Does Machiavelli argue that people are we born either good or bad, or Essay

Does Machiavelli argue that people are we born either good or bad, or does he argue that a persons environment and experiences create his or her character - Essay Example The book is overall intended to be a guide for success for potential and acting leaders. Machiavelli is direct, to the point, and wastes little time on debating the morality and virtue of the judgments that a leader must be prepared to make, and, then, having made those judgment, must in fact act without hesitation. â€Å"A prince should have no other aim or thought, nor take up any other thing for his study, but war and its organization and discipline; for that is the only that is necessary to one who commands, and it is of such virtue that it not only maintains those who are born princes, but often enables men of private fortune to attain that rank (p. 421).† In this instruction, Machiavelli is offering the leader or potential leader – since he specifically says that following this advice can help a common man rise to the status of a prince – that in order to be a successful leader over the government, the armies that are governed, and the people, then a leader must be consistent and persistent in his study of the art of the war, because it is only a prince who is authorized to bring on and pursue war. What this specific instruction reveals about Machiavelli’s perceptions on human nature is that a leader must make a study of the art of war. That the leader must make a study of the art of war, is indicative that Machiavelli does not believe that the art of war, which some people may perceive as evil, comes natural to a leader or to a man. If Machiavelli believed that human nature was innately evil, he would not offer advice on studying the art of war because he would have concluded that the art of war was an art that would preoccupy the evil mind. In other words, that the art of war is destructive, deadly, and therefore warring would be a proclivity of a leader, who would therefore need no such instruction.

Organizational Behavior---Individual Assignment Instruction Essay

Organizational Behavior---Individual Assignment Instruction - Essay Example An example of an organizational conflict that I witnessed was in a company that I worked part time during the last summer. In this organization, Faith, the chief engineer in charge of new product development brought a list of items to George, the procurement officer for purchase. However, George failed to sanction the purchase claiming that the products were too expensive and did not meet the cost cutting threshold that had been imposed by the organization. However, faith believed that George did not have trust in her abilities and hence the reason why he was constantly fighting her anytime a new spare needed to be purchased. To resolve this conflict, the business unit vice president ordered the two to report to the same executive who would evaluate the purchase orders in terms of cost-effectiveness and quality. This change of structure aligned the hitherto incompatible goals. In the case of the conflict between George and Faith, it was resolved by altering the organizational structure to fit the two parties. However, I have realized that in most cases most of the organizational conflict happens in teams. Wherever such conflict happens, the easiest solution would be to change the group composition. However, there are other times when the conflict is as a result of varying styles and values among team members. Naturally, when that occurs, the first thing that comes to the leaders mind is to replace the team members that do not agree with the styles or preferences of the teams. Over the years, I have observed that removing some people from the team may not always be possible since their skills might be needed or there might not be an available replacement for them. In the event that this happens, the most sensible way to mitigate such conflict is through focusing the team’s attention on a common enemy such as the competition. When people or even departments are taught on how to focus their attention on the enemies facing them instead of