RESEARCH AND PROJECTS

There are numerous research projects that have been or are being carried out at the University that focus on measuring work climates and building great places to work. Two sources of that research are described below.

LS&A Organizational Studies Program

One outstanding source of energy and insight, helping the Building Great Places to Work initiative move out around campus, has been LS&A's Organizational Studies Program. Projects carried out by the Program's undergraduate student interns include:

Fall & Winter Terms, 2002–2003

Project I:
Joanna Eisen, junior, and Perri Newman, senior, with help from Professor Rick Price (Psychology), developed a survey instrument that will measure the climate of an academic unit as seen by faculty, and the same climate as seen by staff.

Project II:
Linda Andrews, junior, Mary Dardarian, junior, and Emily Sutkus, senior, researched the subject of new employee orientation, and its effect on employee morale. Using the literature, plus a survey of 23 peer universities, the group developed a proposal for an expanded UM orientation that would help integrate new staff into the culture of a research university, and of "the leaders and the best." Their materials are now in discussion at University Human Resources.

Fall & Winter Terms, 2003–2004

Project I:
Joanna Eisen, now a senior, is working with the School of Nursing to conduct the survey that she and Perri Newman developed last year (see above). The survey data will be used to provide useful feedback for the school about current climate issues there.

Project II:
Leaat Dulberg, senior (Business School), Solyn Lee, junior, and Leanne Wintrode, senior, are working with Business School faculty members to test out ideas from their recently published books in conjunction with a local University unit to produce what might be called "Michigan tips for Michigan managers."

Leaat is working with Gretchen Spreitzer's book A Company of Leaders and staff groups at the Alumni Association, exploring Spreitzer's ideas on empowerment.

Solyn is working with Paula Caproni's book The Practical Coach and Athletic Department coaches, to describe more concretely how the coaching metaphor applies to supervision.

Leanne is working with Jane Dutton's book Energize Your Workplace and at the Autism and Communication Disorders Center (where she is on staff). Leanne will conduct a survey there, looking at the frequency and effect of the "high-quality connections" Dutton describes in her book.

The Whole Systems Practicum

An outstanding community resource, the Whole Systems Practicum is an advanced, year-long class for mid-career professionals, honing their skills in assisting organizational change. Each class member carries out a volunteer consulting project, and several of them have chosen to work with Building Great Places to Work.

2002–2003:

Sandra Greenstone, Ann Arbor organizational consultant, and Martha Young, JD, a Grosse Pointe-area executive coach working with Building Great Places to Work, proposed to management at Plant Building Services a project aimed at improving trust among the layers of staff members, supervisors, foremen, and management. The project involved all levels of workers from all three round-the-clock shifts in identifying needs and establishing working plans to meet those needs. The project continues; Greenstone and Young have continued to offer their services at no cost.

2003-2004:

MaryBeth Averill, internal consultant to management teams in a large corporation, Karen Dickinson, customer relations consultant at UM's ITCS, and Sanyani Edwards, currently earning a master's degree in organizational development, have proposed to Housing Facilities to serve as consultants on two fronts this year:

Assisting the leadership of the department in planning for transition as long-time director George San Facon retires.

Facilitating the department's use of research being carried out there by PhD student Adam Grant.

Adam Grant, a doctoral student in organizational psychology, is collaborating with Building Great Places to Work. He is working with several diverse groups on campus to test his theory of perceived impact at work, which proposes that workers who feel that they have a positive impact on others in several key ways are motivated to achieve high levels of work satisfaction, effective performance, organizational commitment, and pro-social behavior.