Week 5: Organizational Category

Through my fifth week in the office for Resolute Management, I believe that I have a relatively strong understanding of the organization as a whole. Specifically, I have a firm grasp on the values, attitudes and expectations held at Resolute Management, as well as norms and processes of learning. One thing that I picked up on early in my experience was the fact that you are expected to be “more than an intern”. When sitting down with the president of the company, he told us to think of this as a summer job more than an internship, as the work that we do is very important to the company, even if what we are doing may feel tedious and unimportant at times. This indicated a couple things to me. First, the company values its employees and their contributions, no matter what role they play in the organization, and they especially value commitment to the overall goals of the company. To go along with this, the company certainly expects a high work ethic among its employees. I have felt motivated by this expectation throughout my experience, and it has certainly pushed me to succeed in my position.

Along with my increased understanding of values, attitudes and expectations, my knowledge of the learning process has also improved. At first, I often felt somewhat secluded, receiving minimal guidance on projects, almost pulling at straws. As my confidence grew however, I began approaching my supervisor and others with questions and comments on a regular basis. This form of communication, I found, was by far and away the best way to truly learn during my experience. I realized that at this company, it was unrealistic to have someone hold my hand through every little detail. By approaching those above me with questions, however, I have found that I receive high levels of support, and learn a ton along the way. This has also helped me form closer relationships with members of the organization, and I have felt as though my voice is certainly valued. Importantly, interns are not the only ones who learn this way at Resolute. All employees are encouraged to put questions and ideas forward, as Resolute is always looking for opportunities to capitalize on, and ways to improve their business model.