The Benefits of Learning as a Continuous Process

Learning is always a continuous process. Every day, we come across new materials that can improve our understanding of different issues. In other cases, we interact with people who may have new information that we may be lacking. This particular course gave me the chance to learn new information that I will use in future. In this paper, I will reflect on some of the critical insights that I gained through the course. 

One of the interesting issues that was addressed in this course was the subject of power. We all have our understanding of what power is all about and the way it should be used. To some, power relates to being in a position of authority. To others, it is all about influencing other people. Prior to this course, I had not taken time to delve deeper into the subject of power. By the time I was finishing the course, however, I have a clear understanding of what power is and the way it can affect other people. According to Bauer and Erdogan (2012), power can be described as the ability to influence and shape the behavior of other people to get what is desirable. In some cases, power is considered to be the ability of an individual to influence other people to get what he or she wants. It is imperative to state that the distribution of power is usually visible in organizations. For example, those who occupy managerial positions use their authority and ranks to be able to influence those below them. Furthermore, such individuals are able to influence the kind of decisions that are made regarding the business and its employees. I have realized that people usually express and show their power differently. There are those who use power to manipulate others and achieve personal goals. Others focus on using power to assist and elevate others. 

Power needs to be expressed cautiously and carefully. According to Rockewell (n,d), power requires humility if it is to bring positive outcome. In addition, those who are in position of power should strive to be confident and helpful to other people. When the leaders are humble and confident, they will be in a position to exert their power in a manner that will bring positive results to the followers. I also believe that those in position of power should strive to demand excellence from themselves before asking for the same from their followers. This way, they will be able to work as a team to achieve common goals. 

While exploring the subject of power, I was attracted to the topic on positive and the negative effects of power. In some instances, people fail to realize that power, just like any other thing, has some negative and positive consequences. These consequences need to be examined carefully so that they do not lead to catastrophic outcomes. For instance, a powerful leader may be able to influence the organization to move in the same direction. The leader may come up with policies and plans that will ensure that employees work as a team to achieve the desired outcomes. Another positive outcome of power is that it can be used as the basis for creating a positive organization culture. In the current competitive world, organizations are always looking for avenues through which they can meet the needs of the customers. Furthermore, the companies require strategies that will enable them to gain a competitive edge in the market. One of the ways through which such goals can be achieved is by promoting the culture of excellence. Managers and leaders can use their power to promote such a culture in the organization. Finally, power may be used as the basis for influencing the direction of a company. While focusing on the positive outcomes, we must also think of the adverse consequences of power. I have always believed that absolute power is one of the issues that can affect the performance of an organization. The situation becomes worse when those in the positions of power exploit their ranks to achieve personal goals or punish others. When power is abused, it can adversely affect the manner in which people relate in an organization. Therefore, it is imperative to weigh the positive and negative consequences of power before making decisions. 

Another area that I found interesting in this course related to groups and decision making. From time to time, we work in groups to achieve different goals. In addition, we are expected to work with people from different backgrounds to achieve the desired goals. There are instances where people struggle to work in a group because of the lack of cohesion. A group will be said to be in a state of cohesion when the members are able to bond and link with each other (Boundless Sociology, 2021). Furthermore, the cohesive state is achieved when the members recognize and appreciate their differences. In such instances, members need to be encouraged to embrace diversity and work with one another to achieve the desired goals. When working in groups, there are decisions that need to be made to ensure that results are achieved within the stipulated time. The process entails using appropriate decision-making models that are relevant to the operations of the team. One such framework is the rational decision-making model. The framework holds that people have complete information and are capable of evaluating their alternatives and selecting the most appropriate one. While the rationality of individuals may be limited, those working in a group should strive to weigh their option before settling on a given option. Throughout the process, the objective should be on ensuring that the common goals are achieved. 

Finally, the course introduced me to the subject of leadership. Leaders play a critical role in the success of an organization or group. They are expected to use their skills, experience, and influence to assist others to achieve the desired results (Boundless Management, 2021a). Leadership can be described as the ability to mobilize resources and influence followers to achieve a specific goal. Those in leadership positions are expected to act as role models for their followers. In addition, they must always be oral and show positive attributes like straightforwardness and integrity. Subordinates usually believe in their leaders and expect them to be people of integrity. The lack of such qualities may affect the relationship between the leader and the followers (Boundless Management, 2021b). In this course, I found the topic on transformational leadership to be interesting. In this leadership style, the focus is on motivating others and assisting them to perform at optimal levels. The transformational leaders are also interested in creating a clear vision and working with the team to implement a strategy that will lead to its achievement (Boundless Management, 2021c). The process entails motivating the rest of the team so that they can use their skills and abilities to achieve organizational goals. Through this course, I learned that there are four primary components of transformational leadership. They include compassion, stimulation, motivation, and influence. These elements influence the way a leader works with a team to realize common objectives. 

Reflecting on the course, I realized that it gave me the chance to enhance my skills and acquire new knowledge. We live in a dynamic and highly competitive world where knowledge is critical to success in various fields. I intend to use the knowledge that I gained through this course to improve my personal life and those around me. Furthermore, I plan to use the skills acquired in my future career so that I can make a positive impact on other people. 

References 

Bauer, T., & Erdogan, B. (2012). Chapter 13: Power and politics. https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/an-introduction-to-organizational-behavior-v1.0/s17- power-and-politics.html 

Boundless Sociology. (2021). Group dynamics: Effects of group size on stability and intimacy . https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-sociology/chapter/group- dynamics/#:~:text=of%20Group%20Size-,Since%20it%20is%20easier%20for%20fewer%20pe ople%20to%20agree%20on,to%20perform%20its%20tasks%20well . 

Boundless Management. (2021a). Rational and non-rational decision making: Non-rational decision making . https://www.leaxr.com/mod/page/view.php?id=5858&lang=fr- 

Boundless Management. (2021b). Chapter 9, Section 2: Trait approach https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-management/chapter/trait-approach/ 

Boundless Management. (2021c). Chapter 9, section 5: Types of leaders: Key behaviors of transformational leaders. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless- management/chapter/types-of-leaders/ 

Rockwell, D. (n.d). Finding real leadership power. https://learn.saylor.org/mod/page/view.php?id=12976