Follow the trails: A path to systematically designing corporate alumni programs

Organizations today are facing increasing amounts of turnover and evolving labor markets. When employees leave they become corporate alumni, which initial research suggests are an important and valuable part of an organization’s network. Corporate alumni can provide value as brand ambassadors, a source of employee referral, as a return employee (i.e. boomerang), or through knowledge sharing. One way to establish a strong network of alumni and achieve some of these benefits is to establish a corporate alumni program (CAP). Although CAPs are increasingly being recognized as beneficial for organizations, little is known about how to systematically design and implement these programs to enhance the likelihood of success. In this article, we utilize instructional systems design processes to offer guidance for how to strategically develop CAPs. We analyze existing programs to highlight common elements and use this research as a basis for creating the TRAILS typology, a way to designate practices for CAP implementation. We also suggest ways to evaluate and determine whether these programs are successful

A Selected Review of Exemplary Diversity Articles Published in the Journal of Management Education

Issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are timely topics in business, education, and politics. As Associate Editors for the Journal of Management Education (JME) we recognize the journal’s ability to contribute to these conversations. In this article, we take stock of DEI research in JME and review 17 exemplary articles published since 2000. A common theme in these articles is that management educators play an important role in creating inclusive classrooms to educate the next generation of leaders of multicultural organizations and that this task should be done proactively. Yet, even the most well-intentioned faculty members may be worried or lack the confidence to handle DEI-related challenges and conversations in the classroom. This collection of articles is intended to help guide business faculty through the unprecedented challenges associated with teaching DEI or having difficult discussions about diversity. The articles in this collection (1) advance the way we think about DEI by offering frameworks, reviews, and new perspectives, (2) address some of the most pressing and prevalent issues related to cultural-diversity and gender, and (3) provide activities and exercises to be implemented in the classroom to increase student sensitivity

The future of employee development

A series of trends shaping the current workplace has changed the nature of human capital development practice to be more employee-driven. However, existing development research does not fully account for this shift and the anticipated benefits of employee-driven development. In this review we reflect on the current state of the employee development literature and propose a new, broader conceptualization of employee development characterized by a partnership between the employer and employee. In doing so, we offer three recommendations for how research needs to evolve to align employee development scholarship with current practices: (1) incorporate proactivity in the definition of employee development, (2) update the context for learning, and, (3) think differently about how human capital is valued. We suggest ways in which theory can be extended for increasing our understanding of several commonly used employee-driven development methods. Finally, we provide future research questions and practical suggestions based on our new conceptualization of employee development

A Systematic Approach to Educating the Emerging Adult Learning in Undergraduate Management Courses

Management education research has provided educators with new instructional tools to improve course design and update the methods used in the classroom. In an effort to provide the typical undergraduate management student with the best possible learning experience and outcomes, it is important to recognize how and why these new activities benefit the student. To reach this goal, one must first understand that the traditional undergraduate management student, aged 18 to 25 years, is in a phase of life development referred to as emerging adulthood in which they are distinctly different from mature adults demographically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. With this understanding, our research analyzes how each of the six assumptions of andragogy can be applied uniquely to the emerging adult undergraduate student. We provide the management educator with a method for classifying the level of development of students along the focus areas of andragogy, general instructional design ideas for addressing those particular levels of development, and a number of specific activities identified in a review of Journal of Management Education articles with notes on the conditions under which activities will be most effective. Student learning experiences can be improved when course activities are designed more intentionally and meaningfully