Organizational Behavior Personal learning paper

Lecture 1:
So the XL journey has finally started and it seems it wont be a smooth ride.
Todays Organizational behavior lecture gave us a peek in a typical
managers life; functions a manager plays in an organization and the
multitude of decision he/she has to make. we saw various roles that a
manager plays inside an organization. The lecture also talked about the
common mistakes made by them in an organization and reason why most of
them hit their ceiling in a very short span of time. The professor divided the
whole class into small groups (A.K.A Families) to give us a feel of a real
organization. Professor then gave us a group task containing a situation
faced by almost all organizations. We had to think of ourselves as a group of
managers who had been shouldered with a new project and we had to define
our priorities of how to go about that project. First we gave our individual
ratings to the tasks and then through thorough discussion among our group
came to a common solution.
Through this task I came to know about my shortcomings in a group. Having
only 6 month work experience I never had much of experience working in
groups. This task gave me a chance to introspect and also learn from my
fellow family members who came from diverse cultural and educational
backgrounds.

Lecture 2:
Today we learned about the different personality traits of individuals and also
different behavior patterns humans follow in different circumstances. This

was the first time I realized that each and every individual is unique in some
way and that you can never understand the reason behind others action,
only come closer to the reason by analyzing the facts. This lecture taught me
to induct a feeling of empathy when dealing with others issues and also how
the energy of people can be used for value creation for the organization.

Lecture 3:
In this we took DISC test (D = Dominance, I = Influence, S = steadiness, C =
Compliance). The test comprised of number of questions regarding our
behaviors in different circumstances and based on our answers the test tried
to deduce the basic character of our personality. It also told you about your
strongest and your weakest area which further gave you chance to work on
your weaknesses and improve your personality. Sir also gave examples of
various famous personalities and their attributes for e.g. Michael Jordon a
typical D, Ratan Tata a typical S. Sir also explained in detail what these
results meant. For me my strongest quality was influence, that I could
influence a group in a better way and my weakness came out to be
Dominance which meant that I would be better off working at a number 2
position in an organization rather at number 1.
After that we as a section went for the outbound adventure program which
gave us a chance to open up to each other even more. It acted as an ice
breaker for our batch as we came to know about all their backgrounds (both
academic and cultural). In the lecture just after the outbound program the
difference in our attitude was evident with the fact that we started sharing
more and more with each other. We started behaving like a family in true
sense.

Lecture 5:

In this lecture we studied about emotional intelligence which is nothing but

the ability to detect and to manage emotional cues and information. We
learned how this ability can help a manager in his organization turning his
coworkers emotions into real strength and channelize them in creating value
for the company. We also studied about the cascading model of emotional
intelligence in which the first stage comprises of perceiving emotions in self
and others followed by understanding the meaning of those emotions and
finally regulating those emotions for the betterment of the organization.
This lecture taught me how to step into someone elses shoes to understand
their situation and their feelings in a better way. We learned about some
strong emotions like love, faith and sex which if properly transmuted can
bring motivation and enthusiasm towards your work.

Lecture 6:
In this we did Myers Briggs type Indicator (MBTI) which is a personality test
that taps four characteristics and classifies people into 1 to 16 personality
types. It judged your personality o 4 criteria (Extraverted or introverted;
sensing or intuitive; thinking or feeling; judging or perceiving). This test
comprised of a questionnaire containing 100 simple questions which if
answered honestly can lead you to your true personality type. My personality
came out to be ESTJ (Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging) or in other words
extraverted thinking with introverted sensing. This personality type is also
known as the guardian. I learnt a lot of things about myself through this test.
I came to know about my qualities which I never knew and also some
qualities which were known to me but still I could never capitalize on them.
My personality type described through this test advocated that my primary
mode of living is focused externally, where I deal with things rationally and
logically. My secondary mode is internal, where I take things in via my five

senses in a literal, concrete fashion. Our professor gave us a detailed copy of

our personality types which helped me introspect more clearly and enabled
me to work on my strength in a better way.
While taking this test we as a group thought that it would have been better
had we taken this test in our high school as we would have absorbed these
insights easily. Therefore we decided to conduct this test among high school
students of Loyola school in Jamshedpur. The project gave us an opportunity
to understand group dynamics, and cooperative and collaborative learning
styles. We realised how important it is for the team to think, speak and act in
unison to achieve optimised results. The times of conflict allowed us to look
at a situation holistically and move forward. With regard to the activities
conducted we, as a group, were able to match each of our strengths to the
task at hand. This activity, also known as resource mapping, helped us to
make the most out of any individual. True to a high performing team, we
were able to create synergy amongst ourselves and thus were able to
receive results which were more than the sum of our individual performance.
The success of our activity, further exemplifies this fact. The roles that each
one of us fulfilled were dynamic and overlapping which further strengthened
the bond amongst us. Another major learning was risk mitigation, we were to
plan our activities in such a way that there would always be back up or Plan
B in case Plan A did not work. Also we learnt to respect each others opinions
and at the same time gave space and flexibility for each individual to grow.

Lecture 7:
In this lecture we took a motivational analysis test in which we were asked to
write our strengths and accomplishments on one paper and then match
those accomplishments with the motivation drives that led you to accomplish
that particular task. This test gave me an insight about what factors drives
me the most and also gave me a chance to materialize those motivational
factors in 2 years in XLRI.

To be honest I was a little depressed after coming here as my insecurities

took over me. I forgot about my accomplishments, I forgot that everything is
possible if you believe in yourself. In my first month here at XLRI I lost that
self-belief. But this test made me remember all those achievements and how
I achieved them. This test gave me the motivation to do I was supposed to
do at XLRI: work hard.

Lecture 8:
We studied about Motivation & Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory which
talked about 5 basic human needs i.e. physiological, safety, social, esteem,
and self-actualization in which as each need is substantially satisfied, the
next need becomes dominant.
We learned about the lower order needs which are necessary for survival
such as physiological and safety needs and also about higher order needs
which are satisfied internally such as social, esteem, and self-actualization
needs.
Professor also talked about various modern philosophers and psychologists
like Sigmund Freud, Adler, and Sullivan and also shared their experiences
with few of their patients which in my opinion were very fascinating.

Lecture 9 & 10:

In these 2 lectures we studied various theories regarding intrinsic and
extrinsic motivational factors that drive employees to work to their full
potential in an organization. We studied Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X
assumes that employees dislike work, are lazy, dislike responsibility, and
must be coerced to perform. Theory Y assumes that employees like work are
creative, seeks responsibility, and can exercise self-direction. We also studies
the McClellands theory of needs which stated achievement, power, and
affiliation are three important needs that help explain motivation.

I could relate with all these theories as motivation has been a major factor of
me being a part of this institute. I value motivation more than anything and
tried gaining insights through these theories.
In lecture 10 we played a game on Game theory which we later studied in
economics also. This game posed a dilemma and taught us that sometimes
what seems like an obvious answer isnt always what happens in reality. We
saw how we as a class were satisfied with personal (Group) loss rather than
collective gain.

Lecture 11 & 12
In lecture 11 we took a fundamental interpersonal relationship orientation
behavioral test (FIRO-B) which consisted of 54 simple questions. This test
told us about our interpersonal skills. The test told us about how we like to
spend our time and also if we are comfortable in larger groups or smaller
groups. It also gave us an explanation about why we do what we do. This test
further validated the fact that every one of us are unique.
We also took Kolb's Learning Styles and Experiential Learning Model test
which is designed to help us assess the ways we adapt to different situations.
The inventory consisted of eight items, or general situations, and asked us to
indicate how we respond to each.

The results in this test told you about

which learning style suits you best or in other words in what way you learn
from your experiences.
In Lecture 12 we judged our own team members and chose who we like, who
we respect, with whom we would like to work, and with whom we
communicate the most. We then drew all the results of all members on a
chart and had a lot of fun along the way. Sir also gave some insights about
the group by looking at the chart.
We also conducted this test with the same set of high school students from
Loyola school in Jamshedpur.

Lecture 13 & 14:

In lecture 13 we were given a very interactive task in which we were given a
situation where we were part of a plane crash and we had to rank all the
items that could be salvaged from the crash site. Our group was further
divided into small parts and we have to come up with a individual ranking of
all items. Then those group ranking were compared with the expert rankings
and through the comparison of both ranking the nature of the group
dynamics were uncovered. This test helped me learn that I was better off
working in a group than working alone.
In lecture 14 there was a group counseling of our group along with another
group where at first each one said 2 good qualities about other person. This
activity made me realize that there is so much that I dont know about
myself, that there are so many qualities that I unconsciously portray outside.
It also helped me see through the negativities of other members of the group
and focus on their positives. After this all of us discussed the various
problems faced by us in this college and we collectively thought of various
ways that could be applied in order to alleviate our problems. This task
assured me that I was not alone facing problems in this college, that there
were other people as well who shared the same insecurities as me.

Lecture 15 & 16: Group counseling of other groups

Lecture 17 & 18:
In these two lectures we learned about what makes good leaders and what
are the qualities that differentiate them form the masses. We learnt that
leader is a person who creates an inspiring vision of the future. Who
Motivates and inspires people to engage with that vision. Then we were

asked to talk about a person from our personal life who we think of as a good
leader with our group. I talked about my grandfather being a strong figure
and the other group members also shared their cherished memories with
their respective leaders. Then each and every group members came with
certain qualities that they think should be there in a good leader.
This activity taught me that I dont have to go far to get motivation. I can just
look up to the great people who have part of my life, who I think have played
their role in a better way.

Lecture 19 & 20:

In lecture 19th we discussed a case on a person who killed himself after being
promoted to a higher position. We had a very fruitful discussion in the class
about what all reasons could have led that person to take such a serious
step. We analyzed the case step by step and finally came to a conclusion
that seemed like the most probable answer as to why that person killed
himself.
This class was an eye opener for me in the sense that I understood that work
is not everything in life, that there has to be a proper balance between your
personal and work life.
In lecture 20 we talked about 4 step model followed by fanatics :-

1. Their present situation which they show as very miserable

2. Their past situation which they portray as very prosperous
3. Their enemy who they think is the main reason behind their
miserableness
4. Then finally they tell the solution as to how can get rid of their
miseries.
Ironically we learned that same model can be applied to bring positive
change as well.

We also talked about the human brain, how it consists of the human brain
and the monkey brain. We also talked about various modes of thinking we
have according to our thinking mindsets (Autopilot, Gremlin, Goblin, and
Stone of life).
Through this lecture I learned how negative thinking can affect my
performance in a more tangible way and understood the importance of
positive thinking.

In a nutshell I would say that I had a great experience in this class. This
subject was one of the major reasons behind me getting out my
depressed state. I gained a lot of insights about myself and also my
strengths which lay untapped before. I thank my professor from the
bottom of my heart for making this subject so meaningful and interactive
for us.