Reflective Internship Essay
The University Consulting internship provides
prospective interns the ability to build a more appropriate professional presence
and repertoire. In an effort to achieve
this they provide numerous processes that empower interns to experience
practices that would be used in a typical business atmosphere. They also instruct them on knowledge that
will allow them to evaluate information management, planning and control
business environments, analyze organization processes and procedures in a
variety of business settings, synthesis appropriate principles, concepts, and
frameworks for making ethical decisions, assess the roles that structure,
management, and leadership play in organizational performance, evaluate how
economics, government, and law affect value creation in the global context, and
evaluate career skills in the field of business and management.
One important aspect of management
is known as controlling. Controlling
involves ensuring that performance does not deviate from the set standards
outlined by the organization. This
process consists of three steps, establishing performance standards, comparison
of actual performance against standards, and taking corrective action as needed. When entering into the internship it is
outlined that each intern is required to meet a ten hour a week minimum. This is tracked and evaluated using a
developed program known as time clock which tracks when each intern clocks in
and out. The intern is also responsible
for notating what job related activities they are conducting at that time. This is known as a performance record and it
coincides will the billable hours sheet which must be submitted no later than
the end of business each Friday. After
submission these reports are transferred to the Director of Operations for
comparison of actual performance and if any discrepancies are found corrective
action will be taken
University Consulting being student run
organization has enabled it to become subject to complications. It was easy to identify early on that there
were relevant issues in the subject of leadership as not every participant of
the organization was able to properly evaluate the information being provided
to them and distribute the information downstream as necessary. Others lacked the ability to utilize
information planning which is an important aspect in information
management. Planning is a function of
management that requires individuals to set objectives and determine the
appropriate course of action for achieving said objectives. Although in the
infancy stage of the internship it should be noted that there should be an
adequate level of planning and organization prior to the inclusion of the
interns if the expectation is that the organization is not slowed or even
brought to a halt in the process of adding new people.
Organizing is the function of
management that involves the development of organizational structure and
allocating human resources to ensure the accomplishments of objectives.
Properly utilizing organization involves how to best departmentalize, or
cluster jobs into departments to effectively coordinate effort. From the beginning it was easy to determine
that there were multiple levels of organization taking place in University Consulting. They properly and effectively distributed
individual interns into teams and advised them of their team leaders and their
clients as well as their Director of Operations. Through proper use of organizing one can then
begin to lead. Leading is the ability to influence others towards the
attainment of organizational objectives.
This requires leaders to properly communicate and motivate their
subordinates and effectively use power.
Motivated individuals are more
likely to be both creative and productive than those individuals that are
unmotivated. In fact behavioral
psychologists have developed various theories relating to motivation and they
created these theories as a means to more effectively understand and control
human behavior. For instance Elton Mayo
developed a theory of motivation that examined the social needs of the
worker. His beliefs were that money
alone was not a sufficient means to properly motivate employees to be
productive and instead recommended that employers treat their workers in a
caring and humane fashion that reflects an active interest in the
individual. Being in contact on a
regular basis and through multiple means members of University Consulting are showing
that level of interest. They are
actively engaging with interns and encouraging others to seek more
opportunities as well as having an open door policy.
To properly evaluate University Consulting
one must understand the ultimate goal of the program. This organizations role is to prepare interns
to be productive professionals. They do
this by implementing various tasks such as time clocks and sheets, training and
meetings, and the option to advance within the company after a set period of
time. They expect each and every
individual to uphold moral and ethical standards as defined in their Employee
Handbook as well as their Non-Disclosure Agreements which are in place for the
protection of the individual, the organization, and the client. These tasks allow each and every individual
to use professional competences such as interpersonal skills, communication
skills, technical expertise, time management, and goal setting. It is foreseeable that these skills will be
added to as more challenges are presented and more projects are given. At this
time it seems as though this program is highly beneficial and greatly needed
for the future of these interns.
References:
Management Functions - organization,
levels, style, manager, school, company, business. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Log-Mar/Management-Functions.html
Silver, F., & Media, D.
(n.d.). Three Major Theories of Motivation | Business & Entrepreneurship -
azcentral.com. Retrieved from
http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/three-major-theories-motivation-1260.html
Wilson Ph.D., T. (2002). Information
management. Retrieved from
http://www.informationr.net/tdw/publ/papers/encyclopedia_entry.html
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