COURSE NUMBER: MBA257.2A

COURSE TITLE: Leading High Impact Teams

UNITS OF CREDIT: 2 Units

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Brandi Pearce

E-MAIL ADDRESS: bpearce@haas.berkeley.edu

PREREQUISITES: None

CLASS FORMAT: Via an experiential format including exercises, frameworks, cases, industry speakers, reflections, and group discussions we will explore the structures, team dynamics, and team capabilities needed to design and develop complex global teams.

REQUIRED READINGS: This course will rely on readings and other materials available on study.net as well as free podcasts and videos to support multi-sensory learning

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE: Grades will be based on individual and team assignments as well as class attendance, and quality of engagement.

CAREER FIELD: All

ABSTRACT OF COURSE CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

This comprehensive course is focused on developing a team leadership toolkit that includes the knowledge, frameworks, skills, and awareness needed to effectively lead complex global teams.

Have you ever lead a team and thought to yourself, there has to be a better way? Often, we perceive difficult team dynamics as a byproduct of challenging personalities, technology, institutional structures, or policies outside of our control. The astute leader, however, recognizes that developing teams over time to work together effectively, like any other leadership skill, is a capability that can be developed and honed.

The goal of this course is to set you apart as a leader. My hope is to transfer the knowledge, tools, and frameworks needed to develop High Impact Teams in today's complex and dynamic global economy. Together we will explore topics drawing on evidence, as well as your own experiences, and those of industry executives to support you in exploring, reflecting, and honing key team leadership capabilities. By the end of this course, you will better understand how to:

● diagnose team dynamics and design interventions to enhance team effectiveness

● recognize and harness different sources of motivation towards collective goals

● effectively facilitate team meetings to foster high-quality decisions & creative solutions

● identify & manage different forms of team conflict

● mitigate misattributions and stereotypes that can erode team functioning

● engage teams in reflection & feedback critical in a dynamic global economy

● cultivate a team climate to bolster decision-making, innovation, & creativity

● recognize some of the unique challenges of leading teams that are globally distributed

Time and time again, executives and alumni share with me, teams are a primary source of competitive advantage for their organizations, and yet there are far too few leaders who possess the knowledge, tools, and awareness to effectively engage teams towards this end. This course is designed to create a space for you to develop a team leadership toolkit so that as you take on your next role you feel confident that you have the knowledge and skills that will catapult you into leadership positions.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Dr. Brandi Pearce is a lecturer in Management of Organizations and the Faculty Director of Teams@Haas. Prior to earning her doctorate, Pearce worked in the Silicon Valley leading alliance teams for Oracle Corporation, one of the world's most innovative global organizations in the management of strategic partnerships. She deeply values the intersection between evidence-based management and organizational practice which is at the heart of her research, the experiential design of this course and is what she enjoys most about teaching. This set of principals spills over into Pearce's research in which she explores collaborative dynamics in global Fortune 500 organizations in Asia, Europe, and North America. It is her hope that students will leave Haas feeling inspired and confident about their potential to lead teams and create value for their future organizations. Colleagues and students describe Pearce as “collaborative and approachable” as well as “curious and passionate.” She aims to be a student always and admires those who can lead with and through others. Pearce can be reached at bpearce@haas.berkeley.edu