Application of management principles to practice are more important than ever in today’s fast-paced work environments (and more so in our pandemic era of management). Please tell us about how you help experienced managers change their thinking and approach through the lens of empirical research.
Today’s management challenges are distinctly complex and multi-faceted. As leaders of organizations, we are often well-schooled in our domains of expertise. In this program, we challenge leaders to pause, reflect and to be open to new ways of thinking. We do this not to slow them down, but to prompt them to look at challenges more holistically and broadly. We encourage leaders to gather data and evidence that further their understanding around challenges, problems and areas of interest to better inform their decision-making. This is what we mean by evidence-based management. Some of the toughest challenges that need to be tackled in management will be best tackled by drawing on both practice and scholarship. We are equipping leaders to do just that. To enable leaders to craft well-informed strategies and to take action in practice. This will contribute to the development of new knowledge in their fields of interest and help them to design and create new solutions.
As a current advisor/coach and having served on a DM/DBA Program task force, what is it like to be part of the ongoing team of innovative individuals that continue to try to maintain continuous quality assurance of our first-in-market Doctor of Business Administration curriculum and program?
We are fortunate to have incredibly talented and accomplished scholars teaching in this program. It’s a distinct honor to work alongside and learn from them in service of our doctoral students. I find it particularly invigorating that despite holding the honor of being the first doctoral program of this kind, this program continues to innovate forward. While we are certainly proud to be the first, we are acutely focused on being the best program of this kind. We are constantly fine-tuning, tinkering and experimenting our way forward in ways that continue to build on the early tenets of the program–one that provides a superior experience founded on both relevance and rigor. Given our depth of experience and spirit of innovation, we have all the potential to stay at the forefront and to continue delivering an enriching, scholarly experience with a long term goal of having a real impact on managerial practice.
In your estimation, how has the program evolved over the years as management trends continue to evolve?
As the pace of change continues to accelerate in management, the need for data-driven decision making is accelerating. We are all surrounded by more data than ever regardless of the industries we are in. We are inundated with mountains of data and the need to make quick decisions given rapidly-changing market dynamics. The program has continued to adapt to those dynamics by offering students greater variety in the approaches they can explore and undertake related to their own research. The program teaches more research methodologies compared to other programs in this space. That is powerful. In today’s world, there is no one way to gather insight. Great research, analytics and insights are reliant on asking a relevant question and then selecting the right method of inquiry that answers that question and contributes to building knowledge. By encouraging our students to explore and conduct multiple forms of research, we are equipping them to leverage data for decision-making in a variety of different contexts.
From your perspective, what is the importance or practical application of DBA\PhD training?
There is no single path to applying what you gain from this program. That is one of the most beautiful aspects of this program. We are equipping those who are transitioning into academia, pursuing careers as consultants and thought leaders, and those who desire to remain in practice. This program provides a toolkit and inspires a way of thinking that allows leaders to explore areas of interest in data-driven ways to inform better teaching, scholarship and contributions to practice. Ultimately, everything you do in the program allows you to think about things differently than you did previously. That is truly transformative.
If resources were unlimited, what would you recommend to help DBA\PhD students through their transformative journey even moreover?
The most precious resource in the program is often time. I often hear, “I wish I could find more hours in the day or in the week." The reality is… this is a journey and one that doesn’t end and shouldn’t end at graduation. While many students need a pause after graduation and deserve to take a moment to recognize an amazing accomplishment, my recommendation would be to keep going with your journey, whatever that course is for you. Consider the end of the program a starting point rather than a punctuation point. Grant yourself the gift of more time to further hone your ideas and share them with the world. In other words… keep the transformative journey going.
