How to survive your first unit

Most MLM’lers resume or start their degree with the “Organisational Behaviour 550 unit“. According to the unit outline:

…through the analysis of local and international case studies and individual and group exercises, students gain knowledge of practical and theoretical approaches adopted by organisations to improve and enhance the quality of life in the workplace. The unit also focuses on building students’ skills in academic writing and research required at postgraduate level in business.

This last sentence is the lasting first impression I got when I had completed the unit- “the student skills in writing”. Or rather: the impression, that some students write (more) than others in group assignments.

Group assignments are a central part of the whole experience unless you do the unit online instead of face-to-face. You will quickly get accustomed to meetings and group dynamics, to people, who say that they contribute and then forget to deliver their part 10 hrs before you are responsible to hand in the assignment on the group’s behalf.

You will experience the whole palette of humanly possible disasters (“my boy was poisoned and threw up on my only hard copy”… “I am telling you a secret- I’m with the SAS and we had a mission on the weekend I could not reveal”.)

I kid you not, you will hear the most amazing stories why people could not deliver what they say they would. I don’t say they lie, but you got to take away one pearl of wisdom from this: make sure you have a backup PLAN B.

Organisational Behaviour 550 is one of the in-depth and rich experiences and the last thing you will need is a laggard amongst the lot of reading and presenting you will have to do. But remember, OB (as the unit is affectionately known) is all about HUMAN behaviour. Don’t forget that while you’re having fun with your group who will, in the best case scenario, really turn into a team.

MLM- Path to glory?

At a recent GSB study orientation evening I was asked to explain the difference between the MLM and MBA to prospective students. As a recent graduate I could only speak from my experiences of the curriculum and what would attract others to the MLM and not the MBA. Both courses share 4 core units out of 12. And that’s about as obvious as the resemblances go.

Unlike many of fellow students I followed the pathway as it was suggested in the consecutive order of the units as they appear in the MLM brochure. The course prerequisites made sense to me but I know a lot of students did some of the more advanced units first and later struggled with the effectiveness of their learning.

In the first units you learn about yourself (self-reflection is as effective as you let it happen). Then you learn about yourself in conjunction with teams and in the last units you put all this together in the context of organisations.

Along the way there are heaps of things to think about actual business methods and models in the context of leadership and management.The MLM is challenging if you are only after that piece of graduation paper for the title on your business card.

If you need to learn more technical business skills but are not phased or worried about your interaction with others, of course, go, do as the majority of managers do- get a solid administrative degree, the MBA. MBA’s think MLM’s are a different breed of people because they do ‘frufru touchy feely group hug stuff’ (I can’t remember hugging people all the time, but i do remember having breakthrough ideas and forging genuine and lasting networks).

On the flipside, if you question your long-standing career path, experience ongoing office turf wars and think there’s got to be a better way to do things, then you will find the MLM a toolbox for answers and actions.

I know the MLM is always under threat to be taken out of Curtin courses as it is not a generic crowd pleaser and economically not as viable for Curtin than the MBA. We know from the academic literature and business practitioners, that education is challenged to come up with courses designed to support managers in today’s high-pressure economies to respond differently to global business issues.

It may not be the finite remedy to all our problems, but at least the MLM begins, where most people stop to look for answers: in themselves.

To me the MLM is the foundation to inspire people to be self-directed and equipped with tacit and explicit knowledge.

GSB Careers Expo and Sundowner May 2008

Join the GSB Careers Expo and Sundowner
When: Thursday 5 June
Where: Sheraton Hotel, 207 Adelaide Tce
Time: 4pm to 7pm (Presentations will be held from 4.30pm)

Please RSVP to careers@curtin.edu.au by Wednesday 28 May.

A hearty welcome…

G’day, MLM’lers!

This is a blog about the experience of many people and therefore needs the collective brain juices of a bunch of special people. (no, NOT people with special needs…). This blog belongs to current and past students of the MLM (Master of Leadership & Management) postgrad course at Curtin University of Technology.

This blog was created by Consensio, an alumni of the MLM and is maintained by a bunch of MLM contributors. This is an unofficial blog, so not blessed by Curtin Uni and/or its affiliates.

We hope to have vivid and open conversations, thoughts, exchanges, debates, laughs, events, guests, interviews… in short anything that is worth having a thought about when you are thinking of past/present/future experiences caused by or within your MLM studies.

Blog and comment about the friendships, the headaches, the successes, the weirdness, the close encounters of the funny strange kind with our fellow MBA students… networking…course work, structure, content… you name it, make it happen.

We see the purpose of this blog as manifold:

• leave a record of your experience to share with fellow travelers,
• comment on current MLM issues,
• enjoy the ideas and networking
• check out what happened to alumni
• stay in touch with Curtin staff and issues
• Give prospective students a taste of what’s it like
• your place to vent, rave, sob, laugh (intelligibly of course)

Naturally we reserve the right to edit abusive or vulgar comments so don’t even think about bagging that lecturer who gave you that skanky mark!!

So have fun and if you need to get in touch with the blog maintainers, drop a line to masterleaders@gmail.com