Category: Human Resources & Organizational Development

Rethinking Organizational Challenges

Rethinking Organizational Challenges

How One Course in the MSHROD Online Program Delivers Surprises—and Results

“This course surprises people.” That’s how Dr. Denise Cumberland sums up Organizational Analysis, one of several required courses in the Master of Science in Human Resource and Organizational Development (MSHROD) online program at UofL. Officially coded ELFH 662, the course sets the groundwork for much of the content the program offers professionals who are advancing their careers and expanding their HR expertise.

“It’s about rethinking how to approach organizational challenges,” says Dr. Cumberland. “The course title is very broad, but the core objective is to help students uncover what’s going on below the surface when problems or opportunities occur in their organization.” These issues can range from low employee morale, loss of productivity, lagging customer satisfaction scores, declines in membership, to whether a firm should incorporate some new service element or new product. “We business people tend to be very solutions-oriented,” Dr. Cumberland continues, “we want an immediate solution—a silver bullet. This class shows students that you have to take a step back and understand that what you see on the surface is the symptom, not the cause.”  She adds, “This entire class is about going deeper than our first assumption about why a problem exists.”

What surprises students is the value of stepping back and asking questions to discover the underlying root cause of the issue. To illustrate this point, Dr. Cumberland uses a restaurant analogy. If patrons are scoring the restaurant badly or posting poor reviews, management might immediately assume that the team member is to blame. A costly training program might be implemented. But the real issue could be much broader: long waits, operational challenges, the temperature of the dining room. Instead of “our staff should smile more”— a simple, reactionary response — managers need to consider the broader picture. It may be the pace of the work, a lack of incentives or simply understaffing certain times and sections. To uncover the true cause of customer dissatisfaction, empirical data must be gathered. It must be processed and reviewed. And it must inform recommendations that underscore the real challenges and broader issues at play. “Before you apply a costly intervention, you need to consider all angles.”

This course, though, is not just about hypotheticals. As part of the course content, students look at their own organizations … the places they work, the churches they attend, the volunteer organizations they support. They tackle issues ranging from turnover to customer complaints to ineffective fundraising efforts. Most importantly, they look past the “blame game” and put together a solid assessment of what’s really happening: what’s causing the problem, or where an opportunity may lie. And best of all, students get to see the results of their work by applying it to the organization they’ve chosen to analyze.

As one of Dr. Cumberland’s students, Kristi Jones, commented, “I don’t think the effect of this class would have been the same if we were only taught the concepts in class. That’s what I really enjoy and value about the MS HROD program as well. It was great to see that what I was learning in class would make a real difference in my organization.” Another ELFH 662 student phrased it this way “My biggest take-away was learning how to analyze a situation and how to identify the gap between “what is” and “what should be.” Dr. Cumberland says “my joy is hearing students discover the underlying issue and I’m especially grateful when students come back and tell me that they were actually able to fix the problem because the data that they had gathered and analyzed provided the organization with reliable information upon which to develop more focused solutions.”

As each student’s individual analysis unfolds, the online format facilitates group work and peer review. Students are arranged in “pods” of four to five people. They trade ideas about their issues or opportunities. They gather advice from each other—fellow students help make sure a student is not making an assumption. Fellow students support one another by reviewing the investigative tools each student develops and they help each other to address the issue from multiple angles. It’s a peer support network that works well.

“Ours is a very unique online class,” concludes Dr. Cumberland. “Think of it as a webinar. We meet once a week for 90 minutes. During that time I can create smaller groups where students can talk to peers. We explore topics and review the readings. Everyone has access to me and to each other. It is an active world where students are connecting with their peers while learning on a very personal level. And the results are always rewarding.”

The MSHROD program attracts a broad spectrum of professionals, representing almost every capacity under the human resources umbrella. Many people are involved in training, hiring or talent management, while others come from marketing or operations. It’s a diverse group, but one assumption generally connects them as they walk in the door: the myth of the immediate fix. “It’s always more systemic than they realize.”

Learn more about UofL’s MSHROD program—and courses like Organizational Analysis—by clicking here.

US News & World Report – Online Programs Rankings 2016

US News & World Report – Online Programs Rankings 2016

The value and quality of online programs offered at the University of Louisville has been recognized again by the U.S. News and World Report’s 2016 Rankings of the United States’ best colleges and universities, released in January.

More than 1,200 online programs offered at regionally accredited institutions were evaluated. Out of those, UofL online programs were ranked as the nation’s best across three categories: Criminal Justice, Computer Information Technology, and Education.

The Online Graduate Criminal Justice (CJ) Program within the College of Arts and Sciences at UofL rank #9 for 2016, which is an improvement over the #13 ranking last year. The master’s in criminal justice online program gets highest scores in faculty credentials and training, student services and technology, and student engagement.UofL-GrawmeyerHall-crop

The Online Graduate Computer Information Technology (CIT) Programs offered by the J.B. Speed School of Engineering at UofL rank #23 for 2016, sharing this position with University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The online computer science programs score highest in faculty credentials and training, and in admissions selectivity.

The Graduate Education Programs offered through the College of Education and Human Development at UofL rank #124 for 2016, tied with Brandman University, Northwestern State University of Louisiana, St. Leo University, University of North Texas and Virginia Commonwealth University. The online education programs score high in faculty credentials and training, and student services and technology. The range of education online programs include a master’s in higher education administration, a master’s in special education, and a master’s in human resources and organization development.

The US News & World Report 2016 rankings are based on a survey of academics at peer institutions and each school’s score reflects its average rating on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding). In 2015, the University of Louisville, overall as an institution, was ranked #168 among all national universities, #91 of top public schools and #134 among best colleges for veterans. Updated institutional rankings for 2016 are expected later this year.

Visit UofL Online Learning to learn more about our online degree, certificate and endorsement programs.

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Contact Laura Dorman, marketing manager – online programs: laura.dorman@louisville.edu; 502.852.0363.

 

B.S. in Organizational Leadership and Learning: Outstanding Adult Education Program Of The Year

B.S. in Organizational Leadership and Learning: Outstanding Adult Education Program Of The Year

UofL’s Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) bachelor’s program receives the 2013 Malcolm Knowles Award for Outstanding Adult Education Program of the Year

The Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning program at the University of Louisville is the recipient of the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education’s (AAACE) 2013 Malcolm Knowles Award. This is the first time the award has ever been awarded to a bachelor’s degree program.

The award was established in the name of Malcolm S. Knowles for his distinguished contribution to the field of adult education and his development of the theory of andragogy. Knowles’ theoretical and practical approach is based on a humanistic conception of self-directed and autonomous learners and teachers as facilitators of learning.

The award recognizes teams or individuals for outstanding leadership of programs that demonstrate effectiveness, relevancy, creativity, immediacy, institutional cooperation or collaboration and legislative impact. Matt Bergman, assistant professor, and Kevin Rose, assistant professor, both with the Department of Leadership, Foundations and Human Resource Education at UofL, accepted the award on behalf of the Organizational Leadership and Learning (OLL) program at the AAACE’s annual conference.

To be eligible for this award, a degree program must serve the adult learner population for a minimum of two years and demonstrate efficient adoption of the andragogical process. The Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning is delivered on campus or online to meet the needs to nontraditional students who are employed, taking care of their family or are engaged in community projects or services.

Referring to how this award reflects the positive learning outcomes of the bachelor’s program, Matt Bergman said ”With more than 96,000 adults in the greater Louisville area who have some college and no degree, we believe that our Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning program is a very effective option for completing a bachelor’s education. This program is built on a solid foundation of high standards that focus on a relevant, rigorous, and research based curriculum that balance the need for greater educational attainment with high quality learning outcomes for our students. Our program’s adult learning advocates continually embrace the support and resources from our campus community, the Louisville region, and the National Degree Completion initiatives to advance educational attainment for so many working adults with some college and no degree.

Kevin Rose also shared his thoughts about the quality of the program and how it impacts continuous professional development: “Our program is receiving national recognition for our efforts to meet the education needs of adult learners. This recognition reflects our faculty’s commitment to making this program particularly relevant for students with prior knowledge and work experience.” We continually strive for new and better ways to deliver a rigorous, relevant, and research-based curriculum that empowers our students to make an impact in their lives and workplaces. This recognition would also not be possible without the great students that we serve and the level of enthusiasm and professionalism they bring to the classroom. Our program is better because of our outstanding students.

In the OLL program, students benefit from a learning climate that is relaxed, trusting, mutually respectful, informal, warm, collaborative, and supportive. Learners and facilitators participate equally in planning the learning process and assessing the learning needs. Most of all, students learn through experiential techniques, inquiry projects or independent study. Learning process assessments are completed by evaluating learner-collected evidence validated by peers, experts and facilitators.

The College of Education and Human Development at University of Louisville strives to provide all students with quality learning opportunities, modern teaching and learning methods and flexible delivery of programs that help professionals achieve their long-term goals and stand out in their profession and organization. Our bachelor’s graduates are fully equipped to advance their career and pursue further studies in organization development. Many of our students go on to become effective leaders, experts in their industry and champions of change in the society.

To learn more about the online programs offered by the College of Education and Human Development, visit:
BS OLL page (http://louisville.edu/online/programs/bachelors/bachelor-of-science-in-organizational-leadership-and-learning?utm_source=blog-malcolm)
MS HROD page (http://louisville.edu/online/programs/masters/master-of-science-in-human-resources-and-organization-development&utm_source=blog-malcolm)