Quarter 4 - Week 3

Now that we have completed three quarters, and three weeks.... we've basically done 3.3 / 10 quarters. THAT means, we only have two-thirds left to go! Now all we need to do, is figure out what we did in the past, and repeat it twice more. That looks like it'll work. I think.

Nothing special happened this week, except for the quizzes (about time they started too, I was beginning to think I was important, this brought me back down to earth). One quiz in OperMan, and another in CorpFin. On the same day. Yes, our professors have synchronized internal clocks.

OperMan - This week was all about Queues and how to setup operations in consideration to this and the service industry. By and large, this was a case-study centred week, both days had us discussing a couple of cases. I hadn't prepared properly, so it came as an utter shock to me when everyone else was rattling numbers and throwing jargon, while I was sitting and hunting for the numbers here and there. (Study, study, study!). The test came and went, and took any semblance of dignity I had. But, never fear, next week's coming near, I'll have some dignity and hold onto it for dear. (Hey, I'm a poet).

CorpFin - More discussion on bonds and their valuation. I think we progressed a little beyond that, I only remember this since it was part of the test. I draw a blank after that. Will update next week, after I study.

MPPO - All the touchy-feely parts of management come together in one orchestra called MPPO. Quite a few of our classmates get easily bored in this class. The prof actually said something like "the young ones don't fully understand what goes on in an organization and the human aspect to it, whereas you experienced ones (he meant old. us old ones, really?) are a little more mellow. You know what the pulse of the organization is, so you are able to absorb the teachings from this course better". A couple of my neighbours were doodling on a pad, so I'm guessing they were thoughtfully considering what he said. Anyway, this week we were discussing ego states (Parent, Adult and Child) and inter-personal strokes and judgements. Essentially about how the way we communicate to people should match how they're perceiving it. If there's a disconnect, communication tends to give way to the friction, and pretty much stops. Strokes was all about how people are thirsting for feedback, and will go for any kind of stroke (positive or negative i.e. compliment or otherwise, in comparison to no feedback at all). The course is definitely something to ponder over, when we consider that most of us are only concentrating on results and data, when "people" by themselves are such a vast, unknown subject by themselves. Hmm.

But whatever said, 1/3 is done. It's a big step for us guys, I'm sure we can make two more! Cheers to us.

Quarter 4 - Week 2

Did I happen to mention that our class room is now changed? I like this one better since the class now gently curves around like an arc with the centre being the dias where the prof lectures from. The previous classroom was more "angular" so to say with the guys at the corners looking at the board from literally 150 degrees to the normal. Of the board. Of course, this classroom has it's problems too... we dont have enough seats for all of us, so i think three or four guys actually sit in the back on separate chairs with those "swivelable" writing desks.

OperMan - More talk about process, and we even delved a little into the more "holistic" picture where we discussed how different aspects of an organization constitute its success. Things like machinery, resource augmentation and processes can be duplicated easily, with the latter being a little more complicated. Therefore, if we're trying to differentiate against our competitors, these points aren't really as important as the organization culture, which is far harder to duplicate. We've been discussing a couple of cases, Kristen's Cookie Company and the Shouldice Hospital. So we're finding how all the different aspects work together and help us get more efficient. We're even questioning as to whether the companies are following the best strategy as of now, so it's all good..

CorpFin - A sense of dread quickly takes over, as I realize that this isn't one of those math subjects which you can just pick up in an hour. It's a big thing, Corporate Finance doesn't sound like a joke. I've been complaining about this aspect all along, if I dont read up before the class, I'm going to get screwed! If most of us in our class are doing the same thing, we're all going to get screwed! It's not good!! Why am I using so many exclamation marks??!!!! Seriously. The prof happened to ask today, "Why the silence? Do you agree, dont you... say something. Do I assume you're understanding what I'm saying?". I cant even look the guy in the eye, I've really got to buck up here! In terms of syllabus, we've completed cash flows (I think), and apparently in the second session today we did Valuation of Bonds. This basically entailed a decent description of what bonds are, what's their maturity etc. To my consternation, when I was copying the notes from the board (as were most of us), the prof casually remarked "Why are you copying all this? It's right in the textbook! I wouldnt be doing it if it werent in it!". Yes, I'd agree this is a bright red warning light. To him and us.

MPPO - This class is so much more like a novel. Full fundas, less science. Actually, more observational science than anything else, I'd presume. This is our first OB (Organizational Behaviour) course. I must say it's a little challenging (though very easy going on the inside) to try and apply this on the outside. We're talking mindsets of other people, not just ours. People aren't really under your control, what's the point of them having brains or an opinion for that matter. So even if I found that "This-and-this is what characterizes me", and that "This is what I can change in myself", getting other people to go through the same thing (especially my team) seems to be an entirely different matter. Sure, we have our problems now, but the lizard-brain in me thinks "What if this opens up a whole new set of problems, that we're not equipped to deal with?". When we deal with matters of emotion, we need to be more careful with it, since we're playing within a field who's limits we don't truly understand yet, and which is actually a very vulnerable and personal point for people in the team.

Having said that, the class is insightful at the least, and it's definitely a lot more relaxing after a hectic class of CorpFin. This week we studied the important of "Perception" and the "Jo-Hari window". Perception dealt with the aspect that people tend to project their umderstanding and experiences onto other people based on the life and behaviour that they have seen. They actually tend to associate a person with certain attributes (Openness, Social, Beauty, Leadership, Results, Optimism etc.) since the mind finds it easier to filter and optimally search through for a basic understanding of a person. As time passes, and we gain more knowledge, this level of perception might and probably should change to get a more accurate view. But it depends on how flexible the person is to change his/her perception. The second part "Jo-Hari window" is all about how giving and receiving feedback determines the kind of person we are. It is possible that in this kind of 2-vs-2 window, all four varieties seem to have their needs at certain times, but I felt that the expectation was to typically tilt more towards having a balanced form of "give" and "take" feedback. One tends to question if sometimes staying at the centre between two points is really the most effective, or if it is necessary to tilt towards either side depending on the circumstance.

I guess at the end of the day, it's knowing how to stay at the centre, when to move to the extremes and how to ensure you can always move between the extremes and the centre that's most important. Flexibility is gaining ground in today's world, and it seems obvious that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to all problems. Yes, I'll take my standing ovation now, thank you. :)

Quarter 4 - Week 1

Yes! Only three subjects this time!! Makes it seem like this quarter will be a breeze, or so we keep on wishing! While all this time, we've been studying basic stuff, this quarter meets us head-on! We have Corporate Finance (WOAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!), Operations Management (WOAAAAHHHHHH!!!!) and Managing People and Performance in Organizations (WOAAAHHHH!!!!). Three subject names that we take with awe! If someone asks me what I'm studying this quarter, I'm going to cock my head to a side and say "Oh, we're doing Corporate Fin.. (blah blah) ..nce in Organizations." and egoistically look at the other person's eyes open wide. Someone's getting cocky methinks..!

But you dont want to know how much of an ass I'm going to become, and you dont want me to waste a single line, leave alone a whole paragraph on it. So, why dont I just save my breath/keypresses and introduce you to the topics.

OperMan - Yes, I'm calling it OperMan even though the Operations prof asked us to say "OM". We had met this prof before, so we were quite comfortable around him. He brought in a balance of humour, discipline and candor. He started the first day saying we should read the required articles of the day, prepare a presentation and specifically mentioned that he didnt want a summary of the case in it, he wanted our insight. You'd think it was obvious, but considering how we'd like to think that "If you didnt say it, we ain't doing it", this put the writing in stone. He is also the first prof to bring in debate in our class. If someone makes a point, and someone else has a conflicting view, he gets them to talk to each other... right in class. Definitely interesting. The second session, we studied about processes and how we put them in place, what's the point of one etc. I'm not too big a fan of processes, let's see if he can convert my view like some of the other profs we've seen.

CorpFin - It's not my fault that this *somewhat* sounds like "coffin". This prof is a no-nonsense guy. Comes with simple black-and-white bulleted slides, says he isnt going to do a funny class since his sense of humour is almost dead, and says working too much with money can do that to you. Pretty much tells us that we better pay attention, this class needs a good amount of preparation and then with a deadpan expression, says something that was actually pretty darn funny. Reminds me of our Law prof. This prof talks a lot. In jargon. This was the first time I really understood where all these MBAs learn to talk in "keywords". (cool jargon) here, (cool jargon) there... if you lost track of what he was saying, you might as well give up and learn a foreign language. So everyone had their eyes on this guy (atleast the ones who werent sleeping) as he spoke to us about the role of a Financial Manager, what is the work involved, and then went on to something related to Net Present Values and Discounted Cash Flows. Yes, I know. My brain felt empty too.

MPPO - Not a very pretty name. But a pretty subject. Seemed to deal a lot more with "feelings" unlike the other subjects we've studied so far. The first session was an introduction to the subject, and some discussion on how people find it hard to make the turns from being an individual contributer to a manager, to a manager of managers etc. till an enterprise leader. Interesting sessions, with a few interesting stories. It seems that people actually find it hard to change from being an IC to a manager, purely because they dont understand that their job is not to DO, but to ENABLE. Takes time. The next day we discussed how people's personalities are shaped, and questions were raised (due to the topic of course) about why evidence points to the fact that people's personality traits seem inborn. The reading was about how twins raised apart, in very different environments, still exhibit similar likes and dislikes. The prof agreed that people CAN change, but that it requires a great deal of effort. We've even filled out some questionnaires that tell us what kind of people we are, and so on, so forth. Looks like it will be a discussion-oriented and practical-approach-based class.

All these subjects together have more books than any of the last quarters. Let's hope we're able to read everything up. In time. I, in any case,look forward to exploring another part of this "holistic" jungle. :)