Simon mentor program wins G.E. grant

The Simon Coach-Mentor Program is a year-long, real-world experience in which second-year student coaches help first-year students navigate through academic and interpersonal challenges associated with life in an MBA program.

"In contrast to other business schools, where teams may last only as long as a class or single assignment, Simon students are wedded to each other for their entire first year of study," said Stacey Kole, assistant dean for academic affairs and assistant professor of economics and management. "Our program better equips them for working with others in a business setting."

More than half of G.E.'s grant will fund direct implementation and evaluation of the program, while the remainder will support Simon faculty research into the larger questions involving learning in team structures. Kole and Ronald Schmidt, chairman of the Faculty Committee on International Executive Programs, will spearhead these research efforts.

Success in team learning, Schmidt said, can be traced to three sources: the talents of team members, the intensity of their efforts, and the processes that guide the coordination of the team's members.

"While the last of these has attracted considerable attention, it has often been examined without making proper adjustment for the first two factors," he said. "Since our research will permit careful measurement of talent and effort, we will be better able to understand how team processes contribute to team performance."

With a larger international population than any other graduate MBA program (nearly 45 percent in 1997), Simon's five-member study teams are extremely diverse in work experience and cultural background.

"As more companies move to global markets, overcoming cultural barriers becomes a business necessity," Kole said.

Many schools have teamwork programs, but knowledge of what works and does not work in forming, supporting, and evaluating team performance is extremely limited, she added.

"Our program uses systematic data to constantly measure its effectiveness. The G.E. grant will allow even deeper evaluation of the benefits of team-based learning."

Stephen Tucker, G.E.'s program manager of higher education grants, said the Simon School's focus on evaluation is noteworthy. "No one is measuring the impact of teamwork like Simon."