop the egg on.

Step 5. Implement the plan and evaluate results

We replicated the method to the best of our abilities, however the “engineering” apparently was not as sound as we’d hoped. It was a fun and useful lesson, however. Our strength was our groups cooperation, efficiency and organization. Our weakness was, obviously, the engineering, as well as our reliance on google to provide us with the most accurate method. We did brainstorm, but we couldn’t come up with any valid plans or ideas – I do believe if we were able to better execute the instructions we found from our google search, we would have succeeded. Everyone worked perfectly together – we were each occupied with our specified roles in the project: one member was in charge of blueprints and design; one managed the resources (and even managed to “steal” a scissor for us!); another member kept inventory and named our egg; we had our engineer, who constructed the apparatus; and last but not least, we had our official egg dropper, whom we chose on account of her height (we assumed the shorter she was, the better chances there would be of the egg not shattering). We were all very coordinated and timely, and adhered to the plan to the best of our abilities

Blog Assignment #1 - Culture Shock

1. I am Belarussian, and although there is a significant minority of immigrants from ex-Soviet republics in living in New York, I haven't found many people in this country who know what or where Belarus is (to the point where I just say "Russia" to spare myself a lengthy explanation). One of the main differences I have noticed is the method by which Americans study. There seems to be a stress on group work and projects, where a team collaborate toward a goal, and each member has a particular responsiblity. This wasn't the case in Belarus, where our schools stressed an individual approach to research and study. Assignments were personal and your work was your own, not a collaboration, and I have found this system of learning a bit difficult to get used to.
2. I've also noticed a difference in American and Russian humor. Americans seem to laugh at situational comedy, highly obscene/shocking jokes and "pastiche" humor (e.g. shows like "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons"), that utilize pastiche/post-modern subjects that only someone with a vast knowledge of 20th and 21st Century American media culture would understand. Russians tend to find word play more humorous, as well as something called "Cherny Yumor" (Black Humor), highly grotesque, often cold-blooded "jokes" that reflect bitterness toward political/life situations.
3. Firs time in my life I have been exposed to cultures and religions different than my own. For example, at my place of work there is one colleague who is a Hasidic Jew. I remember an incident at work a few months ago where I was assisting my colleague with his internet settings, and somehow an video of Brittney Spears appeared after clicking on a certain link. She was barely dressed and dancing, and the imagery embarrassed him so badly that he literally jumped out of his seat and ran to the next room to pray for forgiveness. I obviously found this funny, having never seen a reaction like this, but it also made me realize that there are other cultures and religions who may be more or less sensitive to certain ideas and situations. As a result, I have been more mindful of what may or may not be interpreted as offensive to other cultures.