Holiday spirit - B10

Last week of the first semester consisted of a casual discussion about pre-read journal articles. Students were split into small groups prior to class and each group had to read at least one journal article and write a short review on it. In class, groups had to discuss their findings and share their ideas with other students. Likewise, our lecturer brought in sweets and drinks creating a relaxing atmosphere which brought the semester of hard work to an end.

Every organisation or ecosystem has numerous ‘milestones’ during the year. In the case of my class, reading weeks (week 6 of the first and the second semester) and last week in each semester can be seen as our milestones. In the organisational terms, these milestones would usually be connected to holidays like Christmas, Easter, New Year, etc. These milestones are a good opportunity for the manager/lecturer to improve organisational culture, allow members of the organisation to give their personal input that usually is not required or perhaps start a change process. In the case of my university ecosystem, I would say that these types of classes lower stress levels built up during the semester and help students make a sensible transition from frequently doing work to having some time off.

In the organisational terms, this time of the year can be used for companywide meetings where past performances are reviewed and future plans are presented and discussed. Also, laidback discussion helps people relax and subsequently improves creativity and generation of ideas while regular work is still being completed. But in the terms of organisational change, milestones like Christmas and New Year can be very useful. People generally have a tendency to change something in their lives after the New Year and are less likely to be in a direct conflict with changes. As the atmosphere is different, peer pressure for change can occur and people start to realise that they actually need the change.

Therefore, leaders should consider implementing certain organisational changes during this time of the year because holiday spirit might lower the level of resistance created by the workforce and change can be seen as something needed and beneficial. Also, the general culture both countrywide and online encourages people to make changes (New Year resolutions) and organisations should definitely look into this and try to find innovative ways for implementation. However, problems may occur if staff lacks attention when holidays are approaching. This can hinder the change process and make it less successful. Once again, communication should be highlighted as the key to successful change processes.

#holidayspirit