Learning Styles, Frederick Herbergs Two Factor Theory and Stress - Assignment Example

? MGMT311 Week 3 Assignment of School MGMT 311 Week 3 Paper There are many topics that are psychological in nature that can helpunderstand how different styles of management work. For this particular paper, the three factors that have been chosen are learning styles, Frederick Herberg’s two factor theory and stress. These three factors are important because they all can affect the way an employee acts or reacts to any situation. As an example, employees have different learning styles that can influence how they take in information and process it. The idea of auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning styles shows how an individual reacts to different types of information. Herzberg’s two factor theory suggests that there are specific factors that lead to a person’s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with their work environment. These factors can motivate someone to stay in a job or look to find another one. Stress is a common process that many people go through on a daily basis. Often this happens as the result of everyday challenges that people get used to after some time. In some cases, when stress happens because of some physical trauma or from combat, the stress can become a condition known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD can be something that a person deals with on a daily basis that effects their home life and they may suffer from it in their workplace. The three topics for this paper were chosen because they all have some factor that can be presented to managers in some way. Job satisfaction is very important today as people continue to seek new jobs and managers are looking to hire the best people in the job. Also, learning style can play a role in developing opportunities for people and can determine the types of jobs an individual decides to apply for on a regular basis. Knowing ones learning style and how they take in information can present more opportunity for moving forward in their life. Learning Styles (Auditory,Visual or Kinesthetic) [VAK] There are many learning styles but the VAK system pays particular attention to the auditory, visual or kinesthetic aspects of learning. This learning system has been used with a variety of different areas. The article chosen for this section is one written by Whiteley (2007) who chose to research the effects of the VAK system in online learning. This article suggested that there are a variety of ways to design online course, but that learning styles should be taken into account when they are designed. Students have different ways that they take in information and this should be take into consideration when assignments are created. The article explained that the VAK system was designed to help learners understand how to adapt their learning styles to online course, but that professors should plan their courses around learning styles. The article explains each aspect of the learning process and how professors can design specific course assignments to provide each student with the information in the course in their desired style. The article provides a thorough understanding of the VAK system and how it relates to other systems like NLP, and points out that when a student can engage their learning style, they experience less stress in the classroom. This article supports the topic of VAK and of stress in that it explains what professors can do for each type of learner. In management, the VAK system can also be taken into account when a manager is attempting to train workers in a certain topic. As an example, the trainer would have different activities that reinforce the learning such as handouts (visual), audiotapes or lecture (auditory), hands on interactive programs or group work (kinesthetic). By providing a variety of ways to grasp the information, the trainer can be sure that all employees receive the information they need. Frederick Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory In exploring the literature about Herberg’s two factor theory, many of the articles were specific to different work factors or situation. Also, most tested the theory against specific situations to understand whether they still held true. This was the case with the article by Guha (2010). This article explored whether Generation X and Y are motivated in the way that Herberg’s theory suggests that employees are motivated. The article explained the two factor theory and then applied it to the motivating factors involved for both Generation X and Y. The author explained these two generations as “Generation Xers (1961-1980); and Nexters/Generation Y” (p. 123) and explained that their core values changed as time went on for these generations. They found that the factors that Herzberg saw needed to be revised for this generation because they did not fit the needs of these younger generations. Gupa (2010) acknowledged that their study was very small and that it was limited to India, but the author also acknowledged that there needs to be more priority placed on making sure that the two facto theory is adapted to reflect the motivations of the younger generations. Gupa (2010) showed that managers can become stuck in a specific theory or method and that these methods many need to change to fit specific populations. The way that this supports the concept of management is that managers must understand that their employees may have different motivations for working (or not) that may be tied into their generation. Although the trait factor theory is used in many businesses to understand how employees are motivated, it may not be the best way to understand motivation across generations. In other words, older employees are motivated differently than younger employees and to keep younger employees, the manager must understand how these younger employees are motivated, and how to make sure they stay with the company. Stress Management and the Workplace This third topic is something that I personally deal with on a daily basis. I used to be an active duty infantry soldier and I did this work for 13 years. I now work for the government, managing the financial side for my current Davison which consists of 120 employees. I manage all funding that comes into my Division and I am in charge of spending for payroll. I sometimes have problems with anxiety and I have been diagnosed with PTSD. There are times when I have a situation that comes up in my work that sometimes brings back memories of when I was in combat. As a manager, it is difficult for me to handle the stress that I have on a daily basis. The article by Gewirtz, Polusny, DeGarmo, Khaylis and Erbes (2010) provided more information about the daily efforts of people who were deployed in Iraq and the challenges they had with parenting and couple adjustment. This is one of the areas that many people who suffer from PTSD face daily. This study was a longitudinal study of males who were also married and were fathers. The soldiers were asked to fill out questionnaires when they were in theater (while they were waiting to come home from Iraq and then they were questioned a year after they were home. The results of the study showed that the soldiers reported that they had more PTSD symptoms when they were having problems with their spouses or challenges with parenting. Gewirtz et al. (2010) suggest that when soldiers are deployed, they have to renegotiate their roles when they return to their families. The reason this topic is important to management is that many soldiers return from active combat duty into their civilian lives. Sometimes this goes well, but at other times, it can be very difficult. PTSD is difficult because one never knows when something will happen to trigger the anxiety or the fear that can be involved with this situation. The difficulties that people face on a day to day basis can be intensified when an individual is also dealing with PTSD. When an individual is put into the a non-combative position inside their family, stress because of bills or fighting with a family member can create more PTSD (Gewirtz et al., 2010). There are adjustments in a person’s home country after they have been a part of combat in a foreign country. Gewirtz et al. (2010) also state that it is difficult to know whether this happens for all soldiers who suffer from PTSD because the study they used was very small and only talked to soldiers who were in one National Guard Unit, and they did not talk about ways to alleviate the stress. Conclusion The three articles chosen for this report were interesting because they all provided information that could be used today in reference to management. The VAK process can be used for older workers, but it may not apply to younger workers. All people have a preference for the way that they take in information, and the better they know how this is, the easier it is for them to learn. Trainers must be able to understand these differences and provide materials in their workshops to help all employees learn to the fullest. The second article can be applied to management, especially when there is a need for ways that generations can come together. According to Guha (2010) the two factor theory does not work well for understanding the motivations of younger workers. Finally, stress is involved in a variety of situations, and PTSD is one that managers must be aware of to help all workers. References Gewirtz, A. H., Polusny, M. A., DeGarmo, D. S., Khaylis, A., & Erbes, C. R. (2010). Posttraumatic stress symptoms among National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq: Associations with parenting behaviors and couple adjustment. Journal Of Consulting And Clinical Psychology, 78(5), 599-610. doi:10.1037/a0020571 Guha, A. (2010). Motivators and hygiene factors of generation x and generation y-the test of two-factor theory. Vilakshan: The XIMB Journal Of Management, 7(2), 121-132. Whiteley, T. (2007). Integrating the technological resources of the online learning environment with the vak learning-styles model to foster student learning. AMA Winter Educators' Conference Proceedings, 181-189. Read More