MBA students apply lessons learned

Learning concepts and best practices in the classroom and then actually applying them in the workplace is an invaluable experience, according to Wendy Smith, assistant professor of business administration.

Master of business administration (MBA) students in Smith’s organizational behavior classes, “Managing People in Organizations,” were assigned to do just that by working with local organizations on site to identify challenges in the workplace, carry out research and make recommendations using the tools they learned in her class.

”It’s a win-win situation for students to gain hands-on experience and for organizations to get a fresh, informed viewpoint and practical suggestions,” Smith says.

Last academic year, the MBA students formed teams and connected with a variety of organizations, from large national corporations to local companies and nonprofit groups. Those included Habitat for Humanity, Longwood Gardens, YMCA, the DuPont Co., Rohm and Haas, Bank of America and Discover Card.

The teams gathered information and data from the organizations, studied employee issues and made recommendations, using their knowledge to diagnose challenges and problems and come up with an action plan.

For example, Smith says, Habitat for Humanity was increasing its staff of one to a staff of 25 and was upgrading its building program from three houses a year to 25. The students offered advice on how to make the transition and effectively manage the growth of the operation.

Lauren Crissman, an MBA student who works as a business analyst for TransUnion Settlement Solutions, a real estate services organization, was one of a five-member group that worked on a problem identified by that company. As part of her job, she works with a TransUnion operations group and documents and audits their work processes, she says. She also writes training documentation, trains new hires and designs and tests production systems.

The students studied a 12-person team at TransUnion, which was anticipating a 300 percent increase in its workload and also had a high turnover of personnel. After studying the operation by analyzing quality data and carrying out one-on-one interviews with employees and management, the MBA students recommended changes for implementing more effective self-managed teams.

The project was well-aligned with company goals, Crissman says, and the management team was “very receptive” and will continue to work on implementing the suggested changes.