Chapter 13

1. Chapter 13 Looking Ahead

2. Lifelong Learning • Management skills require lifelong learning and practice. • The growing importance and awareness of lifelong learning is becoming increasingly clear, as seen in Al Gore’s proposal during his presidential campaign for a tax credit to foster “life-long learning accounts” for education and training. • We use this chapter to encourage you to look ahead toward your career and its associated opportunities and demands.

3. Coordinate Your Skills Map and Track Your Skills Portfolio Practice, Practice, Practice Develop a Skills Action Plan Use Self- Management for Skill Learning Identify Role Models Plan for Ongoing Skills Learning Ongoing Skills Learning

4. Map and Track Your Skills Portfolio • Be aware of what is in your skills portfolio and what is needed. • On a regular basis, stop and conduct a self-assessment of your management skills. • Go back and redo the Self-Assessment Exercises in previous chapters to see whether your “before” and “after” scores differ and to pinpoint the areas where you need more work. • Maintain a written record of your skill development activities and of skills in which you are proficient. • When writing or updating your resume, be sure to highlight your skill proficiencies.

5. Develop a Skills Action Plan • Develop a plan for maintaining and reinforcing your current skills and for developing new skills. • In developing your plan, recognize that you have to be aiming at a moving target; Wayne Gretzky is credited with explaining his success by saying, “I skate to where the puck is going, not to where it is.” • The puck appears to be going in generally predictable directions, although with increasing speed. • For instance, demands for interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills will almost certainly become even more important in the future.

6. Identify Role Models • One good way in which to recognize desirable skills and behaviors is to identify role models whose skills you would like to emulate. • A role model could be anyone whose behaviors and accomplishments you’ve admired, such as a boss, famous executive, teacher, or parent. • Once you’ve decided on a role model, focus on the behaviors of that person. • Recall that when modeling others, you do not want to simply mimic them; rather you want to learn from them. • They may be in different contexts, have different backgrounds, be attending to different goals, and so on. • Your task is to develop skills based on their examples and to apply those skills in the ways required in your unique situation.

7. Coordinate Your Skills • We have talked about skills as being in a portfolio or tool kit. • As with any tools, it is important not just that you learn how to use them, but that you use them together in proper ways. • Just as each construction job requires a specific combination of tools, often used in a particular order and in concert with one another, organizational tasks require a proper balance and combination of skills. • This suggests that you should take advantage of opportunities for learning, practicing, and using management skills that require you to employ them together.

8. Team Projects Internships Student Organizations Independent Studies Seek Out Learning OpportunitiesWhile In School Learning Opportunities In School

9. Internships • Most business schools have internship opportunities to give students the chance to experience realistic business environments. • According to the National Society for Internships and Experiential Education, an internship is “any carefully monitored work or service experience in which an individual has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning through the experience.” • Individuals participating in internships receive hands-on training while contributing real, productive work to the organization. • Internships often serve as “trying out periods.” • Some internships now provide competitive salaries and benefits.

10. http://www.InternReview.com/ Web Wise: InternReview.com • In considering internship options, learn all you can about what you will be doing. • While some internships offer challenge, responsibility, and the opportunity to develop important skills, others are filled with “make-work” assignments. • A group of students at Carnegie Mellon founded InternReview.com, a website about internship experiences and other internship information.

11. Student Organizations • Student organizations provide the opportunity to participate in many management-related activities, develop management skills, and adopt leadership roles. • Sigma Iota Epsilon is both an honorary and a professional management society. Its goal is to stimulate interest and achievement in the field of management, to stimulate scholarship in management, and to gain recognition of the contribution and value of scholastic achievement in the management discipline. • AIESEC, the world’s largest student organization, is a global network of 50,000 members across more than 85 countries and territories. Its primary activity is facilitation of work-abroad programs between its members countries.

12. View Organizations as Marketplaces for --and Incubators of -- Skills • In seeking a job, be sure to gather information on which skills are especially valued in the firms that you consider and what the firm does to help employees to develop and reinforce the skills. • The answers will give you valuable information about your “fit” to the firms and may speak volumes about the firms’ cultures. • Both “supplementary fit” and “complementary fit” may be important. • You can glean information about valued skills from job interviews, observation, and reading articles about the firms. Also some firms may make their skills preferences and requirements explicit.

13. “Ideal Profiles” of Skills • Some firms, such as AT&T, British Airways, BP, Siemens, and the World Bank, have “ideal profiles” of skills for future executives. • For example, Siemens has defined 22 desirable management characteristics under five basic competencies: understanding, drive, trust, social competence, and what it terms a “sixth sense.” • Pepsico’s desired competency profile has 18 key dimensions defining how individuals see the world, think, and act. • Such firms typically use systematic training and development programs to develop managers in ways that fit the “ideal profiles.”

14. Read Popular Management Books • Books such as In Search of Excellence and Theory Z helped to spawn a remarkable number of books offering practical advice to managers. • These books may focus on a particular topic, such as organizational culture or reward systems, may provide guidance for specific career issues, such as entering a management position or making career moves, or may offer the philosophies of particular executives, consultants, or business professors. • Some of these books provide excellent advice; they may help you learn about particular firms and individuals and see how popular management tools are being applied. • In reading such books, though, maintain a critical eye. Beware of simplistic answers, argument by assertion, and heavy reliance on anecdote.

15. Read Practitioner-OrientedManagement Journals • Many journals such as Across the Board, Business Week, and Fortune provide excellent information about management and related issues. • Other journals, such as Black Enterprise and Working Women, aim at specific audiences or, such as Business Europe and China Review, focus on particular geographic areas. • Go to a library or bookstore and look through issues to see which journals best fit your interests and style preferences.

16. Practitioner-Oriented Management Journals • Some journals are noteworthy in their efforts to bring recent research and theory to practitioner audiences. • Academy of Management Executive (AME)aims to provide practicing executives with relevant management tools and information based on recent advances in management theory and research. • California Management Review (CMR)publishes articles that are both research-based and address issues of current concern to managers. It emphasizes strategy and organization, global competition and competitiveness, and business and public policy. • Harvard Business Review (HBR)provides features that describe best-practices and hands-on management techniques, report on cutting-edge research and its application in real organizations, and draw on the experiences of executives, consultants, and other experts.

17. Practitioner-Oriented ManagementJournals (Continued) • Journal of Management Inquiry (JMI) publishes the latest research and practice written by top management scholars and professionals. It seeks to provide an outlet for creative, frame-challenging work. • Organizational Dynamics focuses on organizational behavior and development, human resource management, and strategic management. Its objective is to link leading-edge thought and research with management practice. • Sloan Management Review bridges the gap between theory and practice, evaluating and reporting on new research to help readers to identify and understand significant trends in management.

18. Get Involved in Professional Associations • Participation in management-related professional organizations provides contacts, information about new developments, opportunities for interaction at meetings and events, and perhaps the chance to adopt leadership roles. • By visiting the associations’ Web pages, you will get a better sense of the things that they offer (including many things for nonmembers). • In some cases, there are also local and regional branches. • Some associations offer special student memberships at reduced rates.

19. Some Professional Associations • Academy of Management. The Academy of Management is a professional society composed of professors, doctoral students, and consultants and managers. The Academy publishes scholarly papers, conducts forums for the exchange of knowledge, and provides services that enhance the science and practice of management. • American Management Association (AMA). AMA is the world’s leading membership-based management development organization. Customers and members learn business skills and best management practices through seminars, conferences, and special events; e-learning and self-study courses; customized corporate and government services, and publications.

20. Some Professional Associations (Continued) • American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). ASTD is the world’s premier professional association and leading resource on workplace learning and performance issues. • Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). SHRM is the world’s largest human resource management association. It provides education and information services; conferences and seminars; government and media representation; online services; and publications. • WorldatWork. WorldatWork is a global not-for-profit professional association dedicated to knowledge leadership in disciplines associated with attracting, retaining, and motivating employees.

21. Participate in Local Business andCommunity Activities • Participation in local business and community activities offers many opportunities for skills development and practice, for developing professional contacts, and for personal satisfaction. • Many firms now include community service components in their performance appraisals. • Five volunteer opportunities to explore include Rotary International, the Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Ronald McDonald Houses.

22. Local Businessand Community Activities • Rotary International. Rotary is an association of business and professional leaders who are united worldwide and provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and seek to help to build world peace and goodwill. • Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest not-for-profit business federation. Managers interested in community service might offer to represent their companies at chamber meetings and perhaps take a leadership position on a working committee of the chamber.

23. Local Business and CommunityActivities (Continued) • Junior Achievement (JA). JA’s mission is to ensure that children have an understanding of the free enterprise system. JA will give its volunteers a complimentary membership in the American Management Association. • Big Brothers/Big Sisters. This is the nation’s largest youth-mentoring organization. Programs match kids with mentors who provide friendship and share fun experiences. • Ronald McDonald Houses. These provide a “home-away-from home” for the families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.

24. Develop and Maintain Networks • Networking can be critical to success and personal fulfillment. • Networking is much more than amassing a set of names of people who can be called if you’re looking for work. • Networks serve many other important roles, particularly for skill development. • Networks may be physical (made up of people with whom you physically interact from time to time) or virtual (consisting of members linked electronically).

25. Physical Networks • Physical networks offer many advantages, such as the opportunity for personal, face-to-face interaction and social support. • To develop such networks, start by keeping up with former classmates and coworkers. • Attend local association chapter meetings and seminars. • Consider joining a management reading club. • Check to see whether there are local networking groups that fit your needs and interests.

26. Global Perspectives: IndUS Entrepreneurs • With more than 3,000 members worldwide, IndUS Entrepreneurs is a powerful networking group led by 200 South Asians who have found success in the U.S. • IndUS has chapters in major cities in the U.S. and India, and others are opening in London, Hong Kong, Singapore, and elsewhere. • Successful members make presentations, give advice, and examine business proposals. • While most members are South Asian, others are welcome. • The goal is to meet entrepreneurs, discuss ideas, find inspiration, and ultimately nurture venture capitalists.

27. Virtual Networks • Virtual networks offer the benefits of ease and immediacy of access and broad membership. • A ready-made form of virtual network is the electronic mailing list. Typically, for instance, professional associations will maintain listservers for member interaction. • While you are likely to learn a lot by “lurking” on such lists, we encourage you to take advantage of these resources by actively seeking out information. • In addition to joining formal virtual networks, consider forming your own. For example, WebGrrls International was founded by Aliza Sherman. She wanted to network with other women, found the personal Web pages of women around the world, and started e-mailing them on a regular basis.

28. http://www.webgrrls.com Web Wise: Webgrrls International • Many websites serve as networking hubs. • Webgrrls, a networking group of women online, represents all corners of the work world. • Members look to the group for mentors, for solutions to particular problems, to network for job opportunities, and to continue their education. • Webgrrls chapters also offer the chance to meet with others to share ideas, experiences, and information.

29. Some Guidelines for Developing Networks • Treat the process of developing a network much like a team-building exercise. • Include members with important skills, perspectives, and contacts. • Work to build diversity of all kinds into the network, including members from varying cultures. • Update the network over time to ensure that it is viable and responsive to emerging needs. • As the network founder, you have the chance to maintain a central network position and to take on leadership roles. • Whether you are a network founder or member, be sure to contribute your skills, time, and insights to other members.

30. Lighten Up: Petworking • Just below the Eleanor Roosevelt statue in the West Seventy-Second Street entrance to Riverside Park is a 16,000-square-foot space that might be New York City’s best-kept networking secret. • This is the dog-meet-dog world of “petworking,” where people look for work as they walk their pets. • In this and other dog-gathering spots in the city, leads about jobs are shared along with dog biscuits. • Bash Dibra, author of Dogspeak, explains that “Dogs are social creatures and thus they force interaction.”

31. Work Outside Your Job Description • Your job description defines the required scope of your job activities, but it is not meant as a cage. • Extra-role behaviors are increasingly important in organizations; they are often crucial to organizational performance and member satisfaction, and they are likely to be viewed favorably. • Search for new learning opportunities at work and look for projects that would be enjoyable and would provide valuable information. • Make sure that your boss and others are aware of your interest in learning and be proactive in pursuing skill-enhancing opportunities.

32. Seek Varied Assignments • Mobility can take many forms, not just vertical but also radial (toward or away from the “inner circle”) and circumferential (to a different function, program, or product in the organization). • Moves at the same level in the organization can yield fresh perspectives, new insights into how the firm functions, heightened visibility, and skill-learning opportunities. • Explore options for job rotation, especially to positions that offer the potential to add skills to your portfolio. • Depending on your personal characteristics and the nature of your organization, global assignments may provide especially rich learning opportunities.

33. Make Use of the Resources of theWorld Wide Web • Continue experimenting with the Web as a learning resource. • Go back and try any Web Wise and Working the Web activities in this book that you haven’t had an opportunity to complete. • Use the Web to explore professional associations, journals, and other resources as discussed in this chapter. • Using search engines, try searches on specific management topics. • Use databases such as ABI-Inform and Proquest to search for information about specific topics, companies, or individuals, or some combination (such as leadership at GE).

34. Motorola University Leadership Team Explore Continuing Education Options • An important part of your lifelong learning will be continuing education. The opportunities for continuing education have exploded in number and form. • While pursuing advanced degrees once required difficult trade-offs, colleges and universities have become more flexible in their offerings. • About 2 million students worldwide are enrolled in distance education courses from providers in the United States and Canada. • About 80% of U.S. colleges and universities offer online classes. • The number of corporate universities is skyrocketing.