Coursework
Below are brief summaries of the courses I took in the order I took them, as each experience built on the one that came before. Through the five core courses (600 level) and five elective courses (500 level), I explored new theories and tools and gained competence and confidence blending theory into practice.
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Click on an image to view an artifact from each course.
ORGL 600
Foundations of Leadership
We explored theories of leadership and what makes an effective leader. Perhaps most surprising is that there is little consensus among scholars and practitioners as to what, precisely, constitutes an “effective leader” and whether effective leadership stems from accident of birth, upbringing, or can be continuously developed. This course solidified my belief that effective leadership is primarily learned. It starts with regular, structured self-reflection and is refined through deliberate study and practice over time. As part of the course, I took the Student Leadership Practices Inventory, which presented an opportunity to evaluate myself and to receive external feedback. I learned there were some gaps between my perception of myself as a leader and the perception of others. This provided guidance for identifying both strengths and areas for improvement.
Competencies gained: Development of self-reflection routine and preliminary leadership philosophy; greater understanding of leader/follower dynamics; practice linking leadership theory to implementation.
ORGL 605
Imagine, Create, Lead
Focused on creativity in leadership, developing awareness of perceptional frames and developing a frameless mind, and the concept of pentimento, “seeing and seeing again.” More than simply revisiting an old idea, concept, or decision, pentimento is part of natural maturation but also can be invoked purposefully to analyze a problem or situation through a different frame of reference. This requires becoming aware of one’s own frame of reference in order to shift to another. The course introduced techniques for developing creativity in the self and in teams. While sharing some of my class learnings with my teams and leadership, I discovered how much people appreciate the creative aspects of their jobs and recognition of their creativity.
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Competencies gained: Practice shifting frames of reference; recognizing the importance of employing, identifying, and recognizing creativity in the workplace.
ORGL 506
Leadership & Diversity
Examined theories and issues in intercultural communication that impact organizations and individuals. This course led us through studies of culture, race, class, gender, and disability awareness through the lens of social constructionism. By far the most impactful class of my graduate school journey, I came to understand privilege as any “unearned advantage” (McIntosh, 1989). Building on lessons from ORGL 605 in pentimento, I embarked on a ruthless self-examination of my own privilege(s), and had a personal perspective transformation, particularly in the areas of race and class. Lessons from this course impact me on a daily basis, and I plan to continue expanding and applying these learnings in both my personal and professional life.
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Competencies gained: Ability to evaluate and explain the impact of race and ethnicity on an individual’s life; increased skill in intercultural communication; ability to apply intercultural communication concepts to identify DEI goals and needs; broader understanding of the impact of demographic factors in healthcare outcomes.
ORGL 522
Leadership & Community
In this course, we explored deep questions about the meaning and purpose of human activity and how community supports individual growth. This class included a visit to a Benedictine abbey in Valyermo, California, where we participated in the rhythm of monastic life for five days. After our visit, we then compared our experience in the monastic community to non-monastic organizations. At the abbey, we experienced the way individuals contribute to community based on shared values, interest, and purpose, and how our communities support and sustain us. We do more together than alone. Our group project challenged us to re-write St. Benedict’s Twelve Steps of Humility into twelve steps of organizational health.
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Competencies gained: Improved ability to facilitate and participate in dialogue designed to build community; practice applying principles of community from one context to another.
ORGL 610
Leadership Ethics
An inquiry into the personal, organizational, and social values present in ethical dilemmas. We discovered ethical decision-making tools and principles to help guide ethical behavior both personally and professionally. We explored our personal values in relation to organizational values and analyzed ethical dilemmas in the context of our organizations. I learned that explicitly stating my ethical viewpoint, articulating my values, and applying ethical tools brings clarity to seemingly murky situations. I also discovered the Potter Box, a useful tool for determining correct action when faced with an ethical dilemma, which I relied on when writing my final paper.
Competencies gained: Practice identifying ethical dilemmas; development of personal ethics statement; practice using ethical toolkit.
ORGL 535
Listen, Discern, Decide
This elective in the Servant Leadership concentration focused on creating a listening-first disposition and enhancing decision-making capacity. In addition to reading, media review, and discussion, we engaged in daily meditation and journaling, a practice I continue. The ten minutes of quiet followed by a few minutes of journaling bring clarity and structure to my thinking and my day. We also studied decision-making models based on Ignatian principles, which involve structured self-reflection and seeking outside counsel. These models encourage pentimento (seeing and seeing again) to ensure sound decision-making. The writings and artifacts from this class were very personal, so I have shared my favorite tool for structured reflection, the daily examen, in both secular and non-secular versions.
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Competencies gained: Progress in development of a servant-leader disposition (profoundly relational, creative, holistic, and integrative); refinement of daily reflection routine.
ORGL 615
Organizational Theory & Behavior
Focus on identifying and solving problems in complex environments. Using Behavior Over Time (BOT) and Causal Loop Diagrams (CLD), we learned to break down complex problems into elements that could be analyzed to better determine interventions. We engaged in an online simulated climb of Mt. Everest, which allowed us to experience the challenges of forming and maintaining a team when individuals had competing motivations. Each Mt. Everest team then went on to examine a case study and create a group presentation as a mock consulting firm. Our final project was to examine a case study individually and create a confidential memorandum for a fictional client.
Competencies gained: Improved ability to employ system dynamics to analyze a problem; improved understanding of a leader’s role in teambuilding.
ORGL 520
Negotiation & Conflict Resolution
This course provided an overview of conflict on different levels (micro, mezzo, macro) and introduced tools to analyze the complexity of conflict from different viewpoints. Using the Arizona Copper Mine Strike as a case study, we examined primary and subsequent conflicts through the lens of strikers, strike-breakers, unions, government and law enforcement agencies, various individuals, and Phelps-Dodge, the principal employer. We also examined conflict as a creative force for change, which intrigued me and became the central focus of my final paper.
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Competencies gained: Ability to create a conflict map in order to analyze complex conflicts; increased awareness of collateral impact from a primary conflict.
ORGL 530
Servant Leadership
An examination of the foundations, principles, and practice of Servant-Leadership. We studied several human and leader development models to assess the development and function of servant-leaders and servant-leadership in organizations. We reviewed both the original writings of Robert Greenleaf, who coined the term “servant-leader” as well as subsequent scholarship and study of modern organizations that employ servant-leadership. I came to understand servant-leadership as a foundational philosophy that can support many different leadership styles, including autocratic leadership when needed (for example, during a crisis or code situation). Our final project was to create a presentation that could be used to help form future servant-leaders in our respective organizations.
Competencies gained: Ability to explain servant-leadership to others; greatly improved empathetic listening skills; developed an understanding of servant-leadership as the logical progression of leadership development; using human development models to identify areas of growth and create a development plan.
ORGL 620
Leadership Seminar
Integrate learnings from across the program to develop a personal vision statement, leadership philosophy, applied leadership project, and online portfolio. This course provided a structure to allow us to synthesize our learnings into a coherent body of work, as well as to interact with our peers as we developed our projects and portfolios. Click on the image to view my project.
Competencies: Refined ability to integrate theory and personal beliefs into a leadership philosophy; design, execute, and evaluate an applied leadership project; design and build a digital portfolio.
