CommerceUVA Fall 2007 (Investors' Report) - McIntire School of ...

ing high-stakes decisions and undertaking actions that affect
peoples’ lives. “For me,” says mcintire professor tom Bateman,
“leadership really boils down to effective problem solving.”
Bateman directs the highly touted uva lead program, a
multidisciplinary initiative designed to teach students from
around Grounds how to lead positive change. “leadership
isn’t just about style or learning how to behave,” Bateman says.
“it’s about identifying, tackling, and solving problems—and
inspiring others to do the same.” too often, Bateman points
out, when people think of leaders, they think of characteristics
such as vision or charisma. But charisma, Bateman says, “must
be complemented by substance.” leaders must not only be
able to identify problems and opportunities—they must also
know how to get things done and how to motivate others.”
(see sidebar, Leading: The Way.)
indeed, he says, the mysterious charm we often associate
with leaders can be learned. “you can learn how to look
people in the eye and how to speak to them in a way that will
make them feel personally touched,” Bateman says. “and you
can learn how to articulate a vision in a way that appeals to
people.” But the dynamics of real leadership are infinitely more
nuanced and complicated than Cal ripken (or even santa
Claus) would have you believe. “many people say they want to
be leaders,” Bateman says. “But only a few are really prepared
for the challenges.”
Leadership is about
identifying, tackling, and
solving problems—and
inspiring others to do the
same.
—Tom Bateman
Leading: The Way
Why are some leaders able to consistently make good decisions, while
others (we’re not mentioning any names) seem to make gaff upon
botch upon blunder?
Professor Tom Bateman argues that the leadership breakdowns
we often label “incompetence” are the result of a failure to successfully
implement what decision theorists call “procedural rationality.”
In a nutshell, procedural rationality means completing the following
steps:
❖ Choosing the right issue for action
❖ Defining the scope of the problem and establishing clear goals
❖ Generating and assessing options
❖ Choosing courses of action
❖ Planning implementation
❖ Taking action
❖ Following up by assessing how things are going, and
❖ Changing the approach as needed
“Procedural rationality, and leading for results, means choosing
the options that yield the best possible consequences for multiple
stakeholders,” Bateman says. “That may sound obvious, but history
has shown that various all-too-human biases often get in the way.”
One of the classics, he says, is choosing to seek advice only from
a sympathetic “in-group”—and, of course, there’s always the old
standby, wishful thinking.
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