The class emphasizes career development for Ph.D. students and career success once the job is secured. It is open for enrollment for spring 2025. The class is interactive and will be limited to a maximum of 36 students.

The class will be offered to all STEM-based Ph.D. students starting on March 6, 2025, and running through the remainder of the semester. The class (course ID GNEG 5900V; or class number 11047) will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-4:45 p.m. in Bell Engineering room 1108G.

In the professional landscape, especially in STEM fields, technical expertise must be complemented by people and behavior skills. Effective communication, collaboration and an understanding of organizational dynamics are crucial for driving innovation. The ability to discover and interact with different social styles can significantly increase an individual's or organization's capacity to innovate, resulting in improved productivity and success.

Innovation requires a hidden diversity of behaviors based on social styles. This notion underscores that the process of transforming creative concepts into tangible outcomes hinges on a rich tapestry of individual behaviors and interactions.

The Class Outline

• Finding the Right Job
• Succeeding at the Right Job
• Putting It All Together

Importance of Innovation

Innovation is crucial for both companies and individuals:

• For companies: Organizations that innovate outperform those that do not. This is because innovation leads to the development of new products, services and processes that can drive growth and competitive advantage.
• For individuals: Leaders who can drive innovation are more successful. They possess a unique set of skills that allows them to navigate and leverage the complexities of their environments to bring creative ideas to fruition.

Role of People Skills in Innovation

Innovation success is heavily dependent on people skills, particularly communication. Transforming creative concepts into practical applications requires more than just technical expertise. It requires:

• Effective communication: To articulate ideas clearly and persuasively.
• Collaboration: Building and sustaining active, vibrant networks of people, assets and organizations.
• Behavioral adaptability: Understanding and utilizing different social styles to foster effective teamwork and innovation.

Basis for Behavior Model

The innovation process examined by STEM-based Ph.D. students at the U of A highlights several key elements:

• Behavior as a reflection of personality: Individual behavior is a true reflection of personality, often communicating more effectively than words.
• Behavioral communication: Actions convey emotions, intentions and attitudes, forming a powerful language of their own.
• Social styles diversity: Leveraging the diversity of social styles within a team leads to better innovation outcomes.

Transforming Creative Concepts

The core aspect of innovation is transforming creative concepts into tangible outcomes. This requires:

• Diverse behaviors: Understanding and harnessing a range of individual social styles to navigate the innovation process.
• Practical application: Ensuring that creative ideas can work in the real world, turning them into valuable innovations.

People Skills Yield Hard Results

People skills, or social behaviors, lead to concrete business results. In every organization, there is a hidden diversity of social styles that can be leveraged to:

• Improve collaboration: Enhancing teamwork and communication across different styles.
• Drive innovation: Facilitating the transformation of creative concepts into practical, valuable outcomes.
• Increase productivity: Leading to greater business results through effective use of diverse behaviors.

Conclusion

In the professional landscape, especially in STEM fields, technical expertise must be complemented by people and behavior skills. Effective communication, collaboration and an understanding of organizational dynamics are crucial for driving innovation. The ability to discover and interact with different social styles can significantly increase an individual's or organization's capacity to innovate, resulting in improved productivity and success.

The class instructors are Jose Vega and Michael Mourot, with University Professor Ed Clausen providing overall guidance.