Organizational Communications
Competency Area: Leadership & Self Development
Competence as a person and, by inclusion, as a manager, can be thought of in terms of how well one can communicate — i.e., a person’s communicative competence. Drawing on research in a variety of fields, this course will focus on increasing student competence in conflict management and resolution, presentation skills, assertiveness, giving and receiving feedback, diversity and cultural competence, written communications, and use of technical media. A major assumption will be that growth in communicative competence is not simply a matter of skill acquisition, but involves proportionate transformations, of beliefs, of self, and of oneself as manager.
3 credits
Leadership & Teams
Competency Area: Collaboration & Group Dynamics
High performing teams are essential to success in today’s organizations. This course focuses on providing positive influence in work teams as a team leader, facilitator, and member. Students learn how to foster high performing teams through observing group dynamics, assessing stages of team development, providing effective leadership and facilitation at each stage, working with the dynamics of diversity, and applying various approaches to collaborative decision-making. Students work in teams on team development and performance tasks both in class and virtually.
Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): An Application of Systems Theories
Competency Area: Systems & Strategic Thinking
An historical and contemporary overview of systems and complexity theories will be presented with coverage of the foundational scientific principles that govern all sustainable systems. Students will be introduced to models and processes which will give them the capacity to evaluate any action or policy regarding sustainability in a variety of complex systems. This evaluation process will see CSR as based on the “triple bottom line” – assessing management organizational practices in terms of their effectiveness in creating economically sustainable organizations that are humane, and socially and environmentally responsible.
3 credits