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Organizational
Learning Program Gets New Identity
SPP is changing the name of its
Organizational Learning Master’s program to
Organization Development and Knowledge Management
(OD and KM).
“The program, which began
in 1996, has been highly successful in meeting students’ intellectual
and professional needs but there is uncertainty in
the market place about the meaning of ‘organizational
learning’. The name change ought to improve
our brand recognition and the new name describes
what the degree is about. We are not a traditional
OD program. Rather, we build on OD foundations and
emphasize knowledge sharing in organizations” said Mark
Addleson, an SPP professor who directs the program.
He added that the new name
reflects the uniqueness of SPP’s program
as compared to other OD programs. “One
of the main challenges for today’s
knowledge-intensive organizations is to design
work so that people share knowledge and work
collaboratively. This isn’t just a
matter of technology. It is more a matter
of creating a knowledge-sharing culture.
That is where we focus both the theory and
practice.”
Along with the name change,
in the fall, the Organization Development and
Knowledge Management program will offer courses
on a new executive schedule. The program retains
its cohort structure, which creates a powerful
learning environment. “Instead of meeting
twice a week on week nights, the object is
to serve better the needs of busy professionals
by holding classes on alternate weekends (Fridays
and Saturdays) during the day,” Addleson
said.
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The new schedule
has other advantages too, according to Addleson.
Students will be able to complete the
full Master’s degree in approximately 18 months
and it will be easier for professors to combine both
theory and practical skills –an important element
of this professional program – by providing one-month
blocks of time between class meetings to work on group
projects. Leslie Levin, the School’s Director
of Admissions, is running an intensive print, internet,
and radio marketing campaign for the new executive
program during May and June.
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