Experiential Paper - Personal Statement Example

Awayed Almutairi POLS 671 Dr.Fritsch 17/8/08 Introduction This paper is written to support my education in pursing and completing a Masters Degreein Public Administration drawing primarily from the field of Human Resources. The goals of human resource departments, and my goals, as well, in most businesses are to help the company achieve success by administering regulations and successful compliance, as well as, the application of consequences for negative employee actions. The manager is directly accountable for the program impact decision. It is a shared accountability between managers and the human resource departments. Ultimately, top management is accountable for committing the organization to shared accountability. With that in mind, I spent a period of time working as an intern at the Saudi Arabia Royal Embassy in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the internship was to help develop my human resource skills while interacting with people in the profession. As an intern, I looked at the potential employee problems at the Saudi Arabia Royal Embassy and their functions, in technical skill, human skill, and conceptual skill. There are three basic management skills: technical, human and conceptual. A technical skill is the ability to use tools, techniques, and specialized knowledge to carry out a method, process, or procedure. (Higgins, p 13) An example of this would be the Naval Attach a position which advises on all things military, especially the royal navy, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to the Ambassador and appropriate stakeholders, such as the United Nations or the United States of America. Another example, would be the computer programmer attach who needed the technical information systems skills to maintain the computer systems at the embassy - particularly critical - since support otherwise would be from a different and incompatible time zone and location to distant to provide onsite support. Human skills are used to build positive interpersonal relationships, solve human relations problems, build acceptance of one's co-workers, and relate to them in a way that their behavior is consistent with the needs of the organization. This is especially needed when there are vast differences in the cultures as is often the case in current globalizations of businesses and governments across the world. Conceptual skills involve the ability to see the organization as a whole and to solve problems in a way that benefits the entire organization. (Higgins, p 15) Analytical, creative and intuitive talents make up the manager's conceptual skills. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Royal Embassy The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is located in southwest Asia, at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa; extending from the Red Sea in the west to the Arabian Gulf in the east; bordered on the north by Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait, on the south, by Yemen and Oman, and on the east by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain. The terrain is varied; fairly barren and harsh, with salt flats, gravel plains and sand deserts; a few man-made lakes but no permanent streams; in the south, the Rub Al-Khali (Empty Quarter), the largest sand desert in the world; in the southwest, mountain ranges of over 9,000 feet. The climate is June through August, over 110 degrees Fahrenheit midday in the desert; humidity in coastal regions up to 100 percent; elsewhere, mild; possible winter temperatures in the northern and central regions dropping below freezing; rainfall, from none at all for up to 10 years in the Rub Al-Khali, to 20 inches a year in the mountains of Asir Province.The populate is as of the 2004 census, 22.7 million, including about 6 million expatriates. The practicing religion is Islam, which is the basis of the legal system and of government. Islamic state based on principles prescribed by the Qur'an (Islam's Holy Book) and the Shari'ah (Islamic law); Provincial Council System, Consultative Council (Majlis Al-Shura), and Council of Ministers. Arabic is the spoken language, however, English is widely spoken in urban areas. King Abdulaziz bin Abdelrahman Al-Saud, the founder (1932-1963), followed by his sons: King Saud (1953-64), King Faisal (1964-75), King Khalid (1975-82), King Fahd (1982-2005) and the current ruler, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, seen on the left with the late King Fahd and current Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz. The mission of the embassy is to strengthen relations with the United States of America. American companies are the largest group of foreign investors in the Kingdom. Since the terrible terrorist attack of September 11, 2001 many uninformed citizens believe Saudi Arabia, Islam, and Muslims are the enemy. The real enemies are injustice and deprivation (true breeding grounds for terrorism) inflicted upon the Arab and Islamic world. In the struggle against these evils, we must be partners, who, sharing the same objectives, are still able to recognize and allow for diversity. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks peace based on justice, not a peace imposed by force and oppression. They pursue a peace initiative based on the land-for-peace principle approved by international conferences, as well as United Nations Resolutions. The embassy works to expand dialogue, understanding, and interactions between our citizens. This includes programs designed to increase the number of young Saudi students to travel and study in the United States; and to increase our military exchange programs so that more Saudi officers visit the United States for military education and training; and increase the number of Americans traveling to work and study in the Kingdom. Position Positions Ambassador Extraordinary 1 Administrative Attach 14 Air Attach 2 Assistant Attach 4 Attach 12 Commercial Attach 2 Computer Programmer Attach 1 Cultural Assistant Attach 35 Cultural Attach 4 Defense Attach 2 First Secretary 18 Medical Assistant Attach 3 Medical Attach 2 Minister 5 Naval Assistant Attach 2 Naval Attach 2 Political Attach 2 Protocol Attach 1 Second Secretary 9 Grand Total 142 I will use my internship at the Saudi Arabian Embassy, as example, so that I am able to interact with other employees are working for the same organization, in local or regional setting. Saudi Arabia *+, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia SA, Riyadh * Diplomatic relations with the United States, + Member of United Nations Hypothesis: to improve the embassy human resources, they need a strong training program, which will cover the following: The general objectives and strategic bases of the development plan gave priority to the human resources development and provision of job opportunities by providing education, training, and social and health services, with the aim of strengthening the capabilities and raise the productivity of the national workforce. In addition, the plan emphasized development of knowledge and technical skills in order to enhance the ability of Saudi man power to harness the benefits of rapid technological development. Implementation and evaluating training projects /program, how does the organization view human performance improvement Individual development and career planning are emphasized Individual development and career planning are emphasized. Promotes human values and potential. Individual employees are the primary focus. A. Communications B. Human resources theory 1. practice leadership 2. management theory Policy manuals of internal affairs are essential in all employment policies and administrations. Policies regarding conduct, proper course of action in common situations, and prohibited behavior should be present in these policies provide a guideline for employees. Policies promote proper and consistent conduct. It also provides the embassy employees with an understanding of how internal affairs operate, human resources in organization, the knowledge provides a resource that allows them to hold public employees accountable". Problem Definition Background (Case Part 1) C. Audit Recommendation - was there an audit completed D. How conduct is currently enforced - how is conduct enforced E. Interviewing Department heads - do you have interviews to add here F. Determination of policy areas needed Internship I saw not too much structure in the system while working as an intern. For example, DO YOU HAVE ANY EXAMPLES I propose to develop a policy manual for them. This manual would contain 4 elements G. planning, allows the stake holders to address current issues and trends. 1. clarifies the organizational mission 2. present mission and determining what the organization should look like in the future 3. review the mission periodically with staff and volunteers 4. specifies goals consistent with the mission 5. creation of specific goals can keep staff from stretching themselves in too many directions 6. identify existing programs 7. create new programming H. organization 1. organizational charts 2. programs relating to a particular goal are placed below it 3. organizational diagram can be a visual indication if there are sufficient programs and committees to meet the goals 4. committees assigned to each program are listed below that. The functions of the committees are specified and the responsibilities of staff and volunteers are listed 5. Review of the organizational chart usually indicates if there are sufficient personnel, either paid or volunteer, to execute the plan I. staffing 1. right person to the right tasks - use chart to determine 2. Orientation and training are essential 3. volunteer applications and interviews can help make the right decisions 4. Expectations - rules, ethics, compliance 5. Encourage each staff to take more responsibility 6. Reward and recognize achievements J. directing 1. motivating, communicating, and working with them in groups 2. participatory management style is recommended 3. understands group dynamics and the importance of assisting and not simply telling others what to do 4. implement goals and programs Literature review K. Ideas for the manual come from theories and methods of human resources such as training, development, policies for improving workforce skills, policies and implementation mechanisms. Research L. Scholarly Research 1. Proper Policy Creation 2. Need for operational policy M. Practical Research 1. Best Practices (Attorney General Publication) - do you have this 2. The Growing Importance of Human Performance Improvement 3. Internet research 4. Enacting the Role of Change Managers Policy Creation (Case Part 2) N. Drafting O. Formatting P. Style Approach Q. Presenting to Committee - what committee R. Removal of political Campaigning Section S. Council approval Analysis T. Effectiveness of Policy Manual U. Comparison of theoretical research and practical research V. How policy creation is different and how is the Role of Evaluator Enacted Recommendation W. All governments should invest time, training and resources in completing a policy guidebook for human resources X. Continual reconsideration and addition is important over time to ensure a Y. Complete manual Z. Human Performance Improvement Conclusion AA. The need for policy manuals and planning BB. Problems and difficulties in the policy creation process CC. Accomplishment of assessment recommendations DD. Dynamic Human Performance (outlook Growth) Works Cited Higgins, James M. The Management Challenge: An Introduction to Management. New York: Macmillan, 1994. Appendix EE. Evaluate recommendation FF. Evaluate the alternative interventions against the criteria Providing Continuing Feedback to Participants and Stakeholders in the Performance Improvement Effort SAUDI ARABIA ROYAL EMBASSY OF SAUDI ARABIA Chancery: 601 NEW HAMPSHIRE AVENUE, NW 20037 (EMBASSY 202-342-3800) (FAX 202-944-3113) Read More