Bloggin Spreeee!!

I'm feeling awfully relaxed today. Cos the last few days, i was struggling with an essay and i just handed it in. Feeling all happy and prancy, i had to endure Strategy class. But there's always something to learn. When u listen. hee.

We were discussing the importance of an incentive structure. This is so to motivate employees.

Manager: the toilet is filthy!

toilet-cleaner: I'm not motivated, sir.

Manager: (gasps) why not?! But your pay is tied to the profitability of the company!

toilet-cleaner: (rolls eyes) exactly.

From this, i learn that the employee needs to have control over the outcome in order for the incentive to have any effect.



Next, we talked about job structure.


manager: your job is to build a car.

employee: (excited look) sure!

manager: go on, the steel is lying all around.


i know you prolly don't find this funny. but i burst out laughing in class.


Next, we considered the inclusion of employees in decision-making, in order to instil a sense of ownership. So the prof went on to prompt the class...

Prof: Which kind of decision-making is more effective: centralised or decentralised?

Student: (smartly and smugly) For the top management, the decision-making can be more decentralised. At the lower levels, it can be more centralised. However, in every decision, every employees' views is taken into account.

Prof: (nodding in agreement, and thinking at the same time)

Fair enough....

So it's like having democracy in the company...

Student: (now with more confidence) yea, something like that.

Prof: What happens when i would like to buy a box of pencils?


You won't believe it. I burst out laughing again. And it's not even very funny.


After that, probably he felt bad or something, so he went on and qualified his statement..

Prof: well, Office Supplies can make a lot of difference actually. Maybe if SMU could cut down on them, fees could go down by as much as $1000.

Ber: (in ardent agreement, whispering) ya, u have no idea how expensive paper can be.

Me: wah lao. So the trees killed us la.

Ber: To think we tried saving them.


Now you know what i do in class, especially when i look like i'm paying attention.