Final Reflection

Overall, I had a very positive experience at my applied study site, and will take with me valuable lessons and information with respect to education in a zoological facility. I was looking forward to learning more about the educational programs at the zoo and what aspects of their curriculum work best. I was able to do just that as I observed the information sessions at the orangutan exhibit, the otter exhibit, and the squirrel monkey exhibit. I learned that hands-on, experiential learning really is the best and people gain much more from these unique opportunities than they would from watching a video or listening to a lecture. Experiential education is most successful at the zoo in their outreach program, in which zookeepers and educators bring animals to various schools, churches, and organizations in the area in order to give them an up-close understanding of these animals. I was also able to learn more about the informational signage throughout the zoo and the impact that narrative signs can have on a person’s visit to the zoo. We discovered which placements of the signs worked best and how much text to put on each sign. Something that I did not expect to experience during my internship was sitting in on important meetings about the progress of various projects throughout the zoo. The one which was the most interesting was learning about the new komodo dragon exhibit which is currently under construction at the zoo. I had the opportunity to sit in on meetings about concrete, lighting, sound systems, zoo keepers paths, plumbing, anything you could think of, that goes into building an exhibit of its magnitude. It was fascinating to learn about how much coordination is required for such an amazing exhibit. My favorite part of my internship, besides seeing areas behind-the-scenes and talking with the public, was working with the ZooTeen program. I had the opportunity to supervise ten high school aged students as they hosted various tables with animal artifacts and information. I was responsible for their behavior as well as the information they were giving to the public. It was great being able to work with these students and learn more about zoological education through them. Throughout this experience, I was able to build my skills in public speaking and relating to guests. I was also able to learn a tremendous amount of animal information and ways to talk about sensitive subjects such as captivity. Overall, it was a very positive experience and I had a great time this semester!

Positive Change

One area in my organization which could be improved is the volunteer coordination and management. Currently, there are six staff managers who manage their own individual areas throughout the week. Each day, the responsibility of volunteer coordinator rotates throughout each manager and their responsibilities for the day include managing the volunteers. This is a problem for multiple reasons. First, there is not one, go to person for volunteers to communicate with. If the manager that the volunteer normally works with is not in on a particular day, then they would need to contact a manager who they might never have even met before. Another issue arises when six people take on the same job – things get lost and communication becomes interrupted. Too many cooks in the kitchen, as some say. Lastly, because the managers have their own responsibilities with respect to their areas, they often are torn between their volunteer coordinating and their management responsibilities.
The type of management that I think is currently being utilized closely resembles the Laissez-faire model which places a great amount of pressure, freedom, and responsibility on all of the managers. Rather than utilizing one single “chairman” or supervisor, each area tends to run in an open, uncoordinated manner. This style of management can work very well in many situations. And, for the most part, I think it works very well for my organization. However, with respect to the volunteer team, I think it would be valuable to employ more of a Paternalistic management style. In this situation, one supervisor is responsible for making decisions and delegating tasks. The subordinates are still responsible and the environment is still open and courteous, however the greatest responsibility lies in the supervisor. This would work well in the volunteer team because all of the volunteers would have one supervisor with whom to communicate. Also, tasks can be well delegated and all of the volunteers would understand their responsibilities. Their duties would be the same everyday, rather than differ based on which manager was responsible for them on that particular day.
In order to integrate this plan, I would first need to appoint a volunteer supervisor whose job duties and responsibilities rest solely on coordinating and managing the volunteers. I would then have the current managers continue their jobs managing their own departments and have them spend a few weeks with the new supervisor, explaining how they managed the volunteers on their volunteer day. I would not want to cut out the managers completely, but rather allow them to place some of their responsibilities on the volunteer supervisor so that they could be sure to focus on their own responsibilities associated with their management position. I would inform the volunteers of the changes and have them sign in and out at the volunteer office and have the opportunity to speak with the new supervisor about any questions or concerns they might have. It would also be beneficial to have a workshop or meeting to get all of the volunteers on the same page about their responsibilities and answer any questions they have. I would instruct them to get any area-specific information from the managers, but make sure that they understand what is expected of them from the standpoint of the organization.

Interviewing

This week’s blog involved interviewing Jessica, who I was able to shadow last week and experience her position first hand. By interviewing her, I was able to ask questions about what I saw while shadowing her and get more information about her position at the zoo. The following are some of the questions I asked her and her responses to each:
1. What are some aspects of your job that you really like? What are some that you dislike?
Jessica: I really love working with people and educating them about the animals at the zoo, as well as the environments in which they live. My favorite days involve talking to children, especially when I am able to answer their questions and get them excited at Monkey Village. I dislike very busy days because I am not able to educate people and answer their questions, rather I am more focused on crowd control and supervision. I don’t like having to ask people to leave or disciplining children, if its necessary.
2. What are some challenges you face at work?
Jessica: The biggest challenge I face at work is dealing with unruly guests and people who seem to have a hard time understanding the rules. Protecting the safety of our animals is my biggest concern, which can be difficult while trying to provide the guest with appropriate customer service. Another challenge I face is dealing with volunteers that don’t show up to work. It is difficult when they decide to not show up or call and then I have to spend a large part of my day coordinating people who can cover their areas. This takes away from time I wish I could spend with guests and out in the park.
3. How has your education and experience helped you with your job?
Jessica: Earning a degree in biology has helped tremendously in my job because I am equipped with a great deal of knowledge that I would not have learned otherwise. Of course the training at the zoo is great, but there are many guest questions that I am able to answer really effectively that I could not answer without my educational background. Experience in customer service prior to this position also helped me deal with problems and complaints from our guests.
4. Did you have a mentor during your first months at the zoo and if so, how did the experience help you?
Jessica: I actually did not have a mentor when I first came to the zoo. Instead, I made sure to carefully observe the paid staff. I asked a lot of questions and often asked my seniors how I could improve my performance or what made them successful in their job. I think this approach worked well for me because I was able to borrow aspects of various people’s personalities and work ethics to create my own work approach. Rather than getting feedback from just one person, I was able to follow the guidance of many.
5. What do you feel can be done to make work go smoother?
Jessica: Unfortunately, the economy has affected us negatively as it has the rest of the country. Budget cuts have resulted in a hiring freeze which makes the jobs of the paid staff much more difficult. Relying on the help of volunteers is great for our zoo and it could not run without them. However, problems exist when volunteers don’t show up or do not really do their job. For things to go smoother, it would help to have a more reliable volunteer foundation or volunteer coordinators who are able to focus entirely on their volunteers. Right now, that is not possible because everyone is stretched a little bit thin.