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Students Thrown into Leadership Roles
February, 2003 THE COMPANY WAS IN TROUBLE. Quality control was uneven, communication with suppliers was spotty, and feedback from customers was not encouraging. So a few days before classes began last fall, 60 first-year MBA students took on the task of changing the course of an organization, and in the process gained experience in the sometimes messy role of leadership. The simulation, part of a leadership development initiative by the Business School, is based on the belief that leadership is best learned through experimentation and practice. The exercise is one of the School’s first steps to increase the experiential component of the MBA curriculum. “We need to help our students know themselves better,” said Dean Robert Joss. “They need to know how they will work in teams, how to give and get feedback, etc.” Assuming the role of a senior management team, students gathered data, assessed problems, and planned and implemented changes, all the while soliciting feedback and communicating with team members, customers, suppliers, and others. Alumni volunteers played the role of customers and suppliers, ultimately sharing from their professional experience. “One thing that’s apparent in the real world of business leadership is the need to listen actively and attentively to others,” said Roy Vella, JD/MBA ’96, one of the volunteers. “The exercise gave students a heavy, concentrated dose of that critical practice.” Associate Dean David Kreps told students they would be asked to develop plans and recommendations for how to handle business challenges. “In the real world, however, plans and strategies are not enough. You actually have to make them happen, and that is crucial to becoming a leader. It requires experimentation and practice.” |
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Students
Thrown into Leadership Roles
