{"id":7451,"date":"2020-06-23T13:41:08","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T17:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodwin.edu\/enews\/?p=7451"},"modified":"2024-12-17T17:08:36","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T22:08:36","slug":"is-masters-in-organizational-leadership-a-good-degree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodwin.edu\/enews\/is-masters-in-organizational-leadership-a-good-degree\/","title":{"rendered":"Is a Master\u2019s in Organizational Leadership a Good Degree for You?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When investing in an advanced degree, it is very important to make sure that the value<\/span>–<\/span>add is clear in two key areas of your life: personal fulfillment and professional development. <\/span>Fortunately<\/span>, those two <\/span>typically <\/span>go hand-in-hand! For business-minded individuals, a master\u2019s<\/span> degree<\/span> that will help you achieve a higher salary <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> better positions, <\/span>which are<\/span> likely to bring personal richness into your life. This is the smart reason why so many aspiring executives decide to enroll in a leadership-focused <\/span>program<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>Master\u2019s in Organizational Leadership<\/span><\/a>, or MSOL, is not just a good degree choice \u2013 it can be a great one! <\/span>Here, you\u2019ll learn about the goals of the <\/span>MSOL<\/span> degree<\/span>, and understand<\/span> how it might be <\/span>a perfect<\/span> choice for you and your future.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Non-Curious Need Not Apply<\/span><\/i><\/b>
\n<\/span>Did you know that Organizational Leadership is actually a <\/span>science<\/span><\/i> discipline? However weird it might seem, don\u2019t worry, you\u2019re not going to need to muddle with microscopes, <\/span>beakers<\/span> and Bunsen burners. It actually makes complete sense that the MSOL <\/span>degree <\/span>is categorized as scientific. Scientists are investigators<\/span>, <\/span>researchers, experimenters<\/span>,<\/span> and innovators. Coming at the science of business from the quantitative and financial angle, from human psychology, and from organizational theory, <\/span>prepares<\/span> a leader <\/span>to better<\/span> analyze business processes and implement improvements.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When you apply knowledge from <\/span>graduate courses<\/span><\/a> like <\/span>Sustainability of Innovation and Strategic Advantage <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Data-Driven Decision-Making for <\/span><\/i>Executives<\/span><\/i>, which train students on the distribution and implementation of resources, to your career, you can be the instigator that helps your o<\/span>rganization<\/span> meet <\/span>and<\/span> exceed goals. A strong business leader adds immense value with their short and long-term vision, founded not just on inclinations and opinions, but on the indisputable science of organizational behavior.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Management vs. Leadership: A Symbiotic Relationship<\/span><\/i><\/b>
\n<\/span>An oft-quoted phrase from the respected modern-day business management handbook author, Peter F. Drucker, opens up an interesting doorway to this discussion in the book<\/span>,<\/span> The Effective Executive<\/span><\/i>: <\/span><\/i>\u201cManagement is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bet you had to read it twice! What does this statement mean? Well, management and leadership are both essential for businesses to succeed. Managers keep employees productive, and they are responsible for meeting very concrete benchmarks, achieved by monitoring performance and adjusting <\/span>course <\/span>as needed. In short<\/span>,<\/span> managers deliver<\/span> and own the results<\/span>. Leaders, on the other hand, envision. They are the risk-takers and change-makers, who sometimes, ironically, are at odds with the goals of <\/span>managers! It comes down to the<\/span>ir<\/span> approach to variability: <\/span>L<\/span>eaders approach variance as a positive, while managers do their best to dodge variability<\/span> in order to achieve a favorable and expected outcome<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why spend the time digging into these concepts? Well, a Master\u2019s in Organizational Leadership prepares a person to wear <\/span>both<\/span><\/b> hats. Coursework like <\/span>Leading Organizational Change<\/span><\/i> speaks to the leadership fedora, while <\/span>Talent and Performance Management<\/span><\/i> is management\u2019s baseball cap. Learning the best of both worlds will help you improve your own marketability, and allow you to present and exercise your broad skillset in more challenging professional positions. <\/span>As this <\/span>Forbes<\/span><\/a> article explains, some of the 11 powerful traits of successful leaders<\/span> include<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n