GV Grad Fact Friday: Spotlight on Business

Spotlight on Business: The Organizational Leader

As we developed the Master of Science in Innovative Leadership, our business advisory council, made up of representatives of about 30 central Iowa employers, stressed the importance of what they called "soft skills." Members observed that it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to find candidates for management positions who are truly proficient in the organizational, managerial, communication and team-building skills they need to move their organizations forward. As a result, Grand View developed the Organizational Leader curriculum, with significant input from those employers.

In the business track, you'll study the relationship between threat analysis and organizational failure ... become competent in conflict management, team-building, and interpersonal dynamics ... learn project management, including budgeting and resource allocation ... explore creative entrepreneurial thinking, including innovative positioning strategies for an organization ... and understand of the role of leadership in shaping organizational culture and social responsibility.

You'll be equipped to contribute innovative strategies and new perspectives to your organization, whether it's a for-profit company, an entrepreneurial endeavor, a government agency, a not-for-profit organization or a military unit.

Courses in the business track stress the competencies strong leadership requires:

• Change: Failures and Successes
• Leadership: Applied Systems Thinking
• Project Readings
• Resource Management
• Motivation
• Team Building and Conflict Management
• Strategic Thinking and Sustainability
• Leadership: Accountability and Social Responsibility
• Leading for Change III: Innovative Leadership Capstone