The worlds of academia and business have long been operating in separate realms. Today, as a facilitator of teaching leadership at the graduate and undergraduate level, I am witness to these two domains working closer with each other to become intertwined and hopefully result in a synergistic continuum.

In the current knowledge and technology economy, a productive interface between academia and business is critical. Failure to recognize each other’s role reduces the significance of their crossing, therefore, potentially giving rise to discrepancy between demand and supply of quality employees, leading to disruption in the job market.

In my work, I have had the responsibility to enter into academic alliances with different public sector concerns, such as law enforcement and various county departments like the Department of Social Service. The task at hand was to develop, refine, and modify organizational leadership curricula as needed.

The main duty was to create a trusting relationship between employers and the university. This would enable the employed students to develop and enhance their leadership skills and competencies.

Class topics included ethics, communication, human resources, group dynamics, and so forth. These topics enrich the employee skills set, and increase their productivity and job satisfaction. As a result, stakeholders, such as the customers and communities they serve, their subordinates, and their higher-ups, are much more satisfied.

Case in point

The organizational leadership department at Woodbury University in Burbank, California, develops curriculum for professional needs of both public and private sector by making it applicable the next day at work. The ideal way to achieve this is through facilitative techniques. By implementing facilitation, the students experience in the class real-life scenarios that they can immediately problem solve.

For instance, one student was struggling with her boss and came to a crossroads and work. With class support, she looked at alternatives and began applying for new jobs. She was offered two jobs and the class helped her figure out which one would suit her best. She opted for the choice the class had overwhelmingly suggested and she is now employed by that company and is very happy.

This facilitative discussion and problem solving process, emphasized the weaving of theory (problem solving and decision making) and application (acting on the decision).