Wednesday, May 28, 2014

David Widdifield: Stretched Beyond Imagination

Well it’s March and as I head into my last semester of the DM program, I find myself having thoughts similar to those I encountered at the end of my basic training days in the US Army Infantry branch. As my platoon and I cleaned our barracks and gathered our belongings to spend the last 2 days of our training on the concrete drill pad outside the barracks, we asked each other would we do it all over again. The answers ranged from “how much money would I get paid” ($500k to $1 million USD was the common range) to “HELL NO! After enduring 15 weeks of some of the most mentally and physically demanding training, incessant marching and running with 70lb ruck sacks on our backs (I got to make the 100 and 150 miler clubs as an added bonus) and living like animals for 20-30 days at time in the woods all on roughly 4 hours of sleep, I had to answer the latter. There was no way I was going to repeat the training no matter what amount I made, I was ready to get out and move on to my new unit. However, as I stood on the parade field ready to receive my crossed rifles (insignia of the Infantry) and my blue cord (color of the Infantry) to put on my dress uniform, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and pride. Suddenly, the training I had endured didn’t feel so hard and I knew I had accomplished something that only few others could have done in 15 weeks.
Well I can truthfully say that after 3 years in the DM program I am having the same feelings and thoughts as I did at the end of basic training. When looking back at all the nights and weekends as well as numerous vacations of endless reading assignments, statistics homeworks, written summaries, and of course developing our qualitative and quantitative papers, if asked to do this all over again I would answer “HELL NO!” But as I write this I am also filled with a sense of accomplishment and pride when reflecting on what I have been able to achieve beyond just getting the DM degree. Through my faith in God and the huge support from my kids and wife, I have been able to use the content and coursework of the DM program to stretch and strengthen my intellectual abilities in ways I couldn’t imagine back in 2011. Very similar to what the Infantry did for me physically. Today, I find myself looking intently at the world using a perspective which is part academician and part practitioner. Also I find my speech has changed, new phrases are coming out of my mouth such as “what’s the current body of knowledge say about...”, “there appears to be a high degree of correlation between...”, and my favorite “what is the level of rigor are we demonstrating with.”
So in looking back at the DM program, there were times when it seemed nearly impossible to complete. Would I do it all over again, no but I having gone through this experience and the program I feel a great sense of accomplishment and pride in what I have accomplished and looking forward to standing on the stage and receiving my diploma. I also realize that through God and my family I have accomplished something that only a few achieve in their life time.
David Widdifield, DM Class of 2014
The Ohio State University
Senior Lecturer
Director, Masters in Business Logistics Engineering Program
Marketing and Logistics

Mariana Amatullo: Growth in Knowledge: New Learning in the Doctor of Management Program

How might we capture the unique value designers bring to the emergent field of social innovation? 
This is the central research question that has guided my inquiry through the Doctor of Management Program at Weatherhead.  Given the interconnected nature and fast-evolving pace of the complex social and economic challenges we face as a 21st century society, understanding better “the return on design” (ROD) in the public and private sectors is a critical problem of practice with consequential implications for organizations of all kinds.  This is a context that informs my practice on a daily basis: I am a design educator and the co-founder of Designmatters --an established design program that focuses on undergraduate and graduate level curricula in design for social innovation at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.   For more than a decade I have experienced design for social innovation projects upfront through the work of the design teams I collaborate with here in the US and throughout the world.   Design for social innovation remains an emergent domain—one defined by new ideas, artifacts, services, and models that simultaneously meet social needs and create new collaborations that are both good for society and enhance its capacity to act (The Young Foundation, 2012).  Whether we are imagining new products, systems and services for water and sanitation solutions for dwellers of informal settlements in Chile, Colombia or Peru (the Safe Agua initiative), or helping teachers in Los Angeles' public schools engage teens in a conversation about gun violence through the Where’s Daryl? Campaign, the collaborative processes with partners and stakeholders that I advocate for in my program require a systems view and an empathic approach to negotiation that can make a big difference in the ultimate results of the projects we undertake.
My doctoral research has allowed me to delve deeper into the various human and organizational dynamics at play in the social innovation projects that I help conceive and manage. It has triggered the development of an expanded consciousness of sorts about the wicked problems that I am confronted with as a leading practitioner in my field.   In this sense, my research and practice are closely intertwined, and in many ways epitomize a central tenet and strength of the DM program: creating a space to cultivate practitioner-scholars who represent “engaged scholarship” and are equally adept at studying complex problems, creating new knowledge and stepping back from their own investigation to build bridges between theory and practice—with the capability of translating research outcomes into actionable knowledge (Van de Ven, Engaged Scholarship, 2007).
I cannot underestimate how much this newly found confidence for reflective awareness has informed my work already.  In subtle but significant ways, I find myself approaching problem formulation, experimentation, and learning with an entire new set of lenses.
At this writing, I am concluding the DM three-year lockstep program and about to embark in my final PhD year.  Pausing to reflect on the journey behind me brings about a sense of profound personal accomplishment: it has been a privilege to study within the inspiring built environment of Frank Gehry’s Peter B. Lewis building, under the mentorship of management and design scholars who have long championed the power of design practices to create alternative futures, and in the company of a diverse cohort of accomplished individuals, several of whom will remain life-long friends.
John Dewey reminds us that it was an axiom of Aristotle that “only that which is already known can be learned, that growth in knowledge consists simply in bringing together a universal truth of reason and a particular truth of sense which had been previously noted separately.” (Dewey, Reconstruction in Philosophy,1920).
I believe that the Doctor of Management Program has catalyzed for me that kind of deep practice of knowledge—one filled with the boundless possibilities and actionable promise that only true learning affords us.
Mariana Amatullo is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Designmatters at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She is a Doctor of Management Design Fellow as well as a Doctor of Management Non Profit Fellow in the Designing Sustainable Systems PhD track.

Timothy C. Summers: The DM Experience as a Journey of Existentialism

I could talk all day about how this process has been tough.  I could tell you that it makes it harder to maintain relationships.  Or that it can completely erode your social life.  Sure.  I could tell you these things.  But they would distract you from the real reasons that any of us put ourselves through the DM experience.  On a superficial level, the DM experience is all about getting a terminal degree, becoming a scholar-practitioner, and maybe becoming an expert in some field.  In my opinion, the DM experience is about existentialism.  What does that mean?  I believe that the DM experience causes a person to consider their very existence and embark on a free and responsible journey to determine their own development and contribution to the world.  At its core, the journey is about identifying a piece of our chaotic world and spending exorbitant amounts of time making meaning of it.  Three years for the DM and four for the Ph.D.  Throughout my experience, I have recognized that this journey means something different for each of us.  For some, it symbolizes reaching the end of a road.  For others, it is just the beginning.  But one thing is certain, when we complete the journey; we find that we have changed our thinking, built new relationships and are a part of new communities.  These modifications to our lives are direct results of the DM experience.
As professionals, we like to believe that we have seen most of what there is to see.  We believe that ourreal-world experiences have prepared us for the DM journey.  I contend that the DM journey makes us more self-aware and causes us to intellectually question what we have learned in our professional careers.  In essence, the DM experience provides us with a polished, yet sophisticated way of thinking that is tangential to the empirical thinking gained through our professional lives.  We learn to view the world through various lenses.
In our professional lives, we have learned to view the world through fixed lenses. Prior to the DM experience, we view the world through the lenses of our profession.  This brings with it many biases, values, and principles of behavior.  The DM experience causes us to question those fixed lenses from a philosophical perspective.  I am sure that there are many who believe that they had it all figured out before they began the DM process.  But if that is true and you had it figured out, why embark on the DM journey at all?
The DM experience is humbling.  It is rigorous.  It is time consuming and requires much effort.  It is a challenge.  But then you must ask yourself – is there anything worth having that isn’t?
Timothy C. Summers is a Senior Security Architect at Booz Allen Hamilton (http://www.boozallen.com), one of the world’s oldest management consulting firms.  Mr. Summers advises clients on the design and development of large scale systems.  He is also a Ph.D. student at Case Western Reserve University in the Weatherhead School of Management and can be reached attcs48@case.edu.  You can also read his personal blog at http://www.howhackersthink.com.

Stephen P. Miller: Bridging the Gap

The DM experience has been a journey of personal and professional discovery.  After a 35-year career as the senior non-family executive in a large privately-owned family business and six years as an adjunct professor of family business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, I became keenly aware of the need to bridge the gap between the practitioner and academic worlds in which I lived.  Much of the decision making I observed in the practitioner world was based on anecdotal information and narrow personal experience, often characterized by making a decision and then seeking facts which would support the decision already made.  On the other hand, much of the academic research in my field was very narrowly focused and often seemed only remotely related to the issues faced by practitioners.  I also stumbled across research that was highly relevant and useful, but it was often published in academic journals practitioners know nothing about and never read.  Weatherhead’s innovative DM Program was designed to fill that gap, and it delivers on the promise of teaching DM students to do rigorous relevant research.
My research on leadership development in family-owned enterprises is allowing me to establish my own voice in a field for which I have great passion.  I can speak and write with greater authority and confidence because I have gained a greater understanding of the theory which informed my own studies and because the results of my research have helped me to develop new insights into the complex process of leadership development in a family business context.
From a technical point of view, learning to design and execute qualitative and quantitative studies has helped me gain an appreciation for the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches, and the value of integrating the two methodologies.   The training we have received on statistical analysis has made it possible for me to more adequately evaluate the quality of research papers and articles to determine if I should pay attention to or ignore the results.
From a more holistic point of view, our coursework on leadership, ethics, complexity theory, designing sustainable systems, the history of business, and cooperation and conflict in the global arena have broadened my perspective on a wide variety of social science issues.  My mind is more open to different ways of perceiving the world and I have learned to ask, “Why do you think that?” much more often before making up my own mind on an issue.
Finally, the value of relationships formed with the faculty, staff, and members of my own and the other DM cohorts cannot be overstated.  Faculty and staff, who are incredibly busy people, have been remarkably attentive to any request for help or information.  They have been patient with helping an old dog learn new tricks to follow his passion in a second career.  And the other DM students are simply remarkable.  They come from many different backgrounds and have an incredible variety of interests and expertise.  The collegial culture of my cohort has been characterized by cooperation and support, with each member always eager to help the others.  We have bonded through a truly unique growth experience and have formed friendships that will last for a lifetime.
Stephen P. Miller is President of GenSpan, Inc. and works with business-owning families to help them develop world-class sustainable family enterprises.  He served as the senior non-family executive for The Biltmore Company, a Vanderbilt/Cecil family business in Asheville, NC, for 35 years and now teaches two courses on family business at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.  He is currently pursuing his PhD in Management:  Designing Sustainable Systems at Case Western Reserve University in the Weatherhead School of Management.  Steve can be reached atsmiller@gen-span.com.

Philip A. Cola: Top Ten Helpful Tips for Navigating the DM\PhD Program at Weatherhead

I write this reflection one month away from final classes for the DM program at Weatherhead.  I will continue for a fourth year in pursuit of a PhD in Management and Sustainable Systems.  I have a year of independent study, reading, proposal writing, comprehensive exams, workshops, data analyses, dissertation writing and a defense of my research.  I feel a sense of obligation to give back to the program.  I have talked with many potential students for the program over the last three years, attended many dissertation defenses, and was recently invited to provide a few tips on successfully navigating the program to current first and second year students.  Here is that list in writing.
Top Ten Helpful Tips for Navigating the DM\PhD Program at Weatherhead
  1. Organization is of critical importance and it is never too early to get started.  I started work on the program the moment we received the syllabus for the first semester (i.e., mid-July before classes began in August).   I kept an ongoing task list on blackboard each semester in order to stay current.  There is way too much to do to fall behind.  The connotation of being obsessive compulsive is a GOOD thing in this program.
  2. Read Everything that you are advised to read and more.  You are paying a good deal of money to have experienced faculty guide your reading list for 3-4 years.  Take advantage of that opportunity.  If they give you required reading – read it; if it’s optional – read it; and if someone passes along something they think you might be interested in – read it!!  This is what scholars do and if you decide to go for the PhD then your reading list entering the fourth year is done.
  3. Enjoy the Experience as not many of us are likely to do anything like this ever again.  Not too many people approaching middle age are privileged to go back to college especially at a prestigious university in the way that the DM allows.  Cherish the experience and allow your mind to be open to what the journey brings personally, professionally and intellectually.  Do your best to stay in good physical shape.  There is a freshman 15 lbs. here too if not careful.
  4. Avoid the DM vs. PhD Dilemma by staying true to number 3 above.  People entering this doctorate program are smart, successful and have a lot of confidence.  Trust your inclination at the beginning and if the practitioner route is best for you that is fine or if the academic route is preferable you will know that in your own mind.  At the end of each semester check in with yourself on this topic and don’t be unduly influenced by others.  You must follow your own path.  Students decide by the third year, but way too much anxiety goes into discussing this choice.
  5. Understand the Program gets more Difficult as you Progress.  This is done by design and should be understood.  It seems intuitive that a doctoral program at an institution like Case Western Reserve University would become increasingly difficult as you go along.  However, it seems to catch us all by surprise.  It’s best to avoid that surprise and understand that is what you should hope for to ensure the rigor and value of the program.
  6. Be prepared for STATISTICS.  It is not something doctoral students can avoid.  Trust me, I tried for 20 years and is one main reason why I did not have a PhD in my 20s.  Flowing from point 5 above there is a sequence of 3-4 classes on quantitative methodology that are of increasing difficulty.  THERE IS A QUANTITATIVE CAPSTONE THAT MUST BE PASSED AT THE END OF THE SECOND YEAR TO CONTINUE IN THE PROGRAM.  If you work hard and stay true to the curriculum you will pass.  You need quantitative skills as a baseline minimum to properly enter into practitioner scholar conversations. 
  7. Trust the Program and the Curriculum because it works!!  Once in a while you will have a book, an article, a professor or even a course that does not resonate with you.  You want to yell, scream and let everyone know, but ultimately understand that this is a successful program.  Leadership tries to make it better each semester.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not, but they will keep trying.  The flow from the qualitative sequence, to the quantitative sequence, to mixed methods and on into the dissertation proposal (as applicable) is amazing and works very well.  The rigor of the program shines through when you become a reviewer for the Academy of Management or other academic outlets.  You realize you are very well trained.
  8. Work Hard at Finding the Right Advisor.  This is not something I thought too much about coming into the program.  I was behind before I started.  Do your homework when reviewing the interests of the faculty at Weatherhead.  Talk to people, meet them, and think about working very closely with someone for 3-4 years.  Understand their personal and professional styles as well as their approach to scholarship.  Determine if that matches your style.  Too much time, energy and anxiety is spent scrambling for the right advisor.  I found a great match in my advisor, but it took until second semester of the second year.
  9. Pick an Interesting and Enduring research topic.  Assignment number 1 on my task list prior to that first semester was to choose a problem of practice that you want to research.  The more time you spend picking a solid, interesting and manageable topic the better the required research projects will flow.  As you write your papers it becomes evident that your topic must be interesting to a broad audience.  If you realize this after your qualitative paper it can be too late.  This goes hand in hand with item number 8 above and is something a terrific advisor will help you frame (NOT CHOOSE) in a manageable way that fits the program requirements.
  10. Develop and Improve your Relational Capacity.  This construct is defined as the capacity to build and grow deeper meaningful relationships with others through behaviors and values.  This construct emerged for me in my own research on physician scientists in academic medical centers, but it is very applicable to the DM\PhD journey.  You need your cohort, other cohorts, program leadership, family, friends, advisors, colleagues and many countless others to support you as you attempt to successfully navigate the program.  Don’t underestimate the need for deeper and more meaningful relationships when you embark on such a significant journey.  Let people into your experiences to help and support you as often as you can.
The DM program has been amazing, exhilarating, challenging, scary, and frustrating, but above all it has provided the opportunity for me to grow and transform in order to achieve something that I needed in my life.  The friends and relationships developed will be cherished for a lifetime.  Peer respect has come and my acceptance to an academic community of scholars is on schedule.  I am excited and prepared to excel in the PhD year.  Thanks to everyone for everything.  I wish everyone associated with this program only the best now and into the future.
Philip A. Cola is vice president for research and technology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He is also a doctoral candidate in the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, where he is a non-profit research fellow. He can be reached at philip.cola@uhhospitals.org.

Kalle Lyytinen: Notable Academy of Management Acceptances

Doctor of Management students submit proposals to the Academy of Management (AoM) conference every year by mid-January. This is expected from the 2nd and 3rd year DM students and increasingly from PhD students who work on their thesis in the 4th year. In March 2014 the results started to come in for the AoM 2014 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia and they are again pretty impressive. This year, our students submitted overall 28 manuscripts of which 16 were accepted resulting in the acceptance rate of 58%. This is well over the average acceptance rate which is in the range of 40-50% depending on the specific division. Notable this year was the excellent performance of the PhD cohort 3 which was close to 72 % acceptance rate despite the very short notice of submitting. Another point of pride is that three students Lori Kendall, Ted Ladd and  David Grogan were nominated for the best paper award and David Grogan was already awarded the best student paper award in his division.  An important observation is that our students get accepted across a wide range of divisions from the classic ones like Organization and Management Theory (OMT), Organization Development and Change (ODC) , or Organizational Communications and Information Systems (OCIS) to the more recent ones like Organizations and the Natural Environment (ONE).  Our students have also achieved several other awards this year. Sherry Sanger won the best theory paper award in the Academy of Marketing meeting in Summer 2013 and the best paper award in the Third International Conference on Engaged Management Scholarship in Atlanta in the Fall. I am proud of our contribution and thank all of the students and advisors for their hard work and effort to achieve these excellent results.
Kalle Lyytinen
DM Programs,
Director of Academic Affairs

Gabriel Berczely: My DM Journey in Discovering Ways to Improve the Capacity for Strategic Anticipation

At the time I joined the DM program - and still today - one of the key challenges I was facing at my companies and at those I was serving at their Boards was the risk of facing strategic obsolescence. Most companies have some sort of strategies, more or less formal, and more or less sophisticated, which are based on some assumptions about the industry structure and trends. The key issue is that minor changes in the eco-system tend to have a big impact down the road. A lot has been written about strategic foresight and ways to rapidly adapt to the changes, but in my experience adapting is not precisely a solution, because it generally means being too late.
With that in mind I decided to research on the factors that enhance management´s capacity for anticipating strategic moves as to avoid strategic obsolescence. The way that this DM program structures the research activities was a fantastic journey for discovery. I started with a qualitative research based on grounded theory methods consisting of systematic yet flexible guidelines for collecting and analyzing qualitative data that emerged from interviews I held with CEOs of leading companies that seemed to have anticipated changes in a successful way. In a second step, I tested my findings in a quantitative research using structural equation modeling (SEM).
From an academic point of view, the qualitative and quantitative researches are a unique feature of this DM program. They were not only a great learning experience but also a means to experience two different but complementary ways for doing research. And the various papers, essays and homeworks have been an excellent opportunity to elaborate and polish my academic and practitioner writing.
From a practical point of view, the findings of my research have managerial and theoretical implications. First, companies that miss the shift do have strategic plans in place, so the mere exercise of a systematic and formal strategic planning process did not avoid failure. In fact, setting oneself on a predetermined course in unknown and changing waters could be the perfect way to sail straight into an iceberg. Second, I discovered that a good way to capture signals of change is by means of Upstream Immersion (with suppliers and non suppliers), Downstream Immersion (with customers and non customers) and Lateral Immersion (in the eco-system); the way of making sense of them was related to management´s expertise, and the ability to act was based on the capacity of management for innovation. Last, my findings pose a challenge for non-executive board members, because being immersed is not an easy task for somebody that is far away from action and only plays a part-time role in the company. Board members have to get somehow immersed in the environment of the company if they want to add value in strategic anticipation discussions.
In short, participating in the DM journey has been a rewarding challenge. The professors, the readings, the researches, the essays, and the cohort added a lot of value to my personal, academic and practitioner development.
Gabriel Berczely is a serial entrepreneur, a board member of several companies and associations, and a professor of strategy at the ESE Business School in Chile. He is also a DM candidate at Case Western Reserve University in the Weatherhead School of Management and can be reached at gabriel@berczely.cl

Dale Hartz: Riding the Research Roller Coaster

My season pass to the DM Amusement Park is expiring in just a couple of weeks and soon I will have to leave the park.  I bought the three year season pass and I was fortunate enough to never miss a day.  All year long, every year, the rides were open and the fun never stopped!
The last day at the park is going to be an emotional time for me because I will be taking home so many amazing memories that I will carry with me the rest of my life.  I vividly remember the first day that I came to the park and feeling like I didn’t belong, but quickly realizing that this is absolutely the place where I was supposed to be.  I remember encountering so many amazing attractions and building life-long friendships.  I learned a new language during my days at the park.  I remember early on spending hours reading books and articles, and spending seemingly equal hours looking up the meaning of all of the new words I would see in the writings and hear from the amusement park employees.
The attractions at the DM park are like none other I’ve encountered in the past.  The roller coasters are especially awesome; high, fast, twisting and turning you upside down, it is just crazy!  I was fearless though, and I got in line and rode every single roller coaster, even the highest and fastest ones.  During each ride, I vividly recall experiencing a myriad of emotions:  There were times when I would wonder why did I get on this thing?  I’m going to be sick!  When is this going to stop?  Why can’t my friend go on this ride?  Wow, that was cool!!  The funny thing is and best of all, after each ride, I looked forward to doing it all over again.  I knew the wisdom I gained from doing it once would make it much cooler the second time around. 
I’m going to miss the park!  But I hear they have special reunions for old timers to come back and have some fun.  I know you can’t step in the same river twice, but I will look forward to coming to the reunions and checking out some of the old attractions and seeing what new attractions have been built for the kids!
Dale E. Hartz, DM Class of 2014
Adjunct Professor
Walsh University
North Canton, OH

Stephan Liozu: DM Blog

In 2008, I decided to pursue a doctoral degree and started investigating the educational programs that would allow me to stay employed fulltime while attending a top-notch academic program. I discovered a variety of traditional, online and hybrid doctoral programs aimed at busy professionals. I evaluated all of them and quickly narrowed my options to three. Out of the five programs that made the cut, I decided to apply to three of them and got accepted in two. Then I had to make the final choice. And that is a choice that I will never regret now that I have graduated and successfully transformed my life. I selected the Doctor of Management program at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) because of its strong and unmatched value proposition. Let me discuss that further:
  1. Busy professionals represent a very attractive target for educational institutions. Programs are popping up every year offering new EDBA’s and EDB’s for example. The DM program at CWRU have existed for over 18 years and hundreds of graduates have successfully completed the programs, have published papers and books, and are still very active in conducting academic research. The longevity of the DM program meant for me that I could contact alumni to get support and guidance as well as to build on some of the work they published. It provided a sense of comfort to know that over 150 people graduated from this prestigious institution! Going to alumni reunion is a real pleasure. We are a family and I truly enjoy reconnecting with all of them.
  2. The DM program is a management program with a focus on design and sustainable systems. As such, the program is not aimed at studying or solving business problems. The program exists to conduct human- and organization-centered research solidly anchored in the practice of engaged scholarship. After 20 years in business, the last thing I wanted to do is to study business. I wanted to learn more about management and design theories so that I could continue my personal transformational journey. And so I did! I finally was able to learn a lot about how human beings and organizations operate. I could connect the dots between my strong business experience and management theories. It suddenly made sense!
  3. The DM program creates practitioner-scholars in their respective field of research. The program is set-up to embrace the reality of managerial practices with the robustness of academic research. I never knew I could write. The program taught me to write for both practitioners and scholarly outlets. Over the past 5 years, I am privileged to have published over 30 papers and am working on my third book. Who would have thought? I was the king of bullet points! Now I cannot stop writing.
  4. The DM program offers a blend of content classes (leadership, design, culture & politics for example) and research classes aimed at raising the participants’ intellectual capital as well as developing best-in-class researchers. I was personally enriched by learning the foundation of design theory going back to great philosophers. I was able to interact with some of the best thinkers in the field of value, design, organization behaviors, and management. I also learned by the peers in my cohort. The variety of research topics and the class interactions allowed me to learn from various fields of research.
  5. Lastly, having graduated from the program, I can tell now that this was a personal and humantransformational process. The DM program changed my life. First, I made lifetime friendships with my cohort peers as well as with staff and faculty. Second, I am not the same person in 2014 that I was in 2009 when I joined the program. I am more curious, more interested in building good arguments, more fascinated by the power of good research. Third, I have decided to leave the corporate world to pursue a career in writing, teaching and researching. This is what I love and the program equiped me to be able to do it and make a living while doing it. Finally, learning about mindfulness, design, love, and human interactions made me a better person. I aim to make a difference in the world by educating others. I am also a better father to my son, Lorenzo, who now sees more of me.
If you are in the market for a doctoral program, I strongly encourage you to consider the Doctorate of Management program at CWRU. Talk to students, to alumni and visit the school. You will quickly discover the strength of its value proposition. There is no other program like it. Contact me atsliozu@case.edu if you wish to learn more about my experience and how it changed my life.
Stephan Liozu, PhD
PhD in Management: Designing Sustainable Systems Class of 2013
Weatherhead School of Management
Case Western Reserve University

Robert Watt: DM Blog

I was very excited when I got accepted into the DM program. I didn’t know what to expect when I first came to the DM program, my emotions went back and forth from angst to anticipation. Based on my conversations with previous students I only got positive feedback about the DM program which is true based on my experience over the last three years.
First I was amazed at the amount of intellectual capital and power the program provided me, in terms of the instructors and classroom content. I really enjoyed learning under such wonderful professors who are thought leaders in their respective field. In addition, I was pleased that every professor was able to disseminate the course content in a very academic and intellectual, yet practical way; that I was able to understand and apply on daily basis within my field of work.  Last every class was thought provoking and challenged the way I viewed issues pertaining to the course.
Second I really enjoy the time with my cohorts, each one brought a wealth of life experiences and intellect that has broaden my perspective from a world view. We have grown into a quasi family.  I always looked forward to the residencies to catch up with my classmates and discussing the trials and tribulations of the homework assignments.
Lastly, after three years I have come to realize that the DM experience does not end, but continues after long graduation considering the wealth of knowledge and relationships I’ve gain from the DM program.
Robert Watt
DM Class of 2014

Montressa L. Washington: Blog on DM Experience

Humility, perseverance, and resilience…
My DM journey has been long and not without a few starts and stops.  My story is not one of seamless successes within a story book timeline.  I hope my words come across as authentic and heartfelt because they truly come from the heart. 
Let’s see…where shall I start??
I believe the professors and DM program management staff are world class and that they are sincerely devoted to ensuring DM students have a worthwhile experience in the program.  I enjoyed the coursework and apply the theories and techniques that I’ve learned not only to my research but also in my day job.  For example, Design Thinking and Sustainability have become very important inside /outside of IBM and I’ve been able to use the skills learned in DM program to help my clients solve “wicked” problems.   The CWRU DM program was definitely forward thinking by focuses on these two very important topics.
Along the way I have been exposed to and participated in wonderful organizations and conferences that enhanced by doctoral experience.  For example, Sisters of the Academy (SOTA) (http://www.sistersoftheacademy.org/), an organization committed to facilitating the success of Black women in the Academy.  Through my membership in SOTA, I have attended research boot camps, writing retreats and grants workshops.  The networking, relationship and skills that I have developed through my participation in these activities have made me a strong researcher and gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to be successful in the Academy.   Another example is membership in The PhD Project Management Doctoral Students Association (MDSA) (http://www.phdproject.org/); the PhD Project’s expansive network helps African-American, Hispanic-Americans and Native Americans attain their business PhD, become business professors and mentor the next generation.   Through my participation with MDSA, I’ve attended helpful pre-workshops at the AOM conference and met fellow academics to partner and collaborate with on research projects.  
Last year I had the wonderful good fortune to attend Southern Management Association (SMA) Doctoral Student Consortium (https://southernmanagement.org/) and co-present a research paper at the SMA conference.  I also co-presented a paper at the International Association for Computer Systems (http://www.iacis.org/) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  This year, I’m looking forward to presenting at the International Association for Management of Technology conference (http://www.iamot.com/) and the Technology Transfer Conference (http://carey.jhu.edu/more_info/technology-transfer/). 
Four “unintended benefits” of being in the DM program that I want highlight are as follows:  (1) I completed the “Weatherhead Executive Coaching Certificate” program.  It was relatively easy to complete as much of my DM coursework was applicable to the curriculum, (2) I got to tag along and assist Dr. David Cooperrider, with an Appreciative Inquiry Summit in Boston, MA, (3) I now teach SPSS courses to non-profit organizations through my job at IBM; and (4) being introduced to the Pomodoro Technique (http://pomodorotechnique.com/) which has helped me focus better during writing spurts. 
Now for the OMG, WTH was I thinking part of the DM journey….
The loneliness and isolation that I have created in my life during this DM journey is frightening and I truly do not know how I am going to recover from this decision.  For the past 3 ½ years my life was been work and school – school and work.  I work 7 days a week.  I have sacrificed many relationships and personal experiences.  I hope people will be able to forgive me and still hold a place in their life for me once I complete the program.  I work 55+ hours in my “day” job and travel weekly out of state to meet with clients.   On top of that I still have to maintain some semblance of a normal life; I still have to buy food, cook food, clean house, maintain my car, take out trash, schedule house repairs, keep doctor’s appointments; oh did I mention work over 55+ hours a week. Nothing stops!
Going through the DM program has made me painfully aware of how I basically have no support system.  My family does not understand why I am getting a doctorate and clearly feel I should have focused my time (and youth) on getting married and having children.  My work colleagues think I’m crazy for enduring this much “torture and punishment” and well my friends, they don’t know quite what to think; I think the overwhelming emotion is “pity”. 
I’m always struggling with meeting assignment deadlines.  This pains me because I  want to complete and submit everything on time; there is such a great demand on my time from everywhere.  I’m constantly balancing the extreme demands of working for a Fortune 15 company; family obligations and some type of personal life (well not really because that is non-existent).
The questions that run through my mind daily, “Who will I disappoint the least today?”; “How am I going to keep it together today?”;  “How am I going to put myself back together after I complete the program?”; “Will there ever be someone who will help me?”
Each morning I wake up and pray for strength to get through the day, which I take one day at a time.  Despite the struggle, I’m truly grateful for this experience.  I know there are women around the world who would give (and have given) their life to obtain a quality education.  And for this “I give thanks”.
Montressa L Washington is a Senior Managing Consultant and Service Area Manager with IBM’s Global Business Services (GBS) based in the Washington, DC area.  Montressa is an IBM certified business transformation consultant and specializes in guiding clients through large change and transformation initiatives. She is a Doctor of Management Design Fellow and PhD student at Case Western Reserve University in the Weatherhead School of Management and can be reached at mlw41@case.edu.

Christina Barss: Grow. Change. Flourish.

What is the Doctor of Management program like? For me it is a string of wonderful positive memories, linked by educational pursuit and kept alive by lifelong friendships. The academic journey has been an emotional one; highs and lows, doubts countered with assurance, failures become the biggest teaching moments and ultimately lead to my greatest success. The curriculum is unique with a rigor that may seem impossible. Students are supported with didactic lectures, virtual residences, technology and a dynamic administrative team in Sue, Marilyn and Alexis. What attracted me to Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management was the reputation of the faculty and organizational development programs.  In this program I have conversations with academic giants- a cache of passionate thought leaders who charted and continue to chart new waters: Kolb, Boyatzis, Buchanan, Lyyntinen, Cooperrider and Lingham.  As CRWU is world class so are the DM students: accomplished talented individuals from top world organizations. For me it was humbling to meet my fellow students on our first day. As the courses passed so did the intimidation. Soon our classroom breaks filled with enthusiastic chatter; a cacophony of English, French, Chinese and Spanish.  My classmates become allies, counselors and family. Learning, laughter and love: for me the Doctor of Management program is life changing.
What does life changing mean?  For me, it meant waking up in the middle of the night, groping for my mobile phone so I may text myself a message because finally my theories became crystal clear. It meant due to the academic rigor from qualitative to quantitative actual study experience my critical analysis lens is so much keener when reading academic journals resulting in a deeper and richer experience. Most of all when present my academic work at a conference or submit to a peer reviewed journal- I am confident that it is of stellar quality because my faculty and advisors have coached me to success. My diploma represents the paradigm shift from professional to true practioner scholar. In summary, this program enabled me to grow my academic acumen, build personal resilience and foster a healthy global perspective – in essence I am flourishing.
Christina Barss, M.S., M.Ed. is the Associate Director of Cleveland Clinic Academy (http://www.samsonexecedconnect.org).  Hosting premier learning and development solutions for healthcare executives, Cleveland Clinic Executive Education portfolio includes Samson Global Leadership Academy and Executive Visitors’ Program. Christina’s research specializes in organizational effectiveness, interprofessional teams and social learning in a healthcare setting. She is also a PhD candidate at Case Western Reserve University in the Weatherhead School of Management and can be reached at barssc@ccf.org