Training Development Written Project Essay Example for Free

Training Development Written Project Essay This written project will discuss the process involved in the design of training, learning, and evaluation. I will begin by breaking down the need assessment covering the process, analysis, and various methods. I will also cover the process of learning and discuss two theories which will support specific processes of learning. The process will include how age influences learning and retention of knowledge. Finally, I will cover the importance of evaluation of training, the process of choosing an evaluation design, and the value placed on training evaluation by an employee. The content of this paper will be based on information covered in Raymond A. Noe’s (2010) text book Employee Training and Development (5th edition). The process described will use other sources to support Noe’s finding as it pertains to the written project content. Needs Assessment An effective training design begins with a needs assessment. A needs assessment allows the gathering of information which better prepares the modeling of training. The needs assessment provides an analysis of organization, people, and tasks. Each has a distinct influence on the depth of training developed and methods best suited for the organization. The needs assessment allows the trainer to address whether the requirement for training is based on performance, motivation, job design or communication. The defining of training requirements ensures the validity of content developed, course objectives, and training method. The assessment also allows a trainer to determine if the trainee has the basic skills and confidence to learn. Finally, an assessment will determine if the training meets the corporate strategy and expected outcome. According to Noe (2010), pressure points influence training design, â€Å"These pressure points include performance problems, new technology, internal or external customer requests for training, job redesign, new legislation, changes in customer preferences, new products, or employee lack of basic skills. † (pg. 104) Who should participate in the needs assessment? The text suggests that upper mid-level managers, trainers, and employees should participate in the assessment. Upper-level management iews the assessment from a corporate level. They will determine if training meets the corporate strategy. The mid-level management will determine budget, who should be trained, and what jobs will make the largest impact on production. The trainer will determine training delivery, identification of trainees, and basic skills, knowledge and characteristic required. Noe goes on to state that it is important to include job incumbents in the assessment process. These are individuals who perform the task and tend to be the most knowledgeable. (Noe, 2010, pg. 05-106) In an article, written by J. L. Utecht (2005), she states that a needs analysis should reach at least ten percent of the work force. Those participants should be the work staff performing the job, front-line supervisors, upper-level management, and union members and representatives when applicable. She goes on to state that the group should range in age, ethnicities, job types, shifts, and seniority. These statements support and expand on Noe’s idea of assessment participants. (Uteht, 2005) Let’s begin by breaking down the analysis process. Organizational Analysis The Organizational analysis will identify the corporate strategy for training, the support of management and employees, and the availability of internal resources to adopt and train its staff. The first key component of any assessment is to define a budget. Training must present a value which is backed by capital expenditure. This simple question of budgeted resource allows the person conducting the assessment necessary ground work for the amount of time and resource which may be dedicated to training. The second component of an organization analysis is to understand the business strategy behind training. Training increases the value, or skill currency, of its employees. Strategies can consist of a concentration in increased market share and cost reduction, internal growth through research and development, external growth of market share through vendors and suppliers, or disinvestment of corporate divisions. These strategies will assist in the development of training and how that skill and knowledge will be deployed. Once a budget and strategy have been defined the next step is support. While an overall corporate support is required for any successful training endeavor, upper and mid-level management is paramount since they approve allocations of funds. Support should include a positive attitude from management and peers to incite enthusiasm among the targeted trainees. There must be a perceived value to the knowledge which the training supports. Information must be provided on how the training will enhance productivity and success in the trainees given job. The next step is identifying resources and whether the company has the budget, time and expertise for training. Support of training can be readily established if upper management sees the economic value of training output and cost justification. A crucial step of defining a training model is determining the most cost effective approach. If training is an ongoing organizational vision there may be a better return on investment if training is internalized. If it is determined that training is better served by a third party, then a request for proposal will be required. This outlines the requirements of training which include the type of training, the number of trainees, funding, date of completion, evaluation, and follow-up training. The criteria standards will allow for the evaluation, elimination, and awarding of the most competent vendor. (Noe, 2010, pg. 110 113) The impact of the organization analysis is what defines the budget, strategy, and support. These factors are the foundation of a needs assessment and should be the first thing analyzed. Person Analysis In this analysis we identify for whom and why training is required. The person analysis requires that we understand the task the individual performs. This foundation allows us to determine the employee readiness for training. We must determine the personal characteristics required for learning and applying training context. The personal characteristics consist of individual cognitive ability and reading level. Context must be relevant to the persons learning ability. The individual must also believe in their ability to learn. If training is to be successful the context must provide a need, interest, or meet the goal of the trainee. This simple understanding of who the training is directed will motivate individual behavior and the desire to learn. So now that we have discerned the characteristics required for training, we must create a learning environment. A well-conceived training curriculum can be lost if the environment does not afford a focus to learn. Many times individuals are pulled from training tasks to perform job duties. This is both counterproductive and erodes the financial benefits expended on the training. Successful training requires concise and understandable input. Input can be instructions, job-related objectives, training materials and other work aids which support the training program. Input also consists of reinforcement through verbal and written feedback. Encouraging trainee involvement, practice, and feedback are elements to a successful learning experience. A positive training experience is the best endorsement. Those trained will share their experience with their peers and create enthusiasm and interest. For training to be effective an assessment must identify the required output. What is the performance expectation of the trainee and are they aware of those expectations? If a trainee knows the required outcome expected of them, they are more apt to learn. The knowledge and skill achieved can be gauged by task proficiency through performance and knowledge proficiency through the form of testing. Individuals must have the willingness to learn. Clear and positive expectations of training must be delivered. To reinforce this behavior there must be reward and incentive for applying this knowledge and skill in one’s job. The responsibility of knowledge transfer should be fostered by the corporate entity. As we have discussed this should include, but not limited to, positive management and peer support, time given to learning, and a consequence through reward for successful completion of training curriculum. (Noe, 2010, pg. 113 123) Task Analysis This is the most important aspect of developing an effective training course. We must first define the job or task for analysis. To provide a complete assessment we must understand the tasks of the position itself. We can achieve this through interviews and observation of those performing the said task. These can validate the knowledge, ability, and skill requirements needed to perform a task effectively. We may also validate our assessment by involving subject matter experts. To complete the task assessment it must meet the company’s goals and objectives. Another step of task analysis is the incorporation of a competency evaluation. This allows the determination of the skills and abilities which the trainee will require in their job function. I will discuss evaluation in more detail later in the written project. Training can then be modeled to focus on the deficiencies of an individual’s knowledge which lends to the training strategy. Since employee skills are not equal, we must determine the skill set of each and provide training accordingly. This leads us back to the readiness for training and will allow a curriculum to advance the knowledge and skills of all participants. The task assessment is not only a tool for our training model but is also an invaluable tool for coaching and development of the employee. Managers are often overwhelmed with the minutiae of administrative tasks which impede their core responsibility of developing employees. The text refers to creating a â€Å"road map† for identifying opportunities for growth and development. This transcends the task of modeling training and provides an additional value to a company if recognized and applied. (Noe, 2010, pg. 123 127) Methods Used in Needs Assessment There are various methods related to a needs assessment. Because no one method is better than the next it is common to use more than one. Here is a list of methods which show the advantages and disadvantages of each. The observation method allows for real data and minimizes work interruption. Unfortunately, it requires the observer to be skilled in the task which they are observing. It is also likely that those being observed will not behave as they would in a normal setting. The questionnaire method is inexpensive, provides a larger data group, and can easily be summarized. The disadvantage is there are usually low return rates. The questions usually lack detail and only provide data specific to the question. Interviews are effective in uncovering detail that questionnaires lack. The interview process may sometimes uncover details which were not known prior, allowing for modification. The disadvantage is that it requires skilled interviewers, scheduling, time for the interview, and may be threatening to Subject Matter Experts. A focus group can be useful in complex or controversial issues. These groups are usually made up of Subject Matter Experts from the various levels targeted for training. This group interaction allows for modifications by uncovering issues which may be difficult to glean from observations or questionnaires. The disadvantage is the group often gives answers they think you want to hear. Often there is trepidation for lower level employees to voice concerns when management is present. This can contaminate the analysis process by ignoring the needs of the employees performing the task. Technical training materials can also provide a wealth of information in relation to a task. Unfortunately, the information is only as good as its source. Often the information is outdate or difficult to understand. Finally, online technology can be used to define the strengths and weaknesses of an employee. Unfortunately, these are often viewed as threatening and may be perceived as a way to surplus their position. The other threat is that managers may use the content for punitive measures rather than an opportunity for coaching and development. The use of multiple methods allows data to be validated against another. The method used will often depend on the environment which is being analyzed. It becomes the task of the individual performing the assessment to utilize those methods which provide the most relevant data to the task performed. Often a method of benchmarking is used to define the training practices of a competitor. The emphasis on Total Quality Management may require this practice to determine type, level, and frequency of training. Benchmarking coupled with methods discussed above should provide valuable data and aid in the development of a training model which best fits the business strategy of the organization. (Noe, 2010 pg. 07 – 109) The overall benefit of the needs assessment is the process and steps defined above. Each step is important to maximizing the return of investment of training. The importance of the process is that it provides a basis for the assessment to cover the various aspects of organization, person, and task. The methods of interviews, observation, questioners, focus groups, documentation, and online technologies are vehicles to d etermine an effective format with which to train. Without a needs assessment an organization would be ill equipped to determine whether training is necessary. An assessment also eliminates the unknown and identifies who, why, and when training is appropriate. Again, this is an investment in human capital and should be treated as any other company investment. Learning Process Now that we have covered the value of a needs assessment let’s review the learning process. What is learning? The text defines learning as a change in human capabilities which are not a result of the growth process. (Noe, 2010, pg. 140) In chapter two Noe (2010) also refers to learning as the acquisition of knowledge. He defines knowledge into two groups, tacit or xplicit. Tacit knowledge is based on personal experiences which are passed through interaction with others in a society. Explicit knowledge is knowledge which is formalized, codified and communicated in a learning environment. (Noe, 2010, pg. 50 – 51) What is learned? The book refers to five types of learning outcomes which I have listed below. Verbal information consists of names, labels, facts , or bodies of knowledge which are retained. Intellectual skills are concepts and rules which are critical to problem solving, service, and product creation. Motor Skills include the coordination or physical conditioning required for a given task. Attitudes are the combination of beliefs and feelings. Attitude is crucial to the way a person will react in job related settings, their organizational commitment, and job satisfaction and proficiency. Cognitive strategies are related how a person manages their own learning and thinking process. These process elements include attention to information, strategies of learning, and problem solving. (Noe, 2010, pg. 141) Let’s review how people, or trainees, learn. In chapter four Noe (2010) discusses the learning cycle. This dynamic cycle involves four stages of learning: concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experiment. The first process of learning is exposure to a work problem (concrete experience). The next step is analyzing the problem and it affects (reflective observation). Next, the person, or trainee, will devise a way in which to deal with the problem at hand (abstract conceptualization). Finally, a trainee will apply their solution directly to the problem (active experiment). The act of applying the solution allows for positive or negative feedback. The person, or trainee, then improves and applies this learned result over again. Each action should result in development, growth, and improvement in the four stages. Those results are usually shared and possibly adopted by peers and management. (Noe, 2010, 151) David C. McClelland (2003) has proposed that motivation is closely associated to the learning concepts. He contends that when a need is strong, its effect is motivation. That motivation leads the person to use behavior that leads to its satisfaction. Based on research results McClelland developed a description set of factors which reflect the need for achievement. They consist of a motivation to take responsibility for solving problems, set moderate goals, take calculated risks, and a desire for feedback on performance. Since the need is to learn through experience, positive feedback on achievements leads to high frequency of reoccurrence. McClellands Learned Needs Theory supports the desire to solve problems and defines the importance of positive feedback. (McClelland, 2003) This leads me into the theory portion of my written document. Here I will compare and contrast to theories which are defined in the text.

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Knights Tale :: Chaucer Knights Tale Essays

Chaucer's Knight's Tale: Now you See it, Now you Don't  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Matthean discourse on sin and the kingdom of heaven, Jesus says, "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire." (Matt.19.9). Yet this homily is perhaps better known through the compressed poetry of the King James translation. "If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out." Grahically and even grotesquely materialized, the "eye" is that which offends, that which slides, with terrible corporeality, from the body to the table. In this proverb of the visual, "it" or that which requires excision in the offense, is the self, in an erasure of exteriority. There is no object, no objective "it" that offends. The gaze and its object are coterminous: the eye becomes the screen, the site of truth--both agent and vehicle of retributive justice. Vision never leaves the body, but sits at its margins--or only leaves it when the eye is thrown away, and the world becomes en capsulated in a broader metaphoric range: myself, the hole where my eye was, and the eye lying across the room. I begin with this embodied proverb, in part because it troubles, and has always troubled me, rising in the dark with its self-reflexive and impossible logic. It also haunts the margins of all discourse on vision, informing the point of slippage between self and object we look on, the trap, as Lacan writes, of the gaze (93). In his moving seminaires on the eye and the gaze, Lacan speaks of the all-seeing spectacle of the world, the inside-out structure of the gaze that fixes us in front of what we see (75): "What determines me, at the most profound level, in the visible, is the gaze that is outside." (106) Unlike the it of the Matthean proverb, Lacan's eye stands apart from the interplay between subject and object, the ocelli as distinct from the gaze; yet both texts seem to describe the act of vision in terms of a radical discontinuity between what we see and the self that perceives it: both have us fixed before a world--and in Matthew we respond like Oedipus, with self-castration. In Chaucer's Knigtht's Tale, a tale rich in overlays of visual narratives, one of the first accounts of the operations of the gaze effects a similar kind of inversion, one fully authorized by medieval amatory metaphysics.

Conflict Management

If a conflict should arise over the course of the team project, Group 4 has agreed to mitigate the conflict as soon as possible. Based on the situation of the conflict, whether It Is personal or technical for example, the team will come together and discuss the situation. Once all details of the conflict are known, the team will determine the best way to address the conflict by a majority rules team vote. After a decision is made it will take effect immediately to address the conflict. Note: All conflicts and decisions will be thoroughly discussed with the course instructor along he way for suggestions and ultimate authority. B. Motivation and stability are keys for success in the team project. Group 4 possess these qualities and does not foresee a lack of either throughout the length of the project. However, in an unforeseen circumstance where lack of motivation is identified by the team, it will be addressed immediately. The team will address the team member who Is not performing a t the expected level of commitment.This will either be done In a group setting (weekly team call) or an Individual representing the team reaching out to the member after speaking with the other team members. . Address the situation with the team member (either In a group or Individual setting). 2. Determine if the team member needs additional help or other action to bring their motivation back up. 3. Based on the needs, action will be taken by the team to remedy the situation. *Note: All concerns about motivation of a team member will be thoroughly discussed with the course instructor along the way for suggestions and ultimate authority.Based on the situations that follow, the specific action will be taken to address and mitigate the situation. L. Team member falls Into one or more categories below: Non-responsive: If Group 4 Identifies a team member that has become non- responsive (unless previously notified due to travel, business, etc. ); the team will try to reach out to the mem ber by email several times. If there is still no response after 5 days, the team will then contact the team member by phone (contact phone number for emergencies provided to team).If contact is still not made, the team will get the course instructor involved in the situation. – Disruptive: If a team member becomes disruptive to the team (continually derailing team meetings, email discussions, or deliverables), Group 4 will mom together to address the situation immediately. The individual will be address by the team in a team that the Individual's actions are not meeting or group email. The team will state conducive to team activities and the actions need to stop Immediately.If the situation continues after an Nominal conversation or email, the course Instructor will be notified and action will be taken accordingly. – Not actively contributing: If a team member is not actively contributing, Group be address by the team in a team meeting or group email. It will be determ ined if the individual Just needs extra help that the team can provide r if it is another circumstance not related to the course. If the situation cannot be remedied through added help from the team, Group 4 will consult with the course instructor to determine the best course of action. Not participating in weekly conference calls: If a team member is not attending weekly conference calls on a regular basis (unless previously notified due to travel, business, etc. ); the team will reach out to the team member through email first then the emergency phone number provided to discuss the situation. If the issue is not resolved, – Produces low-quality work: If a team member is providing low-quality work recently, Group 4 will come together to address the situation immediately.The individual will be address by the team in a team meeting or group email. It will be determined if the individual Just needs extra help that the team can provide or some other reason. If the member does no t want team help and still provides low-quality work, Group 4 will consult with the course instructor to determine the best course of action. It. If a team member decides to drop the class, Group 4 will come together to address the situation immediately. The remaining members of the team will reassign the work, so everyone in Group 4 will have a fair amount.Depending at what point a team member may drop, Group 4 will reach out to the course instructor if it will greatly impact a deliverable with an approaching deadline. Iii. If a team member has an emergency and cannot participate, Group 4 will come together to address the situation immediately. The remaining members of the team will reassign the work, so everyone in Group 4 will have a fair amount. If the team member will be able to return at some point, the team will again come together and divide the work up so each team member has a fair amount. Throughout this time, communication with the course instructor will also be in effec t. Conflict management Organizations exist to accomplish sine set goals and objectives. NAMP’s main goals is to offer support to the US navy especially in terms of maintenance to fleet and other navy equipment in various settings including combat missions. In the process of execution of its goals an organization is bound to experience conflict, for NAMP these conflicts are real considering the fact that, the organization is comprised of staff from the diverse US culture and the fact that, operations in NAMP calls for team work as opposed to individual efforts.Therefore, conflicts emerge and how such conflicts are managed determines whether NAMP functions effectively. To ensure that, conflicts are resolved to the advantage of the organization, NAMP should use the following conflict resolution strategies. Such strategies include avoidance, accommodating, forcing, compromise as well as problem solving (win-win) strategy.IntroductionOrganizations exist to achieve some set goals and objective. Organizati onal goals and objectives guides any given organization into the achievement of the specific goals and objectives a set out in the organizational policies and procedures.   To achieve organizational objectives and goals, any given organization engages several resources such as man, money, machine, technology and raw materials and knowledge.   Whenever teams are formed, conflicts emerge. Conflicts if managed well through utilization of conflict resolution strategies can benefit the organization a lot. Unless conflicts in teams are well managed, job performance goes down, as well as employee morale and motivation.Background InformationManagement of an organization is responsible for ensuring that all the resources of an organization are utilized so well so as to ensure that the organization achieves its mission.   Where human beings are involved conflicts always come up.   Navy, like any other given organization, conflicts arise and when they do, there is a need for conflict r esolution by applying conflict management principles such as avoidance, accommodating, forcing, compromise as well as problem solving (win-win) strategy (Valley, 2006.231-245).   Conflicts are important to an organization in that if well managed they result into the birth of new ideas.   The Navy relies on teamwork so as to execute its functions well.Where teams exist there is a need for a spirit of cooperation so as to achieve that synergetic function as teams as opposed to operating like individuals.   The Navy recruits officers from all cultural backgrounds in the US and therefore it naturally occurs that the people who end up joining teams in the Navy are comprised of diverse cultural backgrounds.   This can be a leading source of conflict in the Navy and it calls for careful management, which is non-partisan and geared towards achieving a common good for all.   NAMP is responsible for offering logistical support through aircraft maintenance.By the virtue of maintainin g Navy aircraft, NAMP constitutes an integral part of naval operations and therefore any conflicts, which interrupts morale of workers in this department affects the whole Navy force (Bohrer, 2002.24-65).   The staff of NAMP is divided into 3 levels which include the organizational level also referred to as the O-Level, performs maintenance for aircraft as well as aeronautical equipment services, preventive maintenance, inspections as well as corrective maintenance (Bohrer, 2002.48-66).The other levels, which MAMP is organized around, are the intermediate level responsible for combat maintenance and support also referred to as I-Level. The other level of NAMP is the Depot level involved in overhauling obsolete fleet (Bohrer, 2002.55-68).   The fact that NAMP constitutes of officers in several levels such as O-Level, I-Level, D-Level as well as OMD officers implies that officers at NAMP have to constantly function in support to each other, subsequently conflicts are always bound to happen.   The following are some practical conflict resolution, which are applied at NAMP to ensure that conflicts do not disintegrate teams but on the contrary to make sure that conflicts are resolved to the advantage of the organization.BodyConflict resolution is only effective whereby; all efforts bear in mind the sources of conflicts in teams such as, unresolved conflicts, frustration in team members, which all reduce the effectiveness of teams (Schermerhon, Hunt, & Osborn, 2005.35-79). In terms of value, it is important to align team members’ values so that they are in agreements with organizational values. This ensures that employee behavior is in conformity with organizational galls and objectives. This is important and where individual goals are in conflict with organizational goals the latter should take precedence.Collaboration and problem solving is an effective way of handling conflicts in teams. Collaboration calls for the team members to brainstorm the sour ce of conflicts so as to come up with effective solutions to the emerging problems. Members are allowed the freedom to decide on the best solution to the problem which is task oriented (Cranny, Smith, & Stone, 1992.46-66). Collaboration calls for a give and take attitude in which team members can compromise their opinions and ideas for the success of the team.Collaboration allows room for all teams to work together in harmony with resolutions to conflict being suitable and in line with team’s interests. Collaboration as a conflict resolution strategy is ideal for teams in that, it leads to the participation of all team members in the decision making process (Schermerhon, Hunt, & Osborn, 2005.37-78).Avoidance is another conflict resolution strategy, which is very central and important to teams. Avoidance as a strategy is based on the belief that some conflicts arise out of petty and minor differences which are to easy to resolve as long as employees are willing to sit down and act as groups for the common benefit of the organization (Tajfeh, & Turner, 1979.64-81). Avoidance as a conflict resolution strategy is based on the understanding that, human beings are different and therefore differences are inevitable. Where conflicts are solved well, teams regain and strengthen trust in each other as well as trust in the organization .Avoidance strategy therefore advocates for forgiveness in order to achieve slow healing of differences. Avoidance requires conflicting members of a team to engage in less physical contact in order to allow individual differences to heal (Spector, Fox & Van Katwyk, 1999.12-32). Therefore, avoidance of the source of conflict is an effective means of strengthening interpersonal relations in teams.Authoritative command has been found to be an effective conflict resolution strategy. Authoritative command assumes that, team leaders can effectively solve the differences between employees or team members. This is an easy and faster way of resolving conflicts given the fact that, this conflict resolution strategy is the very fast and does not involve a lot of deliberations which may be time consuming. Given the fact that leaders have authority, arbitrating becomes easy hence speeding up the conflict resolution process. Unlike the collaboration approach, authoritative command does not leave room for brainstorming of issues and decisions are left to the discretion of the team leader (Tajfeh, & Turner, 1979.74-81).The other common conflict resolution strategy is accommodation method. Accommodation is especially useful in resolving conflicts resulting from individual differences. It involves team members giving up the possible gains in a conflict situation to accommodate opinions of other team members (Fox, & Spector, 1999.109-126). This method is useful in building effective teams based on mutual understanding. Finally, comprise is also a conflict resolution commonly used by teams to resolve conflicts.Compromise as a con flict resolution strategy calls for the team members to settle for less, for the sake of the team and the organization. In a compromise situation a team member may accept to suffer in order arrive at solutions to challenges and for the sake of the survival of the team (Cranny, Smith, & Stone, 1992.47-65). Compromise is useful in situations, which threaten the very survival of an organization.Conclusion Team building takes a lot of organization resources and conflicts should not be left to bring down the team spirit. To ensure the survival of teams in organization calls for a good understanding of the nature, types, causes and resolution strategies. Whereby conflicts are resolved well, teams move from strength to strength and the organization achieves goals and objectives.RecommendationsIt is recommendable for NAMP to utilize; avoidance, accommodating, forcing, compromise as well as problem solving (win-win) strategy wherever challenges emerge in the process to running the day to day activities of the organization. Conflict resolution can not be well management unless managers’ are well trained. There is a need for NAMP to train its managers in skills related to conflict resolution so as to make sure that, the organization continues to offer its services uninterrupted, and to maintain high staff morale as well as prevent staff turnover which often results if conflicts are not well managed.ReferencesBohrer, D. 2002.24-65. America’s Special Forces.   Minnesota. Zenith press.Cranny, C, Smith, P. and Stone, E.1992.46-66. Job satisfaction. New York: Lexington.Fox, S and Spector, P. 1999.102-142. A model of work frustration-aggression. Journal of organization at Behavior. 20.Spector, P., Fox, S., and Van Katwyk, P. 1999.12-32. The role of negative affectivity in employee reactions to jobs characteristics: Bias effect or substantive effect. Journal of occupational and organizational Psychology, 72.Schermerhon, S., Hunt, J., and Osborn, R. 2005.35-79. O rganizational behavior. 9ed. John Wiley $ Sons Inc.Tajfeh, H., and Turner, J. 1979.64-81. An intergroup conflict in W.G.Austin & S. Worchel (Eds). The social psychology of intergroup relation. Monterey, CA; Brooks/Cole.Valley, P.H. 2006.231-245. Theory and application of managerial communications. United States: McGraw-Hill / Irwin.

Pope Innocent III - Powerful Medieval Pontiff

Pope Innocent III Was Also Known As Lothair of Segni; in Italian, Lotario di Segni (birth name). Pope Innocent III Was Known For Calling the Fourth Crusade and the Albigensian Crusade, approving the works of Saint Dominic and Saint Francis of Assisi, and convoking the Fourth Lateran Council. One of the most influential pontiffs of the Middle Ages,  Innocent  built the papacy  into a more powerful, prestigious institution than it had ever been before. He  viewed the role of the pope as not merely a spiritual leader but a secular one as well, and while he held the papal office he made that vision a reality. Occupations Crusade SponsorPopeWriter Places of Residence and Influence Italy Important Dates Born:  c. 1160Elevated to Cardinal Deacon: 1190Elected Pope: Jan. 8, 1198Died:  July 16, 1215 About Pope Innocent III Lothairs mother was nobility, and his aristocratic relatives may have made his studies at the Universities of Paris and Bologna possible. Blood ties to Pope Clement III may also be responsible for his elevation to a cardinal deacon in 1190. However, he didnt get very involved in papal politics at this point, and he had time to write on theology, including the works On the Miserable Condition of Man and On the Mysteries of the Mass.​ Almost immediately upon his election as pope, Innocent sought to reassert papal rights in Rome, bringing about peace among the rival aristocratic factions and gaining the respect of the Roman people within a few years. Innocent also took a direct interest in the German succession. He believed that the pope had the right to approve or reject any election that was questionable on the grounds that the German ruler could claim the title of Holy Roman Emperor, a position that affected the spiritual realm. At the same time, Innocent explicitly disclaimed secular power in most of the remainder of Europe; but he still took a direct interest in matters in France and England, and his influence in Germany and Italy alone was enough to bring the papacy to the forefront of medieval politics. Innocent called the Fourth Crusade, which was diverted to Constantinople. The pope excommunicated the Crusaders who attacked Christian cities, but he made no move to halt or overturn their actions because he felt, erroneously, that the Latin presence would bring about a reconciliation between the Eastern and Western Churches. Innocent also ordered a crusade against the Albigenses, which successfully subdued the Cathar heresy in France but at a great cost in life and blood. In 1215 Innocent convoked the  Fourth Lateran Council,  the most successful and well-attended ecumenical council of the Middle Ages. The Council passed several very important decrees, including Canons concerning the dogma of Transubstantiation and reforms of the clergy. Pope Innocent III died suddenly while preparing for a new Crusade. His papacy stands as an impressive political force of the thirteenth century.   The text of this document is copyright  ©2014 Melissa Snell. You may download or print this document for personal or school use, as long as the URL below is included. Permission is  not  granted to reproduce this document on another website.   The URL for this document is:  https://www.thoughtco.com/pope-innocent-iii-1789017