"Our hope is to prepare our students to be capable builders and discerning consumers of theory--to build an instinct for knowing when they can and cannot trust that the recommendations of an author, consultatnt, or subordinate will produce the needed impact, given the circumstance that they are in. The skill to learn the right lessons from experience and to apply them in ccirumstances wehre they are appropriate is perhaps the most valuable ability that our students might take from our tutelage."
-Course Resarch: Using the Case MEthod to Build and Teach Management Theory
Clayton Christensen and Paul Carlile
Published in Academy of Managemnt Learning & Education, 2009, Vol. 8, No. 2, Page 250
This pairs well with theories I've learned in the past in political science courses. In The American Presidency I learned about the importance of President's understanding their "political time," which is essentially the circumstances which apply to them. In Neustadt's book Thinking in Time, they discuss understanding in a very nuanced way how the lessons of history are or aren't applicable to your moment in time.
Bottom line: Understanding if a recommendation applies to current circumstances is essential to success.
No comments:
Post a Comment