Showing papers in "Academy of Management Learning and Education in 2008"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a core construct of hope, self-efficacy, optimism, and resiliency to take positive psychology to the workplace, which they call "psychological capital".
Abstract: Psychological capital with components of hope, self-efficacy, optimism, and resiliency has recently emerged as a core construct in taking positive psychology to the workplace. A distinguishing feat...
763 citations
TL;DR: A web-based survey of the MBA core curricula of top-ranked U.S. business schools lends some support to the continued existence of a traditional but frequently criticized "functional silo" as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: A web-based survey of the MBA core curricula of top-ranked U.S. business schools lends some support to the continued existence of a traditional but frequently criticized “functional silo,” “dominan...
345 citations
TL;DR: This article explored the content of entrepreneurship courses and found that entrepreneurship courses are vital components of a business school curriculum, but very few studies examine teaching pedagogy, and very few explore the contents of these courses.
Abstract: Entrepreneurship courses are vital components of a business school curriculum. Although existing studies examine teaching pedagogy, very few explore the content of entrepreneurship courses. We comp...
261 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the nature of peer coaching and frame it as a type of developmental tool that can enhance personal and professional development, and conclude that when peer coaching works best for a person, it happens through a three-step process of (1) building the developmental relationship, (2) creating success in development and (3) internalizing the learning tactic by applying th...
Abstract: We examine the nature of peer coaching and frame it as a type of developmental tool that can enhance personal and professional development. We begin with a discussion of the relational perspective on career learning, which provides a context for peer coaching as a tool that can accelerate career learning. We distinguish between peer coaching and the related concepts of mentoring and peer mentoring and discuss factors that facilitate the development of this type of helping relationship. We offer a discussion of the key characteristics of effective peer-coaching relationships, and we provide an empirical test of the impact of these characteristics with a survey of MBA students. We also offer a theoretical model of peer coaching, along with propositions for future research. We conclude that when peer coaching works best for a person, it happens through a 3-step process of (1) building the developmental relationship, (2) creating success in development, and (3) internalizing the learning tactic by applying th...
236 citations
TL;DR: Diversity education in academic and business settings has common goals of helping students or employees to learn diversity knowledge, attitudes, and skills as discussed by the authors. But unfortunately, researchers are missing o.....
Abstract: Diversity education in academic and business settings has common goals of helping students or employees to learn diversity knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Unfortunately, researchers are missing o...
211 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that risks of ignorance and detachment emerge from this singular attachment to knowledge-by-representation in business schools and the need for an alternative, accompanying form of knowledge associated with the art of management that can be transmitted through exemplary behaviour within the business education process is identified.
Abstract: We contribute to the debate on the future of business schools by investigating the nature of knowledge being produced and taught within them. We identify how a preference for abstract causal explanation over practical knowledge, and for reason and truth over what works, has led to a privileging of detached contemplation over involved action. Despite repeated calls to make management research and education more "relevant" to practice, many business schools continue to privilege rigor and precision as the arbiters of authoritative knowledge using representational devices such as conceptual models, case studies, and other formal classifications. We argue that risks of ignorance and detachment emerge from this singular attachment to knowledge-by-representation in business schools. We identify the need for an alternative, accompanying form of knowledge associated with the art of management that can only be transmitted through exemplary behaviour within the business education process. We call this knowledge-by-exemplification: one that is demonstrative, creative and unreflectively performative, transmitted directly through the demeanor, style, and mannerism of management educators rather than through the content of lectures. For us, it is this relatively unnoticed aspect of the education process that provides one possible answer to the predicament of relevance facing business schools.
209 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated whether levels of accumulated managerial tacit knowledge (LAMTK) were associated with managers' dominant learning styles and found that learners with a strong preference for all four different abilities defined in Kolb's learning theory may be critical for effective experiential learning.
Abstract: Tacit knowledge is believed to be one factor that distinguishes successful managers from others. We sought to determine whether levels of accumulated managerial tacit knowledge (LAMTK) were associated with managers' dominant learning styles. Instruments used in the study, involving 356 Malaysian public sector employees, included Sternberg et al.'s (2000) Tacit Knowledge Inventory for Managers and a normative version of Kolb's (1999a) Learning Styles Inventory (LSI-Ill). Findings suggest that LAMTK is independent of the length of subjects' general work experience, but positively related to the amount of time spent working in a management context. Learning styles also had a significant relationship. Subjects who spent most of their time performing management functions and whose dominant learning styles were accommodating had significantly higher LAMTK than those with different learning styles. We also found support for the belief that learners with a strong preference for all four different abilities defined in Kolb's learning theory may be critical for effective experiential learning.
200 citations
TL;DR: Although its effectiveness has been questioned, over the past 30 years diversity training has become common practice in the corporate arena, as a myriad of workforce differences has gained increasi... as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Although its effectiveness has been questioned, over the past 30 years diversity training has become common practice in the corporate arena, as a myriad of workforce differences has gained increasi...
185 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that confrontation provides targets with an "opportunistic" way to deal with discrimination, particularly in its subtle, everyday forms, and argue that it provides targets an opportunity to defend themselves.
Abstract: Despite increased diversity efforts, stigmatized targets report frequent experiences with discrimination, particularly in its subtle, everyday forms. We argue that confrontation provides targets an...
180 citations
TL;DR: This article analyzed the content of mission statements from 408 AACSB schools and explored relations between mission content and measures of business school characteristics, including performance, and found that there was considerable variance in the contents of organizational missions.
Abstract: Mission statements are an increasingly important component for accreditation of universities and colleges of business. Thus, understanding similarities and differences in the content of mission statements of business schools is especially timely. To provide insights concerning the use of missions in colleges of business, we analyzed the content of mission statements from 408 AACSB schools and explored relations between mission content and measures of business school characteristics, including performance. Overall, there was considerable variance in the content of organizational missions. Using a previously established framework to analyze mission content, we found business school missions generally lacked comprehensiveness. Relying on a quasi-balanced scorecard approach, we found differences in business school performance were related to mission content. Last, we were able to detect distinctions among configurations of business schools in the use of mission statement components and performance. Overall, t...
164 citations
TL;DR: Business schools are walking a tightrope between the academic side of business and the practitioner side as discussed by the authors, and they have emphasized the trade-off between academic side and practitioner side.
Abstract: Business schools are walking a tightrope between the academic side of business and the practitioner side. In reaction to early criticism of being trade schools, business schools have emphasized the...
TL;DR: The authors describe the design and use of various "consciousness-raising" experiences in several corporate development programs and report my firsthand observations and reflections from executives who participated in these experiences.
Abstract: I describe the design and use of various “consciousness-raising” experiences in several corporate development programs and report my firsthand observations and reflections from executives who parti...
TL;DR: In response to criticism that they do not train students to be effective decision makers, many business schools have attempted to modify their graduate management programs as discussed by the authors, and suggest that a primar
Abstract: In response to criticism that they do not train students to be effective decision makers, many business schools have attempted to modify their graduate management programs We suggest that a primar
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that given the rapid increase in the number of univeive education institutions, stakeholders in management education are increasingly demanding external validation of learning and quality assurance.
Abstract: Stakeholders in management education are increasingly demanding external validation of learning and quality assurance. In this essay, I contend that, given the rapid increase in the number of unive...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that it is unlikely that on-line education and corporate universities will disrupt the environment of traditional business schools and also show that two longer term trends, the growth of for-profit universities and the globalization of business education coupled with the diffusion of accreditation, are likely to have an impact on business school enrollment markets both within and outside the United States.
Abstract: Julian and Ofori-Dankwa (2006) argue that on-line education and corporate universities are potentially disruptive threats to traditional U.S. business schools and suggest that accreditation processes may hinder their ability to adapt to these threats. I challenge those arguments by showing that it is unlikely that on-line education and corporate universities will disrupt the environment of traditional business schools. I also show that two longer term trends--the growth of for-profit universities and the globalization of business education coupled with the diffusion of accreditation--are likely to have an impact on business school enrollment markets both within and outside the United States. My conclusion is that accreditation can be beneficial to many business schools for two reasons. One reason is that accreditation processes require that business schools gain clarity about the markets they serve and the services they offer, which is increasingly important as enrollment markets grow more competitive. The other reason is that the value of accreditation as a quality differentiator appears to be rising in the markets for part-time working students and international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
TL;DR: Since their arrival in 1988, the Businessweek rankings of full-time MBA programs have had an increasingly greater influence on business school education as discussed by the authors, and the importance of the rankings has increased with time.
Abstract: Since their arrival in 1988, the BusinessWeek rankings of full-time MBA programs have had an increasingly greater influence on business school education. Implicit in attempts to improve in the rank...
TL;DR: The authors identify cultural management skills required for success in today's business environment, then examine gaps between those target competencies and current teaching in multicultural management, and the source of those gaps in the courses' conceptual foundations.
Abstract: There can be little debate that culture—the multiple characteristics and backgrounds that shape individuals’ and organizations’ identities, perceptions, attitudes, and behavior—strongly influences the success of business enterprises today. Intergroup conflict constantly threatens the ability of both domestic and global firms to operate efficiently, cooperatively, and fairly. Did a merger between a Japanese-owned firm and an American-owned firm fail because of inferior products and inappropriate pricing or because the managers were personally incompatible and the organizations’ operating styles too disparate? Did a company’s efforts to advance women into management fail because the women were not up to the challenge or because the work environment undermined their performance or perceived performance? Business educators cannot simply teach undergraduate and graduate students that cultural differences matter. They must equip students to understand how cultural differences work and thus how to turn cultural competence into a competitive advantage. Unfortunately, undergraduate and graduate courses in multicultural management (also called “cross-cultural management”) tend to fall short of this goal. We identify cultural management skills required for success in today’s business environment, then examine gaps between those target competencies and current teaching in multicultural management, and the source of those gaps in the courses’ conceptual foundations. We suggest improving these courses using concepts from, among other places, “domestic” diversity management courses. In fact, we propose to improve both types of courses by merging them into a unified course designed around the border-erasing concept of cultural competence. WHAT MANAGERS NEED TO KNOW
TL;DR: Controversy is inevitable in research and teaching, but it must be discussed effectively and open mindedly to be highly useful as mentioned in this paper. But differences of opinion themselves do not promote understanding and learning; controversy must be well managed to be constructive.
Abstract: Controversy drives research progress as scientists challenge and improve upon each other's work. Communities of scientists develop common methods to understand common issues but they do this using various theories and approaches to make incremental progress, although on occasion the clash is so grand as to create a new paradigm (Kuhn, 1962). Instructors and students express opposing perspectives as they explore ideas and cases. But differences of opinion themselves do not promote understanding and learning; controversy must be well managed to be constructive. I argue that research on controversy and the conditions and dynamics by which it is constructive should be much more integrated into management education, specifically to develop our research students. Research indicates that controversy, when discussed open mindedly for mutual benefit, promotes powerful learning dynamics. Protagonists gather evidence, consider ideas, and develop a rational framework to present their positions persuasively and convincingly, a rephrasing that is critical for learning (Halpren & Hakel, 2000). Confronted with an opposing view, they double their efforts to elaborate their positions, but they also curiously explore other perspectives and learn new information, ideas, and reasoning. Then they integrate diverse ideas previously considered incompatible to create new solutions. These dynamics can very much stimulate research progress as well as individual learning. These constructive controversy dynamics should be more systematically put to work in developing our research and professional students. Controversy is inevitable in research and teaching, but it must be discussed effectively and open mindedly to be highly useful. Research support for applying constructive controversy to research and education should be much stronger. Experimental and field research have documented controversy dynamics and shown their utility for promoting a wide range of organizational outcomes. A meta-analysis of studies/including field experiments, demonstrates the value of controversy for learning and applying complex ideas (Johnson, Johnson, & Tjosvold, 2006). Courses on teamwork, negotiation, and conflict management are increasingly being considered central to the curriculum of business schools. But it would be desirable to have data directly relating to constructive controversy to discipline enhancement and research student development. Controversy is something to do as well as to understand. We need more systematic professional practice using constructive controversy in research education. I suggest in the following how we can experiment with constructive controversy in our research and professional teaching. First, I define constructive controversy and then, second, review research on the ubiquity of controversy and its potential value when it is discussed constructively for organizations and learning. The t ird section d scribes the dynamics and conditions when controversy is constructive, and the next identifies procedures and approaches to promote constructive controversy for organizational work and learning. I then summarize implications for developing our research students. The research upon which this paper is based was supported in part by the RGC grant project No: LU3404/05H. The author thanks his research methods students for their valuable criti-
TL;DR: The authors examined the influence of training focus (similarities or differences) and trainer characteristics (race and sex) on the effectiveness of a diversity training program and found that trainees expected fewer instances of backlash and chose more effective conflict resolution strategies than their counterparts whose training content focused on differences among individuals.
Abstract: We examined the influence of training focus (similarities or differences) and trainer characteristics (race and sex) on the effectiveness of a diversity training program. An examination of the results reveals that when the training content focused on similarities among individuals, trainees expected fewer instances of backlash and chose more effective conflict resolution strategies than their counterparts whose training content focused on differences among individuals. Trainer race and sex had no impact on trainee evaluations when the course was focused on similarities, whereas trainees in the course highlighting differences responded least favorably to the White male trainer. Further, the purported importance of trainee reactions is supported by evidence of its mediating role between training focus and affectively based learning criteria. We discuss implications and directions for future research.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors depict the journal peer review process as a high-stakes game involving three parties: editor, reviewer, and author, and present a game-theoretic analysis of the game.
Abstract: In this dialogue, I depict the journal peer review process as a high-stakes game involving three parties: editor, reviewer, and author. In light of a not-infrequent transposition of what should hav...
TL;DR: Our experience of common approaches to teaching diversity suggests that while we espouse to teach inclusion in order to yield the potential workgroup and organizational value associated with diversification, the authors finds that diversity does not necessarily yield diversity.
Abstract: Our experience of common approaches to teaching diversity suggests that while we espouse to teach inclusion in order to yield the potential workgroup and organizational value associated with divers...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe important issues related to program assessment and accreditation in higher education and describe an approach taken by one business school to illustrate the assessment process and how it manages the collection of the student-learning data required to assess degree programs.
Abstract: We describe important issues related to program assessment and accreditation in higher education. The approach taken by one business school is provided to illustrate the assessment process and how it manages the collection of the student-learning data required to assess degree programs. Included are brief descriptions of the development of appropriate student-learning outcomes and assessment measures. Finally, the positive and negative issues associated with program assessment based on student-learning outcomes are described.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors draw on a series of interviews associated with one such enterprise that is believed to be an exemplar for innovative thinking in this field to explore the possibility that innovations of this type may have something to offer other mainstream providers of management learning and education.
Abstract: Recent decades have witnessed an unprecedented growth in management and executive education which, paradoxically, has been accompanied by a crisis of confidence manifested in debates about its direction, relevance, and effectiveness. Outside academia, innovative corporate training enterprises increasingly provide the type of management training where learning is distributed at the time of need, embedded in a work context, and delivered in rapid "bite-sized pieces," which aim to meet participants' needs in terms of depth of information coverage, timeliness of delivery, and job relatedness. We draw on a series of interviews associated with one such enterprise that is believed to be an exemplar for innovative thinking in this field to explore the possibility that innovations of this type may have something to offer other mainstream providers of management learning and education in terms of the type and style of delivery employed.
TL;DR: The authors examine the relevance debate in organizational/management research and teaching as a disciplinary rhetoric that should be treated with a degree of caution if not skepticism, and endorse them as a way of developing productive, ethical research and learning; building sources of access for research; and enhancing teaching.
Abstract: I examine the relevance debate in organizational/management research and teaching asa disciplinary rhetoric that should be treated with a degree of caution if not skepticism. For enslavement to relevance is in danger of reducing our independence as academics—something that, from my experience of working with a consortium of practitioners, I knowthat management values. Here, however, I do not suggest resisting relationships withmanagement. On the contrary, I endorse them as a way of developing productive, ethicalresearch and learning; building sources of access for research; and enhancing teaching. Also, such relationships can supplement existing research-funding resources, although itis still necessary to retain some epistemological distance from management practicewhile engaging with it as an ethical project.
TL;DR: Even though services dominate the U.S economy and figure prominently in other developed economies, principles for the effective provision of service experiences receive little attention in conventi... as mentioned in this paper,.
Abstract: Even though services dominate the U.S economy and figure prominently in other developed economies, principles for the effective provision of service experiences receive little attention in conventi...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a procedure of improved accuracy to correct for range restriction, which allows for more accurate calibrations of the validities of variou...,...
Abstract: Recent research in the field of meta-analysis has provided a procedure of improved accuracy to correct for range restriction, which allows for more accurate calibrations of the validities of variou...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a new concept called an organizational learning contract, which creates specific, shared expectations among students, faculty, and educational administrators concerning the expectations of learning activities.
Abstract: We present a new concept called an organizational learning contract. A learning contract creates specific, shared expectations among students, faculty, and educational administrators concerning the...