Integrating Leadership and Innovation into Traditional Curricula

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Integrating Leadership and Innovation into
Traditional Curricula
Bruce Griffiths, Organization Systems
International Rodney Rogers, Portland State
University
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Agenda

• Overview of our approach to integrating
  competencies into the MBA curriculum
• Competency model development
• Lessons learned
• What worked
• What didnt work

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The process

• Reviewed literature Curriculum of Top 50 MBA
  programs and other innovative programs
• AACSB white papers on MBA programs
• Academic and professional papers on MBA education
• Conducted over 45 individual interviews with
  business leaders in the Portland Metro area
• Conducted 5 focus groups
• Conducted MBA student exit interviews (n98)
• Examined externally developedcompetency models

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Vision

• Develop graduates with the full complement of
  technical and managerial competencies who are
  highly sought after by employers
• Develop managers that understand and leverage the
  strengths of the Pacific Northwest. Within this
  context, the student will gain an appreciation
  for creativity, entrepreneurship, and social and
  environmental stewardship.

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Competency approach

• Assess students competencies at the beginning of
  the program
• Require student to complete a development plan
  that addresses the students strengths and
  weaknesses
• Provide student with continuous feedback
  regarding their development
• Provide student coaching and support for their
  development plan

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Managerial Competencies

• Admit to
• Personal (integrity, initiative, learning
  agility)
• Developed Competencies
• Contextual/Technical (Accounting, Finance, HR,
  Information Systems, International, Marketing,
  Operations, Organizational Behavior, Economics,
  Law, Statistics)
• Interpersonal (team mgmt., diplomacy/conflict
  mgmt., relationship building)
• Communication (writing, presentation, listening)
• Leadership (strategic thinking, risk taking,
• visioning)
• Conceptual (problem solving, business thinking,
  creativity)

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Major Assessments Points
Leadership Development 1.3600 with one coaching
session 2. Develop plan 3. Frameworks
Leadership Immersion Behavioral simulation
with follow-up coaching session
Business Project Applied Business project with
competency coaching
MBA Coursework Core and Electives
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(No Transcript)
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Development of Competency Models
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Polaris Constant Reference
Polaris
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Polaris

• A Universal Model
• Professionals, Managers, and Leaders
• Based on 50 Custom Models Over Past 25 Years
  (plus Benchmark Research), including
• The Walt Disney Company - Universal
• Nike Country General Managers, Universal
• Hallmark Cards - Universal
• Magma Power Front Line Leaders
• Wisconsin Power and Light Management
• US Department of Energy - Management
• Canfor (Canada) General Managers (Plant
  Managers)
• SIEMENS - Management
• Crayola (Binney Smith) - Management
• Sheraton Hotels Hotel General Managers (IBU)
  Restaurant Managers
• ITT Industries International Management
• Racal Datacom Sales Managers
• NCR Customer Service Reps
• Dow Corning Supervisors, Sales Professionals,
  Marketing Professional

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Polaris 41 in 7
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WHAT IS A COMPETENCY?
A competency is a persistent pattern of behavior
resulting from a cluster of knowledge,
skills, abilities, motivations - attitudes
values beliefs personality that define a
coherent facet of overall competence needed for
exceptional performance.
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WHAT YOU SEE WHAT YOU DONT
Competency Persistent Pattern of Behavior
Enabled by Knowledge, Skill, and
Ability (CapabilityCould You Do It With A Gun to
Your Head?) and Driven by Motives Values,
Attitudes, Beliefs, Personality, Trait, Instinct
This is an ice berg
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Competency as A Stream of Behavior

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Informal Comms
Relationship Building
Influence
TIME
b a discrete behavior
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IN A SENTENCE . . .

• A COMPETENCY manifests itself in observable,
  effective, persistent BEHAVIOR, that has been
  enabled by KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, AND ABILITY and
  energized by MOTIVES (VALUES, ATTITUDES, BELIEFS).

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WHY COMPETENCIES?

• Needed to more practically and accurately define
  more complex, cognitive roles like leader,
  trainer, consultant, sales rep
• A complete representation requires a role be
  captured from within (knowledge, motives, values,
  attitudes, beliefs skills, abilities) and from
  the outside (performance, behavior) - - these are
  competencies

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COMPETENCE IS COMPLEX!

• Nothing difficult is ever easy!
• Competencies are fuzzy at the edges
• Must tolerate some ambiguity
• Must expect some complexity

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PRIMARY USEFULNESS

• Help describe the ideal state needed for
  exceptional performance in an organizational role
• A blueprint of the makeup of the type of person
  needed for the role
• A template for making comparisons
• A diagnostic tool to evaluate performance

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COMPETENCY MODELS ARE NOT COMPLETE JOB MODELS . .
COMPETENCIES
The knowledge skills and motivations needed for
this role

• OBJECTIVES

• RESPONSIBILITIES

Specific objectives that focus the role on what
is important in the short term
The core definition of a particular job purpose,
responsibilities, performance measures
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HOW TO BUILD A MODEL

• Choose Target Role (s)
• Benchmarks, Best Practices, Literature
• High Performer Interviews
• Future Spin
• Validation Survey

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Focus on the Best

• Identify Some One Who Generates
• Respect
• Likeable
• Results
• Likes What They Are Doing
• Positive Negative Behavioral Episodes
• Context, What Happened, Consequence

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FUTURE SPIN

• While models emulate current high performers
  probably equipped to take the organization into
  the future, it is necessary to test the final
  draft against organizational vision and strategy
• Are you building a model that defines the
  employee of the FUTURE?

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Validation

• Content Validity (Lawshe)
• Job Content Experts (JCEs) Rate Each Competency
• Absolutely Essential to Not Necessary
• Content Validity Ratio
• Statistically Significant Agreement
• Competency is Absolutely Essential or Essential

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Issues and Concerns

• Im Not Just Pieces Parts! Synergy?
• Behaviors Versus Motives
• How Many Competencies?
• Are All Competencies Created Equal?

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SYNERGY LOOK TWICE

• Competency models necessarily dissect roles into
  smaller parts (otherwise they are useless in
  application too broad band)
• Notion of synergy requires a look at the whole
  (may be more, or less, than the sum of the parts)

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Behaviors Versus Motives?
Competency Persistent Behavior Enabled by
Knowledge, Skill, and Ability and Driven by
Motives Values, Attitudes, Beliefs, Personality
This is still an ice berg
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Specifics of the Portland State experience
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BA 508 Leadership Development and Assessment

• A 2 credit course taken at the beginning of the
  program
• Each student is expected to write a personal
  development and learning plan based upon the
  results of the initial 3600 evaluation.
• During the term the students are involved in
  various activities to develop their
  interpersonal, communication, strategic
  leadership, and conceptual competencies.
• This class meets 4 hours per week for 10 weeks.

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BA 509 Leadership Immersion

• A 2-day (8 am to 6 pm) behavioral-based
  simulation experience
• In-basket exercises and role play
• Multiple 10 person teams competing
• Designed to assess students technical skills and
  managerial competencies.
• Feedback provided on 10 specific managerial
  competencies
• This course can only be taken as a Pass/No Pass
  grading option.

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Lessons learned

• Limit competencies
• Partnering with an external organization provides
  certain advantages
• Providing students competency model at beginning
  of program is key
• The aggregate 3600 data can be used to focus
  co-curricular workshops
• Importance of mid-point assessment center

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Lessons learned

• There were unintended benefits of explicitly
  linking each core course with competency
• Faculty must be supported to develop skills to
  provide competency feedback
• Coaching session very time intensive
• Develop a competency library

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Questions