What work do you hope to do with OD? What career goals, if any, do you have for OD?
When folks become aware that I am back in school I get asked this question frequently. The first question is, ‘why at your age, with already having an MBA, are you going back to school?’ The discussion then shifts to what a MPS major is, and then how a degree in OD is beneficial to my current role. I am very excited to have found this coursework and although only a handful of weeks in, I can see the benefits it provides. My goals in the short term are to implement my learnings into my leadership. Aspects of OD consulting and Performance Consulting can both be utilized with those that I manage and the teams I work with. Methods of questioning rather than directly are key to fostering growth and confidence in teams. Aspects of appraisals and evaluation, along with clarity and timing, are also very impactful. Longer term I intend to use this coursework and degree to round-out my credibility. I’d like to explore working for a consultancy after I retire, or possibly towards the later stages of my career. I’m interested in pairing my business skills with my wife’s teaching skills to possibly partake in joint public speaking arrangements. Her skills of sociology, teaching, and human resources could mix well with my marketing, business, and OD work. Ultimately this learning makes me better … better both personally and professionally and feeds my desire for continuous learning. It also makes me more marketable should something arise where I would like to (or need to) look for a new employer.
From your completion of the Self-Assessment Tool for OD Competencies by Worley, Rothwell, and Sullivan, what developmental needs may be met through participation in this course and this program?
After completion of the Self-Assessment Tool I reviewed my answers and the patterns formed. A host of development needs were shown along with many strengths already in place. One competency I found most needed was ‘can attend to the whole, parts, and even the great whole’. My feeling is I do well in this area and can float from ‘being in the business’ and ‘being on the business’. ‘In the business’, to me, means getting into the details or the ‘parts’. ‘On the business’ relates to the whole, while the greater whole suggests the vision for the future. Experience has shown that leaders that know their audience and time of need can adjust between these levels. It’s quite a difficult time-consuming skill to master.
I scored myself closer to the ‘very great development end’ on numerous areas including managing personal defensiveness as typically I will have done my research and formed an opinion – when others bring opinions on the other end of the spectrum this, at times, wears on my patience and I need to better manage non-verbal responses. Being physically healthy under stress or at times of high workload is a needed constant reminder that exercise and sleep should be considered part of preparation. When working alone, facilitating larger groups is a topic where I may need additional focus. During these times I’ve tried to assign captains of teams as the leaders and delegate responsibility. Dealing with resistance is a topic that historically has been time consuming and can have a cascading effect. Once one member begins to disagree and show resistance this, potentially, opens the door for others to join in. Referring to solid goals/objectives has been key to progression. Finally, my largest area of additional focus, may be suspending judgement while gathering data. Again, my impatience is a factor and the need for allowing time for full alignment is necessary.
What do you want to do at the end of this course?
Rather than waiting until the end of this course I’ve been actively using the knowledge gained as a means for sharing with others why/how they can embrace our, still developing, Transformational Team. I also work closely with an HR representative who has been in the Penn State ODC program for a couple years and enjoy discussing content/leanings with her, and work for applications within our cross functional teams. I’ve already begun to speak the language of our Transformational Team leaders and have been now put in position to help lead some initiatives including harnessing the horizontality of our business units. This includes working more for the whole rather than the parts. In addition, I’ve been able to help with the shaping of people and positions in our organizational structures. Adding Business Development Managers along with Commercialization leaders as well as leaders of each of our Global Markets have been some of the ongoing work where this course has bolstered and supported some of my thinking and rationale.
Do you plan to be in the online MPS in Organization Development and Change (MPS in ODC) degree program?
My plans are to be in the online MPS in Organization Development and Change. My current goal is to take one course per semester, meaning completion of the degree would be in 2023. Although that timeframe seems to be in the far future, I’ve learned from my MBA degree that the time goes by quickly. During my MBA I took 2 courses per semester continually and have realized that with my current home/work demands that’s not possible to remain focused and healthy. I’ve also already found that by taking one course at a time I can devote more effort towards implementation and reflection on the learnings … that wasn’t the case before. In talking with my colleague, who is currently enrolled in the program, she continues to find real world value and new ways of thinking. These discussions and thoughts have been a pleasant and encouraging veering of course from my normal line of work. As I continue to directly manage larger teams, have more influence on cross functional groups, and work with varying degrees of levels of leaders, I’m excited about the learnings and affects this program will generate.