Charles W. Blackwell

Telecommuting in the 21st Century: Benefits, Issues, and a Leadership Model Which Will Work:

Executive Summary This article looks at the evolution of telework in the United States as well as the benefits and potential problems associated with this growing phenomenon. One of these issues, effective leadership of teleworkers, is the focus of the article. The authors suggest that Situational Leadership™, a leadership model which has been in use since the late 1960s, is an appropriate tool for leaders to use in successfully influencing their off-site workers. Situational Leadership™ is explained and applied to a variety of telecommuting scenarios.

The human dimension of online education: cyberstudents speak out

This paper reports on a survey of 129 online students at three different universities as to their perceptions of positive and negative aspects of taking online courses. The major categories of positive responses were in the areas of flexible class time, ability to attend class from anywhere in the word and the online pedagogy. The major negative aspects reported were technical problems, lack of face-to-face interaction, and the perception that online classes seem to require more time and work. The authors conclude that the online instructor is the single most important person in making the students experience a positive or a negative one and suggest that careful training and monitoring of faculty is a necessary early step in taking programs to cyberspace. Faculty performance along with well-oriented students, a help desk available for extended hours, a readily accessible online library system and a good platform for the online program are suggestions offered for maximizing the positive aspects and minimizing the negative.

Charismatic Leadership: The Hidden Controversy

This article looks at three controversial topics related to charismatic leadership: (1) Is charismatic leadership always a good thing? (2) Are we doomed by nature to be either charismatic or not? (3) Is charisma always an ethical constuct? The literature plus a survey of faculty and graduate students at two universities are used to provide tentative answers to these questions. Conclusions include: (1) There is no proof that charismatic leadership is always a good thing or that world-class companies must have charismatic leaders; (2) The nature/nurture controversy is still an open question; and (3) Charisma can be used in an ethical or unethical manner depending on the leaders intent and the amount of ego involved.

The role of management history in the management curriculum: 1997

This paper reports the results of a Management History Division survey within the Academy of Management which investigated the current status and future direction of management history teaching in the management curriculum and the role and direction of the Management History Division in general. Comparisons were made to a similar 1989 survey. While management history as a separate course remains elusive, management history continues to be taught in other mainstream management courses. The role of the Management History Division is seen as critical in encouraging others to teach management history. Significant accomplishments have been made in this area since the earlier survey including an expanded Executive Committee, a revised newsletter, new awards for service in the field, and the initiation of the Journal of Management History as an outlet for publication in the field.

Flying High with Herb Kelleher: A Profile in Charismatic Leadership

Executive Summary Herb Kelleher, co-founder, CEO, President and Chairman of Southwest Airlines is cited in this article as an ideal example of charismatic leadership at its best. A discussion of charismatic leadership focuses on traits and behaviors of charismatic leaders. This model is then used to examine Kellehers traits and behaviors at Southwest Airlines, named in 1998 as the best place to work in America by Fortune Magazine. Kellehers vision and style are seen as the driving forces of this maverick airline which has consistently posted a profit for 26 consecutive years and does things differently than any other company in the industry. The key to Southwests success is largely thought to be the warmth and determination of its employees who mirror those same qualities in their leader. The article includes Kellehers thoughts on leadership and concludes that there is reason to question whether the strong, personality-driven Southwest culture can survive after Kelleher retires from the helm.

Communicating with online students: lessons from the front

The authors describe lessons learned from their online teaching experiences with two different delivery systems. One is a system using the World Wide Web, bulletin boards, e-mail and chat rooms for instructions and another is a software package known as Convene. In each case, students pursue their degrees via 100% online courses. The article discusses the planning process necessary to ensure an effective online course as well as lessons learned about actually communicating online, including the correct degree of informality and the importance of continuous feedback. Finally, the results of a case study in online assessment of student attitudes is presented.

Using multimedia tools to enhance communication in the online classroom

The authors are university professors who have been teaching business courses in cyberspace formats since the mid 1990s. Over the years they have shared lessons learned in Web-based online distance education through presentations to IPCC members and in other forums. The authors are known to be advocates of using delivery methods that appeal to learners at the lowest common technological denominator (LCTD), otherwise referred to as end users with access to commonly available computing and telecommunications power. This article explores the feasibility of adding streaming video/audio presentations to lecture and discussion pages for courses designed to appeal to this audience, as means of including visual and auditory dimensions in the communication process.

Training faculty to shape knowledge for cyberspace: preparing for online classes

The authors are business professors with considerable experience in online teaching and administration. They rely on research and personal observation to build the case that thorough faculty training is critical to successful online programs. After reviewing various types of training programs currently found in online programs, they concentrate on immersion programs as the most effective, giving several case examples of these programs where prospective faculty become online students themselves to learn the pedagogy and techniques of online teaching. Guidelines are then provided for designing effective online faculty training in terms of both process and content.

Shaping applications knowledge of online learning platforms: an early adopter training perspective

What do you get when you blend one part education technologist with three-parts business and hospitality management professors, each with more than six-years of continuous online teaching experience? You get early adopters of online learning environments (OLE) who are long-term IPCC members and conference participants. The purpose of this paper is to present an early adopter perspective based on the actual experiences of the authors, who recall the methods used to develop and deliver Web-based courses during the preplatform era. What is the value of the lessons learned by these early adopters? The rapid evolution of technology in general and more specifically, online courseware management software renders a current scenario in which online educators and technical support personnel lack an awareness of preplatform course design considerations. The individual who chooses to become engaged in OLE methodologies is best served by being presented with a training module on the individual applications of courseware management functions that are currently bundled into popular online platform software packages such as, WebCT/spl trade/, and Blackboard/spl trade/. Just as knowledge of DOS facilitates an understanding of graphical user interfaces (GUI) for personal computer users, awareness of the individual applications handled by platform software does enhance the awareness on the part of the OLE educator. The authors conclude that this knowledge is required for users to understand the pros and cons of platform participation.

Managing multi-directional communication in the online classroom

The experience of four online business school professors is focused in this article on the importance of effective, multi-directional communication to achieving exit competencies and student satisfaction in the online classroom. This communication must be deliberately set up and modeled by the instructor. Specifically, downward, upward, and horizontal communications are explored in terms of their purpose and the tools and techniques which are appropriate for achieving these purposes. Recommendations for specific pedagogical techniques are made for each communication channel.