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Course Description and Objectives: This unique course is built upon the premise that performance of an organization is directly dependent upon the performance of its individual members. Accordingly, we define several core personal development competencies applicable to both U.S. and European organizations that if developed can help the individual and his or her enterprise excel. These competencies include: (1) inter-personal skills, (2) innovation, (3) ethical- and principle-based leadership, (4) a metrics and data driven management decision making process, and (5) career development, personal drive, passion, and the ability to sustain achievement.

Teaching Philosophy: There will be conventional class discussions where the theoretical construct and definitions of these competencies as well as the "why" and the "what" will be explored. Case problems also will be assigned and discussed on an interactive basis. These discussions will be followed by skill sessions where the "how to do it" is presented. A practicum or "application module" will follow where the students will be given the opportunity to apply and develop the competencies in a simulated situation. Pre- and post-session assessments (primarily self assessment and peer assessments) will be conducted to measure student perspectives, attitudes, and enhancement of competencies.

Simulation Modules: Students will be involved in a number of simulations that include an application of the principles and skills developed in the class sessions. The simulations will include: (1) Conflict resolution problems requiring the students working alone and in teams to resolve a conflict with another party. The topics will include everything from salary negotiations, job assignments, moving an R&D unit to a manufacturing site, buying an automobile, purchasing pistons for diesel engines, negotiating a quality provision and transfer pricing involving the manufacturing of computers, environmental problems created by a mining company, the sale of U.S. owned bananas in European countries, and a labor dispute between teachers and the school system. (2) The students will experience first hand the process of facilitative leadership where they are taught how to use employee and other creative processes to brainstorm and find optimal business solutions. (3) Case problems involving issues of business ethics will be intensely discussed and students, applying readings from Martin Luther King, Milton Friedman, and Durrenmmatt will be asked to resolve several contemporary business ethics issues. (4) Students will be exposed to a variety of quantitative approaches to determine the financial value of various management initiatives. Under the assumption that a key leadership decision is to allocate capital, some time will be spent discussing how this is done with respect to management practices. (5) Finally, using the skills and perspectives shared by the instructor, students will participate in simulated interviews of a prospective CEO of a computer company. They will also select from among several candidates the new CEO. This activity will sharpen the students' awareness as to how leadership competencies are determined and assessed in a business organization.

At the conclusion of each simulation, students will complete a Summary form provided by the Instructor. These summaries will be used during debriefing sessions that will be held to review the results of each simulation.

Journal Memo: Students will be required to submit a Journal Memo, consisting of at least five typewritten pages, double-spaced, 12 font, with reasonable margins, which describes his/her individual experience in the simulations. The purpose of the Journal Memo is to reflect and analyze one's learning experience. It is a two-step process. First, a functional analysis is written, summarizing the planning, preparation, persuasion activities, social context, strategy, ethical considerations, and cultural and personal dimensions that were applied or were relevant to the simulation. Second, a personal analysis should address, retrospectively, what was done, the correctness of your assumptions, the effects of your tactics and strategies, your insights, perceptions, and impressions, and what could have been done differently. The Journal Memo will be submitted in lieu of a final exam and is very important in the overall evaluation of your performance and learning in the course. It will be treated confidentially and read only by the Instructor.

Course Materials: Fisher and Ury, Getting to Yes (Penguin, 1991); Friedrich Durrenmatt, The Visit; (Bradberry and Greaves, 1973); The Emotional Intelligence Quick book (Talent Smart, 2003); Collins, Good to Great (Random House, 2000): Selected Readings and Materials: Rev. Martin Luther King, "Letter from Birmingham City Jail," (1963); Milton Friedman, "The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits," (1970); Special Case: Sears Auto Centers; and also: CD: Robbins, Self Assessment Library (Prentice Hall, 2003), Wilcox and Rush, Center for Creative Leadership Guide to Leadership in Action (Jossey-Bass, 2004): Murphy and Zandvakili, A data and metrics driven approach to human resource practices, Human Resource Management (Spring 2000, vol. 39, Number 1, pp 93-102 (University of Michigan); Schwarz and Murphy, Human Capital Metrics - What Undergraduates Should Know, (April 2008), Journal of Management Education, Volume 32, No.2 pp. 164-182; Durrenmatt, F. The Visit

Course Outline and Summary of Sessions:
Interpersonal Relations - How can one resolve conflict within the organization and among one's colleagues, family, and friends? What are the perspectives, tactics, processes, and strategies that best contain and resolve such conflicts? What are the barriers that inhibit conflict and how does one deal with them? Is there an art to persuasive behavior and how do I develop it? What are mediation and other alternative dispute resolution processes and how do I apply them? Read: Ury, Getting to Yes, and the instructor's power point slides. Also Mini Cases will be assigned. There will be several conflict resolution simulations on this topic.

Innovation and Creativity - What is innovation and why is it important? What is creative or facilitative leadership and what skills does one need to practice it? How can I apply this technique both in and out of the workplace? How does one optimize the knowledge, ideas, and potential solutions that are lying dormant amongst the workforce, and how do I shape these solutions into sustainable success? How does one use the collective power of a group to enhance the quality of decision making as well as organizational support? Read: Wilcox and Rush, The Center for Creative Leadership Guide to Leadership in Action. There will be several skills and practicum simulations where the students will be called upon to use creativity and facilitative leadership to identify, design, and develop an implementation plan that solves a critical business problem.

Career Advancement and Development - What are the characteristics, competencies, and behaviors that lead to success within the organization? What about, for example, goal orientation, influence, initiative, learning, listening, planning, changing, and sociability? How do we measure personal success within the organization? How do I learn how to lead and depend on others in the organization? What balance should one seek in his or her professional career? How should one choose or plan a career? What are the life-cycle events that might influence my career? How do I as a leader make sure to put "the right people on the bus and in the right seats?" Simulations giving students the opportunity to exercise some of these skills and insights, together with instructor's lectures will provide some important insights for the class. Read: Collins, Good to Great, other assigned readings, and the instructor's power point slides on the subject.

Human Capital Metrics - Since the allocation of capital is critical to the leadership process, we will discuss how to use data and metrics to evaluate the financial impact of management practices. These will include the use of statistics, surveys, the application of financial models, and assessing the ROI or NPV of new management initiatives. There will be cases where the students will have the opportunity to apply the skills. Read: Murphy and Zandvakili, A Data and Metrics Approach to HRM, and Schwarz and Murphy, Human Capital Metrics, What Undergraduates Should Know.

Ethical Leadership - What is the significance of courage in the workplace? How does it lead to better and more ethical decision-making? How does Rev. King's letter relate to ethical issues in the organization? Is Friedman correct when he says the obligation of business leaders is to "provide a return for the shareholders?" What are the sources of values and principles that should apply in a business environment? What did Sears do wrong? How did their reward system lead to their ethical misconduct? Why should organizations value ethnic and cultural diversity? Is it good for business? Do CEOs make too much? How should this be controlled? Read: Durrenmatt, The Visit, Martin Luther King's Letter, Friedman's essay on the Social Responsibility of Business, and the Sears Case.

All topics will include an international focus applying the instructor's own experiences, readings, and the use of European, Asian, and U.S. organizations in the simulations and cases.