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Leader Interview
By Elizabeth Hutchins
Althea D. Ruffin, Ed. M.
Research Project Manager at University of Pennsylvania
“Biostatistics and Epidemiology”
Master of Education “Organizational Dynamics” at Temple
University
As Research Project Manager she provides diverse and
complex administration and coordinates support to the
investigators ensuring coordination and synchronization of
the project. She connects with groups in other countries and
universities to ensure the effective integration of all team
members.
Also, she has fifteen years experience in clinical research
and data management and manages epidemiological studies
with multidisciplinary teams.
General
Have you ever taken a course in OB? Yes
If yes, what do you remember most about the
course? The theory of group dynamics.
Which topics were most relevant to your dayto-day responsibilities? The forming and
maintenance of groups.
Do you think all college students, regardless of
their major, should take a course in OB? Yes.
Just one course, because it is important to have an
understanding of how groups work.
What do you like the most about being a
leader/manager? Motivating.
What do you like the least about being a
leader/manager? Disciplining employees.
Focus: Motivation
Have you ever developed any “Quality Circles” during your career?
I’ve never really developed a “quality circle” per se, but have set-up study
team meetings for research projects that would meet monthly to discuss
various aspects of the project. At these meetings, discussions would
revolve around any difficulties or deficiencies detected in the project and
the creation of possible solutions to eliminate or improve the problem.
Recognition can be a potent motivator. What process do you use when
applying the “Employee Recognition Program” theory? I have used
various processes. For an employee that has done an outstanding job or
has taken that extra unwarranted step I not only thank them for their
effort, but I also try to find a more public forum in which to express this.
At times I would mention it during the staff meeting and thank the
employee again during that time. This is not only to motivate employees
to continue with this type of behavior, but it may also cause other staff
watching the interaction to step up themselves because they would like the
recognition too.
How well does “Job Rotation” (cross-training) work in your
corporation and what are your thoughts on the subject? It is important
that the study continue whether someone is on vacation, sick or on
medical leave. This is helpful not only for continued work flow, but often it
helps the employee see how their position fits in with other aspects of the
study, resulting in a deeper level of understanding regarding their job.
Focus: Motivation (Cont.)
“Representative Participation” is said to be “the most widely legislated form of
employee involvement around the world. How would you define it? I would
define it as having ways that you can obtain a representative sample of the
concerns of your employees, without having to engage the entire employee base.
One way this can be obtained is by the usage of ballot boxes where various work
issues can be presented and the employees get to express their opinions. No matter
how many employees participate, you will never receive full participation, so it will
result in a sampling of employees. Another and perhaps the more efficient way
would be to have the employees within various work groups, select a representative
to whom they express their concerns. Those representative meet with management
to convey the thoughts of the employees and they in turn will take management’s
response back to the work group. This way employees concerns can be addressed
in a proper forum, but it doesn’t require speaking to each individual or reading
every ballot which can be a time-consuming and costly prospect.
What would you say to companies that don’t allow “Flextime”, especially for
students with schedules that change every semester? Should every company
have it as a requirement? I would say that they could lose out on having a
workforce that is much more motivated and dynamic. Employees that manage to
hold a job while attempting to complete studies tend to be employees that are
energetic and goal driven. Allowing them to reconfigure their work hours, when
possible, can help in the retention of these employees and can sometimes result in
the employee deciding to remain with the company once their training is completed.
Having hands on/job experience enhances their skills. No, every company should
not have this as a requirement as all companies and industries are different and
may have different needs. Flextime is more dependent upon the type of industry in
which the company is operating. A company has to be operating for numerous
hours a day; otherwise the time available for flexing would be under major
constraints. Example: It would be easier to offer flextime to employees at a 24-hr
baking company, than to a school teacher whose work occurs only between 8 and
4pm.
Key Points
Job rotation is important to keep the
work flow stable.
Flextime doesn’t apply to all jobs.
A simple “Thank you” can motivate
good behavior and let an employee feel
that they are appreciated.