Beedie School of Business News

Gervase R. Bushe and co-authour Robert J. Marshak of American University, Washington DC, have had their paper “Revisioning Organization Development: Diagnostic and Dialogic Premises and Patterns of Practice” accepted for publication in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science. In this provocative paper, they argue that organization development (OD) has undergone a shift in practice that is under-recognized by academics and practitioners, and develop an outline for a new theory and practice of “Dialogic OD”. Richard Woodman, editor of the journal, said “I … think (your paper) represents a significant contribution to the literature. The ‘diagnostic and dialogic’ dichotomy could well become ingrained in the change literature.” Commentaries on the article from leading organizational change scholars have been invited and will be co-published with the article.

“Revisioning Organization Development” identifies a bifurcation in the practice of OD that is not fully acknowledged or discussed in OD textbooks or journal articles; forms of organization development practice that do not adhere to key assumptions and prescriptions; “dialogical” forms of organization development practice are described; contrasts and similarities with the original, “diagnostic”, form of OD are analyzed. Practices that define dialogical forms of OD are identified with a call for increased acknowledgment of this bifurcation in OD research, practice and teaching.

The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, established in 1964, is widely recognized as the leading scholarly journal in the field of organization development. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science was founded on the compelling observation that human beings and social systems undergo planned and unplanned change. Recognizing that individuals and groups may differ in how they create and evaluate change, the journal contributes to the body of knowledge about both change processes and outcomes.

Congratulations to SFU Business PhD Candidate Stacey Fitzsimmons on being awarded the Paul Tai Yip Ng Memorial Endowment Award for Best Student Paper for 2008.

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The idea that good managers routinely gather and analyze information before making decisions is generally accepted as self-evident. Indeed, evidence-based decision making is so much in vogue that books such as Competing on Analytics and Supercrunchers top the list of business bestsellers. One would be hard pressed today to find a manager who does not advocate this approach.

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How SFU Business fared in the news for the week ending April 24, 2009.

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Good teaching is an art. SFU’s 2008 Excellence in Teaching award winners exemplify that art, sharing their enthusiasm, knowledge and time in a way that encourages their students to learn and grow.

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I believe mentoring in case competitions is one of the best ways for faculty to engage students and make memorable experiences during their academic careers.  I have made many lasting friendships which continue years after the competitions are over and the students have left SFU. Time and time again, I hear from students that case competitions are the one chance for them to take all the stuff they get in class and apply it in an integrated fashion.  Light bulbs go on for many of them, which is why so many students do several case competitions (the first one gets them hooked).

My involvement with case competitions began shortly after I arrived at SFU.  As a mentor, I enjoy the opportunity to work with our brightest and most engaged students.  Bringing together the right mix of students to form a team is the first, and perhaps most important value added.  Then, throughout the course of training I bring the team come together as cohesive unit.  Finally, I am proud to be with our students at the competitions as they represent SFU.

After listening to one student practice presentation that contained a large summary the case, I told a student not to spend the first 5 minutes recounting the information contained in the case.  The student told me that he was just used to doing that because it had been an important part of his past in-class presentations. He felt liberated when I told him not to do it because people don’t need to be told what they already know.  I could literally see this student make that link between in-class material and “real world” application, recognizing the difference between summarizing and analyzing, and taking that step from memorizing to adding real value to a business.

In 2007, in my first time as coach, our team came in a close second place in the Royal Roads Case Competition. I appreciated how well our students rated against other teams from Canada and the United States.  However, the following year we set out with a goal of besting our 2007 result.  I had to return to Vancouver early that weekend but eagerly waited for a phone call with the results.  When the team phoned that Saturday night to tell me about the victory I could hear pride and exuberance in their voices.  I was proud of them, their achievement and the opportunity to be a part of it.

- Dr. John Peloza, Assistant Professor, Marketing.

Scott Powell and Stephen Spector have won this year’s TD Canada Trust distinguished teaching awards, given annually to two SFU Business instructors. The awards, worth $3000, are based on teaching-related activities such as course development and preparation of teaching materials and on nominees’ statements and student comments.

Fun and games don’t normally spring to mind when considering SFU’s executive MBA program. But a playful approach to learning is big part of what earned adjunct program instructor Scott Powell a 2008 TD Canada Trust distinguished teaching award.
Student nominators all commented on the finance instructor’s effective and stimulating use of games, puzzles, quizzes and competitions to help them understand complex concepts.
“We learned we could create a market for anything, such as trading the cumulative age of the class and forming predictions and strategies,” says one student. “He truly brought a unique, fresh, real-world approach to teaching every class.”
“I’m a big believer in appealing to different learning styles, so games tend to be simulations,” explains Powell. “For example, we learn about financial derivatives by physically trading something that doesn’t exist such as the amount of pocket money in the room.”
Powell doesn’t teach at SFU for the money – he runs a successful financial training firm with offices in Vancouver and New York. “I do it for the love of teaching and making a difference,” he says. “Executive MBA students are such a delight to teach and so hungry to learn. That’s what keeps me doing it.”

Business accounting instructor Stephen Spector hasn’t forgotten what it was like to be an undergrad at SFU in the mid-70s. “The most successful courses I had were from instructors who made learning fun,” he says, “and they instilled in me a desire to pass on that same attitude.”
It’s an attitude that resonates with students, who appreciate Spector’s ability to make difficult concepts come alive with amusing examples, and a key reason for his 2008 TD Canada Trust distinguished teaching award.
“He always says ‘learning is supposed to be fun’, and he realizes it through his teaching approach and communication style,” says one student.
The award is a gratifying affirmation for Spector, who switched careers after 20 years as a certified general accountant (CGA) with CGA-Canada to become an SFU Business instructor in 2002.
“I use corny jokes, I try to learn students’ names and I try to connect on an individual level,” says Spector. “And I always try to present concepts so that they’re not overwhelming or patronizing.”
Spector was recently named president of the CGA Association of B.C. “I have the best of both worlds,” he says. “The CGA has helped me in my career and this is my way of paying back as a volunteer.”

By Diane Luckow

Congratulations for outstanding teaching performance. The Teaching Honour Roll is based on evaluation ratings distributed over different class size categories within three program level groups (pre-business, undergraduate and graduate). Those recognized as part of the 2007/2008 Teaching Honour Roll are in the top tier of instructors in the Faculty of Business Administration.  Keep reading…

“Provides an authoritative guide to evidence-based social policy by some of the leading scholars in the field. For anyone who wants to know what works, what’s worthwhile, and what research would have the greatest payoff, this book has benefits far exceeding the cost.”—Philip Cook, ITT/Sanford Professor of Public Policy, Duke University Keep reading…

How SFU Business fared in the news for the week ending April 17, 2009.

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