Thomas A. Conklin

Method or Madness: Phenomenology as Knowledge Creator

This article reviews the research method of phenomenology and its use in understanding human experience. This is conceptualized in the context of a research study performed with nine participants and their experience of finding their “calling.” Their experiences are used as the medium through which Husserls method is explored. Questions and concerns about this alternative and nontraditional approach to creating and understanding new social knowledge are considered. Reflexivity and the researchers psychological integrity in application of the method are explored.

Making It Personal: The Importance of Student Experience in Creating Autonomy-Supportive Classrooms for Millennial Learners

This article reviews andragogy as the philosophy resident in the broad arena of experience-based learning. Beneath the umbrella of experience-based learning lie the specific classroom orientations of student-centered learning, problem-based learning, and classrooms as organizations. These orientations contribute to the creation of autonomy-supportive classrooms that focus more fully on student experience as a means to greater learning. The exhaustive review of the literature on student experience in teaching environments is the foundation for claims to fuller integration of this approach and discussion that focuses on the student as the original reason for the existence of the classroom. The article closes with a call for more student-focused andragogy, its relevance for Millennial learners, and recommendations for educators.

A thematic analysis of a leadership speaker series

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the advice executives gave aspiring student leaders in one‐hour talks. The author was interested in understanding how well the aspiring student leaders interpreted the messages given by the executives.Design/methodology/approach – Thematic analysis was used to identify common themes across speakers. The themes were given to students in questionnaire format to determine if the students heard the same message.Findings – The themes identified within and across speakers suggested that their recommendations for leader development were relatively consistent. Themes included people orientation, relationships, communication skill, full commitment, accepting difficult challenges, ethics, and continued education. Participants were able to identify the presence of themes and did not project their individual differences onto the message when interpreting the speakers’ insights.Research limitations/implications – The findings suggested the researcher‐identified them...

Appreciative Inquiry and Autonomy-Supportive Classes in Business Education A Semilongitudinal Study of AI in the Classroom

In this article, we describe 10 separate classroom experiences where an appreciative inquiry (AI) exercise was used for course creation. Post-exercise surveys of students showed that the AI exercise was perceived to be a successful practice. Students indicated putting effort toward reaching their peak learning experience and were satisfied with the course. Because students aided in the design of how the course material would be covered, they were more motivated to participate and thus helped construct an autonomy-supportive classroom. Implications for practice and issues for how collective course construction can foster growth mind-sets and release students’ imaginations toward what was possible in the classroom are discussed.

Music as a mirror: the “choosing my personal theme song” exercise

When asked to describe their strengths people rarely refer to their natural knowledge, skills, abilities, and talents. From this we may assume that many are unaware of their individual strengths or, at the very least, take them for granted. Music lyrics are particularly salient symbols available in the minds of students and can be powerful tools for learning more about themselves and others. This knowledge is valuable as they continue in their own personal evolution and discern greater distinctions between themselves and the world around them. The interactive exercise presented here uses music to help students “look in the mirror,” reflect on their observations, and increase their self-awareness.

Theories of Motivation

McGregor’s theory Y claims that people are ambitious and self-motivated. They find natural interest in their work and it is an outlet for creativity. Theory X on the other hand suggests that people are inherently lazy, disinterested, and lack ambition. A relevant experience for students that helps to contextualize these theories relates to intercollegiate sports.

Gaining Greater Cultural Awareness

Let me tell you a story about a teacher named Tom who was teaching a class on diversity as part of an organizational behavior class. The class was a fairly heterogeneous mix of students with a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds from around the world. As the class unfolded, the topic of cultural differences and nonverbal communication practices in various cultures came up. During the discussion the class struck upon the practice of nodding their heads in an up and down motion to indicate “yes.” This act is understood in the United States to mean “yes” and yet over the course of the discussion, it became clear that what was taken for an affirmative nod was not a message of acceptance in all parts of the world. In Bulgaria, for instance, it means just the opposite. Moving the head up and down indicates the negative reply of “no” and moving the head side to side means “yes.”

Sixteen Bean Diversity

Let me tell you a story about a teacher named Tom who found himself teaching diversity one cold and blustery winter afternoon at a university near Lake Erie. He described the power and potential of diverse groups of people and their propensity to create better decisions in complex and nonroutine situations. He told of the higher quality decisions that these groups make especially when the issue is important but not urgent. As he extolled the virtues of diverse groups, he suddenly struck upon a metaphor that fit the current weather conditions. You see, he was a fan of homemade soup and had a constant crock pot of something going on in the kitchen at home. At the moment, he had a batch of sixteen bean soup in the pot, one of his favorites for the rich flavors and textures the broad mix provided, especially when they were enriched with an array of spices that accentuated the individual flavors of each of the various legumes. In the pot resided pinto beans, small red beans, pink beans, red kidney beans, great northern beans, baby lima beans, large lima beans, black-eyed peas, small white beans, black beans, whole green peas, yellow split peas, green split peas, lentils, chick peas, and pearl barley. Sixteen different races of bean, sixteen ways of being bean, sixteen different colors and sizes, sixteen different success stories of what it means to be a bean, sixteen different ways of making sense of the bean world.

Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broken!

Let me tell you a story about a consultant named Tom. He spent four months working with a teleservices company in Wisconsin helping service representatives do a better job of up selling to customers who had complaints with their accounts. The department was organized such that each representative had a direct line that customers could call so they would deal with the same rep each time. For customers with complicated problems this model had the effect of facilitating relationships between reps and customers. Because the rep had a better understanding of their customers they were given the authority and responsibility to utilize resources at their discretion to ensure the customer was happy with the resolution of the issue. After the rep solved the problem, they would follow up with the customer when service had been restored to ensure satisfaction. This whole arrangement had a very nice appeal for everyone who was involved in the transaction: it boosted customer satisfaction, increased employee responsibility and efficacy, and improved the company’s reputation.