Stephen Covey’s fourth generation approach to time management is unique and transformational compared to the first three time management approaches, which remind us to plan for, prepare for, prioritize and control the “things” in our lives. The fourth generation allows a person to “move beyond time management to life leadership…to paradigms that are based on creating quality-of-life results” (31). It puts “people ahead of schedules, compasses ahead of clocks…lead lives of meaning and contribution…live, love and leave a legacy with balance and joy” (73). It provides a “theory and tools that will empower us to use our endowments to fulfill our basic needs and capacities in a balanced, principle centered way” (73), and provides us the “ability to develop and use our own inner compass so that we can act with integrity in the moment of choice” (74). The fourth generation paradigm puts “people first, things second. It’s leadership first, management second. It’s effectiveness first, efficiency second. It’s purpose first, structure second. It’s vision first, method second” (206). In essence, it allows a person to place goals and roles as the controlling element of the system and favors importance over urgency. The fourth generation approach is truly transformational because it allows a person to use the four interdependent endowments (self-awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination) to “exercise effective, synergistic interdependence” which will “empower us to take time, energy and human creativity that’s typically wasted in Quadrant I crises and unimportant Quadrant III activities, and combine it in ways that create whole new dimensions of effectiveness” (210). The “Golden Rule” to creating a win-win philosophy is... ... middle of paper ... ...ses all stakeholders and the four human needs are essential to transform the quality of our lives. As the shared vision is built, we will become more aware of the “value of synergistic roles and goals” (222). The key to synergizing these roles and goals is in the creation of stewardship agreements. The key to an effective interdependent effort is what Covey refers to as “win-win stewardship agreements” (223). These agreements are built by collaborating on five elements: desired results, guidelines, resources, accountability and consequences. By clarifying how these elements affect teams roles, proper expectations can be set, which will go a long way to reduce frustrations and contribute to the quality of life for everyone involved. Works Cited Covey, Stephen R.; Roger A. Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill. First Things First. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. Print
This involves working together to generate win-win alternatives for resolving issues (Robin, 2002). Collaborating involves high to moderate skill levels of parties, clear clarity of both goals, strong status of relationships, Win-Win attitude toward authority, low concerns for formalities and traditions, and a high self-concept.
The speaker was credible for this topic since she had her of gaining time management skills. The speech was delivered on Wednesday afternoon March 22nd, at a youth group meeting. The purpose was to inspire and motivate us to become more efficient people. She had our best interest in mind which made her a credible speaker.
Increasingly businesses are capitalizing on the benefits of teamwork. The adage that two heads are better than one, and four heads are better then two, appears to be a proven fact as more teams are formed and team dynamics are refined through increased management of conflict resolution.
Second, team members must appreciate one another’s perspectives and refrain from blaming one another for problems they may encounter. Before Jimenez’s team-based productivity project, the engineers and the operations workers at the Wichita site neither understood nor appreciated the other side’s contributions. Jimenez and Keller set up the monthly meetings to discuss problems and resolve them. That was an excellent mechanism for providing information on the different contributions and challenges of the various camps. Moreover, their active intervention during those meetings helped stop the blaming. Finally team members must create shared views of problems and shared approaches for resolving them. Those commonalities must be acceptable to everyone if they are to provide the core for new ways of doing things. The monthly problem chats represented the beginning of process if developing acceptable approaches. The company softball games provided a powerful way for the brains and the brawn to develop a shared picture if their plant and its goals, as well as to get to know individuals from the other side and to appreciate their perspectives.
Larson, C. and LaFasto, F. (1989), Teamwork: What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong. Newberry Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
everyone should be power ful every one should be responsible for their work. There should be effective communication among each other and we should be able to understand each other.there should be a positive attitude of the members of the team.
An individual’s contribution towards teamwork is a hidden factor towards high performance that not many people understand until they have had significant experience working with various teams. While interdependence amongst all team members is something people are familiar with, one tends to undermine the necessity and intensity of individual contributions. Hearing Professor Hutchinson’s lecture he made me realize that there is an “I” in team which motivated me further to improve my individual performance on the team (“Building Effective Teams”). Our first team deliverable was the Team Contract which encompassed all our goals, expectations and formal rules that would govern our team’s performance. After delivering our team contract, every team member had a clear understanding as to how our team would function. We had a common goal and very organic values and ideas.
A shared goal has a major impact on the success of a team. For such a common goal or vision to be understood and sustained, interdependence and mutual understanding must be developed. For this to happen, there must be support of the team must be present. Trust must be present and must be recognized (Loo & Loewen, 2003).
In David Wright’s “The Myths and Realities of Teamwork,” (Wright, D., 2013), he outlines six myths that are ubiquitous and perpetuated by many people. Here is a short examination of all six.
Not all work groups are teams. Reilly and Jones (1974) list four essential elements of teams: goals, interdependence, commitment, and accountability. The members must have mutual goals or a reason to work together; there must be an interdependent working relationship; individuals must be committed to the group effort; and the group must be accountable to a higher level within the organization. A good example is an athletic team, whose members share goals and an overall purpose. Individual players have specific assignments they are responsible for, but each depends on the other team members to complete their assignments. Lack of commitment to the team effort reduces overall effectiveness. Finally, the team usually operates within the framework of a higher organization such a league.
The problem of time management can be said to be universal not only affecting students but also other people in careers. This problem is seen to transition from a person’s life from different cadres of his or her engagement specifically from home, school and at work. It is also a problem that is internal and not external.
What do we know about time management? As adults we should know a lot about time management. We all strive to become the best that we can be. This alone should encourage us to learn about time management. Every aspect of our lives depends on it. If we try to plan, organize, and execute our ideas most of the time we can manage it well, but when we go the other route, and jump out there feet first, most of the time we do not do as well. This is not the case in every light, but usually it is the norm. Even as we sit in class trying to better ourselves by improving on our education, we learn that we must manage time to the best of our abilities. This is not done only for school, but for our families for those of us that have children and spouses. A lot of the time, we manage to get everything done and leave ourselves out in the cold when it comes to making time for ourselves. If it is not our job or school we are trying to meet someone else's needs.
In the workplace, time management is an important factor in everyone’s day-to-day work. If a person’s time is well managed, it is possible to achieve a greater amount in a shorter space of time. How effectively people manage their time has a major influence on aspects of their working lives and their personal lives. Effective time management can have a hugely positive effect on a person, it can lead to a focused and disciplined mentality, giving a higher level of productivity, greater efficiency and an all round positive attitude in life. This benefits the individual, their team, the company they work for and also their friends and family. An example of this is an employee who prioritises their jobs at the start of the day; this gives them a structured day and ensures they have time to complete all of the important jobs. However, if time is poorly managed it can lead to inefficiencies, work overload and added pressure, this could eventually lead on to other issues such as stress.
New York: Dover Publications, 1990. Print. The. Barry, Peter. The. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory.
(Claessens, Brigitte J.C.2004). adds that time “cannot be managed, because time is an invariable factor. Only the way a person deals with time can be”. Nevertheless, time management has become increasingly essential to businesses and organizations. This is especially true over the last two decades, as a result of expanding global competition and increased demands for the immediate availability of products and services. Given the increased pace of everyday life, people increasingly need to be more organized. Efficient time management practices support business students in acquiring key skills that will assist them both in their educatio...