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M.E.D. Colleagues:

A veteran M.E.D. colleague (Jack Mendleson, Bethel College, IN) and I
will be presenting a session on the above topic at an upcoming conference.
But first we need some input from YOU. Let me give some background...

The university classroom is an opportune setting for the development of
leadership skills. One obvious option to accomplish this is a leadership class
PER SE, or an expriential leadership module in a class such as organizational
behavior. However, we believe that other--and perhaps most or all university
classes--with proper design structuring, can be potential leadership
laboratories, at least to a limited extent.

The purpose of the session will be to develop an inventory of methods of
developing LEADERSHIP IN NON-LEADERSHIP CLASSES (LINLC), and to provide a forum
for the discussion of how these practices are implemented. To give you an idea
of what we are talking about, three examples in which leadership skills are
taught or experienced INDIRECTLY are provided:

1. The use of one or more class representatives, sometimes called "ombudsmen."
They bring to the instructor's attention problems and areas of dissatisfaction
which the class may be experiencing, ideas for improvement, course content the
class may be struggling with, etc. We have found that individual class members
are often reluctant to speak to us directly about such matters.

2. The appointment of "CEOs" in a business policy and strategy class to head
up "companies" comprised of several students each, as part of a Business
Strategy Game. The CEOs are responsible for organizing and managing the work of
their companies, including all the person-to-person interactions with their
fellow students in the "company."

3. Designing of in-class experiential exercises (that aren't teaching
leadership per se) to have a significant leaderhip component. Example: a
collective bargaining and grievance simulation in a P/HR course. The roles of
management leader and union leader are rotated among the students.

These are but three examples. We are seeking you help in generating a
preliminary list (prior to the meeting) of other LINLC methods which you have
used, or are familiar with. Please note that we are seeking examples that are:

1. not from a leadership class, per se
2. are methods of INDIRECTLY teaching or experiencing leadership

If you could send me a paragraph or so on any idea you have (preferably by May
30th) that would be greatly appreciated. Any mode of transmission is fine:

Robert A. (Bob) Herring
Assoc. Prof. of Management
Division of Business and Economics
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem NC 27110

Phone: 336-750-2345
FAX: 336-750-2335
e-mail: HERRINGR@WSSU1.ADP.WSSU.EDU

How about doing some outdoor experiential work -- take the group out on the ropes course. In this environment,
mulitple leadership issues come to the foreground. You can frame different intiatives to focus on hierarchy,
taking intiative, feedback loops, etc. Let me know if you would like some more resources on this.

Diana

HERRINGR@WSSU1.ADP.WSSU.EDU, ROBERT A. HERRING III, WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY, PHONE 910-750-2345 wrote:

> M.E.D. Colleagues:
>
> A veteran M.E.D. colleague (Jack Mendleson, Bethel College, IN) and I
> will be presenting a session on the above topic at an upcoming conference.
> But first we need some input from YOU. Let me give some background...
>
> The university classroom is an opportune setting for the development of
> leadership skills. One obvious option to accomplish this is a leadership class
> PER SE, or an expriential leadership module in a class such as organizational
> behavior. However, we believe that other--and perhaps most or all university
> classes--with proper design structuring, can be potential leadership
> laboratories, at least to a limited extent.
>
> The purpose of the session will be to develop an inventory of methods of
> developing LEADERSHIP IN NON-LEADERSHIP CLASSES (LINLC), and to provide a forum
> for the discussion of how these practices are implemented. To give you an idea
> of what we are talking about, three examples in which leadership skills are
> taught or experienced INDIRECTLY are provided:
>
> 1. The use of one or more class representatives, sometimes called "ombudsmen."
> They bring to the instructor's attention problems and areas of dissatisfaction
> which the class may be experiencing, ideas for improvement, course content the
> class may be struggling with, etc. We have found that individual class members
> are often reluctant to speak to us directly about such matters.
>
> 2. The appointment of "CEOs" in a business policy and strategy class to head
> up "companies" comprised of several students each, as part of a Business
> Strategy Game. The CEOs are responsible for organizing and managing the work of
> their companies, including all the person-to-person interactions with their
> fellow students in the "company."
>
> 3. Designing of in-class experiential exercises (that aren't teaching
> leadership per se) to have a significant leaderhip component. Example: a
> collective bargaining and grievance simulation in a P/HR course. The roles of
> management leader and union leader are rotated among the students.
>
> These are but three examples. We are seeking you help in generating a
> preliminary list (prior to the meeting) of other LINLC methods which you have
> used, or are familiar with. Please note that we are seeking examples that are:
>
> 1. not from a leadership class, per se
> 2. are methods of INDIRECTLY teaching or experiencing leadership
>
> If you could send me a paragraph or so on any idea you have (preferably by May
> 30th) that would be greatly appreciated. Any mode of transmission is fine:
>
> Robert A. (Bob) Herring
> Assoc. Prof. of Management
> Division of Business and Economics
> Winston-Salem State University
> Winston-Salem NC 27110
>
> Phone: 336-750-2345
> FAX: 336-750-2335
> e-mail: HERRINGR@WSSU1.ADP.WSSU.EDU