Design thinking:

After reading and watching the short video, I think design thinking is something that can't
necessarily be exactly taught nor duplicated. It is innovative thinking that includes
creativity, originality, and adaptability. Ways to take an idea or thought further in order to
make it applicable and to change the way things are done. As talked about in the article,
Edison invention of the light bulb was ust the tip of the iceberg. !rom there, he needed
to design an electrical grid in order to make the light bulb applicable to others.
I think design thinking is only as good as the ability to distribute and share the creative
thoughts or design. A great idea will not go anywhere without the proper network that
will distribute, test, research, and so forth the idea presented. "esting the creative idea
against these other processes or mediums will prove whether or not it will sustain or
dwindle in its success.
Journey mapping:
I found the idea of #ourney $apping to be most applicable to me and my specific career
of law enforcement. #ourney mapping is having an understanding of the customer's
viewpoints through the experience they are having. "his allows one to see if from their
point of view and %stand in their shoes%. I found this applicable to any encounter that
may begin on a negative note such as a domestic disturbance or a traffic stop. &y the
time this encounter is completed through the idea behind #ourney $apping, it will
hopefully be viewed from their point as a positive experience to some degree. "his tool
can help the customer'citi(en understand the steps or functions that are needed in order to
reach the end result. Although this citi(en may be either going to ail or receiving a
citation, using ourney mapping can assist in a more positive experience for them.
"reating them with respect and dignity as if standing in their shoes can often prove to be
helpful.
Figure 1: Customer Experience Strategy
"he above figure illustrates the path of viewing an experience from the shoes of the
customer'citi(en and how to bring them to a desired outcome or resolution. #ourney
mapping can be applied to many different aspects and situations.
http)''www.b*binternational.com'publications'customer+ourney+mapping'
Brainstorming.trigger questions:
After watching the video and reading through chapter seven it made me reali(e how I
have benefited from sessions of brainstorming. As ,atrina ,ook had indicated within her
post, each critical incident is followed by a debriefing. -uring this debriefing, .uestions
are asked, statements are made and thoughts are gathered. "his brainstorming process
provides a better and improved foundation that can be used to move forward and prepare
for the next critical incident that may be similar in nature. !or me, I learn best and gain
the most from other .uestions that are posed during these times. According to /iedtka
and 0gilvie if there is a single attribute that makes or breaks a brainstorming session, it is
the .uestions used to elicit new ideas from participants 1*233, p. 3245. !or this reason, I
am a believer that there are no such things as %dumb .uestions% as I feel that this is the
main contributing factor towards a successful brainstorming session.
Staying fresh
Watching this video did spark some applicable thought as it relates to my current position
as a -etective within my department. 6eth 7odin spoke of being remarkable and not
becoming stale. I related this to a few other concepts and situations. When an
organi(ation creates a competitive advantage they must find ways to maintain this
advantage as well as continually improve.
"he -etective &ureau I am a part of consists of four -etectives. Each spot is a three year
revolving position. "his simply means that after completing three years, you will then
return to road patrol, a different special assignment, or a promotional opportunity. I have
been in this bureau for approximately eight months and have thoroughly enoyed what I
have learned and have accomplished thus far. I have the ambition to attempt to persuade
my administrators to create at least one or two of these spots as a permanent spot. "here
reasoning for keeping it as a rotating position, relates to this video of not becoming
stationary or stale. A new -etective brings in new ideas, thoughts, and ways of thinking
which keeps the bureau fresh.
I can agree with this thought, however the flipside to this argument is that by not having
at least one position a fixed spot, it seems as though we continually have to %re+create the
wheel% in many of our operations as the bureau as a whole is continually learning. As my
three year mark approaches, I will present my administrators a proposal of creating a
permanent spot and how I would plan to remain fresh, motivated and not complacent
within my duties to keep moving forward.
Employee engagement
After watching &lessing Whites video regarding employee engagement I found most of
the video and his %x model% to be fairly straightforward. I think much of what he
included such as the levels of contribution from the employee and intersecting with the
satisfaction of the organi(ation can be applied to many obs and careers. I think within
the career of law enforcement, this model and theory can be very accurate in describing
many veteran police officers. ,ommonly referred to as %80-'s% for retired on duty,
many, not all, veteran officers have become comfortable and turned into %hampsters%.
Worse yet and more dangerous others have made the emotional turn and have promoted
themselves to %crash and burners%. "his can be a very dangerous situation and leads to
complacency, boredom, and a great lack of contribution. "he link below is of an article
that was in an issue of 0ccupational 9ealth and 6afety maga(ine that titles complacency
as the silent killer. Within any organi(ation Aamodt, *23: states that an employee
striving for self+actuali(ation wants to reach their potential in every task. If an employee
is tasked with the same responsibilities throughout their career, I think a lack of
contribution ultimately leading to the %crash and burners% point becomes inevitable. An
organi(ation must keep the employee interested, challenged and rewarded in order to
avoid this complacency. Within the law enforcement career, special assignments do ust
that, keep the employee interested, challenged and rewarded and thus avoiding the state
of complacency.
http)''ohsonline.com'articles'*232'2;'23'complacency+the+silent+killer.aspx
Aamodt, $. 1*23:5. Introduction to I'0 psychology. I<". $atray, /. $oody = /. >eyes
1Eds.5, Industrial organizational psychology : An applied approach 1?th ed., @g. :3*5.
&elmont, ,A) Wadsworth ,engage /earning.
Talent
After reading this article I found it to be linked closely to the other discussions for this
week. "alent within an organi(ation begins with that organi(ation having the ability to
attract top candidates who have an internal drive for a career path. "he organi(ation must
provide ongoing opportunities and %meaningful work% to attract and hold talented
applicants. "his over time creates an organi(ational history that shall continue from year
to year and generation to generation until this cycle is broken. Employees share in an
appreciation of the organi(ation history and feel a part of something larger than them. I
thought it was a bit contradicting this article spoke of these talent branding organi(ations
being extremely rigorous when considering how they evaluate performance. I feel that
releasing the bottom A to 32 B of performers may be an extreme philosophy however it
emphasi(es the importance to perform.
What I found very applicable is the thought that mentoring is taken very seriously and
organi(ations must ensure that their leaders are e.uipped with the skills and abilities to
teach and mentor their successors. "his will once again create the revolving door way of
operating an appreciation for talent and ability to perform. !or example a road patrol
supervisor that has not gained the street level experience necessary to pass along to their
successors will not carry the respect and leadership .ualities that are needed to succeed.
,ontrary to this, an officer that has great street credibility and after a length of time is
promoted, will carry a high level of respect from those who they will be leading.
Innovation
I found the video with 6tikeleather 1*23*5 to be interesting. I am glad he pointed out that
many do not recogni(e or accept that innovation does not necessarily mean a drastic
change or invention. 8ather, innovation can be a way of %continued improvement% and a
%predictable process%. @ersonally and professionally, I am not one that has ever been
known to make any drastic improvements or priceless inventions. I do however feel that
I am always striving to continually improve and increase efficiency. "his can range from
improving the living .uality and cost reduction of my home to attempting to streamline
many processes at my work. !inding a way to complete a repetitive process knowing this
event will continue to re+occur well into the future is my best example of trying to be
innovative both personally and professionally.
6tikeleather 1*23*5 did make comment that innovation must not be limited to simply a
product but rather open to a way of thinking or dealing with an issue. I still generally
narrow my thoughts when thinking of innovation on product invention or development. I
have personally strived for many years to come up with an innovative product related to
the sport of hunting and I think I have come up with something. <ow, as we have learned
the difficult part of this process will be to attempt to figure out how to make this thought
feasible and distribute it to a market. 0f course, I attempt to keep my %innovative%
thought to myself and that generally makes the process to develop this thought difficult.
6tikeleather, #. 1*23*5. What is innovationC Management innovation exchange.
8etrieved from httpD''www.youtube.com'watchCvEF/22G-HI9>,.
Creating ulture
I enoyed this video and feel that it contained many interesting yet summari(ing thoughts
and concepts that we have been discussing as we progress through this course. >ester,
*22; states that it %has to come from the top% speaking of the culture creation yet adds
that %everyone has to own it%. "his is a very important concept to grasp and one that I
find is often not completed. It seems as though many times the leadership may have the
mentality and motivation to create a particular culture however the remainder of the
organi(ation does not %own% it and therefore the leadership images are not carried
through the organi(ation. Acknowledging that communication is everything is a point
that can never be over emphasi(ed. /ines of communication from the top to the bottom
of an organi(ation must remain open and fluid for a culture change to occur successfully.
When the video speak of a feeling of fear factor when a new culture may be pressed upon
the organi(ation, I feel this is very accurate. "he feeling of the unknown naturally will
cause a sense of fear within the organi(ation. "he leadership has the ability to %create
control% and take this fear away.
>ester, -. 1*22;5. Creating a Culture of Innovation. 9arvard &usiness @ublishing.
!uture appliation
I would say it is a fair statement that I will use information gained from this class to
better assist toward reaching my goal of leading others in some capacity. /earning how
employees deal with change, remain motivated within their organi(ation, etc. is all
helping to prepare to improve my ability to connect with and understand the employees I
hope to lead. "he information in this class is a piece of the larger pu((le that this
organi(ational leadership program is intended to provide.
6pecifically, for example, I was in court all day progressing through a shooting incident
ury trial. 6ome complications and mis+communication took place between the
prosecutor and myself ust prior to the start of the ury selection process. 8ather than get
bent out of shape and point fingers to why the problem occurred 1not my fault5, I saw that
a few gaps needed to be filled and I took the initiative to fill them. 8eali(ing the larger
focus was the trial and completing it as best we could, this class has helped me look at the
problem, and identify some ways in which change can take place to prevent the same
problem in the future. "his class and program in general has helped with this ability to
look at the problem on a larger more broad scale to solve.