The Business of Education
Associate professor Shari Peterson coordinates work and human resource education with business acumen
Shari Peterson, associate professor and coordinator for work and human resource education programs, was once a keen and contented buyer and senior manager for Dayton’s department stores. Her favorite part of the job, she says, was coaching her team of managers.
“Leadership development was the best aspect of my job at Dayton’s,” she says. “No wonder I now find myself teaching courses in Human Resource Development (HRD) and Adult Education.”
When she was offered an opportunity to come to the U of M to coordinate the Marketing Certificate Program, she jumped at the chance. In that position, Peterson taught courses in marketing and management to undergraduates. In her “spare time” she completed a Ph.D.
She then transferred to a new department, allowing a shift in focus to research and teaching and advising graduate students. She claims that advising bright doctoral students is a privilege she relishes, saying “I like to stay closely connected to my doc advisees to get them off on the right foot, grow academically, and ultimately succeed.”
Today, as coordinator of the work and human resource education program in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development, Peterson acts as a liaison and conduit of information between the department chair, faculty, and students.
“I schedule courses, lead program meetings, disseminate information used for admission decisions, market the program and answer inquiries from potential students, and facilitate moving forward with the ‘Blue Ribbon’ initiative as it relates to our work and human resource education program,” she says breathlessly.
Peterson has numerous research projects underway, primarily in the field of HRD. Using her unique combination of real-world business experience and academic acumen, Peterson’s research examines the impact of organizational culture on employee turnover, on HRD as a strategic partner, and on workplace learning. Her newest research will examine the relationship between culture and employee derailment potential.
“Cultures are imbedded in organizations. Changing them is the most difficult change of all to affect. First, organizations need to recognize their culture and their employees’ perceptions of it,” she says. “My work is all about the relationship between the individual and his or her working environment.”
Peterson adds that there are similarities between the influences of culture in a corporation and that of an academic institution. Thus the challenges in retaining and developing employees, college students, and faculty are also similar in many respects. Her role in the college, she says, is the perfect blend of her experiences as an academic and a businesswoman.
Story by Brigitt Martin | September 2011
