Working Styles And Learning Modes example essay topic

The relationship between employers and workers is very important to office efficiency. The office has a hierarchy that if not followed will make office production unsuccessful. My internship is with the Charlottesville's Commonwealth's Attorney Office Victim and Witness Assistance Program. I will primarily work side-by-side with the sponsor / director of the program to investigate victim cases and seek support systems that will enable me to help alleviate any problems that victims may face. Thus, exceptional communication between us as well as organization will be necessary. This paper will evaluate the working styles and learning modes of myself and my director according to the Learning Style Inventory and Life Orientations (LIFO) survey, and discuss how this evaluation will help me collaborate more easily at my internship.

According to the LIFO survey, there are four working styles: support giving, control taking, conserving holding, and adapting dealing. My director and I are both controller takers. We like to be in control of relationships and steer the course of what's happening; usually quick to act and express a sense of urgency for others to work now; enjoy the challenge of difficult situations and people; seize an opportunity or create one; and probe and press to get at hidden resistance. Moreover, according to the LIFO we help, control, analyze, and compromise in the work environment in four distinct ways. When we help we tend to offer unsolicited advice, take over tasks without being asked, insist on giving help, and say what would do in a given situation. As controller takers when controlling we take charge and initiate; persist to overcome resistance; and use authority to tell what should be done.

When analyzing we examine the "bottom line" impact; select evidence to support our position; go with the first acceptable option; and prefer quick study. Finally, in a compromising situation, we respond to urgency, barter competitively, provide separate areas of autonomy, and like hard bargaining. The negative side to our controller taker working style is that we tend to dominate others and cut off the flow of important ideas; sacrifice thought for action; over whelm others with emergencies; take on unproductive challenges for challenge's sake; sometimes not pay attention to maintain old projects; and we may try to force action when none is needed. According to the LSI, there are four learning modes in the Cycle of Learning Experience: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. Again, both my director and I have a similar mode. We fall into the active experimentation and abstract conceptualization or "thinker-doers" category.

This is in contrast to the "feeler-watchers" that fall into the concrete experience and reflective observation categories. In a working environment, my sponsor and I when learning are practical and like to try things out. We reason in situations and like to get involved. In short, we learn best my thinking about a situation and then doing it versus obtaining a feeling about a situation and watching it first. The downside to this learning mode is that sometimes we may not watch and listen as much thus acting to quickly. Furthermore, in a situation we may rely on a rational process solely versus considering our "intuitive" feelings about a situation.

Having the same working style as my sponsor can lead to working conflicts. In a working environment, we may view each other as too feisty and impulsive, controlling, inconsiderate of each other's suggestions, or going beyond the limits too often. The following is what the LIFO suggests to aid in this conflict of similar styles. In urgent situations we tend to be impatient. To curb being impatient we should gather ideas from each other; look for important steps or details we may have missed; think now and then act later. When we are close to deadlines our persistency turns into high pressure.

The best way to handle this situation is to give each other more time to express ourselves; factor in others' concerns instead of overriding them; and taking more breaks. In risk-taking situations, we tend to gamble. Instead we should evaluate our alternatives and calculate our risks, consider worst-case scenarios, and shoot for reasonable instead of maximum gains. In competitive situations, we are usually contentious. Instead we should try to shift from beating the competition to improve our own record. In forceful situations, we tend to be coercive.

In contrast, winning support instead of attacking the opposition will serve everyone better in the long run. When seeking change in those around us, we tend to want people to automatically drop their old ways. Instead we should build on past successes before trying new approaches and also try to develop our own routines. Sometimes our confidence can be seen as arrogance. Expressing respect for others' feelings and acknowledging other contributions to office success is very important. Lastly, our directing can be seen as domineering.

To change this, we should encourage each other to express our ideas, but through persuasion not coercion. Also, incorporating others' ideas into our plans cannot hurt. In contrast, having a similar learning mode can promote maximum work production between my sponsor and myself. In a given situation, conflict between employers and employees usually arise when there is a conflict on how to approach the situation. Either you have the people that like to rely on the feelings about a situation and would like to observe the situation first or you have the people that rely on some type of rational process to sort out a situation and learn best by getting involved. My sponsor and myself are the latter.

In a given situation we reason first then jump right into to solving the problem. However, having two minds that think and act alike can prove faulty if a situation occurs where observing the situation more versus solving right away could have yielded better results. Thus, my sponsor and my use of all four learning modes is the challenge that we both face since we do not have anyone to offset our similar learning mode. Use of each of these stages will ensure that we effectively solve situations. In conclusion, a clear understanding of working and learning styles and solution to its possible conflicts are pertinent to the relationship between me and my sponsor and my victims / witnesses.

This year, I will be working side-by-side with her unlike the other interns, thus making the clear communication and smooth interaction between us regarding the cases we handle together very important to the program's mission. Furthermore, as a controller-taker, I hope to moderate my excesses so that I can provide not only the best information and resources to victims and witnesses but the best advice regarding their situations.