Self-introduction: Fahri Karakas

I am Fahri Karakas. I have finished Ph.D. at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, specializing in Organizational Behavior.

I worked as an Organizational Development specialist, trainer, and consultant in various organizations before he joined McGill Doctoral Program. I have taught Organizational Behavior and Global Leadership courses at McGill University, Canada and Bogazici University, Turkey. I have received McGill University Teaching Excellence Award. My recent articles were published in journals such as Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Management Education, Organization Development Journal, International Journal of Organizational Analysis, and Journal of Business Strategy.

My research interests include positive management education, benevolent leadership, values and spirituality in the workplace, social innovation and complexity, positive change in human systems, positive organizational scholarship, and appreciative inquiry. I am an active member of Academy of Management, Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, Academy of International Business, Organizational Behaviour Teaching Society, and University of Michigan’s Positive Organizational Scholarship network.

As a researcher, my vision is the following:

"We need new innovative, creative, interdisciplinary and holistic paradigms of thinking, research and teaching based on positive values, spirituality, social responsibility and service for our common good as well as for global peace, prosperity and wellbeing in the 21st century."

My mission:

"I want to make a positive difference in human systems, organizations, communities and the world based on spirituality, values and social responsibility through my research, teaching and service."

I have a deep passion for teaching. Teaching has always been my biggest passion in life. I want to transform management education. My passion is to become one of the best management instructors in the world by offering world-class innovative courses and building lifetime relationships with my students. I am dedicated to creating "Positive Management Education"; marked by a) an inspirational, collaborative, and flexible learning environment, b) project-based learning and applied skill development, c) open innovation and boundless creativity, d) a focus on students’ strenghts, passions, and dreams.

I love all my students (who decide to stay and endure the challenges of my classes:)

I believe the teacher-student relationship is not a contractual one limited to the class. It is a lifetime relationship. I will always try to be supportive, available, helpful, encouraging, and nurturing. I give utmost importance to practicing my values in the teaching profession: compassion, innovativeness, friendship, modesty, conscientiousness, hope, creativity, sincerity, and enthusiasm.

Years before, I dreamed about teaching, about my future students, about you. I always said to myself:

"One day...
I will design such a course that all students will love the experience.I will design such a course that I will discover the pearl in each student.I will design such a course that it will have a positive impact in the lives of my students.I will design such a course that we will all learn from one another."

And I hope that day finally arrived now! I have very high expectations from each of you.
Here is the opportunity for us bring out our best strenghts, talents, abilities, passions, team work, and creativity that we have inside. We have some of the best creative global minds here! I feel this class will be a great experience and a previledge for all of us. I believe we will have a transformational enriching learning experience. Thanks for staying in the course and welcome again!

I love you all! -- Fahri Karakas

Welcome to Leadership and the Global Agenda Class

Dear friends;

This blog will be our collaborative platform during our seven weeks. Welcome and enjoy!
Here is our course description and my welcome message for BUSA 433 Leadership and the Global Agenda.

This course is one of the few management courses in Canada that builds on unique features such as individual customization, creative skill development, project based learning, and positive change.

We will have a challenging and intensive learning experience based on brainstorming, research and creative thinking in the following seven weeks. You will have access to more than 1000 pages of information kits, best articles, and handouts in this course. Streams of knowledge and diverse ideas will flow from more than 100 visionary books. The content is truly updated, cutting-edge, global, and visionary.

This is a global intellectual tour that will expand your horizons and change your life – only if you are truly ready for continuous learning, creative thinking, collective visioning and collaborative working.

We are living, leading and working in an era of clashing forces, multiple polarities, increasing uncertainty, chaos and change. The collapse of national economic boundaries, rapid technological changes, workforce mobility, cultural diversity, and the increasing interdependence of human communities pose new challenges for leaders and organizations. This course is intended to help you appreciate and prepare for increasing complexity and paradox of management and organizations in the light of social, cultural, economic, political, and organizational changes in the global landscape. This is an applied vision and skill development course; focusing on the development of the new skill sets for global managers and leaders of the 21st century. This course will increase your awareness and understanding of the global business community and the leadership skills that are necessary for the leaders of tomorrow.

Leadership and the Global Agenda is a capstone integrative course for students specializing in International Management. The brand of this year’s seminar is “GL2”: “Global Learning and Global Leadership Academy”. During the course of seven weeks, we will have intensive brainstorming sessions, professional development workshops and executive training programs to help you and your colleagues to develop and apply international business knowledge as well as global leadership skills for your career in the 21st century. This is not a traditional course, but more a rich global learning platform and a rewarding dynamic learning network. We will not limit ourselves within a traditional discipline; instead we will have transdisciplinary, innovative and futuristic perspectives on world issues, international business, global leadership, and cross-cultural management.

This course will introduce students the contemporary issues in International Management that illustrate the unique challenges faced by leaders in the international business environment. International Management is an interdisciplinary field that draws on international economics, international marketing, international trade, international finance, international strategy, international politics, sociology, psychology, cultural anthropology, ethics, systems sciences, and political science. We will explore topics such as emerging markets, global mindset, global brain, cross-cultural awareness, global leadership, MNCs, and international NGOs. There are many challenges of operating and leading businesses across national boundaries because the wide range of differences in local cultures, languages, living styles, climates, food, education, legal and political systems, economic policy and infrastructures, environmental and labor standards, tariffs, import/export regulations, and more. Learning about these challenges and how to cope with them will help you function effectively in today’s complex, dynamic, chaotic international business contexts and global landscape.

This course is designed as a series of intensive brainstorming sessions, professional development workshops and executive training programs targeted at future global leaders and managers. This course is intended to help you and your colleagues to develop and apply international management knowledge as well as global leadership skills for their career and business life in the 21st century. It is designed as a learning environment, a company management trainee program that focuses on the development of knowledge and skills for global leaders.

In this course, we will try to build a bridge between global leadership and international business theories and practice, with a focus on practice. Special emphasis will be given to:

· Global perspectives and global thinking
· Changing paradigms and new mind-sets for global managers and leaders of the future
· Applications and hands-on experience in using global leadership competencies and skills
· Creative, innovative, integrative, interdisciplinary, dynamic, and holistic thinking

In today’s global, rapidly changing knowledge based economy, learning about global issues in management and business is one of the smartest investments you can make for your future. In this course, I am seeking professionals who are bright, passionate, willing to take initiative, care about developing themselves and yet also care about their colleagues, community, and the world. We will work on real-life projects to enhance the mutually beneficial partnership between the world and McGill. Our motto is creating and developing together.

This beautiful city of Montreal, one of the most cosmopolitan, creative and multicultural cities in the world, is a wonderful place to explore, learn, develop, and reflect for the interconnected world of the 21st century. McGill University is the perfect spot for learning and thinking about the 21st century global business issues as Canada's most internationally diverse university with brightest students coming from 140 countries. Welcome to our global learning network!

I sincerely welcome each of you and wish you best luck in this course!
Fahri Karakas
1 May 2010, Montreal