Management Principles Course: My Experiences I believe that the Management Principles Course has provided me with valuable information that will help me improve both my professional and personal life. I believe that learning is a process through which an individual undergoes certain changes. Furthermore, during the learning process, many of the beliefs a person holds are questioned. During this course I have undergone various changes. This document will explain those changes. Additionally, I will detail the concepts, ideas, and situations that have had the greatest impact on me. Before taking this course, my definition of the concept of management would have been strictly based on power relationships within an organization, how to use power to achieve one's goals. goals and how to manipulate people. While this definition may seem totalitarian, my background in political science supported my initial misconceptions about management. I am a political science major, and the questions most often asked in political science courses are about power within a structure and how that power is used, abused, and expressed by those in control. Therefore, I entered the Principles of Management course with the idea that I would learn about power. This notion was challenged when I learned that there are three different perspectives used to analyze an organization. There are three different perspectives used to view organizational behavior and processes: strategic, political, and cultural design. Initially I looked at the organization and management process from a political point of view. This perspective is about the use of power and influence within the organization. However, I also had to learn the strategic design perspective, which dealt with the differentiation, efficiency, strategy, coordination and integration of various tasks within the organization. I also had to learn about the cultural perspective focused on how people assign meaning to each other's work experiences. I was starting to understand that management and organization are not just an arena for power relations. Instead, a variety of factors make up management. Management deals with the tasks, structure, culture and decision-making processes within an organization. To be an effective manager one must...... middle of paper ......parare the management environment of the past and the business environment of the future is: "The old environment was like sailing. The new environment is like a kayak race." The calm and safe conditions of sailing best reflect the old business and management environments. However, the new environment is best represented by the chaos and instability of a kayak race. “At any moment your canoe can capsize and leave you drowning,” said CEO Michael Cooper of METCECH Incorporated. This is further underlined by the increasing competition present in the market. High levels of competition mean that only those companies that are most in tune with the needs of their customers and most efficient survive. In conclusion, after having identified and integrated the first and second phases of learning, I was able to work on transforming myself. The transformation process does not end with the delivery of this paper or with the end of the course. Rather, the transformation process is a constant struggle between myself and what I have learned. If I choose to apply the lessons I have learned, then I will win that fight. However, if I ignore the lessons, I lose the fight.