personal learning journal for volunteer organizations and education 5 pages
Midterm Personal Learning Journal
Shay McElveen
Ball State University
EDAC 646
Midterm Personal Learning Journal
As the saying goes: Learning is a continuous process! Indeed learning is the only parameter in life that continues and shall continue as long as one is alive. The learning process may take the formal approach or the informal approach or even both in certain instances. It is worth mentioning that any form of learning process has several insights and experiences as well as some challenges that the learner encounters (Cherry, 2013). In the following presentation I will be sharing my personal experience about learning. In addition, I will highlight the significant insights, the challenges and the general approach that was used during the induction.
What has been the most important learning experiences?
As I had pointed out earlier in this journal entry learning is a process of developing and understanding through interaction with greater minds. In most cases it involves gaining understanding of new ideas about how a particular phenomenon in life should be handled. As a frequent consultant of employee relations issues, I learned a lot but the most striking experiences that I got from the course were the process of motivation and how it relates to productivity and the concept of resource planning as a prerequisite of organizational success (Cherry, 2013). From the course, I got to develop a clear understanding that motivation plays a very important role in enhancing productivity of the employees/volunteers. This was a greater learning experience to me since through the course I saw the link between remuneration and the quality of work done by the employees.
As was depicted from the class lessons, it is apparent that the driving force that propels people to seek work is the desire to meet their daily needs and live a more satisfactory and fulfilling life. Therefore, offering better remuneration coupled with a conducive working environment instills in the employees the zeal and vigor to deliver better returns. This is very critical for managers since the onus to hire and maintain a vibrant workforce squarely lies on their shoulders. It was even more amazing to learn that the theory of motivation takes different approaches ranging from nonmaterial offers like promotion, provision of elegant and spacious offices to material acknowledgements of outstanding performance like awards or even salary increment. That notwithstanding, I discovered that the approach of motivation adopted majorly depends on the organizational culture(Colquitt et al 2015).
The second startling learning experience I got from the course is the idea of resource planning. The course provided a deeper understanding to me in relation to resource panning in relation to organizational productivity. From the onset, it was made clear that resources are valuable and economical thus they should be properly and strategically handled. From the course, I discovered that proper resource allocation is the synergy that distinguishes organizations in terms of performance and service delivery. Proper allocation of resource for example gives the management easy time when it comes monitoring (Colquitt et al 2015). Additionally it limits cases of wastage and thus enables an organization to be economical in terms of utilization. Additionally, in relation to personnel management, it enhances productivity since it promotes full utilization of available personnel.
Volunteer Work
It is worth noting that for one to horn his competencies gained in class there is need to engage in practical exercise through the volunteering process. Volunteering not only provides learners with an opportunity to showcase their competencies gained in class but also provides them with an opportunity to learn the skills taught practically and first hand. From the course, it is apparent that while going out as a volunteer there are certain philosophical and theoretical assumptions that must be adhered to. From the course I discovered that the theory of change and the engagement models are two common assumptions that volunteers often consider using in their volunteering experience. As envisaged by Colquitt et al (2015), the theory of change provides volunteers with small and systematic steps that guide one to accomplishing the set goal or target. In this way, the theory of change helps in simplifying a task that would otherwise appear complicated, especially to volunteers who are inexperienced and need guidance to get better understanding of how different tasks are performed.
Additionally, TOC provides volunteers with a clear distinction between the desired outcomes and the actual outcomes thereby forming a basis of comparison to assess oneself. Moreover, through the use of TOC, the volunteers can get proper consideration during work allocation since it ensures transparent and rational distribution of duties and responsibilities and champions for inclusivity. On the same note, engagement model is equally important for all volunteers. Basically engagement model provides the volunteers with a clear picture of how different personnel and various departments interact as a team with the organization and the clients with the view of delivering quality. It is thus a pragmatic assumption that will assist volunteers to understand the scope of their responsibilities during their attachments and also to guide them on how their duties interrelate with other departments within the organization (Colquitt et al 2015).
Characteristics of the new breed of volunteers and volunteering
Volunteering has and will be one way that corporate organizations leverage the cost of hiring employees by acquiring cheap labor while at the same time also offering the upcoming professional an opportunity to gain hands on experience. From the course I have discovered that the current market is predominantly dominated by the generation Y or the Millennial as they are commonly referred to. I feel that the millennial have totally changed the volunteering slogan. This group of professionals is motivated to gain experience and is not driven for any pay (Howe, 16 November 2015). In particular, I have discovered that the millennial are more interested in gaining experience from the experienced and senior employees. Their desire is to learn from their predecessors and become much better with time. Secondly, the millennial volunteer for self-esteem. They feel self-satisfaction when they associate with top companies. Finally they are more concerned with Camaraderie. In other words, their desire is to associate with top corporate employees and staff and socialize as they also learn new skills here and there (Howe, 16 November 2015).
The most surprising learning experience
The most surprising in the entire learning encounter has been group dynamics. Adult education is somewhat difficult to decipher the concept of change and group diversity. As a follower of the traditional working group, it has been very difficult for me to catch up with the new changes on separation of duties that never was in the olden days where a group would hand several duties and responsibilities. Besides, it was difficult to catch up with the fast paced transformation in organizational structure and group development. The use of functional teams for instance is a new development that I came across for the first time.
In the same line, the most challenging experience from the learning outcome is the idea of diversification (Colquitt et al 2015). I became a bit paranoid to discover that in the present generation there is equal opportunity for all and there are no longer special occupations for men and occupations set aside for the women. I could not comprehend this. Moreover the issue of affirmative action that sought to level the playing field for either of the two genders is another challenge that I am still grappling with even at the moment.
Dissemination of the learning process
The learning process was organized and disseminated using different approaches with the view of making it more practical and enjoyable. The predominant approach was lecture where the facilitator guided the learners through the course by highlighting the key points. Besides, the learners were also assigned some topics where they researched and presented their findings on their specific areas of research. The third method that was also used was handouts; the facilitator organized and issued the learners with the content of the course for further studies outside the lecture halls. Following the new developments in the sector, I discovered that there are several adjustments on the course content (Friedman, & Schustack, 2016). The current content for instance has the emerging trends in each and every topic; this has made the learning a bit practical than in the previous case. The learning is so crucial to me since it acts as the backbone and the blueprint from which I will be developing my leadership and administrative foundation. As an aspiring leader, I will ensure that I apply the knowledge in addressing daily issues that HR managers come across.
Conclusion
Learning process has its ups and downs. It is quit challenging especially for adult learners since they have fixed mindsets that impede receipt of new ideas. At the same time, learning generally opens up the reasoning and level of understanding of the learner. In particular it prepares one for employability and even volunteering. Currently the job market is dominated by generation. This generation is driven by self-motivation as opposed to material reward. They thus volunteer to learn and gain experience. Learning is administered through different approaches like lectures, issuance of handouts and presentation among others.
Cherry, K. (2013). Trait theory of personality. Retrieved from
http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/trait-theory.htm
Colquitt, J. A., LePine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J. (2015). Organizational behavior: Improving
performance and commitment in the workplace (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Friedman, H. S. & Schustack, M. W. (2016). Personality: Classic theories and modern research, (6th Ed.). Pearson: Boston.
Howe, N., (16 November 2015). "Why Do Millennials Love Political Correctness? Generational Values". Forbes