Reflective Journal 2 (GRADED)

Although Google and Lenovo are both dominant companies in today's corporate world, these companies adopt a different style of management and have different working culture.

In Google, employees get to enjoy a wide range of facilities in the company. Much freedom is given to the employees by allowing 20% of their work time to be their free time, they can then use the time to develop and research on their own ideas. An advantage of this system is that when people are given the freedom, they tend to innovate and think better and more creatively, compared to limited freedom where creativity is stifled and the flow of thought is blocked. This kind of management style is much like the Western countries giving freedom to their people. Also, during meals at the common cafeteria, Googlers can actually talk and discuss with each other about work, which will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their work. In Lenovo, there is a dominant leader to lead the company. Employees seldom question their leader and just follow orders and instructions given to them. They trust their leader to make the correct decisions and judgments at the right time. They do not have much free time to develop their own projects whatsoever, but they can still work effectively on the work given. There is discipline enforced to ensure efficient working. However, I believe that unless one can discipline himself or herself, enforced discipline can never ensure everyone following the rules. In my school, there are lots of rules but some people do not even bother to follow the rules. It depends on one’s self discipline; enforced discipline will work on only certain people, never all.

Personally, I prefer the Google way of managing and the culture in the company. In Lenovo, all an employee does is follow orders and rules and instructions, one cannot have a voice of his own as it will be disrespectful to the leader. This is much like the Asian culture and tradition. Some Asians have the mindset that teachers or leaders are always right. They do not dare to question their leader or teacher. I feel that this mindset is a little too restrictive. I believe that if one adopts a respectful and humble tone, one should be allowed to give opinions or suggestions that will benefit the company. Discussions must be allowed for a company to progress. If there are no discussions and only the leader’s ideas are utilised, the brilliant minds in the company will go to a waste. The creativity of each person will be very limited and subjected to the orders of the leaders, resulting in the stifling of creativity and innovation in the company.

On the other hand, Google allows freedom in its company. They want employees to get their work done based on the passion they have towards their respective fields. They do not want to force them to do what they do not like to do. I believe that one has to have the passion and drive in order to succeed in a particular field. Westerners often know what they want in life and pursue their lifelong interests, while Asians usually take the “safe path”, jobs that will ensure a high income. Even though Google gives privileges to its employees, most employees working in Google work because they are passionate about their job, not because of fat paychecks or luxurious facilities. They work for long hours but get paid much lesser than what they can earn with those hours they work. This shows that it is the passion that motivates them to work when they can actually take advantage of the 20% free time.

A personal experience of mine is that I do not really mind doing homework of a certain subject that I like, for example, Mathematics. In primary school, I used to excel in Mathematics. But in Secondary 1, I failed in almost every subject and got a C5 in Mathematics. I decided to work harder the next year. As I practice my Mathematics, my passion for it began to grow. At the end of the year, I got the A1 I have always wanted. It was my passion that got me where I am. Another reason why I chose Google’s style is that I think freedom of expression is extremely important. In the boarding school, the director always welcomes suggestions and feedbacks as it is these things that can make the boarding school a better place to stay in. If the director is the only one providing ideas, there would be limited quality and quantity. Many brains are always better than one.

In conclusion, the Google’s way of management is much like the Western culture and Lenovo’s is much like the Asian culture. Both of the ways have advantages and disadvantages, at the end, it all narrows down to personal preferences.

Reflective Journal 1

SES

Lesson 1

After attending my first Socio-economic Studies tutorial, I believe that there are certain issues to be discussed and reflected on. For one, the assessment style is unique as it is certainly something I have not experienced before. Having not done a research based project before, a research paper and term paper is certainly something new for me. Therefore, I believe that this is an excellent opportunity for me to learn something new, which will definitely be useful in later life. I believe that being in SMTP requires students to do much research work, and being able to craft a research paper with excellent logical flow of ideas is certainly imperative in doing research. This is certainly a stepping stone for me towards the submission of a final research paper as part of the SMTP research module. Reflective journals are also important as it allows us to think back on what we have done. It is an essential part of metacognition, and it is important as it allows us to examine where we have gone wrong and what could have been done better. Besides, these reflective journals allow us to review the various issues discussed during lessons. Thus, we might be able to formulate new train of thoughts that will hone our skill our critical and logical thinking.

The topics covered in Social- economic studies covers a diverse range. However, the main aim of the course is essentially to inform and educate us in the various issues around the world. It is to raise awareness and thus allow us to understand the complexities of certain economic or political relationships between countries. Topics ranges from “The Synthesis of Confucianism and Western Ideas” to “Investigating China’s technological backwardness” give us an insight into the differences of the economic and social landscape between the east and the west. Besides, topics such as “Western technological superiority: The Industrial Revolution in Britain and its impact on the Western society” also focus on the impacts of various incidents. All in all, these topics dissect various key issues around the world, giving multiple sides of the argument to various issues. This will undoubtedly give us a more balanced view of the world, educating us to consider both sides of the argument.

I believe that the subject of Social- Economic Studies is a very useful subject as it will be very beneficial in my later life. This subject is very useful as it broadens our outlook, sharpens our intellect, and inculcates in us the habit of balanced thinking. The study of Economics makes us realize that we as human beings are dependent upon one another for our daily needs. This feeling creates in us the intelligent appreciation of our position and the spirit of co-operation with others. Besides, this subject is of great use in our jobs. As a businessman, the study of such a subject suggests us the ways of bringing about the most economical combinations of the various factors of production at his disposal. It also helps in solving the various intricacies of exchange. From the study of Economics, one can easily judge as to why the prices have risen or fallen. The knowledge of Economics also explains us as to how the reward of various factors of production is determined. Thus, we find that every’ individual can rightly hope to become a better and more efficient consumer, producer and businessman, if he has the working knowledge of economics. Last but not least, an understanding of the different social and economic backgrounds of various countries is especially useful when we are doing business with people of these countries. It is important to have an understanding so as to better relate to people of different cultural backgrounds.

After attempting the CQ assessment, I am able to reflect on my understanding on culture. CQ comprises of 4 components: CQ Drive, CQ Strategy, CQ Knowledge and CQ Action. I think basically, if one has CQ Drive, he can be able to fulfill all the other components. As my CQ Drive is quite low, I intend to gain inspiration from SES lessons if possible. I want to let SES ignite the fire for cultural intelligence within me. I hope by the end of the year, I will develop a passion about culture and be willing to take initiative to learn more about cultural differences. Also, I am pretty glad to be learning more about other cultures, how their economy is like etc, as it is important to possess the ability to adapt to other cultures when I go overseas in the future. I believe that when time comes, these knowledge that I will acquire shall prove to be useful.