Student Advisement Using Ganti Charts: An Experiential Exercise in Management Theory Page 188 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 39, 2012 ABSTRACT This experiential exercise proposes a learning environment based on a physical representation of material covered over the span of one semester in a Management fundamentals class. The method of acquiring knowledge during this exercise is from taking an activity and turning it into an experiential learning exercise producing tacit knowledge. This exercise was originally designed for an entry-level course in Management fundamentals; however, it could easily be adapted for courses in Production and Operations, Human Resource Management, and, perhaps more. The calculations and discussions go only an inch deep, due to the introductory nature of the course. INTRODUCTION Over the past three years, I have been using the following exercise in my classroom to get my students engaged with the subject matter. It was never my intention to offer this exercise for more than what it is—a fun, easy- to-setup, interesting practicum that gets the students off the bench and into the game. Professors, who observed this simulation, encouraged me to share this exercise with others in the field because it can be so easily adapted to illustrate so many different Management ideas. For, as my students have discovered, Yogi Berra was right, “You can observe a lot just by watching.” (Berra, 2008) This exercise engages students to use a Gantt chart to perform a rather mundane task – planning a course of study for the remainder of their college days. Initially the students are given instructions on how to do self- advisement. Then, materials are distributed that will be necessary for the completion of the assignment. The duration of the simulation runs about one hour, but can be shortened to fit into a 50 minute period. HENRY LAURENCE GANTT (1861 – 1919) - BIOGRAPHY Henry Gantt (1861-1919) worked with Frederick Taylor at all three steel plants and, as a consultant, revisited Taylor’s incentive plans. Gantt devised a chart that is still used to determine worker productivity. This chart evolved over the years and is known as a “Gantt Chart.” Henry Gantt developed his chart in 1911 and perfected it during the First World War. Gantt utilized the efficiency of measurement to improve productivity. Additionally, Gantt focused on motivation associated with rewards for positive productivity rather than concentrate on punishment associated with negative productivity. He is credited with developing a wage system that guaranteed the worker a minimum wage. This wage system allowed bonuses for workers who met or exceeded goals. Gantt’s chart is used today to track a variety of activities; including, action items and project and production activities. (Forrer, 2006) THE GANTT CHART A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule. Gantt charts illustrate the start and finish dates of the terminal elements and summary elements of a project (Going, 1919). It is a simple, yet quite comprehensive, system for keeping track of any type of project, whether for industry or personal purposes. In fact, according to Henry Gantt, the “principles upon which this chart system is founded are easily comprehended: First: The fact that all activities can be measured by the amount of time needed to perform them. Second: The space representing the time unit on the chart can be made to represent the amount of activity which should have taken place in that time. Bearing in mind these two principles, the whole system is readily intelligible and affords a means of charting all kinds of activities, the common measure being time.” (Forrer, 2006, pp. 131) This chart, which has endured for over 100 years, is still a great tool for planning and organizing almost any task. This is why I chose this methodology for an illustration of management principles. I have found that once students STUDENT ADVISEMENT USING GANTT CHARTS: AN EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISE IN MANAGEMENT THEORY Charles A. Nichols, Piedmont College cnichols@piedmont.edu Page 189 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 39, 2012 complete this assignment, they are amazed to find out that, what seemed so difficult (i.e., self-advisement), has now become a relatively simple task. I am certainly not the first Professor to use Gantt charts as a means of illustrating the planning and tracking of work. Byers and Cannon (2007) offered an example of the use of a Gantt chart in their “Programming Game” for mapping all project deliverables. Additionally, Yermish, Boyer, et al (1999) used a Gantt chart to organize the control of the project in their Honor’s Project entitled, “So you want to run an NFL Team.” I am also quite certain that Gantt charts will be around for at least another 100 years, perhaps tracking inter-galactic space travel, or building projects in locations we can now only imagine. THE SIMULATION LEARNING OBJECTIVES This exercise provides a physical demonstration of the following management principles:  The four (4) functions of Management: Planning, Organizing, Leading, and Controlling (Fayol, 1930)  Efficiency and Effectiveness (Gilbreth, 1911; & Kanigel, 1997)  The Value Chain and its analysis (Porter, 1985)  Job design and analysis, job rotation, job enrichment, job enlargement (Hackman & Oldham, 1980)  The Gantt Chart (Gantt, 1919) Schedule the simulation after the explicit material, on the preceding topics, has been covered. SUPPLIES NECESSARY For students to be able to complete this exercise, they will need the following items (see attachments): 1. Excerpts from the College’s current catalogue showing General Education and the course requirements for concentration/major field of study. 2. Advisement Spreadsheet (explained later). 3. Blank Gantt charts (flow charts) complete with color- coded empty boxes for students to fill in for their course requirements. SETTING UP THE DEMONSTRATION Copies of the supplies mentioned above should be laid out on a table in the front of the room in the order that they will be distributed. You should allow for extras, as some students have some difficulty in getting the right sequence of classes, considering prerequisites. EXPLANATION OF EXERCISE TO CLASS I explain the exercise to my class as follows: “Welcome to Self-Advisement 101, using Gantt Charts. As you will recall, Henry Gantt developed the chart that now bears his names while working with Frederic W. Taylor at Bethlehem Steel. The chart provides a visual representation of the flow of work in progression. What we will attempt to do today is to fill in a chart that will represent your course of study for the next 2 – 3 years. We will be using the following documents to assist us in this endeavor: 1) an excerpt from the college’s catalogue describing the course of study in General Education, Core and Concentration business courses. 2) a copy of an advisement spreadsheet used by the college to keep track of student progress. 3) a blank Gantt Chart (flow chart) for you to map out the courses you need to graduate.” We complete this exercise in the follow order: 1. The catalogue excerpts are distributed and discussed. (10 minute discussion) 2. The advisement spreadsheets are distributed and students are given an opportunity to explore this document and locate their area of concentration. (10 minute discussion and 10 minutes to allow students to fill in appropriate information for their course of study) 3. Finally, the Gantt Charts are distributed and the students begin to fill in information needed for their course of study. After the last distribution, the students will have twenty (20) minutes to complete the exercise. Then I allow 10 – 15 minutes for discussion. I then provide some final thoughts and have a wrap-up discussion (5 minutes). RUNNING THE EXERCISE COLLEGE CATALOGUE DISCUSSION (SEE ATTACHMENT 1) Most college students pay very little attention to the college’s catalogue. This is particularly true if advisement is provided for them by a professor or teaching assistant. For many students, this may very well be the first time they have given the catalogue more than a cursory scan. So, you will need to take some time to explain the purpose of the catalogue, and its importance. I begin with the General Education requirements and then move on the College of Business. I then discuss the concept of Core courses, required for every business student. We then discuss Concentrations (or Majors, whichever your school uses). Spend a few minutes here to make sure that every student understands how this all works together to get them to graduation. They are usually eager to find out just how much longer they must “endure” this pain. Page 190 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 39, 2012 THE ADVISEMENT SPREADSHEET (SEE ATTACHMENTS 2a & 2b) At this point, I distribute the advisement spreadsheet. This instrument was developed by a colleague of mine who is glad to share this with anyone who would wish to use it. You are welcome to come up with your own advisement form. This one is simply the one that I use for advisement (2a). I now take a few minutes discussing the spreadsheet and how it applies to the student’s course of study, and how useful this document is to get a quick view of his/her status. I then ask the students to fill in the courses for their concentration (2b). One other thing, at this point (for the sake of time management) I will concede that most of the students in this class are juniors or sophomores, and that their Gen Ed requirements are most likely complete. I do, however, encourage them to follow up and make sure that they are complete. They do not want any surprises when they get to graduation. THE GANTT CHART (SEE ATTACHMENT 3) Once I have distributed the Gantt charts, we discuss how the flow of work is depicted. Each box on the chart represents a task (course) and the arrows on the charts direct the flow of work (prerequisites) to be performed before the next task (course) can be completed. I now give the students about 20 minutes to fill in the appropriate boxes with the courses they will need to graduate. At this point, I make an effort to see what each student is doing, and I make myself available for any questions they may have. Most students get hung up on the prerequisites, and I spend most of my time explaining the connection. It is sometimes difficult for students to work backwards to find a course that is the prerequisite for another course. Having the arrows on the chart does make this task a little easier. THE FINAL DISCUSSION AND WRAP-UP As we near the conclusion of our class time, I get everyone’s attention and review what we have just completed. I take final questions and discuss the importance of planning and organizing. It is just as relevant as it was in the days of Henry Gantt. I encourage them to use this document and take control of planning their future, starting with this one little exercise. CONCLUSION I have found that my students really get into this exercise. I always get comments along the lines that they have heard all of these terms before, but now they can actually see them in practice and more clearly understand their meanings. There are few moments more enjoyable than to see the “light” come on in a student’s eyes and realize that this student has really, finally understood both theory and application of research. REFERENCES Berra, Yogi (2008). “Berra Quotes,” Things People Said. Retrieved December 12, 2008, from http:// www.rinkworks.com/said/yogiberra.shtml. Byers, C. and Cannon, H. (2007) ”The Programming Game: An Exploratory Collaboration Between Business Simulation and Instructional Design.” Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, Volume 34. Reprinted in the Bernie Keys Library 10th edition, J. Alexander Smith editor. Fayol, Henri (1930). Industrial and General Administration, trans. J.A. Coubrough (Geneva: International Management Institute). Forrer, Donald A. (2006). Organizing for Work by Henry Laurence Gantt: Edited with Introduction by Donald A. Forrer. Self-Published. Gantt, Henry Laurence (1916). Work, Wages, and Profits, second edition. Engineering Magazine Co., New York Gantt, Henry Laurence (1919). Organizing for work. Harcourt, Brace, and Howe., New York Gilbreth, F. B.(1911). Motion Study (New York: Van Nostrand). Going, C. B., (1919). Introduction to Second Edition. In H. L. Gantt (Author), Work, Wages, and Profits (second edition), (pp. 3-5). New York:NY: The Engineering Magazine Co. Kanigel, Robert (1997). The One Best Way: Frederick Winslow Taylor and the Enigma of Efficiency (New York: Viking). Yermish, I., Boyer, G., et al, (1999). “ So you want to run an NFL football Team . . . An Honors Interdisciplinary Project.” Developments in Business Simulations and Experiential Learning, Volume 26. Reprinted in the Bernie Keys Library 10th edition, J. Alexander Smith editor. Page 191 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 39, 2012 Attachment 1 Catalogue Excerpts Page 192 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 39, 2012 Student: Advisor: Taylor, E.C. 11-12 Section I -- General Education Section II -- Business Core Norm Hrs Still Norm Hrs Still Hrs. Term Grade Hours Required Hrs. Term Grade Hours Required Cat 1 - Communications (12-13 hours) ACC201 3 3 ENG101 (>D) 3 3 ACC202 3 3 ENG102 (>D) 3 3 BA301 3 3 BA200 3 3 BA314 3 3 TM200 3 3 BA320 3 3 PC101 (trnfr < 24 hr) 1 1 ECON321 3 3 Cat 2 - Humanities & Fine Arts (15 hours) BA340 3 3 Foreign Language 101 3 3 BA350 3 3 Foreign Language 102 3 3 BA370 3 3 Religion or Philosophy 3 3 BA400 3 3 Eng201/202 3 3 TM401 3 3 Fine Arts (select one) 3 3 BA440 3 3 Cat 3 - Social Sciences (9 hours) TOTAL 36 0 36 Hist (100-200)* 3 3 Hist (100-200) 3 3 Section III - Conc: ECON121 3 3 Norm Hrs Still Cat 4 - Math & Natural Science (14-18 hours) Hrs. Term Grade Hours Required MATH210 (>D) 3 3 0 Lab Science (100-200)* 4 4 3 3 Lab Science (100-200)* 4 4 3 3 MATH110 OR MATH211 3 3 3 3 TOTAL 51 0 51 3 3 3 3 3 3 RECAP 3 3 GenEd 0 51 0 BA Core 0 36 0 BA Conc 0 21 0 SUBTOTAL 0 108 TOTAL 21 0 21 General Electives 0 13 Section IV -- Electives TOTAL 0 121 Norm Hrs Still Hours required to graduate 121 Hrs. Term Grade Hours Required Transfer Hours CONTACT Rumi Stu #:_____________________ SSAN: _________________________ Lions EMAIL_____________________ Cell: STREET___________________ CITY______________________ HOME PHONE______________ WORK PHONE______________ Notes: * Does not have to be a sequence of two related courses. ** Bio110 (7 hrs) meets the 8 hr lab science requirement TOTAL 13 0 13 21 106 - 108 ACTUAL ACTUAL ACTUAL ACTUAL List courses, from reverse side 49 - 51 36 Attachment 2a Advisement Spreadsheet Page 193 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 39, 2012 Attachment 2b Advisement Spreadsheet - Concentrations Section III -- Accounting Section III -- Management Norm Norm ACTUAL Hrs. Term Grade Hours Hrs. Term Grade Hours ACC301 3 ACC/BA341 3 ACC302 3 BA430 3 ACC310 3 BA432 3 ACC420 3 BA455 3 ACC450 3 BA480 3 ACC460 3 3 3 3 CHOOSE ONE: ACC341, ACC345, ACC470 CHOOSE TWO: BA331, BA425, BA431 BA430, BA431, BA499, ECON313 BA434, BA470, BA499, ECON313 TOTAL 21 0 TOTAL 21 0 Section III -- Finance Section III -- Marketing Norm Norm Hrs. Term Grade Hours Hrs. Term Grade Hours ACC301 3 BA/PSY325 3 ACC302 3 BA430 3 ECON313 3 BA435 3 ACC/BA341 3 BA455 3 BA430 3 3 BA431 3 3 3 3 CHOOSE ONE: MATH330, ACC345, ACC450 CHOOSE THREE: (BA410 or MCOM370), ACC/BA341 BA455, BA470, BA499 BA412, BA425, BA434, BA470, BA499 TOTAL 21 0 TOTAL 21 0 Section III -- Gen Business Track Section III - Conc: Norm Norm Hrs. Term Grade Hours Hrs. Term Grade Hours ACC/BA341 3 BA430 3 3 BA455 3 3 3 3 3 3 CHOOSE TWO: (BA410 or MCOM370), BA431 3 BA432, BA470, BA480 3 3 3 3 CHOOSE TWO: BA325, BA331, BA425, BA499, ECON313 TOTAL 21 0 TOTAL 21 0 ACTUAL ACTUAL ACTUAL ACTUAL List courses, from reverse side ACTUAL Page 194 - Developments in Business Simulation and Experiential Learning, volume 39, 2012 Attachment 3 Gantt Chart 2 1 2 1 2 (C a p s to n e ) B A 4 4 0 (S tra te g y) A S e n io r S e n io r J u n io r J u n io r G E G E E C O N 1 2 3 B A 2 0 0 (C o m m o ) A T M 2 0 0 M A T H 2 1 0 E C O N 3 2 1 E N G 1 0 2 A C C 2 0 1 Table of Contents Volume 39, 2012 Designing the Training Challenge Follow The Leader: Are we Teaching our Students to be Thinkers or Followers? Two Free-Rider-Accepting Methods of Organizing Groups for a Business Game Additional Benefit Through Competency Models Assessing Brand Portfolio Normative Consistency & Trends With The Normative Position of Brands & Trends Package Modeling the Impact of Marketing Mix on the Diffusion of Innovation in the Generalized Bass Model of Firm Demand Play it Forward! The Design and Development of a Forward Contract Simulation Positioning the Company: Increasing Profits in Social Networks Merger of Companies in Business Game Exercise Towards a Knowledge-Based Approach for Autonomouse Trading Agent An Exploratory Study of the Impact of a Simulation Exercise on the Managerial and Personality Traits and the Decision Making Styles of Marketing Students Should the Concept of Potential Customers be the Foundation of Demand Theory in Business Simulations? Teaching Sustainability Experientially Drawing Upon Experience and Research to Improve Future Communications Improving Assessments of Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) Over Time The Effect of Affective Domain Characteristics on Behavioral or Psychomotor Outcomes Gossip? No, Not Me! An Experiential Exercise Student Advisement Using Gantt Charts: An Experiential Exercise in Management Theory Practicing Teachers as Digital Game Creators: A Study of the Design Considerations Designing and Solving Crossword Puzzles: Examining Efficacy in a Classroom Exercise Difficult Times Call for Innovative Measures: Microfinance as Experiential Learning in Higher Education Catalysts, Client Services, and Community Change: Interdisciplinary Collaboration in a Nascent Microfinance Initiative Build A Business . . . In An Hour or Less: Getting Closer to Reality into the Classroom Smart Goals: How the Application of SMART Goals can contribute to achievement of Student Learning Outcomes The Use of Data in "Live" Cases to Encourage Systems Thinking and Integrative Analysis: An Exercise Linking Human Resource Programs and Financial Outcomes in Real Organizations Experiential Education as a Process of Changing Mental Frames by Inducing Insight Learning Process and Content Integration in an Experiential Learning Guided Internship Program Good-bye Discussion Thread: Creating a Community of Inquiry in an Online Master's Program Fiction as a Constructivist Tool for Learning Process Consultation in an Online Environment: Shaping the Context, Introducing the Dialogue Can Simulations Provide a Better Experience? A Capstone Application Modeling a Modest Proposal for Increasing the Efficiency of Academic Reserarch Dissemination Experience GEO: A Massively Multiplayer Game SysTeamsGames Three Games for Management Simulation SimVenture - A Start-Up Business Simulation Stellarbucks Simulation Developing Games Using Strategy Maps and Balanced Scorecards Strategy Dynamics Models - Powerful But Simple In-Class Games Simulating Scenarios for Financial Statement Analysis A Valuation Model of the Simulated Firm Writing the Land: An Interdisciplinary Experiential Approach On the Estimation of the Probability of Meeting Financial Commitments: A Behavioraial Finance Perspective Using Business Simulations