on Fri, 28 Feb 1997 18:01:32, Bob Gately <
gately@COMPUSERVE.COM> wrote:
>Subject: MBA and behaviors>
>Jack Ring <
jring@AMUG.ORG> wrote:
>
>>>... In my experience they evaluate
>behavioral characteristics but they
>also evaluate rate of learning ...<<
>
>Yes, that is true and measurable. When managers learn that
>their top performers are not always their quickest learners
>they are really surprised. Quite often the most troublesome
>employees are the quickest learners.
Troublesome? Are they troublesome because the manager wants status quo
instead of innovation?
>
>>>...While I do not disagree, my point
>is that MBA schools could expose them to
>new experiences and encourage new traits...<<
>
>I agree, but how hard it is for you to change your own behavior? Most
>of us do not change our behaviors easily or quickly.
We do it, especially when we want to do it. Changing our behavior can be
hard if we are bottled up with fear but not when we are pursuing a goal. I
have changed my behavior when "attractors" made it seem worthwhile.
>>>... Why can't B schools do the same? ...<<
>
>It is one thing to have students "see the light" and recognize there
>is a better way to manage, it is quite another to get them to change
>their behavior accordingly.
All it takes is practice.
>The way we behave when stressed is our most
>important behavior. When we mistreat others when we are stressed it
>won't take them long to realize that we cannot be trusted to treat
>them with respect. Some of us have a low tolerance of abuse while
>others seem to be immune and the rest of us fall somewhere in
>the middle.
I agree. That is why it is so important to practice, practice, practice
while in the comfort zone. Then, when stressful situations arise, you are
much more likely to opt for the better behavior.
>
>>>... should management development be
>the province only of B Schools? ...<<
>
>Employers ought to do it themselves.
I agree that employers should be doing it. But what about universities?
What responsibility do they have for the tuition they charge?
>
>>>... We have a fundamental difference in view, here...<<
>
>We are closer than you may think.
That gives me hope. But the following items still cause concern.
>>>... we depend on others to feed us "learning"
>then we will eventually hit a limit...<<
>
>Again, I agree, we are responsible for ourselves but managers
>should be responsible for helping their people achieve the goals
>of the organization.
And should be measured on how much, how well they do.
>
>>>.... alternative Corollary: In time, every
>post tends to be occupied by an employee who
>did not have and did not construct an adequate
>learning environment...<<
>
>But whose responsible for that? Certainly not the employee.
There you have it. I believe that it is certainly the employee -- to the
point that if (s)he is not getting the learning opportunities from their
manager, they should exit that job, post haste.
>
>>>... If we had a few good men (and women),
>we would need only about 7,000....<<
>
>Let's do the arithmetic.
>
>Graduates per year = 7,000
> Average Age = 26 years
> Average Work Life = 40 years
> Total Active MBAs = 280,000
> No. of Businesses = 5,000,000
> No. of Employees = 120,000,000
>
>This tells me that 1 MBA will be shared by 18 business.
>Yikes, the MBAs will be in big demand. Stated another way,
>1 MBA will be responsible for 421 employees which may be a
>good ratio?
I may be low, but how about this? The capability is not MBA (as we know
it) but is MBManager/Leader. Each MBM/L has five "apprentices" and each of
them have five workgroup supervisors. That means an average of 17 worker
bees per work group. Not bad. Also, there are over 10 million businesses
but I think less than half of them need MBM/L talent on their staff.
Common sense will serve them adequately.
>
>>>... Egad, all my exhortations were for naught...<<
>
>I just don't see myself as a teacher. My wife, the second grade
>teacher, says I could never teach. <vbg>
We don't need "teach" we need "lead" It seems to me that you are one of
these -- or at least a carrier.
Jack Ring
Innovation Management
32712 N. 70th St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85262-7143 USA
602-488-4615
Fax) 602-488-4616