Scott M. Shafer

The effects of workforce heterogeneity on productivity in an experiential learning environment

This paper investigates the effects of heterogeneity in various workforce learning/forgetting characteristics on productivity. An important aspect of this study is that worker heterogeneity is specifically modeled and examined by including the variance of key parameters as controlled experimental factors in addition to these parameters’ means. Initially, we analytically investigate the impact of heterogeneity in each of the four parameters in the learning/forgetting model used in this study. The analytical results are subsequently verified and further investigated using computer simulation. Specifically, seven macro-level factors are investigated including the rate of turnover, the mean and variance of the latent initial expertise existing in the workforce for the tasks to be performed, the mean and variance of worker steady-state productivity levels, the variance of the rate of worker learning, and the variance of working forgetting. The simulation models were developed and informed by empirical data from industry. The results indicate significant effects for mean initial expertise, mean steady-state productivity, the variance of initial expertise, the variance of the rate of worker learning, and the variance of worker forgetting. Results have managerial implications in the comparison and selection of various workforce populations for production systems.

Karate in Business School? This is Not Your Father's Black Belt

This article gives an overview of how an existing MBA curriculum was leveraged to prepare students to become certified Six Sigma Black Belts (SSBB) through ASQ. Given the advanced level of many of the topics in ASQs SSBB body of knowledge and the need to complete one or two Six Sigma projects, the goal of preparing students for SSBB certification is perhaps most appropriate for graduate-level business students. Wis article begins by looking at the motivation for preparing students for SSBB certification. This is followed by a brief discussion of the requirements for SSBB certification through ASQ. Next, details of how Wake Forest University leveraged its existing full-time MBA program to prepare students for SSBB certification are presented. A sample of representative projects completed by the students is then summarized to provide readers with insight into the scope of these projects. These examples also illustrate the applicability of the Six Sigma methodology to a variety of business issues and a wide range of organizations. Finally, the results after the authors first year at Wake Forest of helping students prepare for SSBB certification are discussed.

On Academic Rankings, Unacceptable Methods, and the Social Obligations of Business Schools

Inspired by recent discussions of the systematic costs that external rankings impose on academic institutions, and the undeniable shifts in the landscape of institutional data, a concerted and pragmatic re-evaluation of ranking efforts has begun. In this study, multiple administrators and researchers representing both public and private institutions across the United States weigh in on these issues. While reaffirming the social contract we hold with society, we argue that the fundamental methodological shortcomings of existing rankings, and ultimately any ordinal ranking system, limit the value of current rankings. These shortcomings emerge from the conceptualization and the architecture of comparisons, and are evident in survey designs, data collection methods, and data aggregation procedures. Our discussion continues by outlining the minimal requirements that a socially responsible, transparent, flexible, and highly representative rating (vs. ranking) approach should employ. Ultimately, we call on academic institutions and organizing bodies to take a collective stand against existing rankings and to embrace the strategic use of multidimensional alternatives that faithfully serve prospective students, parents, and other key stakeholders. We conclude with a number of suggestions and opportunities for practice-oriented research in the decision sciences aimed to support this fundamental shift in evaluative framing.