May 10-13 Question #2

It was hard to choose just one concept that I liked best from the dozens that we have read about this semester. One that I particularly liked was in chapter eight and it was focused on developing organizational cultures. Most people have experienced some kind of cultural change in their lives. Whether it was a move to a different place or a change in jobs, we all can say we've experienced things like this before. In chapter eight the author describes how we fit into organizational cultures and how we react when we are forced to fit into a different culture.

As a culture we share a lot of things with the strangers around us. We hold similar identities even if we are very different. "If you have ever lived or traveled abroad for an extended period of time, you may have experienced culture shock, a sense of disorientation that occurs when the rules you're used to playing by no longer work" (230). Before reading about culture shock I had heard the term used in various different ways. I think people use it a lot to describe something that does not actually fall into the category of culture shock. It was very interesting to read about the real definition. Culture shock is actually a very real thing that can sometimes manifest in physical illness.

Also in this section the author discusses the experience of surprise, "an emotional reaction to differences between life in the organizations life outside it" (230). For example when I changed jobs I was honestly surprised by the differences that I had to adjust to. I had a emotional reaction that resembled stress and anxiety. It took me a few weeks to get familiar with to new job but over time the surprise aspect faded away.

May 10-13 Question #1

I think that the most interesting research method listed in table 13.3 is the ethnography method. An ethnographer works under cover and does not get involved with his/her objects. In this method it is important not to impose one's ideas or opinions on the situations that are being studied. I like this method because I think it is the most accurate. I think it's important that we study things in a very non-invasive way.

If I were to study an aspect of deception I would ask the question: how do some groups and clubs deceive members into joining even if the membership is harmful to the joiner? To answer this question I would use the ethnography method and would go undercover to find out how things worked. I think that the results from an ethnographer's research would be very interesting and very insightful in this situation. I have read many books where the author uses this method to research a certain situation. I love finding out about their under cover discoveries because the participants in the study have no idea that they're being studied. The results are always pretty revealing when people are unaware that they'll be found out.