Keynote - What Makes a “Learning Organization?” (Morning)

Phil LeNir, President and co-founder of CoachingOurselves

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Phil LeNir co-founded CoachingOurselves with Henry Mintzberg. He has designed and deployed CoachingOurselves peer-coaching programs in organizations for 8 years. Phil has delivered numerous workshop and webinars on peer-coaching throughout Canada, US, Japan and Europe. Phil has written a book on Social and Informal Learning for Managers in Japanese published in Japan.

Panel Discussion: The Stakeholders’ Voice (Afternoon)

The most important stakeholders a university has are its students. We should listen to what they have to say and figure out how to learn from each other.

Panel Members

Ada McVean, third-year Chemistry student, McGill Daily journalist

Marisa Albanese, Interim Senior Director of Student Housing and Hospitality Services

Angela Yu, PGSS Equity and Diversity Commissioner, recent Rhodes Scholarship winner

Jonathan Nordland, Academic Planning Officer in the Office of the Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning)

Moderator: 

Kathleen Massey, University Registrar and Executive Director, Enrolment Services

A university might have many stakeholders, but the most important is clear: students. As managers, some of us interact with students every day; others are rarely in contact with them, even though what we do at work can affect students significantly. Is it important for us to hear their side of the story? Absolutely. This panel will hear from undergraduate and graduate students about their experiences at McGill, both positive and negative, as well as from people in the administration, who together will explore how we can learn from one another to improve the student experience. Expect a unique discussion!

Take a moment to visit the web pages of the conference sponsors

Workshop Session 1 ( Morning - Three Concurrent Sessions)

The Learning Organization – Manifesting Our Full Potential

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Dig deeper into the characteristics of a true Learning Organization

Jessica Malz, Project Development Specialist, Campus Life & Engagement (CL&E), Student Services

One of our Principal’s top priorities is that McGill “Become a Learning Organization”. Find out more about Peter Senge’s five characteristics of a Learning Organization and just how they can affect our structures and important processes (e.g. how we communicate with our community, continue to learn, develop, innovate, and make decisions). A healthy, engaging and stimulating workplace begins with each of us and a few principles that can turn potential into reality.

Fact? Fiction? Lies?

How do we separate real and valuable information from all the fake stuff out there?

Basem Boshra, Managing Editor and former columnist, Montreal Gazette

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We live in a post-truth, fake news, alternative facts world, where a torrent of information – some true, some false, much of it torqued – rushes at us every day. How do we separate wheat from chaff? How do we know who to trust? Let us hear the experience of the pros, the people who need to figure out every day what is true, what is false, what is important and what should be tossed. A nearly 20-year veteran journalist, Basem will bring irreverence, wit and, most of all, insight into one of the most challenging issues of our time.

Perspectives on Learning and Technology

Technology can help us learn, but not always.

Laura Winer, Director of Teaching and Learning Services

Frank Roop, Video Producer, NCS Multimedia Services

Steven Raspa, Undergraduate in Environmental Science

Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit – and whatever else is right around the corner – leave some of us, um, a bit baffled. Technology is far more complicated since before social media arrived, since laptops arrived. Our students in particular are often far more comfortable and adept at technology with which they grew up. But what of those who might be of a different generation or simply not as tech-savvy as others? How can we learn from the experts? How are they able to make the most of technology in the learning process, and what more can McGill do to facilitate that? Laura and Frank get into it about the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to technology’s key role in learning.

Workshop Session 2 (Afternoon - Three Concurrent Sessions)

Mindfulness in the Workplace

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How to take care when the world is piling on the stress

Joan Soares, Senior Organizational Development Advisor, Office of the Vice-Principal (Administration and Finance)

Learn more about what mindfulness is, its benefits and how we can apply it in our workplace. Joan tells us that high stress levels can result in decreased effectiveness and creativity, and can lead to increased employee absenteeism and burnout. Mindfulness is being integrated into many workplaces and, as research shows, it can enhance stress management and promote employee self-care. Additional benefits include: promoting clear and constructive communication, and enhancing workplace relationships. And, hey, be careful out there.

Drawing Conclusions about Teamwork

It’s not always about talking!

Caroline Guay, International Student Development & Communications Manager at International Student Services

The goal of this workshop is to tease out people’s assumptions about what makes for “successful teamwork.” This activity explores a variety of group dynamics including how people express their opinions, negotiate, collaborate, and compete. Participants gain greater awareness of their own assumptions, inclinations, and personal preferences when it comes to teamwork, and develop a better appreciation of how to work with others who may not share the same perspective. What makes for a “successful team?” How much of what we know “in theory” actually happens “in practice?” How do we perform when we’re in our comfort zone, compared to when we’re not? Get ready to talk, draw, laugh, and learn all about teamwork in this colorful, thought-provoking, and interactive workshop!

Time and Energy - CoachingOurselves

CoachingOurselves to better manage our resources

Tara Shaughnessy, Director, Communications Services

Angela Morse, Organizational Development & Talent Management Advisor

Work is not just about making brilliant decisions. It is also about how we manage our time and energy, individually and as a team. Almost everyone feels there is not enough time in a day, but there are days when we feel “Wow, we got a lot done.” How do we make that happen more often? Sometimes the problem isn’t lack of time at all, it’s lack of energy. When we are at our best we can zip through a project, but when we are tired or uninspired the hours go by but not a lot is accomplished.

The objectives for this CoachingOurselves session are to:

• Identify how we currently manage our time
• Learn how to work with our natural rhythms so we can maximize creative and productive work
• Reflect on ways we can work to make the most of time and energy.