Response ( LOON IN KENYA )

Reply 1

Sayman

The article that I selected is “Loon in Kenya” published on August 17, 2020. I found this article interesting and I chose the key points to discuss. Key points: 1. Needs during Covid-19 2. Direct internet connectivity 3. Connected over 35,000 unique users 4. Rural areas 5. Capacity to bring a positive impact It is more interesting than others because nowadays, what we need more is to have a better internet connection for us to take online classes, full-time or part-time jobs at home, connecting with friends and family you missed due to a pandemic, and a great opportunity to have some bonding in online games and more. The goal of the company. Alphabet Inc. has launched its first ever commercial operation in Kenya. Its stratospheric balloons broadcast WI-FI signals over Kenya. According to West Garth, automated machines could launch a balloon to 60,000 feet every 30 minutes (Loon 2020). The balloons have antennas, solar panels, and carry flight controls that they can easily stay in the air for about 100 days. Very interesting! These vehicles allow users to access video calls, email, browsing, and any other services. Imagine, it is about 200 times more than that of a cellphone tower! The vehicles can be also connected to more than 35,000 users. This is a great help to others suffering from weak signals especially in rural areas. Ease in living with a high speed internet connection is our desire nowadays. It could be better if they can create a WI-FI FOR ALL! In conclusion, it may be risky and a little dangerous having a giant balloon on the path of an airliner, it may be considered if Alphabet coordinates with the air traffic controllers for more of information. Reference Loon. (August 17, 2020). Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/publications/pm-network/projects-of-the-week/loon.

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Response ( LOON IN KENYA )

Outstanding summary on the chosen article “Loon in Kenya”. I agree with you on the key points about the loon service because it has become handy during the Covid-19 era, enhanced internet connectivity, brought positive impact, and connected 35000 users in rural areas. Essentially, the loon service works by beaming internet connectivity from the ground stations to some balloons which 20 kilometers above the ground. Consequently, balloons, which act as floating base stations, are linked these ground stations which are connected Telkom’s network. The loon service provides 4 G coverage which enables one to browse the web with ease, email, text and stream videos. I also agree with you that the estimated impacts are enhancement of remote learning which positively impacts education, access to telemedicine besides connecting targeted communities to emergency services and providing communication alternatives. However, do you think the service has impacts on other sectors besides education, health and communication?

Reply 2

Camila

Hello, For this week’s discussion I chose the article “Coach Them Well: What Birds Can Teach Us About Leadership” by Kevin Torf. Birds can be a great example of how to work as a team. Mother birds teach their chicks how to fly while carrying food or other items. This example can serve project managers to empower their teams. Every project is an opportunity to grow and collaborate among team members and when the project manager becomes a coach rather than a boss, teams can become more self-sufficient and self-reliant in order to succeed. Coaching the team to success can be done following these five steps. First, ask your team open ended questions. This will encourage conversation and stimulate new ideas while also showing interest and respect for your team’s input. Second, provide a holistic view of your team’s tasks and their purpose. Employees have a better outcome when they are passionate about their part in the overall mission. Third, make everything actionable and measurable when describing a task. Find the type of language that will inspire your team, refer to them as “we” in order to keep them focused and motivated. Each team member needs to understand their role and the goal. Fourth, new ideas and perspectives should be encouraged. Create an environment where employees are encouraged to speak up and make it a priority, make a culture that every voice is important. Fifth, empower your team to talk freely and openly to help spark new ideas. Encourage an open communication via all methods and at any time. This will encourage employees to share new ideas when they occur. Use concise communication to coach better productivity and create a higher performing team. This article resonates with me because I think that the base of a good leadership is open communication. As I read the article, all five points to make your team successful involves communication in one way or another. Encouraging a transparent environment will maintain employees engaged and improve the project manager’s leadership. I think one key point to note as well is that a when a project manager becomes a coach, it allows communication to flow in numerous ways providing a platform for innovation and employee engagement. All they elements lead to a successful team and a success in the project as a whole. Thank you

References

Torf, K. (2021, January 06). Coach Them Well: What birds can teach us about leadership… Retrieved January 10, 2021, from https://www.projecttimes.com/articles/coach-them-well-what-birds-can-teach-us-about-leadership.html

Reply3

Malee

The article from the magazine CIOReview I am discussing in this post is titled, “It’s Less about Convincing and More about Understanding” by Jeff Hallman. It was a interesting and eye-opening read; I highly recommend it!

Hallman argues that part of the reason why businesses have difficulty with organizational and project management is because we are not understanding the ‘what’, and most importantly, the ‘why’ in the equation. He refers to a recognizable psychologist, George Kelly, and his Personal Construct Theory. Hallman discusses the practical implementation of Kelly’s theory in delivering effective project management and conflict change.

Kelly, in his works, once stated that we as humans also uniquely navigate ourselves through our “absolute understandings related to human psychology”. Hallman adds that “we create templates of the world that we try to fit incoming information to help determine a course of action”. As individuals we all have different templates that we’ve created through our own experiences and knowledge that can cause conflict with others when implementing a change to the organization. Hallman provides a good example of this, that I will recreate in a simpler setting.

You and your friend are discussing the new models of smartphones releasing soon by Brand A and B. You believe that Brand A’s model has better features based on your past experiences with the brand, while your friend argues that Brand B is obviously better based on theirs. In this situation, we might not know who is absolutely correct, but we do know that you and your friend have created your own unique templates for choosing a product to buy and are correct in your own respective, objective ways.

Hallman concludes that this way of thinking, fueled by George Kelly’s Personal Contruct Theory, can help organizational leaders as a framework for understanding motives for decision making, especially for all stakeholders. The theory gives businesses the basis of planning any change from a small team to a large organization. Actions lead to modified behaviors lead to a shift in organizational culture leads to CHANGE! This article resonated with me deeply because before I was marketing major, I was studying a B.S. of Psychology from Northern Illinois University. I was 70% of my way through my degree and realized I wanted to become a marketer and transferred to Walsh, using psychology as a base of understanding (just like this article!). Marketing takes a look at a lot of consumer behaviors, just from a different angle. This article is one of the best examples of this that I have read. I really enjoyed reading it and I hope some of you have the time to as well if you’re interested.

References:

Hallman, J. (2020, November 27). It’s Less about Convincing and More about Understanding. Retrieved January 5, 2021, from https://project-management.cioreview.com

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