OLL Blog

Welcome to our faculty and graduate student blog for the MS in Organizational Learning and Leadership Program! This is a place to share professional and academic experiences, advice for graduate students, and new ideas for the workplace.

Students and Faculty are encouraged to submit blog contributions to
Dr. David M. Kopp:dkopp@mail.barry.edu

Welcome Back OLL Students!

I hope you had an exciting and fulfilling summer and that you are ready to begin a challenging new term.  I am happy to report that this Fall applications to the Organizational Learning and Leadership (OLL) program rose an astounding 67% compared to last year! Dare I say, Organizational Learning is catching on??! A big "Thank You" to our full time and adjunct faculty for their continued, outstanding instruction and advising.

We are kicking off the academic year with a fabulous guest speaker on Thursday, September 10th for our Organizational Communication course (HRD 645).  Connie Hicks will be joining us for an interactive presentation.

Dr. McAtavey and I are looking forward to seeing some of you at the annual Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) Conference in February, 2010 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

To a fabulous term!!

Dr. David M. Kopp

"Strive to make something of yourself, then strive to make the most of yourself"
                                                                 Alexander Crummell

Carlos Ledo - OLL Student
Oct 26, 2009

In August of 2009 I decided to transfer to Barry University following my obtaining a position in the university’s admissions department. At the time I was earning an MBA from another university and had every intention of pursuing that same course of study at Barry. However, once I met Dr. Kopp those plans immediately changed and so did my major!

I had always felt as though an MBA was only partially fulfilling my desires as a student and not fully playing to my strengths as an individual. Upon meeting with Dr. Kopp and learning about OLL, I felt as though this program would fuse together my past work experience and personal skill set in a way that an MBA could not. After listening to Dr. Kopp passionately explain the program to me and breakdown what directions I could take in my career with this degree in hand, I decided to take the plunge.

Having just completed my first semester in the program, I can confidently say that my initial thoughts about OLL were spot on and that Dr. Kopp has put together an incredibly dynamic program. I would highly recommend this program for anyone who is interested in becoming a leader within their organization, who wants to manage change effectively/efficiently, and to anyone who has a passion for impacting the performance of others.

Take it from me, an MBA convert, OLL is where you want to be!

Greetings from Dr. David M. Kopp. Change is happening all around us, in every arena, and as OLL-ers we have to keep up with the whirlwind of rapid movement; making sure we always stay on top. I am thrilled to report that our enrollment is at a 3 year high! I look forward to continuing to be a source of support and a motivator to make each one of you an agent of change in our field.

We have renamed our M.S. degree from Human Resource Development to an M.S. in Organizational Learning and Leadership, we all feel that this best articulates what the degree is and does.

Official Welcome: For those students pursuing their PhD degrees, please welcome our new PhD coordinator: Dr. Jean McAtavey. Her work in career development and executive coaching has been featured on WPTV's Channel 5/ Power Profile, as well as in the Palm Beach Post and the Sun Sentinel newspapers. Dr. McAtavey is an asset to the department and we are honored to now have her on my team.

Till next time

Greetings from Dr. David M. Kopp, Associate Professor and Chair of the HRD department a.k.a. your (most of the time) fearless leader. We hope you will find these blogs to be informative and useful as you either enroll or consider enrolling in our HRD program. At Barry, a quality education is truly the most important outcome, especially as it helps you to embark on the journey to a fulfilling and successful career. Which leads me to a great article from Time magazine a few months ago: The Rage to Engage by Barbara Kiviat which underscores how important 'people investment' is becoming for today's 21st century organization to remain competitive.

Employee engagement initiatives, such as frequently telling workers how they generate value and offering them free retraining if necessary, is a movement that aims to quantify what an organization gets when it puts money into bonding with its workers. Employee engagement represents returns for the organization. For example, the Royal Bank of Scotland found that in retail banking, a 10% increase in leadership effectiveness was linked to a 3% boost to customer satisfaction and a 1% reduction in turnover; this saved some $40 million that would be needed to replace workers. Furthermore, a study by Towers Perrin of 40 multinationals, over a three year period, found that companies with high engagement scores had operating margins that were 5.75 percentage points greater than those of low-engagement companies. This underscores a change of thinking, according to Alex Edmans, a finance professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School who has studied engagement: "People used to think HR was just a cost center and not a source of value creation."

"I couldn’t agree more with Dr. Edmans!  Would you like to know more about how to engage employees?  Contact me to attend one our HRD courses as my guest.   Until next month…"

Best regards,

David M. Kopp, Ph.D., CPLP, SPHR
Associate Professor
Chair, Human Resource Development Department

Barry University, School of Education
11300 N.E. Second Avenue
Miami Shores, Florida 33161
305-899-3708
305-899-3718 fax
http://davidkopp.org

Thanks!!

Dear Dr. Kopp,

I WANTED YOU TO KNOW HOW Instructional Design came to life for me! Remember that I worked on a "Career Services Work-Study Manual" for my project in your class? Well, it was a success in the training of my excellent work-study student. In a past QIP (Quality Improvement Program) meeting, we were discussing customer service, and it came up that at most times, work-study students are the first in line that people deal with, whether it be in person or on the phone. I mentioned to the committee that I solved this problem in my office by creating a work-study manual and training my work-study employee. They loved it, were impressed, and decided that there should be a University wide work-study training. For now, because it's in the pilot stage, we've said all work-study students are 'expected' to attend. If your office has work-study students, make sure you have them sign up for one of our sessions!

Shaunie Wall, MS
Conference and Workshop Planner

Greetings earthlings! Sorry, I couldn't resist. Joining Barry University this past fall and the OLL program has been a great experience. I graduated with a Bachelor's in Business Management in 2006 with the intent to return to school for my master's degree. I was a bit unsure as to the program I thought would best fit me, my goals, and my past experiences. I was so glad to learn about this program and the curriculum we would focus on. It was a great fit for my current career path in training and development, as well as my future goal to become a college professor. The OLL program was ideal because it was not HR Generalist degree, focused on benefits or general human resource practices. In HR terms, I would say that this program is the right 'fit' for my needs. With convenient evening class schedules, expert leadership, and interactive classroom discussions, this program allows me to learn in the way that is most effective for my style of learning.

I have been especially impressed by my fellow students and the insight they provide week after week. It exposes me to industry knowledge and experience you can't get from a book or online simulation. Dr. Kopp's presentation skills and engaging style seem to reel us in and make real life sense to this life science curriculum. The OLL program seems to be taking Barry by storm, attracting new students and developing our skills. I'm so glad to be at the right place at the just the right time in my life. Thanks Barry!

Potential OLL Applicants:

While I am not in the OLL program per se, I am in Barry's PhD Leadership and Education program specializing in Human Resources Development.  As part of my PhD coursework I have had the opportunity to take a number of elective classes in the OLL program, and I can say that both the course of study and the instruction by the professors in the OLL program have been fantastic.

In Barry's OLL program you will undoubtedly obtain both the theoretical and practical tools necessary for you to become an effective HRD practitioner.  Sign up!

John A. Walker, JD
General Counsel and
Vice-President for Human Resources

Well, I don't know if to call myself a mid- way or a veteran however, what a ride!  I have been in the Master's Program since the Fall 08, and as a professional in Human Resources for 18 years. Attending this program has been enlightening.  I truly enjoy conversing with my peers in class and truly fascinated with the learning in Dr. Kopp's class.

I remember taking months to decide what program to undertake and at what school.  Now, mid- way through the program, there is no doubt that I chose the right program at the right institution.  I truly recommend this program for anyone who either wants to go into the field of Human Resources or to anyone that has worked in the field for years.  I will assure you that no matter what level of knowledge you currently possess; your skills will increase exponentially, allowing you to put your newly acquired knowledge to use quickly in the work arena.

I hope my words encourage you to join the program. It is truly outstanding and it continues to grow and attract more students.  Additionally, the name of the program has recently changed.  It is now Organizational Learning and Leadership, a name that suits what is needed out in the field to take us forward and in the right direction.

Before I selected this program, I was in a big dilemma as to how to integrate my business, communication, academic knowledge, and professional experience into one comprehensive field that would encompass it all. Dilemma solved!  The OLL program is invaluable, and it proves to me that there is no single solution to a single problem when dealing with the human factor. This class enabled me to view things from an HRD perspective and opened my views to a necessary field. Dr. Kopp's lectures, the class moderation, discussion groups, and exercises are the ideal example for individual motivation for learning. I enjoy exchanging views with the rest of the class and find the opportunity priceless. Overall, a great experience and I encourage everyone out there to take this class and take this learning ride at Barry University. Because of this class experience, and thanks to Dr. Kopp and Dr. McAtavey, I am very motivated to try to continue my education and get into the PhD program in the near future.

A big thanks to Dr. Kopp, Dr. McAtavey and all my classmates for this incredible journey.

Best,

Irena Nikolovska

We are wishing everyone a healthy, happy holiday and New Year! Our students on the Treasure Coast are looking forward to the holiday break and, quite honestly they are a little "sad" to see courses come to an end. Yes "sad" -- not the usual way we end a term just before a well-earned holiday respite from textbooks and assignments.

We have just had too much fun and too many profound learning experiences to happily let go. Everyone has demonstrated amazing improvements in their abilities and their understanding of the concepts in their courses. We clarify, explain, coach, practice, debrief, and give each other a great deal of feedback; all done with care and respect and enormous consideration for each individual's style and specific areas they have identified to improve.

We laugh, a lot. Truly this group of students has created a team that supports each other in such a way that everyone is challenged to be their absolute best. And as the term ends, we will go forward being our best in the holiday season... which we hope means fun and relaxation and a time to restore with loved ones before we begin our journey together again in January!

Best wishes to all during this time of the year when we reflect upon our grateful for our many blessings. High on my list is our students!

I have worked at Barry University for 18 years. I completed my undergraduate degree at Barry in December 2003. Now here I am in the Fall 2008, pursuing my graduate degree. I realized that I needed education to pursue my career goals: which is to work within Human Resources.

I initially returned to school to inspire my son, who was not considering attending any higher educational facility. He was very adamant: "college isn't for everybody". I wanted to prove that it can be. I decided to return to school after 18 years and with lots of encouragement on my part, he finally decided to attend college. Now I would like for him to pursue his education all the way to the graduate level, just like mom. Lead by example!

I wanted to obtain my graduate degree in Human Resource Development and Administration (HRDA) because I would like to pursue a career as a trainer or to oversee a Human Resource Department. In my current role in HR at Barry, I get to assist those who do not understand certain aspects of their employment. I realized that I enjoy being able to come up with an answer or a solution to any dilemma presented to me. In one of our monthly staff meeting, the issue of increasing our staff came up. It was decided that a trainer and another benefits coordinator were two positions that the department at Barry was in need of. This is when I decided that it would be a good stepping stone for my career, if I could apply for a trainer position in the future.

I procrastinated for several years about going back to school for my graduate degree. But with the encouragement of friends and coworkers who have been through the HRDA program with Dr. Kopp, I decided to meet with him and learn about the program. His reputation precedes him as being an excellent professor. He explained the program thoroughly and immediately put me at ease. This encouraged me to pursue my graduate degree after procrastinating for several years. I am pleased and inspired that I decided to return to school and I am enjoying classes at Barry University.

Greetings from Charelle M. Russell, newbie (as Dr. Kopp affectionately calls new students in the Program)!

My interest in the HRDA program stemmed from my desire to assist individuals in the training and development process of learning. I've always known that I wanted to help people, but I wasn't sure to what extent I could apply myself. I firmly believe that the knowledge taken away from this program will assist me with career development as well as personal growth.

As an IT Professional, my daily functions include implementation of new technologies, documentation/software development, and user consultations. I've often found that with change (no matter what form it may take), comes resistance; here lies my challenge and desire to develop training programs.

As I transition through the program, I've had the opportunity to meet and work with various professionals from the HRD field. Their wisdom is priceless and most appreciative. As Dr. Kopp states, "the information we learn in the program you can apply Monday morning."
Whether you are a seasoned HRD-er, struggling with the idea of returning to school, contemplating a career change, or a newbie, I can guarantee that some aspect of this program will satisfy your desires to be equipped with the talent and knowledge to succeed in the Human Resource field.