Paul--
It seems to me that what you are talking about is what we learn in a
liberal arts education and by reading the "wisdom books". I certainly
don't think that we teach it in any of our professional schools. I have
read time and again that top CEOs read constantly--and the wisest don't
concentrate only on the latest management books, if they read them at
all. To teach that type of thinking, I think that we would need to
change our paradigm--scrap the textbooks and assign/discuss Aristotle
(ideal worlds), Machiavelli (power), Sun Tzu (strategy) and so many
others.
We are focused now on teaching a body of knowledge that has been
digested and regurgitated in the form of formal models and theories.
That's not the same thing as teaching people how to think. Learning to
"think", I believe, can only occur in a raw, messy context (which is why
I don't use many canned case studies) complicated by conflicting
information, emotion, multiple agendas, stress, frustration, and
personal barriers like psychological blinders. Because the type of
"thinking" that you are talking about is not just an intellectual
activity. We are good at training the intellect but I think that most
profs don't pay much attention to the rest of our sensing, processing
and decision-making apparatus.
I try to teach students to think by assigning them to write reflective
papers analyzing experiences in their work environment (since I teach OB
and leadership). Surprisingly, perhaps, even the undergrads who are
assigned weekly papers love it. Many of them tell me that it's the
first time in their business education that they have been asked to
think and write about the totality of organizational life--emotional and
spiritual as well as intellectual--and about how they make decisions in
that context. Most of them haven't written such a paper since Freshman
English. Why not? How do we expect people to be able to use the
knowledge we hand them unless we teach them how to integrate it into
their every-day reality? (BTW, I am not implying that I am the only one
who does this. Far from it! I know that many profs have creative ways
of "teaching to reality"--probably most of the people who bother to
subscribe to this list do so in various ways.)
Ruth
Paul Wong wrote:
>
> I want to thank all of you for your helpful suggestions. However, what I
> was trying to get at in my original posting is some illusive leadership
> quality which may be called intuiion, insight, or crative genius. CEOs who
> possess this kind of quality are able to judge people accurately, have a
> deep understanding of all the issues involved, and make sound, snap
> decisions in very fast-moving, complex situations which do not allow time
> for rational analysis or consultatnion. My question is: Can we teach this
> kind of leadership quality in Business Schools?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Edryce Reynolds
> To:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
> Sent: 1/5/2002 6:17 PM
> Subject: Re: Can we teach how to make good judgements in Business Schools
>
> I am sure the suggestions already given are helpful.
> I have one of my own.
>
> To make good decisions, one should remove one's own
> interests FIRST. I think many CEOs think first of
> whether the decision will make them "look good" before
> they think of whether the decision is good for the
> organization.
>
> To remove one's own interests takes some doing. I
> recommend meditation and perhaps some study of how to
> quiet those "chatterboxes" in our heads. If the CEO
> (or the Business student who wants to be a CEO) is
> worth anything, she/he will be able to apply the
> knowledge to the situation, think of the future of the
> organization, and make a good decision.
>
> I know this is not according to conventional wisdom,
> but I believe it works best.
>
> Edryce
>
> --- "Roy J. Lewicki" <
lewicki_1@cob.osu.edu> wrote:
> > You ought to read the work of Paul Nutt. Paul has
> > several books and
> > numerous articles out on top management decision
> > making.
> > His claim is that 50% of all top mgt decisions
> > fail., suggesting that all the
> > work we do trying to train managers to make better
> > decisions may or may
> > not succeed better than chance. For reasons why,
> > consult his
> > work. Methodologies are controversial but it will
> > get you going in a direction.
> >
> > Roy Lewicki
> >
> > >Managers and CEOs are paid to make good decisions,
> > because one bad decision
> > >has the potential of ruining the buiness.
> > >
> > >There are many courses on problem solving and
> > decision making processes.
> > >However, I am talking about making good judgements
> > in day-to-day
> > >interactions and in high dynamic and kinetic
> > engagements.
> > >
> > >I have witnessed again and again that when leaders
> > misread a very fluid
> > >situaiton, or misjudge the the characters involved
> > in the engagement, they
> > >end up making very bad decisions.
> > >
> > >Some people believe that good judgements are based
> > on intuition and
> > >creativity -- it is same thing possessed by very
> > talented leaders, but it
> > >cannot be taught. Is there any research refuting or
> > supporting this view?
>
> __________________________________________________
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