ASSIGNMENT - DEVELOPING EMPATHY FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS A STAKE IN THE SCHOOL-TO- WORK TRANSITION

IDEATE

Ideate

Problem statement

We are ideating these points here in continuation with presentation done to give happy transition to those who are taking transition from school to work. Here is the problem statement which is between the manager and the interns. In this scenario interns from D school have come to do there project in a company and what problems they and their manager are facing in the process-

Problem statement

Ideation

What are the most obvious solutions for this problem? (Even things that you know already exist)

1. Outing with the team to know each other2. Fun activity with the interns to help them feel that they have

a special place there.3. Team workshop to understand them why is it important to

build good team.4. Intern workshop to teach them the culture and expectations

of the team.5. Reward points for good work.6. A common space on the server where the project can be

saved and team can get freedom to review according to the time they have.

7. A calendar in which team can go and give remarks daily about how the work is going.

8. Weekend 1 hour discussion on the project with manager.

Ideation

9. A mandatory program for the interns in which they will be given the overview of how the task is being handled in the organization till now so that they know some real work procedures.

10. Proper introduction with the team in which they have freedom to ask anything about the team, company or project.

11. Transparency between team and interns about work related things.

12. Small rewards by the team for doing good work i.e. having ice cream together.

13. Lunch discussions

14. Helping interns in things like finding home and related stuff.

15. Provide comfortable collaboration spaces with couches, snacks and beverages

Ideation

What can you add, remove or modify from those initial solutions?

1. Team lunch to welcome the interns.2. Pre planning and presentation about the project by the team.3. Intern’s can ask for the presentation about the project.4. Explanation of hierarchy so that interns can understand who is

who in the company.5. The question and answer round between the team and interns.6. Example of some good work done by other interns which was

highly appreciated by the company.7. Help interns understand how they can take support of seniors if

required in the work.8. Help them understand about the company policies related to

work.9. Help them understand the difference between school and work

place in light discussion.

Ideation

1. Help them understand the difference between school and work place in light discussion.

2. Discussion between team and interns about how can they improve the systems.

3. Team should add the review of the project in their tasks in calendar.

4. Team should be told that guiding students to do the project has got lot to do with the benefit of organization as they will get the good employees in the end.

10. Team should be told that retaining good interns will give them some points in promotion.

11. The interns should also be told that they have to talk to the team during work it has some points.

12. Team should assign a particular time in 3days time to review the project.

13. One by one everybody in the team will be helping the interns.14. Team building workshop

Ideation

15. Team should assign a particular time in 3days time to review the project.

16. One by one everybody in the team will be helping the interns.

17. Team building workshop

18. Helping interns understand that there ideas are very important for the company.

19. Helping interns understand the boundaries they have which are mandatory for them to be called good interns i.e. gossiping and grumbling about team members or company etc.

20. Making good rapport with the interns as it will build good rapport of the company and department in the school they belong to.

21. Highlighting there bad points in such manner that it should not demoralize them and help them understand how to overcome it.

Ideation

22. By making it mandatory for everyone to review the project once in a month.

23. Games i.e. communicate and ice break, create your own team etc.

24. Knowledge sharing session on weekends

25. Employees across the company or in a single department volunteer to read and discuss a particular book in a work book club.

26. One-on-one mentoring is important for employees and always recommended when you bring a new employee into your organization.

Ideation

How would you solve the problem if you had an unlimited budget?

1. Departmental lunches only in 5 stars2. A company sponsors sports teams for employees that include

baseball, golf, basketball, bowling, soccer, and more.  3. Activities such as weekly Weight Watchers meetings, yoga

classes at noon, or group exercises in your fitness center build also offer team building opportunities for employees.

4. You can provide fun classes that employees (and their families) can attend after work or on weekends.

5. Employees may share interest in various outside-of-work activities. Provide the space, email lists, and occasional financial support to promote hobby groups meeting at work.

6. Encourage your employees to volunteer as a group for team building.

Ideation

7. Inviting employees and their guests to enjoy annual sporting events such as the final game of the World Series and the final four games on big screen TVs

8. Holding a Christmas Eve holiday lunch at work or in a local restaurant as employees scatter to celebrate the holidays.

9. Going for excellent expensive holidaying with the team.

10. By buying new latest gazettes to do things.  

11. By providing them pick and drop facility.

12. Training on essential skills and competencies.

Ideation

How would you solve the problem without spending any money?

1. Think how things could be improved. It's the person who does a job who knows best how it can be done better. Encourage employees to ask silly questions such as, "Why do we do it this way?

2. Track your own performance. Encourage employees to track activity in their own jobs to build a case for improvements that could be made.

3. Take action on your ideas. Having ideas is good, but let employees know they can't just plop them on the table and expect others to run with them.

4. Do your homework. Show employees how to think through their ideas, what steps need to be taken, what the costs and benefits are, and how to collect supporting data.

5. Build consensus. Suggest employees start with those who will most likely be interested in their idea to get them involved in supporting it.

Ideation

6. Speak up at meetings. We've all been in meetings that have gotten sidetracked or bogged down. Encourage others to play an active role in meetings.

7. Volunteer for new assignments. Whether it is a pressing problem, a special task force, or someone else in the department that needs help, encourage employees to be the person to step forward to help out.

8. Manage your manager. Explain to employees how they need to understand their manager's priorities and fit their ideas into those. Encourage them to tell you what they need to do the best job possible.

9. Encourage employees to stay the course with those ideas they most believe in that will help the business.

10. Encouraging them to initiate a new task or solve a long-standing problem engages employees and unleashes a tremendous amount of motivation and creativity.

Ideation

11. If you create an environment where people truly participate, you don't need control. They know what needs to be done and they do it.

12. Opportunities to learn, practice, perform

13. Revised, realistic expectations

14. Delegation of challenging assignments

15. Motivated self-study

16. Helping everyone understands the differences in values, personality type, style (with manager, peers, customers, etc.)

17. Make it “safe” to present and try new ideas, make suggestions, question assumptions, and challenge the status quo.

18. Make quality employee-supervisor relationships a priority.

19. Identify what employees perceive as “positive performance outcomes.”

Ideation

20. Ensure that the organization’s infrastructure is aligned with an innovative culture – e.g., the compensation and performance management systems recognize and reward those who engage in innovative behavior.

21. Helping manager understands that people work for their own growth; they don’t work for the manager or under manager but likes to work with the manager so creating a good relationship is mutually benefit task and a must for good growth of self, company and team.

22. Telling interns to make their desk their own private happy gateway. Put up pictures of things that make them happy or that remind them of their goals to create a calming and positive environment.

23. Helping team understands that this is intern’s first project and he should not be de-motivated by anyone even if he fails as it has got lot to do with his future success.

Ideation

How would you solve this problem if you had control over the laws of nature (think invisibility, teleportation, etc.)?

1. By creating a very hi-tech system on computer which can show people that where their reactions and actions will take them to after 6 months to 5 years from now if they will evolve in this way.

2. By giving them some hi-tech gazettes which can get connected with their brains and train their brains in week areas i.e. doing MBA in 3 hours, one just need to upload the content from machines into their brain and yeah! he is a perfect MBA.

3. They can be given one big screen which can work (as Skype) to do online meetings right from their desks, where they can see each other and talk to each others, do conferencing and even exchange files etc.

4.  Flying cars to travel anywhere in the world to gather information quickly about the project.

Ideation

How would a 5-year-old child solve the problem?

1. By talking to their parents and teachers that how should he solve these issues?

2. By playing games with each other.

3. By learning how to share tasks etc.

Ideation

The Best three out of theseThe most practical idea (one that could be easily

implemented)

1) Team Building activities that foster team success yet are easy and cost-effective-

It helps in improving communication, boosting morale, motivation, ice breakers which help get to know each other better, learning effective strategies, improving productivity, learning about one’s strengths and weaknesses and many others. Here are some examples-

1. Games i.e. communicate and ice break, create your own team etc.

2. Knowledge sharing session on weekends

3. Lunch discussions

4. Provide comfortable collaboration spaces with couches, snacks and beverages

Ideation

5. Employees across the company or in a single department volunteer to read and discuss a particular book in a work book club.

6. One-on-one mentoring is important for employees and always recommended when you bring a new employee into your organization.

7. Departmental lunches

8. A company sponsors sports teams for employees that include baseball, golf, basketball, bowling, soccer, and more.  

9. You can provide fun classes that employees (and their families) can attend after work or on weekends.

Ideation

The most disruptive idea (one that would make a huge impact, regardless of how feasible or affordable it is)

2) Engage employees by encouraging them to take initiative

A culture which encourages an employee to take initiative and do what needs to be done without waiting to be told is greater than ever. In addition to helping the organization save money, improve processes, and delight customers, taking initiative makes the employee's job more exciting as they make things happen and get a reputation for doing so.

1. Make it “safe” to present and try new ideas, make suggestions, question assumptions, and challenge the status quo.

2. Identify what employees perceive as “positive performance outcomes.”

Ideation

3. Ensure that the organization’s infrastructure is aligned with an innovative culture – e.g., the compensation and performance management systems recognize and reward those who engage in innovative behavior.

4. Encourage employees to stay the course with those ideas they most believe in that will help the business.

5. Encouraging them to initiate a new task or solve a long-standing problem engages employees and unleashes a tremendous amount of motivation and creativity.

Ideation

Your favorite idea (one idea that you are excited about for whatever reason... you don’t have to justify why)

Here is my favorite idea though my favorite would be the combination of all three ideas as I feel all the three ideas I have explained here are equally important but still if I have to chose one this is the one I ll chose because proper intro and proper understanding of work will build great team in the end and help interns understand how to start and what exactly they need to do which can help them develop good relations and better performer in the process. This idea is a big time saver and life savior for them. When we don’t know who we are (as fresher) and with whom we ll be working and what exactly we have to do we feel lost, shy, scared most of the time. I strongly feel that this idea will give a good start to the interns to gel well with the team and to do some great work.

Ideation

3) Proper introduction of employees and explanation of activities they are supposed to do

A mandatory program for the interns in which they will be given the overview of how the task is being handled in the organization till now so that they know some real work procedures. Proper introduction with the team in which they have freedom to ask anything about the team, company or project. It can be a very good ice breaker and help them to build trustable relationship which will help them to interact properly later.

Ideation1. Team lunch to welcome the interns.

2. Pre planning and presentation about the project by the team.

3. Intern’s can ask for the presentation about the project.

4. Explanation of hierarchy so that interns can understand who is who in the company.

5. Help interns understand how they can take support of seniors if required in the work.

6. Help them understand about the company policies related to work.

7. By making it mandatory for everyone to review the project once in a month.

8. A common space on the server where the project can be saved and team can get freedom to review according to the time they have.

9. A calendar in which team can go and give remarks daily about how the work is going.

10. Weekend 1 hour discussion on the project with manager.

Thank You

Here is the link of presentation done on Empathy and Define by me last week.

http://www.slideshare.net/priiti/assignment-empathize-and-define