MBA Courses
Descending Order By Date Of Completion at Northern Kentucky University
Management 605 – Managing in Organizations – Summer One, 2025
Week 1 – Leadership
A personal takeaway regarding the spectrum of contemporary leadership styles that order itself based upon the degree of shared decision making, I most likely fall under the facilitative style given that I like to lead teams towards a goal while letting them decide how to get there. This would be in contrast to an autocratic style (not sharing in decision making), a consultative (take subordinates opinion into consideration but maybe not act on it), and delegative (give all decision making to team). I never have a good answer for my “leadership style” but if I reference via this spectrum I think I can make it easier to introduce myself to others and realize my strengths.
I also learned an important observation – not all managers are leaders and not all leaders are managers and how to recognize the difference between the two. It is possible to not manage but lead effectively within teams, it is also possible to be an effective manager but not a leader.
Week 2 – Motivation
Understanding motivation is difficult, and this evidenced by the many theories of motivation out there. We talked about the baseline motivation model – Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – and how most other motivation frameworks fall within that pyramid in some fashion. We then broke the theories down into three sectors which were Content (needs), Process (choice), and Reinforcement (consequences). There were many models we reviewed, and I believe Expectancy Theory – that the rewards are worth the effort – is an important one. I think a lot of people in organizations think that way. There is an important of setting clear expectations and being equitable with your team.
There were some interesting side videos we watched that showed how social incentives and progress monitoring are important motivations for the self. Another one dealt with extrinsic and intrinsic motivations play a role in motivating ourselves as well. I am finding a lot of management starts with managing yourself properly.
Week 3 – Teamwork
There was a lot here I wanted to unpack and understand. I’ve been a part of several high functioning teams and I wanted to know why. A team forms from a working group by using a common approach, holding each other accountable, and getting everyone to trust each other to accomplish the shared goals. As a team member I didn’t realize the art of role formation and role communication that makes teams so productive and how you need to chose, evaluate, and communicate those roles. I appreciate how teams solve problems but didn’t appreciate how a team can get there. I do recognize the five stages in team building from Tuckman of forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Norming is probably the most important in my opinion, just getting everyone on the same page can be difficult, but a lot of that too gets ironed out during storming and breaking down any barriers.
Managing a team though seems like a whole new avenue of exploration. Groups can be less effective when there is role conflict on the team whether its through ambiguity or being overloaded. I do believe teams should be smaller, like four members max, in order to dissuade social loafers. Managing personality conflicts is difficult but remember to keep from dragging others into it and get help if it exceeds your abilities. I once managed a team that had deep personality conflicts and with some more experience I most likely could have managed it better, and although the team moved on, it was emotionally taxing on my part, especially as a young person dealing with adults. Finally, I do like Lencioni’s five dysfunctions of a team and would most likely use it when evaluating a team’s disfunctions if they were to arise.
Week 4 – Culture
Of all the organizational studies we’ve undertaken, I feel this was the most important subject we broached. Culture within an organization is a powerful tool that can help or hinder an organization and how it is deployed and maintained our vastly important. A culture that fits the environment it works in and helps norm their employee behavior can lead to competitive advantage. A culture that is not the right fit can be incredibly difficult to change and lead to employee turmoil. I believe that is a study worthy of deeper work. The way to change it does mean removing employees who don’t fit the culture and bringing in/onboarding new ones who better align with it, but you can also shift it through communication, modeling, and physical reminders called artifacts that act like totems. As an employee it is a good idea to be flexible in your approach and aware of the expectations so you can adapt when things do change.
I once did a culture change within a volunteer organization I was in by promoting one of positivity and connection and family. It was very successful and lead to that organization doubling in size. People wanted to be part of if and the catty/petty elements disappeared. Now that I’ve studied culture a little more in depth I realize it can be part organic but it also needs to be lived and displayed from leadership down through a good Mission Statement. I am seeing more to organization’s now than I did previously. One benefit of getting an MBA after working full time for twenty years is getting to know the why behind the what. I’ve been in stable cultures, detail oriented cultures, innovative cultures, and ones that were a mix of it all. I personally fit best into team based cultures where learning and collaboration are prized. I do OK in hierarchical cultures but feel stifled when I’m not part of the decision making apparatus in as much as a lack of autonomy over what I do.
Week 5 – Change Management
A more scientific approach to change and managing it in an organization is probably apropos given the consequences of mishandled change. Communication is an important component of it because it builds trust with those being affected. Stakeholders need to be identified and brought into the change plan. People fear change for various reasons and there are ways to mitigate that fear and possible obstruction. This can include fear of loss or loss of control. The change experience often starts with denial, then goes to resistance, exploration, and then commitment. Finding change agents can help usher in change and reduce resistance to it by making someone responsible for implementation. The goal of change is to make the change permanent and a sense of urgency can keep it moving along. A Force Field Analysis is a helpful tool for understanding resistance to change in your organization. Feedback should always be sought after.
I will admit, I do not like change for change’s sake. If something is working I want it to stay that way. I tend to put so much thought into what I do and be deliberate about how I handle things, so when there is change I get agitated, especially if I have no control over that change. I know to focus on what I can control, and it is a common saying amongst the Stoics, but it’s easier said than done. On the other hand, if something is not working, I am the first to rip everything out and start over again. I’ve seen how change can be mismanaged in the past in organizations so it was refreshing to see the tools available to handle them effectively.
Final Grade – A