Students Collaborate with Baker Hughes on Strategies for Leading Global Change
When Northwestern MSLOC graduate students enrolled in a fall 2023 course called Leading Global Change, the syllabus indicated they should expect to “apply change management methods to organizational contexts that require cross-cultural competence.” What the students may not have expected was the opportunity to do so through a partnership with Baker Hughes, a company that employs approximately 58,000 team members in more than 120 countries.
This partnership was initiated by Leading Global Change instructor Ahmmad Brown, assistant professor at Northwestern MSLOC, and Nicole Durham, chief culture & DEI officer at Baker Hughes. Nicole knows firsthand the value to students in working with client organizations to understand, frame, and address real-time business challenges, as she experienced it herself when she earned a graduate certificate in learning and organizational change through Northwestern MSLOC in 2015. Reflecting on her time as a graduate student working with client organizations, Durham shared, “You draw from your other courses and get real, practical application. It’s a very thoughtful experience. Thoughtful – that’s what MSLOC is.”
Within and beyond the ten weeks of the course, Durham and her colleagues in turn have found great value in the partnership with students and faculty: “These students generously offered their time and brainpower to help us think through real problems and challenges that corporations like Baker Hughes are facing today: gender equity, flexible work arrangements in a hybrid world, and so on. We have regular discussions as an HR leadership team about these topics. It was a tremendous opportunity to have our team expanded with a group of professionals doing additional research to contemplate best practices and recommendations that we should consider across our global structure.”
The students worked in small teams throughout the quarter to conduct research and analysis on the challenge areas Baker Hughes leaders described. The course curriculum includes work to enhance students’ knowledge of cultural differences and the impact that biases have on performance in teams and organizations, followed by strategies that can be applied to maximize success during global organization change initiatives.
At the end of the quarter, the students presented their findings and recommendations to the Baker Hughes team, who called it “a fantastic experience.” The Baker Hughes team shared positive feedback after the presentations, including how impressed they were with the students’ work and command of nuance in their recommendations for communicating with a global workforce. Durham shared, “Undoubtedly the research the students have shared with us will inform our thinking and help us as we navigate these challenges.”
In reflecting on the value of the partnership to all collaborators, Brown shared, “Our partnership with Baker Hughes is another great example of how we facilitate learning and change at MSLOC, in the classroom and in practice, simultaneously. We prioritize mutuality in our learning experiences and we work to ensure our students are well-equipped to conduct the complex, multifactorial analysis all modern organizations require.”
Northwestern University's Master of Science in Learning and Organizational Change (MSLOC) equips leaders with the vision, knowledge, and skills to facilitate sustainable, positive organizational transformation. MSLOC is part of Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy which is a catalyst for positive change. As established leaders in educational design, learning at all ages, and social policy, we produce pathbreaking research, offer exceptional educational opportunities, and serve our local and global communities through mutually beneficial collaborations and partnerships. To learn more about the school’s programs, visit sesp.northwestern.edu.