THE TEACHING AND BEHAVIORAL MEASUREMENT OF MANAGERIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCIES: DEVELOPING EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES AND SIMULATIONS Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 11, 1984 187 THE TEACHING AND BEHAVIORAL MEASUREMENT OF MANAGERIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCIES: DEVELOPING EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES AND SIMULATIONS Donald S. Kline, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Donald Warrick, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs ABSTRACT This panel/workshop investigates the teaching/acquisition of both organizational and managerial competencies. The basic questions addressed are: can and how such traits, motives, social roles and self-schema be taught, can gaining of competencies be measured, how can they be taught in function courses, and is the teaching of OD relevant to the task? After brief presentations by the two co-facilitators “mini-workgroups” will “brainstorm” possible experiential exercises and simulations which have been or might be developed to aid the teaching of managerial/organizational competencies. THE TEACHING OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCIES: THE ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE Donald Warrick From the vantage point of Organizational Development (OD) one way to utilize the forward thrust of the competency-based movement is to distinguish between incompetent” and “incompetent” organizations. Along this line, it is useful to list ten areas of organizational goals/competencies, many of which directly relate to the master list developed by the AACSB and AMA. These organizational competencies are: 1. A sound organizational philosophy/value set - both the need to have it clearly stated and communicated to all employees 2. Effective leadership 3. Effective management 4. Human resources management 5. Capital resource management - 6. A sound organizational structure based on particular situation (environment of company, competition, nature of industry, etc.) 7. Management of organizational processes (e.g. communications, problem-solving, decision-making, conflict management, etc.) 8. Management of growth and development (both of the organization and the individual) 9. Managing the work climate 10. Getting results (i.e. productivity, satisfaction, return on investment, low turnover, etc.) Goal/competency number 1 ties directly to level 6 (self- schema e.g. business values) of Kline’s Figure 2. Number 4 above links directly to the entire AACSB list via the training and development activities in any organization. Number 7 refers to such competencies as written/oral communications, and non-verbal communications which are all level 2 skills in the Kline Figure 2. In response to the four basic questions to be addressed by the panel and workshop via the “mini-groups”, the following is offered: Question 1: How do you teach organizational competencies? Answer 1: Create an awareness in the organization of what behaviors to look for which are unique to a given organization. It is really a sort of “two-layer cake” where the bottom layer is the master AACSB list in the Kline hierarchy and the second layer is the adaptation of the list to the particular “situation” of the organization. You also need a basic competency model. Question 2: How do you measure behavioral change in each selected competency area? Answer 2: Build response questions into the commonly utilized organizational attitude surveys administered to employees. Question 3: How do you integrate the teaching of managerial/organizational competencies into a particular functional area (e.g. marketing). Answer 3: Using such a mechanism as MBO in the correct manner (as a system intervention) build the acquisition of selected competencies into the written measurable, clearly-stated, time-phased objectives unique to a functional area. Question 4: Should the teaching of Organizational Development (OD) be structured into a competency-based, undergraduate management program? Answer 4: Yes, OD is the field of industry linked to the teaching of organizational competencies just as, in a parallel fashion, Organizational Behavior (OB) is the field of inquiry linked to the teaching of Managerial competencies MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES: A TEACHING FRAMEWORK Donald S. Kline The historical path an institution could take in the seeking of accreditation through the AACSB may be labeled the “research” track. Under this mode the criteria were and still are “inputs” oriented (number of Ph.D.’s or D.B.A.’s on faculty, number of volumes in the library). Of course, examination of course syllabi and other teaching matters also entered into the decision process. More recently, a second path to accreditation is being actively explored by the AACSB. This track, labeled “teaching” would utilize “outputs” bases and would focus to a great degree on what has been called the competency-based approach to business and management education. Regarding the structure of a generalized undergraduate business management program, Figure 1 pictures six levels progressing sequentially from “tools” to “capstone” the first three levels combine to form what the AACSB bias referred to as a “common body of knowledge” (CBK). Figure 2 views the concept of competency as a hierarchy or “ladder” moving from student acquisition of generic knowledge, at the lowest level, up to skills acquisition, motives, traits or personality, social roles, and finally, at the upper level, self-schema. Shown within the levels of Figure 2 are the specific “non-cognitive attributes” or competencies identified by the AACSB in Phase I of work done by the Accreditation Research Committee. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 11, 1984 188 A three-dimensional matrix is depicted in Figure 3. The first dimension, that of height, Is the six-tiered model of the generalized undergraduate curriculum. The second dimension (width) relates to the “ease” or “difficulty” of teaching (or creating an environment for the learning) of a particular competency. The third dimension (depth) is the six level model of the AACSB competencies. Point A (1,1,1) would represent the relative ease of teaching (inculcating) generic knowledge in a course such as microeconomics at the tools level of the curriculum. Here the pedagogy would probably be lecture/ discussion or, better yet, the use of programmed, self- paced instruction. Point B (6,6,6) depicts the extreme difficulty of teaching creativity in the capstone (policy) course. Point C shows an intermediate situation. In conclusion, the matrix shown in Figure 3 permits a full exploration of the feasibility and methodology of teaching (or creating a learning environment for) a range of competencies under pedagogical options ranging from easy to very difficult. Table of Contents Volume 11, 1984 Simulation Gaming as a Means of Researching Substantive Issues: Another Look A Further Test of the Group Formation and its Impacts in a Simulated Business Environment Impact of Economic Patterns on Student Performance in Computer Business Simulation Games Majority Fallacy Game with Independent Student Simulation and a Case Introducing the Marketing Channel Laboratory A Comparative Evaluation of a Marketing Game A Study of Comparative Effectiveness of Problem-Solving Technologies The Impact of Hierarchical and Egalitarian Organization Structure on Group Decision Making and Attitudes Risk-Free Decision Making The EX-STRA Export Strategy Game Computer Education for Management Students Developing a Computer Game/Job Simulation to Teach Functional Literacy Skills Experiencing Socialization First Hand: An Experiential Exercise in Organizational Socialization Networking Distributive Versus Integrative Approaches to Negotiation: Experiential learning Through a Negotiation Simulation Managerial Education and the Real World: Foudations for Designing Educational Tools Diagnosing Group Climate to Improve Supervisory Effectiveness Student background as a Factor in Simulation Outcomes: The Collective bargaining Example The Use of Pre-Plays in Management Education Experiencing the Process Debrief: A Workshop ABSEL Megatrend Roots MEGATRENDS for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning The Effects and Consequences of the Megatrends on Simulation Gaming: One View Opportunities for the Future: ABSEL's Role Experiential Learning-Based Discussion vs. Lecture Based Discussion: A Comparative Analysis in a Classroom Setting An Evaluation of the Minitab Package in Teaching Business Statistics Concepts A Path Analytic Study of the Effects of Alternative Pedagogies Developing and Using Weighted Application Blanks: An Experiential Exercise Building Airplanes Individual vs. Group Grade: An Exercise in Decision making A Marketing Plan Exercise: Development of Interteam Cooperation Using a Coordinated Experiential Approach Using Student Experience as the Basis for a Consumer Behavior Learning Exercise Student Evaluations of Instructors: What do Students Believe? A Description of the SOFTCAT Computer Assisted Teaching System Comparisons of Practitioners' and Professors' Perceptions of Business Policy Content and Learning Methods The Perceived Relationship Between Pedagogies and Attaining Course Objectives in the Business Policy Course The Use of Simulation in the Teaching of Business Policy A Research Study on Strategic Decisions in a Business Simulation Strategic Management Decision Making Researched Via Simulation Gaming Using Simulation to Investigate Factors in Competitive Bidding Combining Experiential Learning and management Assistance A Model for Teaching Management Skills Putting Experience Back into Experiential Learning: A Demonstration The Teaching and Behavioral Measurement of Managerial/Organizational Competencies: Developing Experiential Exercises and Simulations A Simulation Game Model for Conglomerates QCLAB - A Microcomputer Laboratory in Quality Control CTSS: A Commodity Trading Simulation System Problem Solving: An Exercise on Learning, Coaching, and Operant Conditioning A Demonstration of the Effects of Feedback as a Category of Reinforcement The Assessment of Feedback and Disclosure in Interpersonal Relations: An Experiential Exercise A Study to Determine Whether the Teaching of Basic Grammar Skills in Business Communication Classes Improves Students' Business Letter Writing Corporate Maladies Through the Eyes of the Memo Writer: A Seldom Used Experiential Tool Executive Bailout at Shake & Spear, Inc. The H.E./L&P Merger Intercultural Nonverbal Communications: An Experiential Exercise The Evolving Business Policies Course - Is Management Gaming the Logical Pedagogy? The Use of Decision Simulations in Management Training Programs: Current Perspectives Humanizing the Business of Medicine: The Use of Simulated Patients to Train medical Students Systematic Integration of Simulation Methods in a Graduate Management Curriculum Modeling Non-Price Factors in the Demand Functions of Computerized Business Using Spacial Relationships to Estimate Demand in Business Simulations Two Algorithms For Redistribution Of Stockouts In Computerized Business Simulations Leadership And Strategic Behavior A Comparison Of Two Business Strategy Simulations For Microcomputers Incorporating Decision Support Systems Into Management Simulation Games: A Model And Methodology Using Micro-Computers To Support The Analysis Of Complex Cases: It's As Easy As 1-2-3 Strategic Formulation Consistent With Pims: A Micro-Computer Application