The boathouse
Here are a few photos taken today at Greenlands. With the water still to peak here, those downstream toward London are yet to see the worst of their floods.
Posts Tagged ‘Henley’
Mr Toad begins to worry about the climate…
Posted in Henley Business School, tagged floods, Greenlands, Henley on February 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Tales of the riverbank – Jack the capybara visits Henley
Posted in Observations about life, tagged Greenlands, Henley on October 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »
At Henley, especially during Spring and Autumn, some mornings are more glorious than others, and the light and air combine to leave you feeling thoughtful and uplifted. Below are a few pictures taken on the campus this morning.
And then I wandered a bit further along the bank of the river and found Jack – a fugitive on the run – sitting placidly under a tree, enjoying the morning sun.
I have since found out that Jack, a capybara, escaped first in 2010 from a wildlife park. He has been captured several times and always gets out again. In fact, he is a bit of a celebrity and the subject of local publicity (this report was evidently premature in its news of Jack’s final capture) a familiar visitor to Greenlands.
Jack the escaped capybara, October 30th
The basic premises of a pragmatic outlook. And where it fails…
Posted in Henley MBA, Observations about life, Personal Development, tagged action, Henley, pragmatism on October 8, 2013| 1 Comment »
Henley, on a cold and frosty morning
I warn you now, I’m not sure this posting will be of any use to you.
I can’t help but notice that many who come to spend time at Henley arrive with a particular outlook on action, and a particular attitude toward thinking. I’m going to label that outlook “pragmatist”, though in truth this is just a piece of second-guessing on my part. That I venture an opinion on this at all is merely and partly from crude, subjective observation, and only with some hesitation. I shall try to defend this by defining how I think a pragmatist thinks, and then counter that view by suggesting a shortcoming or two, as well as (not surprisingly) a hint at a different outlook.
The term ‘pragmatist’ has a reassuring allure to most managers (arguably, less lustre for those identifying themselves as leaders) because it holds the promise of getting things done, and done in a way that is neat, doable and matter-of-fact. It is almost shorthand for no-nonsense, if not quite common-sense. A pragmatist is a realist, conscious that the world is complex, yes, but equally aware that too much contemplation can get in the way of getting to the next thing. And there is always a next thing to be got to. The pragmatist will tolerate intellectual dilly-dallying only for so long, and will press sooner or later (sooner, actually) for reason to prevail and action to follow.
But the word has a long and fine history in thought, and a deserved place in the story of the philosophy of science. It has in its time been the informed view of many management thinkers and educators, especially in the US, where the term was coined in the late 1800s.
I take the four basic premises of pragmatism to be:
1. A focus on human action in any given situation
2. A view that knowledge is learned, remembered or acquired only according to its utility (or usefulness to action).
3. Humans respond to their environment indirectly, and through a process of interpretation (a big one, this, because it follows that descriptions are abstractions of experience, not experience itself).
4. in any given situation, the usefulness of objects influences what humans select to notice.
Pragmatism is important because it wants to show that knowledge (which is the focus for action) is open to a scientific method of enquiry. The route for this is inference from empirical sense-data. This is clearly an attractive idea in the world of management – which wants to exert control over a world understood to be concrete and measurable. Enquiry, thought leading to action, becomes the process of better getting to grips with (and better getting control over) one’s environment. Whether or not what one believes to be true is in fact, or in someone else’s opinion, ‘the truth’ matters only so far as it affects that goal. Pragmatism is realist, but only as far as is minimally necessary in that particular ecology of inquiry to inform an action. In the last 100 years, and just as forcefully today as in the periods of social upheaval before and after the Second World War, pragmatists have influenced the formation of policy in science, education, democracy and public policy (including the formation of laws and norms that dominate the context of nearly all global trade, commerce and business). At an individual level, our identification with material gain, consumption, our views of what constitutes ethical practice in business, our tolerance of work practices and acceptance of the functional superiority of a ‘belief’ over a ‘truth’ all owe something to the legacy of the pragmatist tradition. We all go along with the prevailing view because we believe that, all things considered, it works. Whether it is in some sort of abstract or meta-level way true is less important.
In terms of drawbacks, I would like to suggest three.
First, a pragmatist has nowhere to go in terms of explanation other than to the linking sense-data and experience. In other words, they are limited to the forms of inference that rely only on the links between empirical data and events. By this (and as mentioned in several previous musings on the blog) I mean induction and deduction. What is absent here is abduction. It is worth stating that the early proponents of pragmatism coined and were very interested in abduction, but something seems to have been lost along the way.
Second, this brings me back to whether or not a Business School has any business to disavow someone of the view that it doesn’t really matter how the world really is as long as how YOU believe the world is seems to produce results. I suspect not, but doubt that others do.
Third, and the original point of departure for this whole rant, the usual mantra of “the purpose of contemplation is action” ought to be turned round. Reframed “the purpose of action is contemplation”, it changes everything.
Worth coming to work for on mornings such as these
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Greenlands, Henley on December 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »
African skies
Posted in Henley Business School, Henley MBA, Observations about life, tagged AVUSA, Henley, Johannesburg, MBA, South Africa on November 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »
It’s always a pleasure to come and run workshops here in South Africa, in Johannesburg. This must be my seventh or eighth time here in about six years and I always marvel at the sense of space and the promise (despite the problems) that the region has. This particular visit is slightly different in that the time of year means coming from dark, autumnal Britain to hot and summer-like climate, where the trees are all in bloom and the skies are big and (for the most part, since Jo’burg has spectacular thunderstorms) blue.
Another difference is that the workshop I’ve been running is not at the start of the MBA (fresh faces, eager and nervous minds) but a group coming to the end of their Stage 1 work. Still a big group, it’s a pleasure to work with people who have stretched themselves and, in many cases, had unexpected results in the first year.
Also different is the fact that, really for the first time, Henley in South Africa is not located in someone else’s building, with shared resources and problems. Newly located next to one of the recently up-graded motorway routes between Jo’Burg and Pretoria, the setting is good for business and the fact that all the classroom space is only for Henley’s use, and is well constructed and full of natural light, makes the whole feeling so much more… well, more Henley, really. Sure, there’s no river, but what a difference it makes to have a place of your own to call home.
Yet another novelty for me this trip was the chance to go and make a short presentation (which I turned into a workshop) for the managers of a company called AVUSA (publishing and media). The “chance” was mediated slightly by the fact that the timing meant getting off an 11 hour overnight flight and driving straight to the company, but luckily everyone was quite understanding. The people there were, in fact, great, and very open to the idea of Reflection (what else would be my topic?). At the end, they presented me with a lovely biography of Mandela. On the way to their company, my driver took me through the district in Jo’Burg where Madiba has his residence – and it is a really lovely area (their version of Hampstead, perhaps?).
I always like to compare progress between visits. A shallow and restricted comparison, I understand, since I do not see much of the country when I’m here, but since I am always able to compare the same thing, I can report that there is continued development here – the infrastructure is more in place, the systems more reliable and the sense of unease (at least in some areas) and fear of crime has improved somewhat. Where people were openly planning to leave SA a few years ago, the debate has become much more of a dilemma and the tide sometimes turns the other way. One thing’s for sure, at some point I will want to explore more of the openness and potential of this country as a visitor. Some things don’t change, of course. The South Africans are sports crazy, and the performance of the cricket team against Australia was woven into the PD workshop yesterday.
There’s a big topic of debate in education at the moment around the status of the MBA. The education ministry is considering a proposal to rate the MBA down from “level 9” (which would designate the MBA as a master’s degree requiring an honours degree for entry – and an honours degree here in SA means having completed a fourth year of university, which of course many managers won’t have done) to “level 8”. There would be pros and cons for Business Schools of this, mostly to do with programme financing in public universities, but the business schools are lobbying for the current situation to continue. At least, I think that’s what they’re doing – it’s complicated…!
Now I must get back to the PhD…
Outside the rankings comfort zone…
Posted in Henley MBA, Observations about life, Personal Development, tagged Economist, Henley, MBA, Personal Development, rankings on October 14, 2011|
It was such a beautiful morning at Henley this morning. When I arrived the last of some early morning mists, early autumnal in the way the light shone in shafts through the leafy branches and onto the lawns. I took one or two pictures on my phone, which I have attached at the end of this post.
Otherwise, I’m in a period of interesting challenges. Plenty of Personal Development workshops to keep me busy (and a few coming up which involve travel), as well as a few newer and therefore somewhat ‘off piste’. I’m preparing a one and half day session on Personal Development (so far so good) for a group of senior HR directors (Ok) from AVIC of China (more intriguing) to be delivered with consecutive translation to and from Chinese (yikes!). That’s at the start of November, and will be delivered over on the Whiteknights campus (a first for me), where everyone looks very young. Well, not the faculty.
Next up will be short presentations to the management teams of two companies in South Africa, which I will do either side of delivering a one-day workshop for one of the MBA intakes. My topic, no surprises, will be “Reflection – seeing the world with fresh eyes”. One of the companies deals with entertainment, TV and all sorts of media, and the other operates a fleet of private ambulances (including air ambulances). Don’t know what they’ll learn, but I’m sure I’ll come out of it wiser.
The Economist rankings for 2011 for the full-time MBA came out yesterday and Henley slipped from 17 to 57, which was a real disappointment. I have no doubt that next year will show a rise, possibly a big one since the Economist allows for more movement year on year than, for example, the FT. The rankings have a weight to them which is actually very unhealthy. Their origins lie in the attempt to gain credibility for the business press so that they could maintain circulation rates. They don’t celebrate diversity and they probably are responsible for some schools taking attention away from innovation on their MBA programmes. That’s not a criticism, either of the newspapers/magazines or of the business schools that want to do well in the rankings, but we should acknowledge things as they are. Most schools will want to play it safe and seek a strong position in a ranking, especially where recruitment of international students is important. But rankings are, ultimately, counter-productive to the occupation of a niche (how can one occupy a niche AND be compared with everyone else?).
In a couple of weeks, our new full-time MBA students start arriving. I’m really looking forward to it, partly as I’ll be trying my hand as Personal Tutor. So far, I have only tutored the Exec MBA group. Not that that’s not great fun…..!
Henley MBA e-newsletter for June 2010
Posted in Henley Business School, Henley MBA, tagged Henley, MBA on June 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Dear all,
Programme Director positions at Henley are always for a fixed duration. If they weren’t, either you or the Director would end up going nuts. So the lead, and final, story in this newsletter is the information that I step down as MBA Programme Director, effective from the beginning of July. I remain at Henley in a new position and my successor is already in situ. More about both a little later in the newsletter, which will therefore be the last from me.
And this being so, I thought it worth reflecting a little on the past five years. I got to know Henley in about 1994, first as a sub-contractor working with faculty and staff on MBA study visits to eastern Europe, then as an MBA distance learner, then alumnus and eventually (in my own ‘Victor Kiam’ moment) Henley faculty member and Director of Studies. The other day I was trying to recall what criteria I had used to select Henley for my degree. I was based away from the UK and a flexibility to study somewhat (but not entirely) at my own pace while still at work was attractive, and certainly I liked the practical idea of applying everything immediately at work. In addition, there was Henley’s good reputation and pedigree, and the fact that the degree awarded was the same regardless of mode of study, which made me feel my investment would be in a known brand. I thought that the general focus of the Henley MBA on strategy sounded more ‘grown-up’ than the functional silos offered by most rival offerings – which indeed turned out to be the case. Ranking didn’t play a part – I was already working in a Business School and knew that rankings promote business magazines, and what most people need to is find a programme, not a chart position, that suits them.
I suspect many of the above will find resonance with you, and the fact they are all still current and valid is very reassuring. Curiously, given the immense effort that went into my study, after graduation I found that not a lot of the detail of MBA content had stuck. True, before finishing the MBA I found myself completely immersed in each new module, layers of my working world in revealed in a new tint, but although it may often be true in life that the “devil is in the detail”, when it comes to the MBA, it does not. What emerged (and endured) in my case were changes in attitude and outlook; above all, Henley was a boost to confidence.
Back in those days, however, ‘distance’ at Henley often meant ‘alone’ and one of the two things I am most fervent about is the importance placed on learning from fellow members of your intake. The other is Personal Development, which may prove fortunate given my next role.
Who’s New
I’m pleased to introduce Mike Keighley, who takes over as Programme Director of the Henley MBA by Flexible learning. Mike has actually been working at Henley for a year in an operational role, and he and Kathy Jarvis form the UK management team for the next academic year. Mike has experience in banking and served for some years as an officer in the military.
Another new programme director is Keith Heron, who takes over from Giampiero Favato, who many of you will know from the Corporate Governance and Finance module, and who is leaving Henley at the end of the summer. In another change, Baskin Yenicioglu will take over from Ana Canhoto as Subject Area Leader for Strategic Marketing at the end of the academic year.
From the end of September, with the retirement of Tim Osborn-Jones, the new Subject Area Leader for Personal Development will be… me! I am very excited about this chance to continue to develop what is undoubtedly the most important module on the MBA (but then everyone’s own baby is the most special, no?).
Henley on LinkedIn
There’s been a fair amount of activity on the HBS Linkedin Group over the last month or so, and increasing anecdotal evidence that Henley programme members and alumni are using the site as a vehicle for mutual networking, not just window-shopping or displaying and exchanges views on various topics. LinkedIn is slowly introducing improvements to its site, most recently changes in the functionality of the groups area. As for subgroups, we are now looking at setting up one for those of you who work in government or public sector. Another final plea to anyone requesting membership to have their online profile accurate and up-to-date with your Henley programme and years. There are still about 80 in the queue, mostly for that reason. For now, it will be me that continues to manage the Henley groups.
Research Corner
Programme Member Lindsay Allan (HB39) is undertaking preliminary research for her Management Challenge and is interested in gathering your views on leadership writes: “Take part in worldwide research into organization culture and work.
Lindsay Allen is helping Visiting Fellow, Peter Thomson – who ran the Future Work Forum at Henley for 16 years – carry out some groundbreaking research in collaboration with Cass Business School, London. The research examines organization culture, management attitudes and innovative working practices and will feature in a book to be published next year. A key part of the project is collection of data through a short questionnaire that takes 10 minutes to complete. We would like to invite current Henley MBA students to participate in this research by going to [linke removed] and completing the survey by Friday July 23rd. ”
The ARC unveiled
After several months of building work, phase one of the redevelopment at Greenlands is complete. What was the PowerGen library is now where the builders are hard at work creating a new MBA classroom and syndicate rooms, and the Academic Resource Centre, ARC, now occupies another side of the inner quad area. Under the leadership of the experienced Henley library team, the ARC will develop over the coming months, and you’ll be able to follow them via Twitter and, shortly, their blog.
Ted.com
After missing this in last month’s newsletter, here now are 2 suggestions for interesting videos from the TED web site. First up is the second presentation by Hans Rosling, in 2007, about poverty and statistics. Watch it to the end… http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights_on_poverty.html
The other is archive footage of concentration camp survivor Viktor Frankl, holding court in 1972 about finding meaning in life: http://www.ted.com/talks/viktor_frankl_youth_in_search_of_meaning.html.
Members’ Family Day
Only a few days left to this event on Sunday July 4th, so if you are coming, we hope you enjoy the varied activities and relaxed regatta atmosphere. The weather here lately has been fantastic, so with luck it will continue that way.
2010 Annual Survey
Watch out for another email some time during July, inviting you to take part in the annual survey. Last year, we got responses from around 15% of you, which isn’t bad, but since the output report is widely read and circulated, and informs decision-making, it’s worth taking the time to express what you like and don’t like.
End of the academic year – username reminder
As a College, life at Henley rolled by without beginning and end, and on the MBA this is still often the case. It is also true, however, that the University works on academic year, which closes on July 31st, so this is a gentle reminder to anyone who has not yet logged on to RISIS (e:Vision) and activated their University of Reading user name and password. At time of merger, the system was set up to continue to allow people to log in using just the e:Vision username only. This will be much more difficult from August. Most of you have already done this.
So, that’s it. It’s been an amazing and complex honour to have been running this MBA, and over the years these monthly newsletters have meandered somewhat, like all good streams of thought should – I hope you have enjoyed them. I look forward to seeing you all at Graduation!
Chris Dalton
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