Designing and Developing A “Real” Organization in the Classroom

Abstract

The article discusses experiential-educational philosophy. Research is examined which presents a behavioral science curriculum program developed to involve students in a “real” organization requiring them to solve “real” management and organizational problems and account for the performance of the organization to a “real” board of directors. This challenging experience is systematically used as the foundation for management skills and learning behavioral science concepts. Integrating theory with practice results is the most effective learning technique for certain areas of knowledge. The author notes that teachers of management and organizational behavior often expect the integration of behavioral science material with actual organizational experiences will enhance the internalization of management skills.