2018

BIS 401 Direct Studies

THE INTERTWINING OF ORGANZATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS
MICHEL SEPORGHAN
Introduction

This direct application desires to create a deeper understanding of the relationship

between technology advancements and organizational leadership within the sphere of a

company. Technology advancements and organizational leadership are changing and is changing

how occupational is being designed, delivered, learned, and taught. If we do not adhere to these

changes, we will be left behind, or we will fail to make an impact in the world that we live. "I

found that I had become so used to composing virtual prose at the keyboard I could no longer

draft anything coherent directly onto a piece of paper. "It wasn't so much that I couldn't think of

the words, but the physical effort of handwriting, crossing out, revising, cutting and pasting

(which I couldn't very well do at a meeting without giving away my inattention), in short, the

writing practices I had been engaged in regularly since the age of four, now seemed to overwhelm

and constrict me, and I longed for the flexibility of digitized text." (Baron, 2000) When I look back

at all the times that I have tried to do anything that has to do with writing I could truthfully say

that I have used my laptop or desktop. This is because it has allowed us to be more effective with

my writing skills, but because the process of using technology allowed me to make the process

more effective and easier to access or transfer without the lack of the information be altered or

miss interoperated or losing it intended purpose. "A system is a set of elements connected in

ways that allow them to form complex wholes toward a particular goal." (Aragon, 2018) These

tools of organizational leadership and technological advancements were designed to help us

become effective whether we are trying to sell a product to a customer or, we are simply trying

to stay connected with a stockholder or a business partner across the globe. How we those tools

will determine the extent of how they will be effective of us reach our goals. Only when we can

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bring organizational leadership and technological advancements together will be able to learn

how they will help us become more productive. "There are two foolish mistakes we can make,

we can assume that the way something is now is the way it has always been and must be, or we

can assume that the way something now has no particular motivation or rationale behind it."

(Nardi, 1999) Whether we are trying to reach a customer or use a technological device, it is

essential to understand that they have parameters that are either set by the technology itself or

the user. It's important to realize that the developer fixes and sets the settings. These parameters

are either set by the developer to keep the system run effectivity or, it could be done because of

the limitation of the software and the ability to output that demand. The parameters will change

due to the expansion of technology or the and the understanding of the programmer.

As leaders and as developers it is essential to always remember the big picture is our end

goal. "While it may seem like a somewhat abstract subject, systems are everywhere; they are

part of our day-to-day experience. However, the fact that systems are pervasive doesn't mean

they're obvious. Understanding systemic relationships call for looking at things holistically. He is

not easy. We usually want quick, easy answers to problems, so we break things down into smaller

chunks that we can understand. Understanding complex wholes are unintuitive, difficult, and

time-consuming." (Aragon, 2018) The heartbeat of every project that we are working on should

always be the big picture. This is because it allows us to stay focused on the primary purpose of

the project, and it will be the driving force of your manager and the stakeholders who you will be

reporting too. If we forgot or we misdirect our team it will derail the project and it will also cause

the team to feel split between having to choose which task they would want to do and the job

that is required of them. When it comes to making choice on which task we should do and the

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one we want to do, most people will either choose the task that is easier to finish or they will

choose the task they like the most. This will only cause a delay and it will frustrate the

stockholders and it will lengthen the process of what the project will need in order to finish its

end result.

Degree overview

Consistency is critical when we are trying to make an impact in the business world. Being

able to create a well-rounded understanding of technology gives our employees and us a better

foothold on how to be head of the curve. It gives them the ability to stay connected more

consistently with each other, and it allows them to stay connected with those who are around

the world. With the adoption of technology, we can always modify and develop the way in which

we can grow and develop. Because technology is consistently evolving and expanding it allows

us to continuously find new ways to become more effective when we are trying to reach our

goals. Technology has not only allowed us to grow socially, but it has allowed us to expand

globally. How we gather information and how we store it has changed dramatically. In the past,

there were only a few ways to transfer a piece of data across the globe. We could send an email

to the individual (which was limited), or we could send them a USB drive that had the file stored

on it. When it came to emails, most data were limited to 10Mb of memory. However, with the

advancement of iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox the user can send larger files and, they access the

data within a matter of seconds and stay connected. By using these features, it allows us to create

a more productive way in which we can improve on work in which we are trying make an impact

with. During the progression of the past two and a half years and the development of this paper,

it has allowed for more profound reflections of how the interdisciplinary degree between

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organizational leadership and technological development. The primary focus of this paper is to

create a bridge that connects Organizational leadership and Technological advancements by

teaching us how they can make an impact separately but, also how they can combine and make

an impact together. It is not just important to learn why this is important but to see how we can

apply this within the sphere of our work and how these adoptions will help to create a better

understanding of how it will continue to develop us as business leaders and peers among those

we rub shoulders with on a daily.

The social Impact of Technology Advancements

Technological advancements have shifted the way in which we interact with the world

around us. It takes more time and effort to do technology work, whether we are working on

developing an application or a website that will help keep people connected. It takes more time

and effort to make it work rather than just chucking everything together and hope that it would

work out in the end. With technology, we need to take our time and plan out the direction on

what we want the website to look like before we even start to write the code or place things on

the website. A storyboard or a sitemap that allows the developer to create a blueprint on how

they would like the site to look before even touch a keyboard. "good sites and good pages are

the products of planning. Site mapping is the equivalent to creating an architectural blueprint

before any mortar is mixed." (Carroll, 2014) Creating a storyboard is a good start because it allows

us to create a temple that will help us see how the navigation of the site will work and how it will

come together at the end. When creating a website, it should make the user feel comfortable,

and it should not become a task trying to locate information. Creating a map is a good start

because it allows processing the information by looking at all the facts before even starting the

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process. "In any case, the key point is that just as physical environments such as buildings are

systems composed of various subsystems, the same is true of information environments. Good

design requires understanding how the whole works, and this, in turn, requires an understanding

of what the parts and subsystems are and how they integrate and interact with each other in a

way that creates a whole greater than the sum of the parts." (Arango, Living in Information, 2018)

When it comes to technological advancements, we need to understand that multiple parts work

together to keep the application and the site running effectively. The role of thumb when it

comes to website design is to create a site that other people want to visit. A majority of

developers will create a site that is something they have been thinking about for a while, and it

is something that they find informative; however, it’s important to understand that we are trying

to reach our audience, not ourselves. It is important to be structured when developing and

working on the technology. Keep it simple and scannable (KISS). Navigation should be simple,

quickly familiar, and always logical." (Carroll, Writing and Editing for Digital Media, 2014) By doing

this, it allows them to stay focused on the task at hand, and it also allows them to say connected

with the information that they are trying to process through. It's not just important to create a

site or application that is easy to navigate through but is simple and easy for people to access

information. Therefore, this is because the people who visit your site or your application are

consumed with multiple tasks and responsibilities throughout their day. They are busy with

meetings, deadlines, and connecting with stockholders. They are not just trying to block out their

time with useless tasks. When people visit a site that is disorganized or unstructured, they will

leave before they even try to find the information they are trying to access. With the adoption of

technology not only have we found ourselves struggling to keep ourselves entrained, but we have

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also come to understand that our attention span has lessened due to the amount of information

that is available to us. "Research found a decrease in human attention span across all ages and

genders. Average attention span has now dropped to eight seconds, with the goldfish standing

at nine seconds." (IFL Science, n.d.) Therefore, this not because we are not able to focus our

attention on one thing for an extended amount of time, but the fact that the amount of

information that we can connect with allows for us to be more indecisive. As a developer and a

website creator, we should be understanding and attentive to the input that our visitors provide

us about our site. It is not just important to have a site that people are willing to scroll through,

but it needs to be readable, and it needs to be easy to find information. It needs to engage our

readers in new fresh ways. As developers and as creators of websites we need to be able to

challenge ourselves and the way that we think about technology. We need to keep it fresh and

alive that will cause the user to feel a sense of value to the page and will continue to use the

website. When we do not think about our users and we start to try to create a site without a plan

and a purpose it will become dull, and it will not make an impact the way in which we desire.

"Everyone knows what it is like to produce a dull, sleep-inducing story" (Fedler 2012) because

the internet has so much to offer us as users. When a website is overloaded with information,

unorganized, unrelatable, it will distract and confuse the reader. As a website creator, we need

to draw our reader in and continue to bring them content that will create foot traffic we are not

able to keep our user entertained, or we will lose them and, they will not create good foot traffic

to our sites. It’s important for use as developers and as creators of a site to be willing to listen to

our user and allow them to provide us with feedback on our sites and our application. Allowing

the user to provide input gives the developer and the creator the chance to hear from the user

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and make corrections that will help the site develop and grow. Therefore, allows ourselves and

our team to have a clear view of technology. As developers and as website creators we need to

understand that feedback is essential, but they are necessary when we are trying to make an

impact with an application or a website. the Feedback allows us to hear back from our user and

it allows us to see the mistakes or the things that we missed. It is important to know that

technology is not accepted by everyone. There are those who accept and value the impact that

technology has on our culture; then there are those who believe that it was destructive and

causes us to regress as a society. "The increased use of digital media is changing people's

everyday life and the way that they connect and collaborate in the boarder societal context, at

work, and in social society." (Nayyar, 2015) Not only has technology allowed us to become more

interconnected with people around the world, but it has also caused us to disconnect from the

society that is right in front of us. “Socrates favored learning through face-to-face conversation

over anonymous, impersonal writing. Plato feared that writing would destroy memory. Why

make an effort to remember or, more correctly, to memorize something when it is already

written down?" (Carroll, Writing and Editing for Digital Media, 2014) The fear that Plato and

Socrates had about learning and challenging ourselves has become a reality. When I was enrolled

in a community college my thoughts were not about how could I challenge myself as a student

or how could I try to remember this information, but it was more about trying to get the grade. I

was consumed with trying to pass the course that it was the only thing that motivated me as a

student. I would jump from one course to the next without allowing the content to affect me or

challenge me as a student. During those two years, my thoughts were just about getting to the

next course. I would move from one exam to the next not trying to retain the material, but just

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learning it enough in my short-term memory to allow me to pass the course. With the

development of technology and the ability to access any form of information, it seemed useless

to try to retain information that I could Google within a matter of seconds.

Social Impact of Organizational Leadership

Technology is not the only thing that has been affected by time. The style of leadership

and the way that we manage our teams has also been affected. In the past, the mark of a great

leader was someone who was able to hire the right people or create the right schedule. With the

development of time and the ability to adapt as leaders, we can see that leadership does not

begin and end in our office. However, it extends on the floor and, it allows us to become the

person that people are willing to truth and the type of person that people are willing to follow

even when things do not make sense. It's easy to be a manager when things are running well,

and our teams are happy, but what about when setback happen and, we are forced to find ways

in which we need to be the rock that our teams will lean on. “Firefighting is a term used to

describe how you deal with crises or unexpected events. A firefight occurs when something you

didn’t anticipate occurs and, you have to deal with it. Sure, firefighting happens on projects. No

matter how carefully it is planned, firefights are going to happen. But not everything that happens

on a project is a firefight. Many things that happen on a project can be predicted, if thought is

applied to planning Firefighting – the recipe for a short, unhappy life – is certainly not the way to

run a project.” (O'Connell, 2011) When setbacks happen and, we are forced to make a decision

our teams and our stakeholders are looking at the way in which we will react. We can either

choose to accept the fact that situations happen and allow them to make us better leaders or

some people will shut down and try to hide the issue. During the time at Starbucks, it has

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provided for great insight on how leadership should be performed. A great leader is not someone

who can bark a list of orders but is someone who can lead by example and can motivate those

around him to become more. "Buoyancy is a phenomenon whereby, as a leader, you "float,"

because the people in the community you have inspired believe that you should. They believe in

you, support you, celebrate your strengths, and shore up your weaknesses, all because you

understand, connect with, and ignite what lies in their hearts. Creating a following requires a

fundamental understanding of your audience's collective desire and an ability to mobilize it by

capturing their imagination with a special quest—a common ambition and resulting culture that

binds them as one. Buoyancy means that everyone must be with you willingly, as a community,

rowing together toward a common destination. Buoyancy is a management philosophy based on

a dedication to and focuses on the spiritual and functional well-being of the people who will help

with our growth. Buoyancy rests on the assumption that everyone is different and special. You

will be supported if they know you love them and believe in them and if they feel they are part

of an inclusive culture. They will compensate for your weaknesses and shore up your strengths."

(Allen, 2014) Being a leader does not mean that we sit back and command our subordinates and

our team members to do something, but as a leader, we are willing to lead by example. Not only

is a great leader someone who is willing to lead by example, but they are willing to take criticism.

A great tool to help with this is a Leadership Traits Questionnaire this is because it allows us to

no have a skewed view of our leadership style without our pride getting in the way. It’s easy to

say that we are great leaders or that we care about our teams when it comes to people asking

about our style of leadership. It is a different thing when we are willing to ask our peers and our

subordinates what they think about our attitude, or diligence, and our ability to become

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empathetic when it matters to the people whom we connect with on a daily basis. When we hear

feedback on our performance as a leader, it is always wise to allow the criticism to motivate us

to change ourselves to become better leaders. When we hear feedback, it’s important to

understand that they are not built in stone. We need to see them as stepping stones which allow

us to learn about new ways in which we can become gentler with our attitude, or proactive, and

become more empathetic. The skills that we are learning and adapting from will allow us to

become the leader and the mentor that we were meant to become. It is easy for us to become

hostile when we hear a comment that we do not like, but the mark of a great leader is someone

who is willing to use those situations to allow them to grow and develop. in a video by Drew

Dudley during his TED.com talk, he talked about creating moments that will not just inspire

people, but they will allow them to grow and develop as leaders and as people. As a leader of a

business or a non-profit, we are not just designed to make a profit, but we are there to motivate

and challenge the people that we work with on a daily. Having a nine-to-five shift is easy.

However, being a person who is willing to challenge ourselves and inspire those around them to

become something more is a different task. It is a genuine desire and a different outlook on how

we perceive the work that is before us. As a leader and as a fellow peer we need to understand

that to become a great leader we need to able to deal with issues as they come up. Issues come

up and how we choose to deal with them will determine the type of person whom we will

become. Sometimes we need to be able to step back and process the information before we can

come up with a solution to our problem. It is easy to say that we will leave our situations and our

problems at the door, but the fact of the matter is that this is not as easy as we would like it to

be. We sometimes cannot leave our issues at the door and they can and will affect the way in

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which we interact at work. A few years back when I was starting my work at Starbucks, I had

encountered a situation that shook me to the core. My twin brother used my name being pulled

over by the police which caused a ripple effect with the way that I acted at work, with school,

and those who were close to me. I tried to hide my anger, disappointment, and my lack of trust;

but the more I tried to hide the situation the more it consumed my attitude and the way I acted.

Therefore, this is said to show that our attitude does not just change because we get bored or

we want to spice up or work environment. However, as a leader and as a mentor to the people

around us we need to be empathetic about how we act and need to be willing to be someone

that people will trust not just one the ground level, but someone we can trust with our issues.

Being in the role of a shift supervisor has provided me the ability to being a leader in the small

scale, and it has allowed me to learn a lot about people and how they process information and

how they interact with each other. When it comes to leadership, we need to be willing to accept

all people no matter their color, race, ethnicity, or background. It is easy for us to create biases

based on our first view of an individual or the first few minutes that we interact with someone.

We limit people's ability due to our interaction with them, and this does not allow them to grow,

develop, or even challenge ourselves and those we work alongside. One of the most important

ways in which we can grow and develop as leaders is our willingness to allow time for self-

reflection and self-evaluation on how we are performing as leaders and as mentors. Self-

reflection and self-evaluation cause two things to happen as leaders it will either cause us to

become defensive by placing the blame on other people or we can allow the situation to grow

us. They shift the blame on other people rather than allowing themselves to learn from the

mistakes and situations. Alternatively, it will cause us to step back and allow those evaluations to

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help us become more focused on how we can become more effective when it comes to our role

as a leader. As a society and in the sphere of business we have view failure or issues at work as a

lack of ability to grow and develop. “We have to encourage a culture in which failure is not

something that should be punished or avoided all costs but a vital part of the learning experience,

and something that can push the company forward.” (Allen, The Case of the Missing Cutlery,

2014) We need to see these failures as stepping stones that will help us develop and allow us to

move forward as leaders. If we are not willing to see our failure and our mistakes as stepping

stones it will not allow us to learn from those situations and we will continue to make the same

mistakes over and over. However, if we are willing to step back and look at our mistakes or

failures as learning opportunities it will allow us to see things differently and it will also allow us

to become more structured the next time we deal with that situation.

Global Impact of Technological Advancements

Technology can only be affected by the extent to which we choose to allow it to develop

us into the person that we were meant to be. When we encounter change, we are faced with

two options the fight or flight situation. We can choose to be hostile and not allow it to develop

us, or we can resist and fight to learn a new skill to become more well-rounded as individuals.

"Over time, these information technologies have become better, faster, cheaper, and more

ubiquitous. Paper scrolls were an improvement over clay tablets, codices an improvement over

scrolls, printed books over manuscripts, and so on." (Arango, Living in information, 2018) We

need to view change as a stepping stone. These stepping stone will allow us to become more

effective the more we come to understand the way in which they work. Technology has allowed

us to be more interconnected with the world around us. Before the development of technology,

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the only way to connect with leaders and business partners around the world it would take

months and even a lifetime. However, with the development of technology, we can connect with

them within a matter of seconds, and it has allowed us to create a deeper understanding of how

we can grow and develop as leaders.

Global impact of Organizational Leadership

However, it is not just technology that has changed. As leaders, we have been challenged to

become more interconnected with our teams. "Leadership is not a matter of, "I tell you what to

do, then, you do it." It is a human game achieved by unearthing the deep, visceral, often

unspoken desire of your people and connecting yourself to it. Leadership is the means by which

you create your following and, in time, buoyancy." (Allen k. , 2014) Leadership is not about being

on a pedestaled barking orders, but it is about creating a deeper relationship with our peers and

our subordinates. "Buoyancy means that everyone must be with you willingly, as a community,

rowing together toward a common destination. Buoyancy is a management philosophy based on

a dedication to and focuses on the spiritual and functional well-being of the people who will help

you grow. Buoyancy rests on the assumption that everyone is different and special. You will be

supported if they know you love them and believe in them and if they feel they are part of an

inclusive culture. They will compensate for your weaknesses and shore up your strengths." (Allen

K, The Case of the Missing Cutlery, 2014) The missing concept of buoyancy in leadership is perfect

because it reminds the leaders that they will need their team and their team will need them. It is

not a solo mission we are not working against to compete, but we need to work together to reach

the same goal. This goal is not possible without the person next to use and vice versa.

Technological advancements and organizational leadership are not stagnant, but they are

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progressive. They are continually changing and evolving as we move forward in the future. How

we choose to develop and grow will determine the level of impact that we will have as future

business leaders, mentors, managers, and peers. Technology has dramatically changed the way

in which we can connect, and the way in which we can make an impact. Some of the ways in

which technology has been noticeably affected is the way in which are able to learn, how we

education, how we connect with the people, how we connect with people around the world, and

the way in which we create a carbon footprint when it comes to identity in the business world.

Technology is not the only thing that has been challenged us to grow: the way that we lead and

the way we connect. "Leadership was something that was straightforward, done ‘by the book'

and could be easily learned. Leadership today is a lot more complex.” (Riggio, n.d.) It does not

matter if you have been a manager for a couple of years or if you are starting as managers. Being

a manager was something that you could teach someone. It was a formula that you followed like

coloring inside the line, but over time, we started to learn that being a manager meant more than

just coming to work and clock in but it meant being more involved. It is said that we need to have

a better ability to recognize our fellow peers and recognize how we can challenge them to grow

and develop. When it comes to leadership, there are multiple styles of ways in which we can

make an impact. Not one method is better than the other, but each style requires a different type

of person and how they challenged those peers and motivated them in multiple ways. There is a

multitude of ways in which we can lead our teams however in this paper I will be looking at five

of those styles. How each of these different styles challenge the leader and those they work with.

The five methods that I will be observing are Delegative leadership, Autocratic leadership,

Democratic leadership, transactional leadership, and transformational leadership. Each form of

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the command is different from the other in the way in which they lead, how they direct, how

they choose to focus their attention, and how they choose to make an impact. This does not

mean that one style of leadership is better than the other, but as we explore different styles, to

will help to understand how each method works to its benefit and how to make an impact. It’s

important to know that as we learn about leadership and technology that those characteristics

are not set in stone. They can adapt, they can develop, and they can change depending on the

individual and how they are willing to allow the information to mold them into the person they

are supposed to become.

Technology is dynamic it is always evolving and growing. It is important to understand

this before we move on to understand the importance of technology when it comes to a social

and global impact, it has challenged the way in which we grow and develop, how we are

educated, how we communicate with people, and how we build our personal and professional

identity. Before the installment of technology, the only way for anyone to get a degree and

progress with our skills on the job and individual would have to attend a campus and go through

the course content; however, with the development of technology anywhere can be a classroom

and we challenge ourselves in any atmosphere from a local coffee shop to our dining rooms, or

even a classroom, then in a bustling nightclub .These two environments create contexts that

facilitate very different goals. Your body reacts to cues in these environments in predictable

ways: The library encourages you to be quiet and contemplative, a behavior that aids your

comprehension of texts, while the nightclub encourages you to socialize.” (Arango, Living in

Information, 2018) The areas in which we try to challenge ourselves will dictate the impact on

how we will learn the material that is set before us. It is easier to read a book in a quiet place like

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a library or a coffee shops compared to a nightclub or a bar. This is because something is always

trying to fight for our attention and how we choose to allow it to impact us will determine the

extent of how much we will be affected by the material. Technology has not only allowed us to

grow and develop in our roles as a leader, but it has also allowed us to become more effective

when we are trying to create an identity for ourselves in the workplace. Before the development

of technology can make an impact in the workplace, we would have to be present and allow our

work to speak for itself. We would have to do the grunt work which is still the extent on our

ability to make an impact, but how we connect with the world around us will also allow us to

make an impact in different ways. We can now develop a website that helps us stay connected,

and it also allows to reach more people. Creating our own digital footprint will help us reach

those areas that are foreign to someone who is across the globe. During the progression of my

TWC course, I was able to work on creating a website. The desire and the focus of this website

were to create a digital space that would emulate the work that I have been doing the past two

years. The assignment was only for just that semester. However, as I progressed through the

course, I started to realize that having something like this in my toolbox would help me to become

more effective with the development of technology. So, as I continued to advance in my

education the website itself continued to develop and create an identity for itself. The link to the

website that I created was, http://michelseporghan.weebly.com/ . It’s important to understand

that this website is small, but the potential to this site will continue to evolve and grow me as a

continue to learn and evolve as a student and as an employee. The extent of this website is only

limited by the extent to which I choose to allow it to grow or I choose to allow it to develop my

understanding of technology. It was designed by me to allow my future business partners and

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fellow peers to have a snapshot into the things that I was able to learn, the things that challenged

me, and the things that continue to mold me into the person I will become with my

interdisciplinary degree. Before starting this assignment, I always thought that website design

and technological advancements were only possible for a small group of people. However, during

the progression of the TWC courses, I was able to see that it is only limited by the extent on how

much I am willing to challenge myself. “Throughout history, humans have taught, learned,

entertained, and communicated with stories, and this has held constant across media. Stories

transmit information and transfer experience. This book, therefore, emphasizes digital

storytelling and upholds the value of narrative, which also underlines the value of a journalistic

approach to information gathering, writing, editing, and publishing online. Journalism, in other

words, serves well the journalist and non-journalist alike, especially in digital environments,

where the democracy of production and publishing are even threatening the relevance of such

distinctions.” (Carroll, Writing and Editing for Digital Media, 2014) We are constantly trying to

grow and develop. How we choose to use the technology that is before will determine the extent

on how it will affect us as individuals. The digital world has allowed us to made learning more

refined and it has allowed us to find new ways in which we can challenge ourselves. This is

possible from online schools, to do it yourself videos, or just books available online. I have spent

the bulk of my time studying at a coffee shop this is not because I cannot focus at a library, but I

get distracted easily when it is overly quiet. The atmosphere at a coffee shop allows me to narrow

my focus and concentrate on the content that is in front of me. trying to study at home was too

much distraction because I would find myself trying to do other things to consume my time rather

than getting my school work done. I would try to do chores, laundry, watch TV or nap I would try

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to find other things that would distract me from doing to work that was set before me. The

process of sitting at a coffee shop allowed me to focus my attention on the content in front of

me and it also allowed me to become more task-oriented because there are not external

variables that distract me as an individual. Not only has technology allowed us to change the way

in which we learn and challenge ourselves, but it has also changed the way in which we connect

with the world around us. How we are connecting with the people in our lives has dramatically

changed. in the past, if we wanted to create a deeper bond with someone or we are just trying

to stay connected with people, we would send a letter or try to meet someone face-to-face. We

can use tools like Facetime, IChat, Skype, Facebook, Instagram we can stay connected without

missing a heartbeat. However, with the advancement of technology, it has also made the process

of connecting a little interpersonal. We would rather Facebook our issues or Instagram them

rather than talking about them. However, the advancement of technology is not always bad, but

it has allowed us to become more efficient. “I found that I had become so used to composing

virtual prose at the keyboard I could no longer draft anything coherent directly onto a piece of

paper. Technology has allowed us to become more effective with our time. The act of using

technology allows us to keep it simple and elegant without having to recopy or restructure the

way in which we write things. When we use technology in the correct way I will help us stay

focused, and it will keep us structured. Not only has the advancements of technology allowed us

to find better ways of storing information, but it allows us to transfer and connect with that

information in a more efficient way. When trying to work on a team project, the biggest struggle

is trying to allow everyone to provide input and allow everyone to be involved. With the

improvement of technology, we can use tools like Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft share to

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provide them the context within a matter of minutes rather than trying to find elaborate ways in

which everyone can find a fixed time to meet up and provide their input. Technology has allowed

us to create unique ways in which we can stay connected with teams who are in the same room

but also across the globe. With the advancement of technology, it has made the progress of this

paper of efficient. Rather, than trying to block out times for me and my mentor to meet up to

discuss the progress of my paper. I can work on the paper in my own time and email her the

context in which I have been working on. This has removed some of the stress for both my mentor

and me and, it also allows us to work on the material as it comes to us. Not only has technology

been transformed with the time, but how we do business as also been affected. How we do

business and how we connect with our teams has also been intensely affected. In the past, if we

wanted to buy something or we wanted to know about a product we would have to go into a

store. With the development of technology, we have been able to find new ways in which we can

shop and make an impact in the workplace. “online shopping is a form of electronic commerce

which allows to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the internet using a web

browser.” (Wikipedia, 2018) Not only are we able to use our computers to make these

interactions but we are now able to use our smartphones which also allow us to connect with

the goods and services that we would like to purchase. It would be impossible to write down

every business that has an online store. Therefore, this is because every business who wants to

make an impact has some of the online access to their business. The products could be anything

from a pair of shoes to school supply. online shopping has changed the way in which we learn

about a product. Users who have a bad experience, they won’t come back. “Simply put, if your

users have a bad experience, they won’t come back. If they have an OK experience with your site

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but a better experience with your competitor’s site, they’ll go back to that competitor, not you.

Features and functions always matter, but user experience has a far greater effect on customer

loyalty. All your sophisticated technology and brand messaging won’t bring those customers back

a second time. good user experience will—and you don’t get much of a second chance to get it

right.” (Garrett, 2011) We created of habit we gravitate to the things that are easy and allow us

to feel comfortable. This way we always sit in the same spot when we enter into a coffee shop,

why we talk to the same people at work, or why we always go to the same places for food.

Technologies like Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Amazon we are bombarded with these

new products, and it also allows us to find things that we did not know about before. Out of sight

means out of mind. The more that we are bombarded with goods and serves the more that we

feel the need that we will need them in our lives. Online shopping has evolved so much within

the past three or four years. Most websites and applications have implemented AI (Artificial

Intelligence) which allows them to learn more about us and provide us with products that they

feel we would be interested in buying or even observe. The AI algorithm studies our patterns; we

shop, the sites that we visit, the things we click on to provide us with insight on the things we

would like to buy the products that look interesting to us, and the websites that might spark our

interest. It's important to remember that technology is not the only thing that has. The way in

which we connect with our teams will determine the impact that we will have with them and the

customers that we are trying to serve. The most important the effectiveness of your technological

advancements. “It is the user experience that forms the customer’s impression of a company’s

offerings; it is the user experience that differentiates a company from its competitors; it is the

user experience that determines whether your customer will ever come back.” (Garrett, The

21
Elements of User Experience, 2011)It does not matter how to well your website is put together

or how many people visit your website. If it does not reach the desire or the demand of the users,

it will be ineffective and, it will not create enough foot traffic. Which will render it useless in the

long run? Before I enrolled in the interdisciplinary degree at ASU I was working on getting a

degree in computer programming my professor stated a comment "as a programmer and a

website designer your goal, and you desire to create a website or application that the user will

want to use. Not something that you would want to see. You could put your identity in that

website or application, but it should never be about what you want; but what your user wants to

see. “When I first heard this quote, challenged me as a student to think about the process of how

I create the website or the blueprints that I thought. Even when I was working on my site, I was

always thinking about what my future managers or future interviewers would like to see when

they process through my site. As a website developer, I wanted to build a website that was simple

but still had my personality and zeal. During the course of the class my teacher was asking us to

find ways in which we can make easier to connect people with our site and make it process less

stressful. This was because our websites were small and it would be a challenge to find it over

the thousands and thousands of websites available. This assignment challenged me and pushed

me as a student. However, as I started to think about this, I thought about how a QR code would

help with the struggle and also gave the user an easier way in which they can connect with my

website. Think this way about technology allows we to not just think about yourself but it allows

us to think about what the user would love to see and how they would love to interact with the

websites that they are visiting. Another thing we can do is ask the question what is drawing the

22
user to that specific site? If can understand this, it will alter the way in which we think and even

design websites.

Global Impact of Organizational Leadership

“Business has always been a game. Just like top athlete’s train and practice to come out

victorious, companies train and prepare so they can beat the competition. Instead of scoring

home runs or goals, however, Companies Compete on things like revenue, profit, and quarterly

metrics.” (Morgan, 2018) Could be many things from the way in which we lead our teams, the

way in which we treat our customer, or the way in which we respond to our peers. In the past,

the mark of a great leader is someone who could hire the right people and put together the right

team, but now it's more about how we connect and can motivate the people we are entrusted.

When it comes to leadership, it is about the balance between inspiration and confidence in your

leadership and knowing when to trust your people. In the game of business, we were not created

to do everything by ourselves. We were designed to be part of a team and challenge each other

to become better. There are five different styles of leadership from Delegative leadership,

Autocratic leadership, Democratic leadership, transactional leadership, and transformational

leadership. Each style speaks to a specific type of individual and, it encourages them to act and

perform in different ways. The first style of leadership we will be looking at is Delegative

leadership there is little room to grow and develop. “Delegative leaders offer little or no guidance

to group members and leave decision-making up to group members. While this style can be

useful in situations involving highly qualified experts, it often leads to poorly defined roles and a

lack of motivation.” (Cherry, 2018) in this style of leadership, there is little or no guidance the

team members are left to themselves and are not motivated to grow and develop as a team. The

23
second style of leadership we will be looking at is the Autocratic leadership. In an autocratic

leadership, the individual does not feel motivated to grow and develop. “This style of leadership

is strongly focused on both command by the leader and control of the followers.” (Cherry, 2018)

In this type of leadership, the team members feel more like a number rather than part of the

team. They are pawned off one task the other without being heard or valued. The third style of

leadership we will be looking at is the democratic style of leadership there is more wiggle room

in this style of leadership. It still leaves the team members devalued and unappreciated through

the progression of the project. “Participative leaders encourage group members to participate

but remain the final say in the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the

process and are more motivated and creative.” (Cherry, 2018) This style of leadership is a little

bit more proactive with it comes to keeping you and your team engaged, but when decisions are

being made the leader is the final word they value the team members input, but he can affect on

the final decision. The fourth style of leadership we will be looking at is in the transactional

leadership. In the Transactional leadership style, there is a hierarchy in the way that the business

is run. This is common in all types of business styles, but in the style of leadership, most of the

decisions are either made by the manager, supervisors, and those of authority. The type of

business that focuses on this style of leadership is based on rewards and punishments to motivate

their teams to do complete their tasks. The fifth and the last style of leadership we will be looking

at is the transformational leadership. In the transformational leadership style, we allow for

creativity in our teams and, we encourage them to stand up for their views. “Transformational

leadership tend to be emotionally intelligent, energetic, and passionate. They are not only

committed to helping the organization achieve its goals, but also to helping group members fulfill

24
their potential.” (Cherry, 2018) In a transformational leadership “that can inspire positive

changes in those who follow. Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic, and

passionate. Not only are these leaders concerned and involved in the process; they are also

focused on helping every member of the group succeed as well.” (Cherry2018) Being a shift

supervisor at Starbucks has helped me to understand the role of a leader. It’s not about the type

of leader that I want people to see me as, but it’s the type of leader that people need. Some

people need a Delegative leader who will ask them to complete a specific list of tasks. Some

people need an autocratic leader who will provide them with a list of tasks that need to be

completed in a specific amount of time. Some people need a popular type of leader who will

provide them with guidance and, they do their job, but will also allow them to provide the input

that will help them grow and develop. some other people need a transactional leader who will

need to be encouraged by their leaders to trust in themselves and their capabilities to reach their

own goals. How we choose to lead our teams will determine the type of leader that our peers

and our subordinates will see us. During the past two years of my education, I have been exposed

to so many different kinds of leadership. Which caused me to think about the type of leader that

I want to be? I want to be known as someone who cares about his team but can be stern when

it is required. Not only have I been challenging myself to grow in the role of education, but I have

also been challenging myself to grow in my role at Starbucks. I have been trying to move into the

role of an (ASM) Assistant Store manager from the role of an (SSV) Shift Supervisor. I have been

spending more time with my manager and also being challenged on how I can grow and develop

with my role within the company. One day during our conversation in the backroom he said

something to be about leadership that shook me to the core. “I will give you enough rope to hang

25
your career, so at the end of the day if you are let go or, you are panelized for your actions, it is

not my fault buy your fault for your mistakes.” This quote challenged me in so many ways because

it allowed me to learn that throughout the progression of anyone’s career whether I am a

manager or even just a supervisor for a business that I can only motivate and push people to do

their job. At the end of the day how they choose to make an impact will determine the extent of

each employee with growing and develop. We can only motivate and challenge our coworkers

and employees to develop we cannot force them to work harder or be more productive. These

are tools and skills that they have to build within themselves. it’s impossible to run without

learning to stand and walk first. The same with starting a new job or a career. We need to be

patient with ourselves and those we work. When we have new partners at Starbucks I, have them

stand in front of the bar and take a few breaths. By doing this, it allows them to relax and realize

that they will not be able to create a Rosetta before they learn to steam the milk properly. It will

take time. Them to know this makes the process less stressful. Moreover, it allows them to take

each day as it comes. As humans, we all have ambitions and drives; those ambitions and drives

drive us to become the person we were meant to become. “of the work, he or she does. My

grandfather always said, “Whatever you do, whether you’re the garbage man or the president,

work hard and be the very best you can be." It was clear to me that my job as a leader was not

to instruct but to help these people, who were defeated by unforgiving conditions." (Allen K, The

Case of the Missing Cutlery, 2014) It’s not just about us clocking in doing our job and clocking out.

We need to feel a sense of accomplishment. We need to be proud of the work that we are doing.

The life of organizational leadership and the development of technology is only limited on the

ability and the capability of those who choose to use them. As business leaders and as mentors

26
we need to have a deep understanding of our global footprint and how we can make an impact.

It's not just important to know about this, but we willing to allow this to impact the way in which

we interact with it, and also will enable it to change the way in which we deal with the global

footprint. It would be foolish and naïve to think that our work does not affect the global sphere

depending on the type of work we do from big too small. Communication barriers will always be

a factor when it comes to creating a dialog between different kinds of cultures and different

backgrounds. "The carrots are cooked" or "there’s no use crying over spilled milk" these are types

of idioms that do not translate between different types of culture. However, when they are

translated, they mean that the situation is fixed and it cannot be undone. "An idiom is an

expression with a figurative meaning that differs from the literal meaning. We hear idioms every

day- both in conversation and in media. When used correctly, idioms can amplify messages in a

way that draws thein and helps to awaken their senses." (Allison, 2014) However, this can be true

within the sphere of one culture, but they would distract and even confuse those who are not a

part of that cultural background. How we communicate and how we build our understanding of

other cultures determines our ability to be effective. The global area of leadership has allowed

us to become more empathetic when it comes to different employees and understanding their

cultural context. In the past, our view of empathy was only limited by those we would see within

the walls our building or people we see on the streets, and it is clear to see that our view of the

global world has also been affected by time. We can create genuine interactions with those who

are across the room and also with those who are across the globe. We can see that technology

has allowed us to become more active in the way in which we use technology.

Global Impact of Technological Advancements

27
Technological advancements have allowed us to develop more genuine connections with people

around the world. The four walls do not just limit us within the sphere of our workplace or

classrooms we can connect with employers and teachers who are from a far distance. Business

is not the only thing that has been affected by time. As I am taking classes to get a degree in my

interdisciplinary degree from ASU, I am sitting at a coffee shop that is about five and a half hours

away from the campus that I was enrolled. With the development of technology, it feels as if our

distance between each other is not even a factor anymore. I can connect with my mentor, my

counselor, or my professor within a matter of seconds. In the past, if we wanted to attend a

school or an educational institution. Not only has technological advancements changed the way

in which we do school, but they have also changed the way in which we connect with people.

With the installment of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Marco Polo we can create genuine

interactions with people around the world. "The more time you spend in these places, the more

of your attention they command." (Aragon) These tools are used to help us stay connected.

However, the more time that we spend on these tools we tend to allow them to dictate the way

in which we interact with the world around us. However, this is not always a bad thing, but it

could become a catalyst that dictates the way in which we communicate with the world around

us. Facebook and Instagram have given us the ability to stay more interconnected with the world

around us. It would be impossible for us not to remember where we were or what we were doing

on September 11, I can still remember that I was getting ready for my mom to take me to high

school. That about 2622 days ago, 375 weeks, 86 months, and 62928 hours ago. However, it will

always feel like it happened just the other day. I say this because of the way in which can connect

with media has changed dramatically. When I heard about it for the first time, I was sitting in

28
front of a TV. However, when the events of the Boston Marathon took place on April 15, 2013. I

was able to stay connected within a matter of seconds. My Facebook and Instagram were

regularly posting content that would allow everyone around them to stay connected with the

tragedy that took place. This does not mean that the events of September 11 were not as

important as April 15, but it shows how much technology has grown and allowed us to become

more interconnected with the information that we can access.

Final thoughts

The Development of this paper was remarkable because it allowed me to dive deeper into

my study of Interdisciplinary than ever before. Before taking this BIS 401, I was not able to

connect all of the dots. However, with the During the process of this paper, I was able to gather

all of my thoughts and ideas that I was able to learn about organizational leadership and

technological advancements and allow them to construct this thirty-page paper. Our educational

plan should cause an impact on the way that we think and the way in which we interact with our

field of study. When I talk about being changed by our educational plan, this does not mean that

it would completely revamp the type of person that we are, but it should challenge the way in

which we think and the way in which we intemperate information. When it comes to

development and growth as a student or as a future business leader I know that my Journey as

not been easy it was full of pitfalls, bumpy roads, and dead ends; However, throughout this

journey, it has caused me to become the person whom I was meant to become. Not only have a

learned to become more persistent with my desire to finish tasks like getting a degree or doing

this thirty-page paper, but it has also allowed me to learn new things about organizational

leadership and technological advancement which has validated the development that I have

29
been able to make in the last two and a half years. Before I applied to ASU, I was not sure what I

wanted to study or what direction my life was heading, however as I was able to reflect on what

my passion and desire where I was evident that it had to do with technology and leadership. It

was not clear how this would come about or if it was even an option for me to find a

concentration that focused on these two concepts. It was not until I was able to connect with the

ASU coach that was provided for me that we were able to connect my desires with an educational

plan. Therefore, this was because these two focuses allowed me as a student to communicate

with the two things that I found a passion in and they were people and technology. I was not

completely sold on the degree the first time that I heard about it. I told me ASU coach that I

wanted to take some time and think about this choice. As a student and as an individual I did not

want to rush into this, and I did not want to choose it because my ASU coach told me that it was

the right move. What was right for them might not have been right for me, however after taking

a few days of reflecting on the choice set before me I decided that it was the correct direction in

which I wanted to make my educational through. The reason for this is because everything that

we do or anything we try to do in the world revolves around these two important things and,

they are Organizational leadership and technological advancements. The extent of our education

is not just based on the grades that we have gotten or the number of units that we have taken

as students. These are great because it allows the school to know that we have fulfilled the

requirements needed to get a degree as a student. It's also important to understand how much

our education has allowed us to grow and develop as leaders and as future mentors in our field

of study. Before starting my organizational leadership courses, my understanding of leadership

was limited on how I can hire the right type of people, create the perfect schedule, and be present

30
for any issues that occur during the work week. However, this is not the right way in which we

should look at leadership,

However, as leaders, we need to be present and lead by example. Be someone who is not just

present thorough out the day but is willing to make an impact and challenge his coworkers and

his peers to grow and develop. "Buoyancy is a phenomenon whereby, as a leader, you "float,"

because the people in the community you have inspired believe that you should. They believe in

you, support you, celebrate your strengths, and shore up your weaknesses, all because you

understand, connect with, and ignite what lies in their hearts. Creating a following requires a

fundamental understanding of your audience's collective desire and an ability to mobilize it by

capturing their imagination with a special quest—a common ambition and resulting culture that

binds them as one" (Allen K. , The Case of the Missing Cutlery , 2014) As a leader you are willing

to learn on your team for support, and they are also willing to lean on you as a leader. They will

trust you when things don't make sense or when you have to make difficult decisions that will

cause them to feel attacked or vulnerable. It would be easy for a manager to sit back and demand

perfection from his team, but when we are willing to jump into the fire with them, it will change

the dynamic of how they respond and react your type of leadership. When you are put in the

place of leadership, we are given a team of people who we are responsible for their growth and

development as employees and as people. In our workplace, there are different types of

employees with passions, fears, hopes, and goals. as a leader, our responsibility is to find out

which of the four they are and how we can impact the style of work that they are doing. "not

everyone will jump up and down and leap onto your bandwagon. Far from it. Enlistment will be

a bit of a lonely trek to start with. It has been convenient for me, and at times quite comforting,

31
to categorize people into four groupings: catalysts, followers, observers, resistors." (Allen K, The

Case of the Missing Cutlery, 2014) There are four types of people we will run into at the workplace

the two that are the most important to understand and work with are your catalysts and your

resisters. Both the catalysts and the resister will challenge you as leaders. The Catalysts is the

optimist of the group and is willing to give you a shot as a leader. "when you are about to speak

to a group of people and, you scan the room and see one person's eyes light up and, his body

language says, "I'm with you"—that person is a catalyst. Catalysts are forward-leaning, glass-half-

full people. They are optimists, and they're generous of spirit" (Allen K. , The Case of the Missing

Cutlery , 2014) These types of people or important because they will be your spokesman and,

they will rally together all of the others in the office, and they will also continue to push you when

the goal is achieved. They will be the hands and the feet of your mission statement and your

battle cry. Then there is the resister. The resister is the people who will fight with you and will

challenge you at every turn of the project. "The person's motivation for objecting might include

a rivalry for your position. Often, the resistance is based on fear and a sense of self-preservation;

vocal objectors may believe that the direction you are taking will do nothing other than threaten

a comfortable status quo. The good news: they are easy to spot. Passive resisters are the real

threat. They look like observers, but while smiling in assent, they quietly sow the seeds of discord.

Therefore, this makes observers and followers very nervous and prevents them from moving

toward catalysts." (Allen K, The Case of the Missing Cutlery, 2014) there are two ways in which

we can look and react to resister. The first thing that we can do is remove them from our project.

Which is a great move because it would allow the team to stay connected with each other re and

there will be no disharmony in the group. However, when we remove those people from the

32
group it does not allow us to grow and develop. the resisters are passionate about their fear, but

their fears are about how the new plan and the new direction will impact the longevity of the

project. The second way in which we can deal with resisters is to allow them to be present in

every aspect of the project because they will allow you and your team to know about any issues

that could or would be present throughout the progress of the project. Being able to understand

your resisters will not solve your problems, but it will allow you to have an unbiased and skewed

view of how the project or the direction the business is moving. The resister will challenge you to

see things positive way and will continue to push you and your fellow peers to become more

efficient. Face-To-Face conversation over anonymous, impersonal writing. Plato feared that

writing would destroy memory. Why make an effort to remember or, more correctly, to

memorize something when it is already written down?" (Carroll) Face-to-face interactions are

always a great way to challenge us to grow and develop. In the past, it was easy to connect with

people in our circle because of the amount of space between each other. However, with the

expansion of time and the desire to grow and develop our small neighborhoods became towns,

cities, and nations.

33
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