One down, many to go....

I have officially completed my first doctorate class (800). It was a lot more work than I realized, but also I learned a lot more than I expected. In many ways it was much more difficult than I expected. However, I also think I could have gotten away with doing a lot less work. I'm happy with the outcome, I believe I have a good focus on where I want to go research wise.

And then there were none

A lot of good and bad has happened in the last month. On the positive side, I am very proud to say that I performed very well on the last two papers (abstracts to follow soon). I am a little surprised with how much I struggled in 600, but also very proud of my performance. Especially given where I place myself in the class, it's a nice feeling to be performing at such a high level.

The last step now will be to sit for the comprehensive exam next weekend. It's pass/fail and does not impact our grade, so that takes a lot of stress of me. However, it is a very intense 24 hour exam.

On a very sad note, one of my classmates who I was quite close with dropped the class. I completely understand his reasons, but it was still very upsetting. I was mostly angry at the program for not engaging him and making him want to say. I know they tried, but I think the issues were far more fundamental.

Bell Analysis Paper Abstract

Since I have no idea how to protect my content online, I am only posting my abstract, though I may add additional content once I figure that out. This paper was on a critical analysis of Daniel Bell's book the Coming of the Post-Industrial World. I focused on one very specific aspect (I only had 8 pages).

Abstract

We consider the current state of management practices in comparison to what Bell predicted for his post-industrial society. Unlike the evidence-based paradigm Bell forecast the post-industrial society to have, today’s management practice is overwhelmingly guided by non-scientific methods. The practices currently dominating management are a result of both the education system and the short-term profit focus of business. This paper explores some of the potential causes and impacts of this culture, particularly in the area of human capital management.

Keywords: human capital, evidence-based management, management education

© 2011 by Joseph Drasin. All rights reserved

Trying to calibrate

Today I will be turning in my second paper, an analysis of 'The Road to Hell'. This has been a stressful paper partially because I had not received my grade on the first paper. It's hard to calibrate or know the expectations without a single significant data point.

Well, yesterday I got my first major grade of the doctoral work, and I was quite happy. I certainly didn't hit it out of the ball park, but it was solid. This helps me with an idea of the expectations. However, this paper is a very different type (case analysis vs. book critique) so in some ways I'm still flying blind.

Thanks to everyone who encouraged and helped with edit (at some point I'll have to start naming names). I'll try and post my abstract shortly.

Thanks again, off to the museums today with Sam. Even though they delayed the second paper deadline to Wednesday, I still plan to turn it in today.

On The Road to Hell

I turned in my first paper this morning, I feel like I either did very well or completely missed the point. The instructions were to write a critical analysis of Daniel Bell's book The Post Industrial Society. However, a number of classmates and I determined the real assignment was to pick a single aspect of the paper and just focus on that. It made a lot more sense, since in 8 pages you can't get very deep into one topic, let alone trying to cover many.

The next assignment is a case review of 'The Road to Hell'. Once again, I'm focusing on one single area of it and digging into it. My classmate and I discussed it last night and I was amazed how we focused on completely different areas. I think it's really interesting how we are writing about the same case study, but 90% of our paper will be unique.

I am starting to really get into a research area dealing with a lot of concepts important to me. My interests in the meaning of being and how that relates to motivation, management styles, etc... is leading me to explore dignity, self-efficacy, empowerment, etc... Eventually I will have to narrow down even more.

That's all for now, today I'm trying to focus on family time, so I can do more school work tonight and tomorrow. I'm spending 30+ hours a week on school, and juggling time is a major effort.

Grinding away

My updates have not been as frequent as I would have liked, but honestly it's hard to keep up with everything going on.

First, last week (9/27) was welcome Catherine Sylvia into our family. This of course is making school even more challenging as time seems to be non-existent. Luckily, I have taken some time off work which is helping me take care of the first couple papers for school.

Trying to balance to tactical reading, understand the theorists, contribute to the conversations, and still focused on larger papers is a real challenge. I know that's part of the strain of such a program, and why most people do it before they have a job and kids.

The first paper I'm doing is a critical analysis of Daniel Bell's Post-Industrial Society. I enjoyed a lot of his book, but certainly found a few areas that seem ripe for criticism. Specifically his thinking that scientific thinking would permeate society. I'm almost done with my primary writing and by tomorrow will hopefully be in full edit phase.

I still need to learn a better way to write. My current method of research is going to have trouble scaling to the size of the larger papers.

That's it for now. I'll post again when my paper is done.

A change of perspective

I have just completed my second week of schooling in the UMUC doctoral program, and I feel like i live in another world. In addition to the incredible amount of reading and writing required, I am already anxious about the upcoming first paper (and shortly followed by the second paper).

I really enjoy the type of thinking we are doing, it is no longer transactional. Dealing with theory and conceptual frameworks is a new way of observing a situation that I find compelling and petrifying at the same time. That being said, I am very anxious as to how well I am truly grasping the deep concepts (right at the top of Bloom's taxonomy).

In addition to the reading, a large part of the class is online interaction (forums) with my fellow classmates. For the most part, I am very impressed, and sometimes intimidated, with my classmates. Some of them are able to read and see at a level I am (not yet) able to.

What is a credit...

So I got the answer, 1 credit is supposed to equal 3 hours/week of work. 1 hour of lecture is supposed to give you 2 hours of homework.
Now I cannot imagine there is much calibration to ensure this happens, but at least I have the answer.

This does work with the guidelines of the class that state there is 15-20 hours/week of homework (6 credits = 18hr/week).

Why the Title

As an aside, the title of this blog came from an attitude I've experience towards academic work in the business world. Unfortunately in the greater business community there is often a dismissing of academic research and findings. Many times the business attitude is that 'theoretical' = 'impractical. And after all, the executive profile promoted often is that of a solitary superman who innately knows the answers to everything.
Therefor, my hope in both my professional and academic work I can bridge this gap and show where and how academic research can be applied to practical business solutions.
Part of this challenge, is that real change takes time and patience, something many leaders are not comfortable with.

DMGT800 - Week 1

So this week starts the next adventure in my doctoral work, DMGT800 - Foundations of Management Theory and Strategic Thinking. My first question was, how do they determine the credit load for a graduate class where the vast majority is self-guided research and online work....I know traditional 1 hr/week of lecture = 1 credit, 2 hr/week of lab = 1 credit and apparently this amount of work equals......carry the two....divide by pi.....SIX.

Once again, I cannot thank my job enough for paying for this!

I'm started doing my reading in preparation for my three day residency later this week. I've found the articles to be very interesting. A number have been on topics I'm familiar with, but they give a much deeper and complex explanation of the foundations and research behind them. The books are not quite as engaging. Well, in fairness, Schein's book on culture and leadership I do find interesting. In my Master's program culture was a big part of my focus so I do like it. However, Bell's book on "The Coming of Post-Industrial Society" so far does not grab me. Maybe it's the tiny text that reminds me of a phone book. I had forgotten so quickly just how much reading there was. Several articles, commentaries, book chapters, etc... each week.

I am also going to check the rules on posting some of my writing, just to give an idea on some of the topics I've been researching and writing about. My initial thrust of research was going to be on evidence based management, something I feel very strongly about (if you want to make me angry, tell me about 'best practices'). However, after diving deeper into research, I'm starting to narrow my focus specifically into the evidence around human capital (that's people for the not-so cold-hearted ones). Every company says people are their most important assets, but their actions sure do not align with that.

Why?

When I tell friends and family that I am pursuing a doctorate, I get two possible responses: "Very Cool!" and "Why?" The "Why?" is not an easy one for me to answer. I am not a starving graduate student like my father was where I need the credentials to make a career. After all, I have 15+ years of experience, the majority at the management level. I make a good living, have a job I really enjoy, and have been on a pretty steady upward path.

I can come up with several things a doctorate could do for my career. I miss teaching, and it would make it easier to do that on the side. Also, it probably would provide some boost to my career where I work. I could also become an insufferable ass at work and make people call me “Doctor”. Yet, none of these are overwhelmingly compelling reasons to invest such a massive amount of time, effort and to a lesser extent money (thanks to my employer’s very generous education assistance).

The only real answer I can give is that it is something I have always wanted to do. Even as an undergraduate I looked into staying in school to complete my graduate work. Had it not been for being in Washington, DC with such a lucrative consulting/IT industry I might well have done that.

Throughout my professional career, I never took my sites off wanting to eventually pursue a doctoral program. Several years ago I went back to school for my Master's, but that in no way tempered my interest. Even while preparing for my project defense, I remember discussing with a classmate how much we both were looking forward to pursuing more education.

It is fortunate I have this internalized desire, because otherwise I think I would have very little chance of finishing. The level of rigor in the first class was at a level far beyond what I had experienced, and knowing that I could drop it at anytime and still have a job might have been very tempting.

So why am I doing it? Because I want to. Not a very philosophical answer, but I think it's the only one I have.

In early 2011 I applied to the doctoral program at University of Maryland, University College. At the time, I planned to keep a blog on my research and experiences. There were several purposes behind writing this blog. The first was to keep my friends and family updated on my progress. Second, to give myself an outlet for my experiences, and finally, to hopefully offer an insight to others on what the program is like. I plan to include some of my writing, but school rules at times will limit what I can write or publish. For those who have read some of my other writings, you may find this a little different. I hope to still keep it fun and include my inane sense of humor, but know the topics might be a little more dry at times.

So why did I apply in February and am only now starting my blog? Well, what happened very quickly was the cold slap of reality. After doing very well in college and in my Master's program, I was getting pummeled by this first class. It came to the point where I was not sure I would be accepted into the full program. This caused my ego to step in and delay any writing in order to save myself possible embarrassment.

But now, 6 months later, I have been accepted into the full program and am ready to write. This also means I need some backtracking to fill in the story of my application to the program and the pain that was DMGT600.

Joseph Drasin