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Connecting a global world of managers
Lisbeth Claus

It is an uncertain world for business managers. The boundaries of the organization have been stretched globally. Technology, while leveling the competitive playing field, continues to demand additional skill sets. And millions of Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age and will create a talent vacuum.

"Yet, in this unstable environment, experts agree that the issues are all about human capital, innovation and flexibility," said Professor Lisbeth Claus. "People may be the last remaining competitive advantage of an organization." She said gaining a share of this talent scarcity requires investing the time, energy and resources to create a competitive employee value proposition.

Claus often retells to her Atkinson School graduate students a quote retired Prof. Emeritus Patrick Connor often said: "Employees don't work for the company, they work for themselves."

Keeping those employees engaged, she said, will require managers to find the "sustainability sweet spot" where the employee's interests and the organization's interest intersect and overlap.

Tomorrow's employees and managers expect more than a great compensation package when deciding upon accepting a job offer or remaining with a firm. They want to be challenged and feel they are contributing toward a shared goal or personal objective. They may seek out potential employers who are innovative in their offered benefits or in the employee brand.

The business disciplines - from finance to human resources - taught at Atkinson all share in common their focus on preparing the student for management. "We are a management MBA," Claus said.

Atkinson's emphasis on experiential learning, through summer internships, or elective classes such as the Student Investment Fund, or the Practical Applications for Careers and Enterprises program, or PACE, also give graduates a fast track toward success in the real world.

In the end, Claus tells her students and future managers to reflect on what really matters to employees and what they are constantly asking of their managers and their organizations.

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Teaching strategy for unpredictable business scenarios
Rob Wiltbank

Strategy traditionally relies on prediction, using historical data as a basis for deciding what to do next. But what do successful entrepreneurs do when there is little or no historical data and little framework for deciding how to proceed? While completing his Ph.D. in Strategic Management at the University of Washington, Atkinson Professor Rob Wiltbank analyzed how expert entrepreneurs approach uncertainty, and found a clear preference for avoiding prediction and emphasizing control over how uncertainty is resolved.

Further studies helped Wiltbank identify core principles of non-predictive strategy, which he teaches in strategy and entrepreneurship courses. Wiltbank coaches students as they put their business plans and projects into action. "We're teaching entrepreneurship by encouraging students to try it first hand." Wiltbank explained. "So we're able to understand these non-predictive control strategies not only conceptually, but in the hard reality of the startup world." Atkinson recently received an endowed gift of $50,000 in support of these student entrepreneurial efforts.

Visit Rob Wiltbank's faculty page
Learn More about the Full-Time MBA Formats
Learn More about the MBA for Professionals (Evening Format)