Degree Requirements: Master's
Completion Time: 5 years average
Earned Credits: 65 - 80
This specialization is designed for professionals who desire to expand their knowledge of innovative approaches to managing and leading organizations in a symbiotic global arena. Students will build upon foundational courses focused on the following areas:
The Specialization in Collaborative Strategic Global Management is designed for professionals who want to advance their ability to be socially responsible and engaging managers who can innovatively lead organizations in an interdependent global arena.
Building upon the core courses in leadership, systems thinking, sociotechnical workplace environments, and organizational ethics, this specialized interdisciplinary course of study critically explores concepts and practical issues related to intercultural organizational dynamics, sustainable global business operations, strategic decision-making in complex situations and designing and implementing change processes.
More program information can be found in our academic catalog.
The total doctoral degree is 65 to 80 credits. In addition to the research-focused courses, there are nine foundational courses in leadership, organizational behavior and systems, and professional ethics as well as five elective courses that can focus on specialized areas of study if a student wishes. Students usually take three courses per semester. The average time to complete the doctoral degree is five years.
Residential Requirements
Participation in twice-annual, five-day Residential Conferences (RCs) is required until enrollment in dissertation begins (i.e., until after the completion of the three candidacy qualifying essays and successful completion of the essay oral exam).
Transfer Credit Policy
Transfer credits, to be considered, must have been (a) awarded by a regionally accredited university, (b) earned at the graduate level (master’s or doctoral), (c) earned at the grade level of B or better and (d) evaluated by the department chair as equivalent to a degree course for which a substitution is appropriate and conceptually fit with the degree program course of study. While transfer credit policy may vary by degree and specialization, no more than 12 credits may be transferred.
Talent Development and Strategic Human Resource Management
Central to business organization success is its talent—its multifaceted workforce. Organizational leaders must consciously leverage their human resources, unleash their workforce’s creativity, and tap into their organization’s intellectual capital. This course, drawing upon various disciplines including organizational psychology, critically discusses both domestic and critical international human resource management concepts, principles, practices, issues, and challenges, as well as the core characteristics and practices of engaging workplaces and the attributes of the current global organizations that are rated the best places to work. Students develop their own human resource or talent development vision, as well as their core best practices. 3 credits
Organizations and Social Systems Design
Focusing on organizations, this course explores Social Systems Design as developed by Banathy, Ackoff, and others. Social systems design is a participatory, collaborative, and disciplined way of engaging in future creating inquiry. The learner will address questions such as: What is design in a social context? What is a design culture and how does it relate to the sciences, the humanities, and organizational behavior and development? Building upon these notions, the course will also examine: How do organizations and workplaces respond to change? How can organizational managers facilitate the design of social systems in their enterprises? Design principles such as form follows function and the ethics of designing with those that will live the consequences of the choices made are explored. Social Systems Design shares core assumptions with participatory action research. The learner will be able to explore the usefulness of social systems design for the creation of new organizations or for the transformation of existing ones. 3 credits
Strategic Management, Data Analysis, and Decision Making: A Systems Perspective
With strategic analysis, planning, decision making, and organizational alignment in distributed organizations as the core focus, this interdisciplinary course enables students to expand their practical skills as strategic leaders and managers who face complex situations and have to make challenging decisions that have far-reaching economic ramifications for organizations, as well as the well-being of society and the environment. Particular attention is given to planning processes, to implementing and evaluating organizational strategic initiatives, and to gathering and analyzing data from a systems perspective. 3 credits