Blog 4- April

Conflict Resolution

In Season Two of The Office, the one and only Michael Scott takes it upon himself to resolve all of the issues that have been brewing among his employees.

Michael begins by going over the different kinds of conflict, where he utters his signature "My Shaolin Temple style defeats your Monkey style." But in all honesty, there are different kinds of conflict, different ways to view conflict, and many ways on how to manage conflict.

Conflict is any situation in which there are incompatible goals, ideas, or emotions within or between individuals or groups that lead to opposition. Whether it be Jim putting Dwight's stapler in jello-

  

 -or Oscar and Angela arguing over this creepy baby poster

 

There are plenty of opportunities for Michael to resolve conflict among the employees. There is positive conflict, which is functional, and benefits the organization or person's main objectives. There is also negative conflict, which is dysfunctional, and hinders the person or organization's ability or performance.

 There are three views concerning conflict-

1. Traditional View- conflict is always bad and should be avoided at all costs
2. Human Relations View- conflict is natural and inevitable, and is accepted as normal
3. Integrationist View- conflict is inevitable, and maintaining a degree of tension can  be helpful in keeping a group energized and creative.

 I'm not really sure what view Michael Scott takes on as he mediates the conflict between Angela and Kevin, but regardless, it is funny.

Conflict usually has a negative connotation, but it isn't all bad. Groups with synergy and great ideas that are progressive use conflict to their advantage. And just think how boring our lives would be without Jim and Dwight's shenanigans.




"I never smile if I can help it. Showing one's teeth is a submission signal in primates. When someone smiles at me, all I see is a chimpanzee begging for its life."

-Mercedes Maness

Blog 3- March

The Conference Room


Michael Scott loved the Conference Room. To him, it was a mystical place full of wonder and imagination. To just about everyone else in the Office, it was a major waste of time.

Most people, myself included, hate going to meetings. We've all been to that one meeting where you leave more confused than when you entered. If a meeting is not well organized, they can be long, unsuccessful, boring, and overall, pretty terrible. Lucky for us though, there are some great tips on how to make meetings efficient and effective.


1. Clarify the purpose of the meeting- make sure everyone is starting on the same page

2. Choose the type of communication mechanism for the meeting- face to face, or virtual

3. Decide who should participate in the meeting- AKA don't invite Accounting if the purpose of the meeting is related to Sales (and nothing will get done with Dwight and Jim)

4. Develop a plan for the meeting- create and distribute an agenda, so everyone knows what to expect and keeps comments on topic and relative

Follow these great tips and you'll have a meeting epic air high five worthy!

I just really love The Office, okay?
Mercedes Maness

Blog 2- February

Junk Mail

We've all been hit with it- those annoying emails that 1) sit in our inbox, collecting dust for weeks, 2) kill brain cells when we actually do take the time to read them, or 3) cause us to perpetuate the cycle and forward them on.

Now don't get me wrong, sometimes the information we choose to send on is pertinent, but usually by the time I receive the email, we've moved on to a new topic. Or worse, I actually think the forward you sent me is funny, and I send it on to someone else (reference to Michael Scott, King of Forwards).

Either way, these are not the most efficient ways of communicating professionally, especially via email.

When sending professional emails, make sure to follow "Netiquette." A cheeky, fun term to refer to a set of practices to make internet communication helpful to everyone. There are plenty of do's and don'ts concerning emails, but some of the basics include-

• Be brief 
• Make sure information is relevant to recipients
• Include necessary contact information
• Use professional language
• Don't send mass emails

As you can see, it's not hard to do, and trust me, your contact list will appreciate it!

Sincerely,
Mercedes Maness

PS- I'll just leave this here for your entertainment Michael Scott, King of Forwards

Blog 1- January

"Know Thyself"

Admit it, we're all obsessed with our personality types. We pore over our horoscopes and take quiz after quiz to try and understand ourselves better. But why? Shouldn't we, of all people, understand ourselves the best?

The importance of personality quizzes doesn't lie in knowing that we are guardians or artisans or if we are blues or oranges- it is understanding that our personality influences the choices we make, and impacts how we perceive the world around us.

There isn’t one kind of personality that is better or worse than any other- there is a time and a place for them all. Whether you be outgoing and talkative, or timid and shy, knowing these characteristics about yourself only helps you to make wise decisions and become the most engaging and effective citizen you can be.

Though we may not be able to change our personality, understanding ourselves and how we make decisions is crucial to becoming not only successful within our academics or career fields, but also in creating and fostering relationships with others.

As humans, we feel a constant need to identify with others. We feel the need to be included, and grouped together with those who are like us. Perhaps that is why we take that BuzzFeed quiz to decide what Star Wars character we are most like, or use a sorter to decide which Hogwarts house we would be placed in.

Think of it this way- if our personality defines us, shouldn’t that be a definition we know by heart?

A fellow Inventor, Green, Gryffindor, and Han Solo,

Mercedes Maness 

Here are some links to a few fun quizzes.

http://www.keirsey.com/sorter/register.aspx

https://www.colorcode.com/personality_test/

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mackenziekruvant/which-hogwarts-house-do-you-belong-in

http://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/which-star-wars-character-are-you#.mynQavv94