Managerial Communication of Analytical Work

Thomas A. Grossman - tagrossman@usfca.edu
School of Business and Management, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94117
Judith Shaul Norback - jnorback@isye.gatech.edu
Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332
Jill R. Hardin - jrhardin@vcu.edu
Department of Statistical Sciences and Operations Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298
Garlie A. Forehand - geforehand@msn.com
Consultant, Princeton, New Jersey 08540

Abstract

When business and management science students graduate and have a job, they give many managerial communications about analytical work, but typically they are not taught how to give presentations in their undergraduate courses. We describe the characteristics of the "managerial presentation" and contrast them with characteristics of the "narrative presentation" that is given to technical peers and focuses on process. We then use the business analysis lifecycle to describe and contrast the real world and the model world. Implications for instruction build upon empirical data gathered at Georgia Tech for the presentation skills identified through interviews with engineers, managers, and senior executives in the workforce. We conclude by reviewing processes already used effectively for teaching the relevant presentation skills at Georgia Tech.

Key words
managerial communication, managerial presentation, business presentation, business life cycle, workforce

History
Received: August 15, 2007; accepted: March 12, 2008. This paper was with the authors 5 months for 1 revision.

Download the PDF
10.1287/ited.8.3.125

Citation Information
Grossman, T. A., J. S. Norback, J. R. Hardin, G. A. Forehand. Managerial Communication of Analytical Work. 2008. INFORMS Trans. Ed. 8(3) 125-138. Available online at http://ite.pubs.informs.org/.

DOI: 10.1287/ited.1080.0010