The Master of Science in Organizational Change Leadership is a relatively new degree program offered at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, but its curriculum addresses a growing trend to prepare future leaders amidst rapidly changing business environments. Given the organizational change leadership field is a broad one, UW-Platteville offers four emphasis areas to help students reach their individual career goals. Of particular note is the Safety Risk Control emphasis, introduced in 2018, which focuses on producing safety and risk control measures for businesses and their teams.
It’s an area that distinguishes itself by utilizing both preventative and forward frames of thinking, directing safety risk managers to assess potential hazards and then to develop appropriate solutions to mitigate them. If executed properly, this discipline helps and enhances every company with an onsite workforce. Worker safety is essential for any successful business to thrive, after all – a fact not lost on Jay Johll, a current student of the program.
“The Safety Risk Control emphasis stresses leading and supporting cultural change to positively influence continuous improvement in safety within an organization,” said Johll. “This is of particular interest to me as the safety of my personnel is my responsibility, even though I am not in a direct safety position within our organization. I feel that this emphasis has prepared me to apply the concepts of organizational change to help make constructive safety improvements within my organization and for those that report to me.”
“My favorite aspect of the Safety Risk Control emphasis is the immediate real world impacts that can be applied from the coursework. I have been able to directly apply my coursework to my daily work to become a better safety leader and to drive lasting changes." – Jay Johll
Applying classroom concepts to his work environment has been very valuable to Johll throughout his time in the program, but it’s the program’s other benefits – such as being able to work with his busy schedule – that made balancing his life outside of work easier.
“My favorite aspect of the Safety Risk Control emphasis is the immediate real world impacts that can be applied from the coursework,” said Johll. “I have been able to directly apply my coursework to my daily work to become a better safety leader and to drive lasting changes. I also love that I could work on my master’s degree online at a pace I could handle while balancing both my demanding professional career and very busy family life.”
UW-Platteville’s online Organizational Change Leadership program prides itself in teaching students real-world knowledge with the flexibility and freedom to make lasting change at a pace they choose. It’s a philosophy that is woven through all four of its emphasis areas, but is perhaps perfectly exemplified in the Safety Risk Control emphasis, where promoting worker safety is a continuous responsibility.
“The Safety and Risk Control profession requires a unique set of skills to be successful,” said Mark Miner, an assistant professor of the program. “These traits include a high level of technical knowledge and a total understanding of organizational dynamics. The safety and risk control professional continuously is dealing with and promoting change within an organization, and the Safety Risk Control emphasis within our Organizational Change Leadership program fits that bill completely.”
Just this year, UW-Platteville’s Organizational Change Leadership program earned the distinction of being ranked as the fourth best value in the country, according to BestValueSchools.org.
To learn more about the Organizational Change Leadership program and its Safety Risk Control emphasis, click here.