Business Management and Public Affairs Management Faculty Members

Kelly La Venture

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Title: Assistant Professor of Management
Office Location: Wheeler 328
Phone: 715-682-1214
Email: klaventure@northland.edu
At Northland Since: 2011
Hometown: Menomonie, Wisconsin

Education

Ed.D., University of St. Thomas, Organization Development
M.S., University of Wisconsin-Stout, Training and Development
B.S., University of Wisconsin-Stout, Business Administration

Profile

I began training and designing curriculum in 2000 and began my academic career in 2006 with interest in business and management. As I began to dig deeper into the topics of management and leadership I developed a specialization in organization development. "Organization Development is a dynamic values-based approach to systems change in organizations and communities; it strives to build the capacity to achieve and sustain a new desired state that benefits the organization or community and the world around them" (http://www.odnetwork.org). My goal extends to working with all organizations, not just for profit businesses.

For me, teaching is an ever evolving activity: I am not the same teacher today that I was six years ago or even three years ago. My teaching has developed with expanded reading, opportunities to engage in professional development activities and through collaborative partnerships. I have become increasingly interested in designing and teaching courses online and applying a flipped classroom model. I find that integrating technology provides the opportunity to reach more students by providing them with courses that are flexible and accessible, and to employ my pedagogy creatively. I have implemented and managed two LMS systems. I have also developed and designed numerous e-learning modules, including High Performance Culture for a leading global consumer tax company.

I enjoy the small community of Northland College; I like the fact that I get to know students rather quickly. Knowing students is very important to teaching and helps me answer the questions ‘How can I help this student learn better?' and ‘What in the student's life can I relate to this topic so it is interesting and relevant for them?'

Research

My research has taken me to interesting places. I have worked in Ukraine, lived in the United Kingdom, have traveled extensively abroad, and I have worked with diverse teams in a variety of industries. These experiences led me to become fascinated with the ways culture; life histories and education (to name a few) shape how people manage teams, change, conflict, and influence organization dynamics. My dissertation as well my teaching experiences have bolstered my interest in how our concepts of reality shape leadership in organizations and how people working within these contexts navigate change. I am interested in how emerging leadership strategies allow organizations to compete in the global environment. I explore the application of human and organizational behavior in workplace effectiveness, accountability based leadership, authentic leadership, organizational learning, and fostering double-loop learning. My other projects include writing case studies for classroom and workshop use.

(i) Conference Presentation
La Venture, K. and George, B. 2013. PIE Making 101: Planning for, Implementing and Effecting Change in Higher Ed Classrooms. A presentation delivered at UBTech: A national summit on higher education technology and leadership. Orland, Florida. June 10-12

(i) Non-refereed Publications
La Venture, K. 2013. How the discipline of Energetics fosters double-loop learning: Lessons from multiple positivistic case studies.

Courses Taught

BUS 496 Senior Capstone
BUS 495 Research Assistant
BUS 492 Internship
BUS 490 Independent Study/Investment Management
BUS 450 Process Consulting
BUS 429 Managing People and Conflict
BUS 361 Organizational Behavior
BUS 350 Human Resource Management
BUS 326 Global Business Management
BUS 294 Teaching Assistant
BUS 250 Green Marketing Management
BUS 232 Principles and Practices of Management
BUS 229 Small Business Management
BUS 228 Marketing Management
Technology and Communication - coming soon!
Organizational Development - coming soon!
People Process Culture - coming soon!

Teaching Arrangements

eRacer (online, hybrid)
Traditional Classroom
Flipped Classroom
Independent Study/Arranged Courses
Senior Capstone
Research Assistant

Professional Workshops

Self-Directed Work Teams
Managing Organizational Change
Appreciative Team Building
DiSC: Building Self-Awareness, Team Effectiveness, Communicating Effectively, Sales, etc.
Appreciative 360 Assessments
Managing Performance
Writing Effective Performance Evaluations
New Supervisor Leadership Development
Mentorship Program
Coaching Effectively
Accountability Based Leadership
Influencing Organizational Citizenship Behavior

Consulting Highlights

Organization Development Consultant, University of St Thomas Health Services, Counseling & Psychology, Minneapolis, MN
Organizational Development Consultant, !FEST (5 themed restaurants, cafes, internet ducting's), Lviv, Ukraine
E-Learning Freelance Consultant, High Performance Culture
Organization Development Consultant - 100+ employee globally recognized hotel franchise
Organization Development Consultant - Two WI based university alumni, foundation and development departments
Organization Development Consultant - WI based university services department
Organization Development Consultant - Midwest 500+ manufacturer
Organization Development Consultant - Internal, Global 10,000+ employee manufacturer/distributor/retailer
Organization Development Consultant - Internal, Domestic 400+ software company

Awards and Honors

Outstanding Non-Teaching Faculty, Northcentral Technical College, 2011
Outstanding New Faculty Member, Northcentral Technical College, 2008
Certifications
Energetics in Organization Development
DiSC Behavioral Assessment, Certified Administrator and Course Facilitator
WTCS 196 Supervision and Leadership Development Certified Instructor
WTCS 104 Marketing and Merchandising Management Certified Instructor

Certifications

Energetics in Organization Development
DiSC Behavioral Assessment, Certified Administrator and Course Facilitator
WTCS 196 Supervision and Leadership Development Certified Instructor
WTCS 104 Marketing and Merchandising Management Certified Instructor

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