Cultures of Innovation
The Measure of Leadership Strength: Implications and Impacts to Leading Organizations to Sustainable Future
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Derrick Samuels
The place and power of measuring anything of value cannot be overestimated. Whether it is thermometer, hygrometer, hydrometer, Anemometer, Refractometer, or a Sphygmomanometer; it is obvious that today’s scientists continue to design, manufacture and; improve upon measuring varying instruments. This they do, to reduce possibility of production defects, improve on process safety and; enhance overall effectiveness and efficiencies of those devices. While these are important steps in the world of scientific measurement; the question is, how much is being done through research and applicability to measure leadership effectiveness? How much are today's leaders being prepared to take on any leadership role? After all, how can aspiring leaders put their leadership skills to effective use if they do not know what they are? Do they know whether a leader is more of a future-oriented leader or a leader who is focused on the present? What about a leader’s openness to learning and new experiences—are they stronger when they stick to routines, or do they flourish when they encounter new environments and ideas? This is a quantitative study where the researcher seeks to help aspiring leaders gain insight into their strong points and analyze their leadership styles. Results from this evaluation will form as the basis for planning professional development and improving on leadership effectiveness. The researcher hopes that outcomes from this study will further benefit educational institutions, private and public sectors and; serve as lesson learned to the global body of knowledge.
Innovation Narratives at the CPA Western School of Business: Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Shannon Cuthbert
The past five years have been a time of tremendous change in Canada’s accounting community. In 2016, after years of effort, unification of the three legacy accounting designations was essentially complete, with legislation underpinning the new single Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) designation in place across the country. With change to the profession came associated changes to graduate accounting education. The CPA Western School of Business (CPAWSB) succeeded several predecessor organizations, and now delivers the CPA Professional Education Program (CPA PEP) in Western Canada, as well as a suite of preparatory courses. Though the work of the merger has now been accomplished, CPAWSB approaches to education administration and delivery have continued to evolve, as we endeavour to keep pace with a changing business landscape and provide offerings that meet the diverse needs of our learners. The leadership at the School recognizes that the long-term success of the organization is tied to its ability to not just manage change, but to embrace change as an appealing feature of its work. Building a culture of innovation and resilience at the organization is critical, and that culture rests on the norms and narratives that knit our employees together. The LEAP! continuous improvement program was launched at CPAWSB to promote staff development and empower individuals to think creatively about their work. Employees are learning to use a new language to talk about change, and the growing shift in mindset from reactivity to agency has been tangible. Narratives build identity; and identity drives action.
New Ways of Locating Expertise in Organizations: A Study of a Non-Profit Organization Working on Social and Emotional Learning
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Harsh Vardhan Yadav
Emerging trends in organisational theory suggest a need for reimagining "expertise." Where do we locate expertise? Is it in the Individual who is knowledgeable, skilled or experienced? Or does expertise lie beyond an individual as well? What makes for a more comprehensive object of study? Is it the specialized individual, the system or the structure? Or is it a situation of collective engagement in an organisation that offers a different imagination of expertise? The paper studies how the coming together of several "experts" has the potential of generating multi-dimensional articulations of expertise. It uses a non-profit organisation as an ethnographic object for the purposes of this research. The organisation works on social and emotional learning through planned interventions in education. Their interface is with school teachers and students to enable value-based transformations in society. Organisations working on change management find themselves precariously defining what they do and how do they do it. Their models rely on articulations of the ‘Self’ and how some of their everyday practices are embodied. An endeavour to put their learning into products and services demands exteriorising and shaping personal knowledge. This crafting is done in a way that is translatable to other institutions. It is precisely in this regard that their expertise becomes diverse and diffused, concrete and inexplicable simultaneously. The paper seeks to explore what happens in these organisations that work on transformations? How do they articulate their niche? What differences are they bringing to change management in a wider organisational landscape?
