MBA students flock to Phoenix to learn how to harness power within the workplace

“This course is about how can we better claim, make claims for power that are more effective, gain power, and then also navigate organizational politics in a way that's going to get us to move forward in our careers,” said Assistant Professor Cassandra Chambers. “We also look at the ethical implications. We often have the idea that power leads to corruption, so when does it, why do it, and how can we avoid that track.”

“Power and Politics” was recently offered in an accelerated format in Phoenix, Arizona for the first time, giving students an intensive in-person learning experience in three days. Students complete additional work over a two- to three-week period as they would in a typical eight-week online course. The accelerated, in-person format also gives students more opportunities for interaction with one another.

“What I love about doing this course in person is you get to practice making claims for power. You get to hear others' feedback on how what you said came across, and they can help you identify the blank spots in your own way that you approach things,” explained Chambers.

Paulette Rangel, a pediatric nursing supervisor from Phoenix, said she enjoyed hearing the different perspectives of her classmates. Rangel is working towards an MBA/MSN in Healthcare Organizational Leadership, a dual degree program between Carey Business School and the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing.

“There were people in finance, people in tech, in marketing, and education. It was just great. It's very rare that you can get this type of experience in an online program,” said Rangel.

Learning by doing

Associate Professor of Practice Michelle Barton, the academic program director of the Flexible MBA, says that flexibility in Carey’s MBA programs needs to include different modes of learning and ways to bring students together. She notes while many aspects of experiential learning can be replicated through synchronous and asynchronous online courses, the in-person experience offers unique benefits and opportunities.

“You definitely need real-time to have a really good robust case discussion,” Barton explained. “There are group activities for learning from your peers, interacting with your peers, and bouncing your ideas off your peers in the context of doing something. I think humans learn better by reflecting on their experience and there are more ways to do that in person.”

Forrest Noey, a mechanical engineer from Tucson, said he found the process of analyzing case studies and holding discussions face-to-face with fellow students to be a rewarding experience.

“By no means do I have a problem with the online program. I mean it works for me,” said Noey. “This experience has made me want to enroll in every single advanced or accelerated class. I just think that it's something that promotes a lot of growth and challenges me.”

The accelerated version of “Power and Politics” that took place in Phoenix attracted Flexible MBA students from Arizona, California, and seven other Western and Midwestern states. It was the first part-time, in-person class offered away from Carey’s home in the Baltimore-Washington metro area.

“We have students all over the U.S., so we want to give them an opportunity to meet up in person without traveling all the way to us,” said Barton.

Noey says he’s already signed up for the next in-person accelerated negotiation course, which will be held in March at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C.