SU Leadership Institute in Applied Research in Change serves corporations and nonprofit organizations

SU Leadership Institute in Applied Research in Change serves corporations and nonprofit organizationsJune 08, 2001Linda Kristensenlgkriste@syr.edu

Syracuse University Continuing Education has established a Leadership Institute in Applied Research in Change to help corporations and nonprofit organizations address business performance issues. One goal is to facilitate collaborations among government, health care, education and business sectors to assure the success of New York State organizations and their employees. The Leadership Institute director, Dana Brooks Hart, is a recognized leader in the field of organizational change who has provided extensive research and development of change tools for leaders throughout the world for the past 26 years. Hart, who joined SUCE as a senior program administrator over a year ago, created the Leadership Institute as an extension of his role as the executive director of the Sage Institute and as senior partner of Eagle Consultants. He established the Sage Institute in 1998 as an “applied research in change” organization to promote research and sharing of best practices in organizational change. The Leadership Institute builds on SUCE/University College’s record of corporate performance initiatives that blend training strategies. The Leadership Institute will develop Web-based programs, corporate training systems and related services for human resources departments. Instructional design and development services include teaching and learning in the classroom or via the Web or a blend of both. “This is an example of how the University can contribute to Central New York’s economic development,” says Charles K. Barletta, the interim dean of UC. “The Leadership Institute can help organizations equip their high performing personnel with the tools to guide their business operations to optimal effectiveness and efficiency,” Barletta says. “We can prepare corporate leaders to creatively use the change process to their strategic advantage.” The Institute has four major components:

• Leadership programs that develop excellence in leadership, sales/marketing, project management, integrated management systems and strategies of change;
• Professional development that includes association partnerships, assessment instruments and certification programs plus workforce programs and training;
• Organization development that encompasses knowledge management as well as consulting on strategic planning, organization assessment, measures and tracking and survey development; and

Grant development includes grant research, development of collaborations; RFP response and proposal writing; administrative support, Web-based training; design, development and technical infrastructure, and the publication and dissemination of results. Services range from customizing training to establishing “corporate universities” within an organization. Competence assessment and education are linked to performance management systems and measurements. Instructional management of courses can include “knowledge sites” on the Web. Web-based technical support includes authoring software, programming, hardware and administration. Leadership Excellence is a six-month online course complemented by a “Knowledge Web site” that is targeted to mid- and upper-level managers in business, health care, government and nonprofit organizations. The course is based on research of what business executives and academic scholars say is required of future leaders. The course’s unique features include 12 modules of competency assessment and course content; an asynchronous Web-based online format for home or office access, certification upon project completion, examination and optional instructor mentoring, plus 39 projects to be selected on the basis of objectives for competency improvement and business needs. “Strategies of Change” is a step-by-step approach to changing personal behavior that is based on the study of change agents and hypnotists. It is offered as a three to six-day classroom course, a CD-ROM or a blended learning experience. “In our knowledge economy, a well-educated workforce is more greatly needed now than ever before,” Barletta says. “Not only that, but–at the rapid rate of change in our society these days–education can never really end.” Earlier this year, a survey of 410 employers nationwide by the human resources consulting firm Watson Wyatt found that 68 percent are offering more opportunities for their employees to learn new skills. Many employers realize that their top-performing employees want greater opportunities to advance and hone their skills, the study reported. Grant development evolves from University College’s long history of establishing networks and consortiums of organizations seeking educational excellence. “As we strive to help build learning communities and coalitions, our goal is to facilitate collaborations among government, health care, education and business sectors to assure the success of New York State organizations and their employees,” Hart says. “Our past and future partners will consist of profit and nonprofit organizations that are committed to ongoing research, development, implementation and sharing of best practices. As our efforts will be focused on New York State, we will strive to provide the guidance and support to integrate communities across political, social and economic domains. As part of a major University and focused on building leadership in the communities it serves, the Syracuse University Leadership Institute has set the following conditions for involvement:

• Collaborative effort of multiple organizations to meet a community need;
• A leadership focus uniquely enhancing societal values through improvements in systems, processes and technologies; and

Sustainable value that can be projected and led by the organizations beyond the grant funding cycle.