Group Work Influence

A major component of any on-site MBA program is group work. This is for a number of reasons: 1) it helps disperse the workload; 2) teams will be a big part of our future careers; and 3) five heads are better than one. I think the most important reason is number 2. We will be important members and leaders of our future employer's teams and group dynamics is an important skill to master. Practice makes perfect and business school gives you plenty of it.
Of course this is a learning process which can be very exhausting. Teams give individuals the benefit of multiple perspectives which will only make one's work better. Yet, individuals do not always see eye to eye and can stall the group process in its tracks. For the record, my group appears to very productive relative to other groups; we seem to need to hold less meetings while still completing the work at a satisfactory quality. Nonetheless, we will occasionally hit a roadblock and that's where good team dynamic skills become valuable. While I think we do a good job of discussing the issues then moving forward, occasionally I can dig in.
I think, as a lawyer, I am pretty well trained at listening to and considering all angles to an issue. I also understand that there is more than one way to tackle a problem, so I have plenty of gray areas and I am willing to defer to group consensus. That said, I also see areas where my gut and my mind says we need to go in this direction or we can not go in that direction; the gray becomes more black and white. It is not frequent, but when it happens all my skills are put to the test.
Now, you may say "Trevor, you need to compromise your position." I completely agree and that is why I have plenty of gray areas. What if the opposing side has less grey areas (people who come across as consistently unreasonable - this is not the case of my group) or where you believe with every fiber of your being that if you go this route it will have negative implications for your group or the project. Can you really sit aside and compromise? What if you did and your gut instincts were realized? There is no "I told you so" in this environment. If you knew it, you should find a way to get your view adopted.
Persuasion skills are of critical importance because a logical argument may not win the day because the person (people) on the other side of the issue have thought it through to a different conclusion. These people are highly intelligent and are resolutely convinced. It becomes a fight for the hearts and minds of the remaining group members who inevitably become overwhelmed by the intensity of the two sides. This is a delicate situation because if you aggressively argue your position and their eyes gloss over, they will want to find a compromise between the two positions (i.e., meet half-way). Given I have decided to dig in this may not be an ideal resolution. What do I do?
If I am able to foresee the issue before it happens, I have found it easier to prepare a better tactic to introduce my position to the other members of the team that will improve its chances of adoption by the group. I have done this successfully. Where trouble occurs is where I did not plan on this topic becoming an issue and I am dragged into a debate on the topic. Once heavy debate occurs glossy eyes are sure to follow. I have some new tactics I plan to try.
...And that is why all this group work is fantastic no matter the headaches. It is a safe environment to try out new persuasion tactics for the issues one feels deeply about. The MBA programs have it right when it comes to group work.

Merage Rises Up the Rankings

If you are researching you MBA options, you are likely aware of the recent release of the Financial Times global business school rankings where The Merage School rose to 49th globally and 31st in the United States. It is always great when Dean Policano's vision is bringing world-wide recognition, but it is important to keep perspective when reviewing these rankings.

Contrary to appearances, journal rankings are not an objective. The final ranks are very much influenced by the relative weights on the various categories applied by the authors. The relative difference between the 10-50 ranked schools is so minor that we can see large jumps or drops in the rankings by schools in this area. A minor increase in GMAT scores or faculty research can jump a school's rank by 5 or 10 spots. Does this small shift really make it that much better than the other schools?

While I am happy about the recognition, prospective students and future employers need to keep these ranking in perspective. Any schools in the top 50 area are solid schools with great students and faculty. The key is focus what school is a fit because if it fits you will enjoy the experience and that translates into future success.

O.K., The Work Still Hasn't Levelled Out

I am entering the second week of mid-terms and the work is not letting up. This has been a real busy semester. When you combine it with the fact that this is when you really need to begin ramping up your Internship search, there is little time for anything else.
Last week, I completed two exams (Managerial Accounting and Marketing) and my small group handed in a detailed Case Study for Financial Accounting. This week its the Financial Accounting mid-term and my small group have two minor and one detailed Case Study due.
If that wasn't enough, my small group has two 10-20 page projects due at the beginning of March. For those interested about the projects one is for Organizational Behavior and the other for Marketing. For OB, we are examining a the motivational factors of employees in a company department whose numbers suggest there is a reduction in productivity. The goal is to identify the main factors that may contribute to this productivity decline through interviews and surveys and then make recommendations in a report. For Marketing, we are helping a technology startup with a disruptive technology create a marketing strategy. Specifically, we are trying to determine the best marketing messages to use to attract the innovators and early adopters who tend to embrace this type of technology before it becomes refined for mass market consumption. The projects are interesting, but the time lines and workloads may force the types of quality compromises that I hate.
But in the end, it could be argued that this is what an MBA is about. Overloading students with work (not necessarily highly difficult work) and let them weed themselves out by demonstrating who is best at prioritizing and assigning their scarce resources to the work that will give the most benefit. While top notch work is desirable for all, sometimes the paybacks will only justify a reasonable effort. At the end of the day I am trying to balance school, extra-curricular activities, a job search, and my family life (and not necessarily in that order). I think at certain times during the year, some things will have to take the backseat.
That being said, I am still holding my bi-weekly poker game. It is a great networking tool (for me and Lindsey) and a great outlet for some fun. No matter the workload, there always needs to be time for fun...