Building good relationships with co-workers

For this week I read the internet reading “Communities of practice at the core.”

Building strong ties in order to maintain good relationships in the workplace is undeniable. Without good relationship ties among co-workers companies would not be able to prosper. Good relationships come from developing trust and communication. Trust and communication arise naturally with time. Trust is what binds the group of people in a corporation together, if they do not trust each other there would not be good communication, and without communication it is very hard for a company to grow and progress. Although building on relationships is important, giving people their space is necessary too, because in order to work for long periods of time effectively, people need their own personal time and space.

Companies should also give their employees an amount of free time in which they can interact with one another, therefore augmenting their relationship. There should also be a designed space that can be used to relax and interact, because without it, people will be less likely to engage with each other. For example, as the author exposed Chiat/Day was not able to prosper for long because they did not provide their employees with good office space, among other things.

The tipping point is explained in this article very effectively. I believe that “the law of the few” is very true because it only takes a small amount of people to create a really big difference/ impact in the world. Although having people that are good persuaders, the messages that “stick” are also very important because we have begun to work alongside the media and we let it run our everyday lives. Since we are surrounded entirely by media and all their messages, there has to be something really special or something that draws your attention about that particular product; which is quite hard to do when so many options are already available.

When it comes to describing the technology aspect there is some right and some wrong in what the author expresses. I agree with when he expresses that human beings need to encounter other human beings from time to time. I differ from him though when he states that good relationships cannot be made via technology. (going back to my last post) Nowadays technology runs our lives, people spend a numerable amount of hours everyday in their computers using AIM, Facebook, and messenger. A lot of the relationships they form are built upon these networks. Although the author states that trust cannot be gained through technology, using this devices people do create some trusting relationships, as they spend moments of everyday encountering and engaging with other people.

Impossible to live by ourselves

Some of the statements Charles Kadushin makes in his "Introduction to Social Network Theory" are merely obvious. It is almost self-evident that if people live close to you, you are more likely to become acquainted with them because you encounter them frequently. I don’t believe that is a scientific principle, it is merely nature. People vibrate and unite with others in which they see the same or at least similar characteristics. On the other hand, people can form relationships on other aspects that have nothing to do with where they are located.

“In social psychology Charles H Cooley's "looking glass self" (Cooley 1956) begins as Descartes with the individual, but suggests that the self cannot be formed without its reflection from others.” I have to agree with what he states in the excerpt above because I don’t think that people can be fully formed by themselves. If people were to live by themselves they would not be able to survive, so it is absurd to say that people can be fully formed by themselves. People cannot live by themselves; we always need the company of others. By comparing ourselves to others and by interacting with the people around us is how we better ourselves as human beings. (for ex. our flaws or weaknesses)