BA 540 UIU Transformational Leadership Intrinsic Motivation & Trust Discussions

DQ1

One of the key legal doctrines affecting organized labor – and one that has been at the root of contention within the ranks of unions for decades – is the power of American employers to hire and fire workers with little or no notice. Although so-called “at-will” employment has been modified over the years to include special categories of workers who are entitled to special protections in the workplace, most notably the disabled, the easy movement of labor in the American workplace is in stark contrast to countries in Europe where it is difficult for many private-sector employers to fire workers due to protections from the national government. What are your views about at-will employment? Do you think labor laws need to be created to further cushion the impact of at-will employment upon the American worker? Do you think it makes sense to expand the number of protected categories of workers in the workplace? Why or why not?

DQ2

As the readings intimate, the making of law is an inherently subjective process. Lawmakers necessarily import their biases when debating law and ultimately regarding their decisions whether or not to pass legislation. Can the decision-making process regarding the creation of laws and regulations affecting organized labor be made less biased? Who would you choose to participate in the lawmaking process to ensure balance?

DQ3

Team performance and productivity are dependent on the leader and the culture of the organization. Discuss the leadership style that made a team successful or unsuccessful. What was the reason(s) for success or failure? How did the organization’s culture help or hinder the team’s success or failure? You may want to consider a team where you were the leader or a member.

R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 & R6

WILL 

POST 1

R1I believe that the labour laws made in the organizations in regard to different workers working in the firm could be made less biased on the basis of discriminatory factors. These laws should be established and made in such a manner where equality and equity is flown throughout their meaning and workers also find relevance and security with working in a company backed up by such laws. The decision making process should focus on deciding all the areas and parameters where the decision could affect its working in the organization. Critically examining all the certain and uncertain factors and consequences. All the people and stakeholders who are going to be affected with such process sh and all should be treated equally, decision should be made with no or less factor biased towards each other. For example, a maternal leave should be applied but paternal leave option should also be given for 2-3 months to the fathers as well to take care of their babies.ReferencesFossum, J. A. (2015). Labor relations: Development, structure, process. McGraw-Hill Education.

POST 2

R2Hello Class,American employers do have the power to hire and fire workers with little or no notice, and as we know, it has been one of the key legal doctrines affecting organized labor. This is known as “at will employment.” Luckily, this type of employment has been modified over the years to include special categories of workers who are entitled to special protections in the workplace, such as  the disabled.What are my views about at-will employment? It’s inconsistent. It’s no secret that each state has their own regulations on at-will employment (Ruud & Becker, 2012), which makes it appear to be not a stable option for those who are seeking employment. I also believe it can be a motivation killer due to the lack of instability in at-will employment. Labor laws do need to be created to further cushion the impact of at-will employment upon the American worker, especially those who have children and other dependents that they are supporting.After the COVID-19 pandemic had begun, there have been an upsurge of remote jobs. Some of these jobs had their at-will regulations as well (Varner & Schmidt, 2022). During events such as a pandemic, losing a job out of the blue can wreak havoc on a family.I do think that it makes sense to expand the number of protected categories of workers in the workplace. Of course, disability is a huge category; however, there are many others. From top of my head, one would be married with children; if an individual has a family to take care of, there’s more at stake should this person were to lose his or her job.ReferencesRuud, J. K., & Becker, W. S. (2012). Employment-at-will. The Encyclopedia of Human Resource Management, 180–185. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118364741.ch32Varner, K., & Schmidt, K. (2022). Employment-at-will in the United States and the challenges of remote work in the time of covid-19. Laws, 11(2), 29. https://doi.org/10.3390/laws11020029R3Hello Class,Lawmakers may import their biases when debating law and ultimately regarding their decisions whether or not to pass legislation. As we know, the making of law is of course an inherently subjective process. However, I do believe the decision-making process regarding the creation of laws and regulations affecting organized labor can be made less biased.One way to reduce bias in the law-making process would be to perhaps set more strict guidelines and criteria. For example, a recent study had suggested that it may be beneficial to add protections for independent workers, same as those who are employed under an organization (Harris & Krueger, 2015). Stricter guidelines would help ensure how to determine, establish, and enforce a law.To participate in the lawmaking process to ensure balance, I would of course recommend the respective lawmakers and government agencies. However, I would certainly encourage to utilize scientific evidence. A recent study has shown that lawmaking processes have not been utilizing science and research as efficiently as they could, and this could certainly be improved upon (Crowley et al., 2020).ReferencesHarris, S. D., & Krueger, A. B. (2015). A proposal for modernizing labor laws for twenty-first century work: The ‘independent worker’. VOCEDplus, the international tertiary education and research database. Retrieved September 12, 2022, from https://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv%3A77453Crowley, D. M., Scott, J. T., Long, E. C., Green, L., Israel, A., Supplee, L., Jordan, E., Oliver, K., Guillot-Wright, S., Gay, B., Storace, R., Torres-Mackie, N., Murphy, Y., Donnay, S., Reardanz, J., Smith, R., McGuire, K., Baker, E., Antonopoulos, A., … Giray, C. (2021). Lawmakers’ use of scientific evidence can be improved. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(9). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2012955118

POST 3

R4At-will employment is when an employee can be fired on the spot with no warning or explanation or reason or vice versa where an employee can quit for the same reason. My view is while it may not seem fair under certain circumstances for reasons for being out of pay for those especially who have children to care for I also would not want to be the business owner paying for an employee who is stealing from the business. At will employees do have rights in both state and federal government and have protection over race, religion, citizenship, whistleblowing, age and retaliation for example. I believe it also is responsible for the employee to understand if they are being hired as an at-will employee. Employees should understand clear cut grounds for judgment and understand the rules and regulations of their employer.     I do agree labor laws are needed as these laws provide structure to the workplace, help to define responsibilities and resolve workplace conflict. Business owners have the responsibility to be aware of fair employment practices especially when it comes to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of disabilities, national origin, race and gender. One such law which enforces these opportunities include the Fair Labor Standards Act, which mandates minimum wage and overtime laws for salaried and hourly, non-exempt and exempt workers. I believe it’s important to protect those who may not have the ability to protect themselves due to uncontrolled circumstances such as the way we are born into this world.      The expansion of protected categories makes sense in this day in age, one example is the transgender community. With so many changes to healthcare and retirement funds, employees have the right to be protected from changes which typically happen through changes in law. We all should have an equal chance to pursue our happiness and just because someone was born with a disability for example, should not be looked over just because of their disability and should be protected from discrimination. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted to protect and prevent discrimination in educational facilities as well as public workforces. The bottom line is there will be different people with different interests and skills but collectively they are all working for the same organization and this should trump the individual differences.ReferenceFossum, J. (2014). Labor Relations (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education (US). https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/0077663799R5Transformational leadership is a common style used to empower, motivate, and invoke change within followers and leaders alike. It can improve employee development, processes, and commitment based on trust and expectations which can influence employees to seek results above expectations (Hater & Bass, 1988). This style is one I learned about during my Bachelor’s degree and knew I wanted display the characteristics of a transformational leader. There is a balance that comes with being the one in charge. It is on you to make decisions and small, positive, changes; however, allowing your team to feel empowered to influence the work center is a part of transformational leadership. They should be motivated to create process-improvements to reach high standards and mutual respect. When I first came into my position, my team conducted a five-minute brief in the morning and at the end of the day. At first, it seemed excessive to me, but after giving myself a moment to observe and find the why, I recognized it was to communicate the tasks needed for the day and to ensure planning was accurate for the next day. If I immediately arrived and removed this process, it could have adversely impacted my teams planning, communication, teamwork, and morale. I later noticed, my team was in need of an organizational remodel in terms of who is sitting in what offices. They had a discussion and with my concurrence, they moved around offices with intentions it would increase productivity, job performance, and allow for more effective communication. This was a successful moment for my team and me as I saw direct impact of my trust them and vise versa. The culture of this shop has not always been the most professional or respected among teammates; therefore, stepping into this role I knew I would have to ensure I set my expectations and standards whil e empowering them with trust, respect and opportunities to better themselves.Wen, T. B., Ho, T. C. F., Kelana, B. W. Y., Othman, R., & Syed, O. R. (2019). Leadership Styles in Influencing Employees’ Job Performances. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 9(9), 55–65.R6Hi everyone! There are so many different styles of leadership and I have worked for and with a lot of them.  There are delegative, autocratic, democratic, coaching, affiliative, and transformational types of leadership, just to name a few.  I have worked for various specialty doctor offices as well as hospitals.  I have encountered good managers and horrible managers along the way.  Through these experiences,  I have become determined to be that manager that is transformational in their leadership skills.  It is very difficult to stay focused and on task when you have poor leadership.  It can literally cause one to find employment elsewhere.  I have learned through my own experiences that I am happier when I a have leadership that is working with me and for me.  One that motivates and rewards rather than one that delegates and micromanages.  Currently, my own leader is that of a transformational leader and I love it!  He comes to work with a great attitude that is quite contagious.  He has passion and desire that motivates individuals around him.  It is so easy to work for such a type of leadership that sometimes, I forget that we are “working”.  He makes everyone on the team feel important and he always has an open door and a listening ear.  Due to this type of environment and leadership, my team continually reaches their goals.  Not because we have to but, because we want to and that makes a world of difference in the work force.  Great leaders usually create great teams.  I don’t think I would be so motivated and goal oriented if I had a different kind of leadership.  -Laurie