SEMESTER: Fall 2018

COURSE NUMBER: EWMBA 257.1

This course is dual listed with Full-time MBA Program

COURSE TITLE: The Pursuit of Meaningful Work

UNITS OF CREDIT: 2 units

INSTRUCTOR: Michael G. Katz

EMAIL ADDRESS: mikegkatz@berkeley.edu

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: bCourses

PREREQUISITE(S): EW​​​​MBA205​

CAREER FIELD:
​This course will be useful for all aspiring managers and leaders who will want to develop themselves and their colleagues in an organization

CLASS FORMAT:
Cases, simulations, group exercises, lectures, guest speakers, peer coaching  

REQUIRED READINGS:​
A selection of book chapters, articles, and cases

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:
You will be evaluated on the quality of a) your contributions in class (20%), b) two written memos (40% total) and c) a final paper (40%).

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES: 
This course aims to build your capacity for self-coaching throughout your life at work. Ultimately, this involves cultivating the self-awareness and practices to systematically pursue work that sparks your senses of purpose, mastery, and belonging. Equally as important, this pursuit involves developing a sense of personal autonomy (i.e. courage, resilience, independence, etc.) such that you can undertake the interpersonal risks and strategies that lead to meaningful work in any role. Since meaningful work is individually felt and experienced and yet also an interpersonal and social activity, during the course you will inquire into both your own framing of meaningful work as well as those framings generated by the professional and organizational communities of which you are a member or seek to join. Consequently, after taking this course, you will be more able to: 1) diagnose the specific sources of meaning that drive individuals' engagement in a work context, 2) identify strategies for developing yourself, your teammates, as well as employees across an organization, and 3) apply techniques for building alignment and commitment with colleagues on the basis of what you see as meaningful. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Mike believes all people deserve meaningful work. He brings this belief to bear with his clients—senior executives and emerging leaders who are committed to building cultures of purpose and belonging as well as to cultivating mastery of their craft. Specifically, Mike draws upon his deep experience in relational processes and career strategy to support his clients in building skills such as perspective taking, empathic attunement, and dialogue-based communication, all in the service of their personal and organizational goals.

Mike has engaged clients across a host of industries, including from organizations such as Google, American Express, Credit Karma, Blue Bottle Coffee, BancVue, and Project Open Hand. He is also Founding Director of the Interpersonal Development Program at Haas. In this role, he spearheads assessments, coaching engagements, and workshops for MBA student leaders. He was previously Director of MBA Career Management at Haas, and has also served as Director of Professional Development for Management Leadership for Tomorrow and as a career coach at NYU Stern and the McCombs School of Business. Before becoming a coach, Mike consulted institutional clients in financial services on customer segmentation, pricing, and organizational design.

Mike holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Information Systems from NYU Stern and a Master of Business Studies in Organization & Management from the Goizueta Business School. He received his Certified Integral CoachⓇ credential through New Ventures West and his Professional Certified Coach credential through the ICF. He is also certified in Hogan Assessment and the Immunity-to-Change process. In addition to his coaching work, Mike wrote the chapter on case interviewing in finance for “Crack the Case System: How to Conquer Your Case Interviews” by David Ohrvall. Currently, he serves on the Advisory Board of O4U, a national nonprofit supporting LGBTQ students in leading more authentic lives in high impact careers.