I am a student of organized studies and a reformist thinker. This is a page about my interests, academic focus, and random thoughts.
I'm currently graduate student at the University of Washington's Evans School of Public Affairs, seeking a MPA degree.
I sought after the MPA program because it is a subject that allows me to study organizational and management issues involving complex systems, conflicts, and multi-level stakeholders.
I follow and write about company strategies, #leanstartup, inspirational ideas in order to change the way we live, as well as the different ways that organizations can do to shape themselves and to make sense of their competition and organizational existence.
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My mottos:"Improving the lives of others is not an endeavor we take on by ourselves but together as communities. Improving the lives of others requires both local and global solutions.""To me, the world is not as disconnected as it seems at times. We're gifted with the powers to understand each other, to feel various emotions, and to adapt to an ever-changing environment."
About the MPA Program
the Focuses
My academic focus:
Leadership & Decision-making
Organization Analysis
Organizational Identity
Key Skills
the Value Add
Strategic management
Performance management
Data visualization
Communications that foster meaning and a sense of community
Program Evaluation
My ENTRE 555 Blog
A space where I write for Professor Boyer's assignmens
About Me
I grew up in a small town that was isolating in many ways. Without much support systems, I knew I had to find and compete for all the opportunities on my own.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm underprivileged at all.
What I am stressing is many systems in our society preclude people from becoming what they envision they could become.
Sometimes, sky is truly the limit. That's my motivation to pursue and to engage in life-long learning.
I'm Seeking
I am most interested in getting my foot into the door in entrepreneurial projects and new business models designed for social and public impact. Evaluation of progress is important for me.
I am currently looking for internships or opportunities in organizational development. The functional areas I'm a good fit for are:
Strategy Management
Communications
Strategic Planning as a way to form organizational identity
Leadership/Advocacy
MY NOTEBOOK
Random notes from the people I respect
Marissa Myer (Yahoo!) is admirable. She developed a program in order to reduce small system barrier; all to better productivity. This also known as the PB&J program.
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Many information in decision-making is "TBU -true but useless". Too much TBU creates an system overload and impairs human's abilities to see the facts and focuses what is at stake (Heath Brothers, in "Switch", 2010)
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System design thinking or programming in I.T. has been making strong influence on how problems and processes can be planned and executed. The Lean approaches used in manufacturing have also evolved and captured much attention in addressing management and process problems across industries.
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History of Organization Theory and Notes from Prof. Keith Rollag at Babson College in Boston.
"[in many complex, old organizations, there exists] overpaid, under worked and obsolete skilled employees." How can we change that? and should we?
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"The bigger the gap between the formal and informal systems within the organization, the less effective the organization" Weisbord's 6 box model. There are some weaknesses in the argument but this simple, and slightly over generalized, insight is very powerful and still useful.
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On global policy trends, I also like to follow lectures from the UK Policy Think Tank: Chatham House.
MANAGEMENT
~making systems, cultures, and people strong
Management is a process of controlling and deciding on resource allocation. Where the manager is situated matter because context dictates what management techniques can be deployed and to what extent.
Processes, behaviors, and norms over time shape the environment/path an organization develops in. When these routines are not updated to meet the practical demands of reality (or at least the perceived reality) and does not produce psychological satisfaction to its workers, the system becomes dysfunctional and ill.
An optimal solution to any organization's management problem almost always starts off with a group of willing and competent individuals. An optimal solution also appeals to both the rationale and emotions. Even if change usually starts off small, their effects have the potential to be very big. Handling small decisions well in the short-run, therefore, may pay-off in the long-run.
Many solutions, however, typically do not withstand the erosive nature of time. Trends die out. Expectations change. Processes, skills, and strategies can become outdated. This is why organizational effectiveness efforts is a continuous process.
DEVELOPMENT
~liberation through accelerated learning
Development, at the people level, is a learning and empowerment process for individuals to build higher understanding and greater capacity to handle more complex problems. Personal development in this sense is often categorized as a HR function in business administration.
Development, at the system level, is comparable to the values, concepts, and purpose of personal development described above. However, organizational development's objective is more concerned with the change, the capabilities, and the evolution of the organization's efficiency and effectiveness as a whole (or, the dynamics of the sum of its parts).
Diversity matters in the context of development because it creates contrasts. Contrasting elements within a network or organization can 1) elicit useful information to decision-making; 2) hedge risks; and 3) create a space for creative thinking.
Most interestingly, development projects require the efforts to work along with and through time. In the perspective of organizational development, time provides the continuum for matter to heal, re-build, and grow.
Want to Find Me?
CALL ME, MAYBE?
Are you also a life-long student with entrepreneur spirits, a trend seeker, and a social reformist who dreams a lot about empowering people to do good?
Feel free to connect with me.
Look forward to hearing from you!