The Leadership Lab: Immersive Learning in Upper-Level Management Courses

摘要

This paper seeks to contribute to business and management literature and education a pedagogical option intended to further results consistent with those prescribed by business school accreditation standards, through modalities consistent with those standards, and in an area central to contemporary practice-leadership: The Leadership Lab. Originally piloted in one class, it has since been offered to six sections of that class and has been adapted for four other courses. Its intended outcomes are being achieved, several unexpected results have enhanced it, and feedback has been highly positive. The Leadership Lab aligns with the expectation of AACSB that business education it accredits will be innova- tive, engaging, and influential, and with ACBSP expectation that business education it accredits will be learning-centered. Foundations, description, operationalize details, and outcomes of The Leadership Lab are provided in this paper and should be useful to those who might want to consider adapting it to their own courses. In the end, students' words and work express what this immersive learning experience may deliver. The following were produced by three different teams, in two different courses, in the fall 2014 semester. 1. Interpersonal Workplace Skills (300 Level, 4-person teams) - Critical thinking question paired to a linked course concept that was the focus of each student's shadowing~(13): 1.1 Setting Goals: "What if your groups did not make a project work plan before the start of this project?" 1.2 Providing Feedback: "What if you weren't getting any feedback on these presentations?" 1.3 Effective Listening: "What if no one understood what you said?" 1.4 Leadership's Role: "What if leaders didn't exist?" 2. Leadership Strategy and Skill (400 level, 2-person teams) - Leadership depicted through selection of a publicly-available photo and creation of title for the photo by two different teams.