By Christina Couch
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Before she was a top nurse, and the coordinator of Magnet Recognition, a program sponsored by the American Nurses Association that recognizes outstanding RNs for their contribution, and long before she got her Ph.D. from Capella University's online Organization and Management program, Dr. Carol Young first learned the basics of making things (and people) operate efficiently in her own home. Transitioning from heading a household to heading a nationally known program, Young credits her experience as a mother as the foundation for her management skills.
"I'm very good with the budget at work and I think that stems from the years that I was on a tight budget [at home]," she comments. "I think someone that has run a home, does much better in business because they've got world experience."
Calling all domestic divas: If, like Young, you're ready to turn your world experience of balancing household budgets, mobilizing your family, and coordinating everything from homecoming dances to holiday meals, you may want to consider a degree in organizational development and management. Dedicated to making both for- and non-profit firms in a wide variety of industries run smooth as butter, organizational developers work with upper and lower-level employees to solve issues, create common goals, develop initiatives to help reach those goals, and increase the overall health of the company.
"A big part of it is interpersonal relations, conflict resolution, and learning how to motivate people," states Dr. Donald Cole, founder and president of the Organizational Development Institute, a non-profit educational association organized in 1968 to promote an understanding of the rapidly growing field.
"There's a lot of work that needs to be done in helping people work more effectively with others," Cole explains. Problem-solving, encouraging others, teaching people to get along. remind you of a play-date you hosted or a PTA meeting you coordinated? If so, you might already have a leg up in a new career.
For Kari D'Ottavio, a training development facilitator for Baxa Corporation in Denver, Colo., raising a 14-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son provided a solid background for a career in administering and supervising worker training programs. "When you're taking a look at a business, you can easily compare it to a home. The VP of finances, the executive jobs, we're controlling all of that at home and that is a skill that transitions very easily into the workplace," she comments. "The decisions we make [in the office] impacts the bottom line, just like with your home."
To supplement her home and business background and to make her a more valuable employee, Kari is currently pursuing a master's degree in organizational leadership from the University of Denver, as well as balancing raising her two children and a full-time job.
"Part of the reason I chose to go back to school is to set a good example for my kids and to show them that education is valuable and there is an ultimate reward," she states. "The other part is to gain marketability for me. From a business perspective, this [degree] is making me a better leader."
Effective leadership is what organizational development is all about. According to Dr. Cole, that means combining sharp management skills with an insider's knowledge of industry. In addition to your homegrown executive talents, you'll also need a thorough understanding of the industry you choose to specialize in, as well as an understanding of how and what makes businesses run seamlessly. Online degree programs such as those offered through Capella University, the University of Denver, Seton Hall University, and Villanova University will augment your life experience and can be adapted into your already hectic schedule, leaving you time to run the company that matters most - your family.
When you're in organizational development and management, you're primary focus in on how to things most efficiently, states Dr. Young. "Moms usually figure that out pretty fast - how to pick things up and how to get a meal on the table when they need to." They have to be a teacher as well as a delegator, he adds. Put simply: "Moms have to be home CEOs."
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