Final Paper
12/17/2019
This course has allowed for the exposure needed to reevaluate how we think. The Fishbowl itself acted as a platform to share thoughts and feelings with the teams, as well as the classes as a whole. Taking a step back from reality and allowing the words to flow into the Fishbowl started an endeavour that was unexpected throughout the semester. Being able to dive into each other’s thoughts and explore the meaning of vocabulary changed the way we all thought. By discovering the meanings of these words, it invoked past memories that linked us to our language. The words we put in the Fishbowl acted as symbols, and these symbols expressed our past experiences, even if it was not noticed initially. The Fishbowl laid the groundwork for the 10+1 activities we used to further our thinking, which explored the four characteristics of global businesses. These four characteristics were Integrated Network Structures, Complex Adaptive Systems, Dynamic Decision Making, and Unique Innovative Capabilities.
The first characteristic of a global business that was explored was Integrated Network Structures. By diving into this characteristic, and restructuring its meaning, it became apparent that it is derived from our social and business networks. In today’s society, a social network is one of the best tools and is used more than it ever has before. This social network structure consists of endless social media. This social network goes hand in hand with our business networks because of this technology at our fingertips. Platforms such as LinkedIn reinvented the opportunities social media offered. This platform allows business networks to have the same feel as a social network. The structures behind these two networks are very closely intertwined at this point in time. Especially in global businesses, the need for communication is dire, and the way the social and business networks are integrated within each other provide for the strongest network structures the world has seen to date.
Our second characteristic that was studied was Complex Adaptive Systems. The activity involving this characteristic evoked meaning in terms of how businesses utilize all aspects to function efficiently. It made us look deeper into how each department allows a business to adapt and stay on top of the market. Looking past just the makeup of a business, those businesses are the adaptive systems that make up the global economy as a whole. The pieces of the economy are businesses that are flexible to adapt for any possible problem. This characteristic made me think and look back on my choice to attend URI for the felt experience. The aspects that make up a global business are required to be complex in nature, and allow for success in the long run.
The third characteristic word structure that was presented in the Fishbowl was Dynamic Decision Making. This global business characteristic is what drives profit and success in the world. In order to work through problems and make choices in a business, decision making skills are essential for executives to establish success. These decision making skills are described as dynamic, because they have to be able to change when it is appropriate to make a new decision. An unsuccessful decision cannot be repeated, or further failure is inevitable. Being able to make decisions dynamically is one of the skills learned over time. Learning from failure is a valuable skill that all businesses need in their management roles.
The final characteristic of a global business is Unique Innovative Capabilities. The unique ability to make change within a business is what differentiates a company from its competitors. Innovation is what drives profit and society as a whole. Having the capability to instill change and improvements into a company will provide for a competitive advantage. This characteristic will single handedly drive more profit than all of the other characteristics. Being a unique individual is what will establish a brand and having inventive ideas will drive customer loyalty to a business. These abilities are always incorporated in the global economy.
These four global business characteristics have been eye opening in our Fishbowls. Our thinking processes have been restructured from the ground up after looking into these words. Restructuring our word pools allowed us to dive into our thoughts and efficiently produce words and symbols. We learned our words are representations of our feelings and memories. My evoked memories spread over a wide range of topics through all of these word searches. This course truly made us reimagine the way we look at language itself. Everything has such a deeper meaning than is initially seen. Being able to evoke memories from definitions is a special trait most people never get to explore.