TNS- A Real-time Change Laboratory
I am writing a lab report. Its something that I have not done since my sophomore year geology class. This lab experiment however is not about chemicals or rocks. Its not even about economics or policy (common labs at Milano). In this lab my subject/victims are people and the topic of my research is CHANGE.
Concurrent to my Ms in Nonprofit Management I am also pursuing a post-graduate certificate in Organizational Development. OD, as it is often referred to, is a rapidly growing field in the public, private and nonprofit sector. Mark Lipton, the previous Chair of the Management Program at Milano is globally known for his work with the Vision’s Model of change -A key selling point for the school. But I digress…..
This semester I took a course title Foundations in Organizational Change. The title is fairly self-explanatory. The class focuses on the basics of how to effectively create change in an organization. For my final assignment, I had to seek out a ‘lab’ in which I can initiate and/or monitor a change process over duration of 4 weeks. The project was/is not so much about the change itself, but rather learning to plan and create a process that leads to a desired outcome.
This is exciting stuff….well at least I think it is.
My friend and fellow blogger Laura mentioned a few post’s ago, that I was recently elected to the New School University Student Senate (USS). Subsequent to that I was also elected to the position of President of the USS. In the last few months I have also been involved in organizing a trip to India for student of TNS. This winter about a dozen of us will spend 3 weeks backpacking across the world’s largest democracy, visiting and volunteering with various NGOs/Nonprofit organizations. Since Fall last year, I have been coordinating and organizing social events for Milano students. A student need that until my arrival had essentially been ignored.
My point is that, when it came to choosing a ‘change laboratory’ I was spoilt for choice. Instead of finding external labs, I had the option of writing my report on any of several great initiatives taking place right here at The New School. It feels good to do a paper without all the researching, footnoting and referencing. However, my finals in econ and quantitative analysis are more than making up for the slack I got from this one paper.
In the end, I chose the India Trip. Getting this trip off the ground has been a great experience and I promise to post more about it in the coming weeks. For now I must take your leave, school work… I mean lab work beckons.
