Organizational Field Research
Doctoral Course
The purpose of this course is to immerse you in the discipline and practice of research on organizations “in the wild.” We will do this through readings, class discussions, and—most importantly—your experiences embedded within an organization throughout the semester. You will use reflective memos and feedback from faculty and your classmates to develop an initial mental model of what it means to develop and advance research projects that are grounded both in theory and in how real organizations operate today. The key learning objectives of the course are:
- To build your mental model of what it means to be an organizational researcher.
- To lay the necessary foundations for conducting ethical research in organizations.
- To develop your skills in observing organizations, integrating your observations with existing theory, and developing relevant research projects.
- To enhance your understanding of what constitutes an academic contribution.
Leadership Development
2nd Year Full-Time MBA OB Core Course
This course builds upon the material from the 1st Year OB Core (OB 5620, Foundations for Leadership Effectiveness) and, importantly, from your time so far at Olin and during your summer work experiences. The focus of the course is on the attributes, behaviors, and tendencies of effective leadership. There are two primary objectives:
- Gain new insights into your own beliefs and expectations regarding what constitutes effective leadership in organizations. You will accomplish this through a mixture of classroom discussion, case analysis, and self-assessment.
- Learn about your own strengths and weaknesses in leading others. You will accomplish this in the classroom through controlled experiential exercises, which will be the basis for feedback from your peers. You will also reflect in depth on your strengths using feedback provided by people you have encountered in your life and career through a structured exercise.
Foundations for Leadership Effectiveness
1st Year Full-Time MBA OB Core Course
This course presents a framework for thinking about how individual attributes and interpersonal skills serve as a foundation for effective leadership in small groups and teams. Through experiential exercises and classroom discussions, this course will enable you to gain deeper insights into your current strengths as a leader and to identify developmental opportunities for the future. There are two primary objectives:
- Deepen your self-awareness by enhancing your insights into (1) your personal characteristics and attributes; (2) your interpersonal, social, and leadership skills; and, (3) your approach in working within groups and teams.
- Improve your leadership effectiveness by enhancing your capacity to (1) identify your own leadership strengths and weaknesses and (2) understand how your assets and liabilities combine with others’ assets and liabilities in team-based work.