Classes

I teach one of the core courses at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business — Organizational Behavior for both the MBA program and our Sloan executive program. I also teach a short, one-week elective course called Crafting Effective Communication. Finally, I teach in a few of our executive education programs, including Executive Leadership Development. Here are some short descriptions of each course:

Organizational Behavior

This course relates existing theory and research to organizational problems by reviewing basic concepts in the following areas: individual motivation and behavior, decision making, interpersonal communication and influence, small group behavior, and individual, dyadic, and inter-group conflict and cooperation. The course focuses on the ways in which organizations and their members affect one another and exposes students to frameworks for diagnosing and dealing with problems in organizational settings. Much of the material is supported by the use of experiential exercises, along with case analysis and class discussion.

Crafting Effective Communication

Many people feel ambivalent, if not disdainful, toward those who seek to wield influence over others, but interpersonal persuasion is a key mechanism by which things get done. For those considering careers in management, it is important to be able to craft a message that others find persuasive in order to sway their opinion or shore up their support. After taking this course, you will be better able to:

  1. Craft effective communication in both written and oral forms
  2. Develop techniques for influencing others through both verbal and nonverbal communication
  3. Understand the role of communication in building cooperation and leading change in an organization

Executive Leadership Development

At Stanford, I co-direct a leadership development program for emerging leaders called Executive Leadership Development: Analysis to Action. The program is designed to strengthen participants’ analytical tools, management acumen, and interpersonal skills, thereby preparing managers to build effective teams, resolve strategic problems, drive change through the organization, and ultimately get to the next level. The objective is not to follow a specific recipe for leadership development, but rather to learn how to “cook for yourself” by refining a set of personal leadership skills to solve problems independently and lead with confidence. Participants will leave the program with sharpened analytical skills, a better awareness of how they are perceived as leaders, and a fresh and informed perspective on accomplishing their individual leadership objectives. If you are interested in learning more about this program, please click on the link below:

http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/exed/eld/index.html