There are many concepts I've noticed at my Applied Studies site; from diversity to interpersonal communication and cross-functional teams to leadership management. There are many different teams that help this organization run but there is also a team called CFAT which stand for Cross-Functional Affairs Team. This team is comprised of members of all the other teams. Someone from Alumni Affairs, Programming, Development, District Strategy and Operations will come together every other week, discuss and work on projects together. This enables each team to know what is going on on all the other teams and it seems to make the organization run much smoother.
This also ties into the concept of interpersonal communication because this enables the lines of communication to remain open throughout all departments. Not to mention management has one hour meetings with their staff each week to see how their doing and if the staff has any concerns. These meetings are one-on-one which gives the employee more freedom to speak free.
Another concept present is leadership versus management. All those that are in leadership positions are communicative, respectful and lead by example. They are all hard-working with an empathetic attitude. This I find to be key qualities in a leader. They don't simply bark orders and demand to be blindly followed.
This organization also encourages diversity, both in their hiring practices and during corps member recruitment. They have also started a team that focuses on diversity and being sure to educate staff and new corps members because the schools where these teachers are placed tend to be quite diverse and it is essential to make sure the children feel understood and included.
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Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a great Applied Studies site! I found your observations especially interesting because I was considering Teach for America as an interesting opportunity after graduation. It sounds like the office you work in values a lot of great principals. I also would like to work for a non-profit and I feel that believing in the mission statement of a organization is vital. I like that Teach for America values diversity and take the time to listen to each of its team members. In any organization but perhaps especially a non-profit, each person needs to utilized to their highest potential and your site seems to try and do just that. The communication in your office seems to highly effective and held in high regard. Enjoyed reading your comments!
Kathleen Robbins