John Bingham

As you have probably noticed, we decided to take a small vacation. We are back now and completely rejuvenated! You can count on seeing at least 2 posts a week until our next vacation. And to show you we mean business, we decided to kick off our new school year with some professor posts. We have asked a few of our professors why they teach at BYU, what they hope students gain from their classes, and what advice they would give the incoming students. We will start with John Bingham, our Strategic Human Resources Professor. Enjoy!

-The Blog Team

Welcome to BYU!

I look forward to seeing you in MBA 548, Strategic Human Resources. I believe you’ll gain tremendous value from my course. I stress that human capital is one of the most vital, yet overlooked, means of establishing competitive advantage today. Many managers believe, or at least expect, this is the case, but have little tangible evidence to make the business case. They believe or hope that their most expensive asset is making a tangible difference, but have little understanding of the metrics that appeal to the senses and to the bottom line—tangible evidence. My goal is to help you understand the evidence that quantifies the human component of the business performance equation. This evidence will provide you with a greater appreciation for the traditionally “intangible” contributions of human capital and will enlarge your ability to manage more effectively for success.

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I’m a bit eclectic in my professional and academic background. I’m a research professor with a PhD in business management, but worked in a variety of areas before settling down in academia 9 years ago. In my early college years, I was a professional ski patroller, a backcountry guide, and a river expedition outfitter. Later, I co-founded two ventures; one in professional medical services and the other specializing in outfitting continuing education excursions. I was later involved in an Internet start-up and worked in business development in online retailing and media during the dot.com boom. My unique background gives me perspective and context, which I believe adds tremendous insight and value to my pedagogy and the way I approach problems. I believe this uniqueness is also what prompted my colleagues to invite me to BYU and what ultimately influenced my decision to join BYU and help contribute to the goals of this distinctive institution.

I love Brigham Young University, but I’m not a product of this University and I did not always bleed “cougar blue.” My undergraduate and master’s degrees are from the University of Utah. Later, I pursued my PhD studies at Texas A&M University. When my department chair at Texas A&M University heard I would be visiting BYU as a prospective candidate for a faculty position, he scoffed, asking why anyone would want to attend a University where faculty were not free to explore and develop knowledge as they wished. I had a high level of respect for the academic success and notoriety of my chair. Not ever having attended a Church-sponsored institution, I began to wonder and question whether BYU would truly be a good professional fit.

In my preparation to come to BYU for my research presentation and interviews, BYU’s Academic Vice President, Richard Williams, sent me a document called the “Statement on Academic Freedom at BYU.” He requested that I read it and be prepared to discuss it during my visit. I studied the document carefully, hoping to find some enlightenment and reconciliation. One statement stood out and continues to stand out for me. It is the only sentence repeated twice in the document—once in the opening paragraph and a second time in the final paragraph. The statement reads: “To seek knowledge in the light of revealed truth is, for believers, to be free indeed.” This statement struck me to the core and helped me resolve the tension I had felt. I have come to believe this is a model for how and why learning thrives at BYU. The Spirit can touch our lives to enlighten, strengthen, and sanctify us through “light and understanding.” This is why I choose to teach at BYU. I love what I do and I love doing it at BYU. Very few places allow you to integrate spiritual with secular principles. And I find great meaning doing it in the classroom, in my research, in my associations with other colleagues, and in my cherished interactions with students.

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There is much to anticipate in preparation for your MBA experience. My suggestion is to assume the role of a good researcher and collect lots of “data.” Everyone will proffer advice about your first year experience. When people give you advice, integrate their perspective, or data point, into your larger data set. Don’t let one data point skew you one way or the other, but let it operate as a unique observation in your attempt to produce a statistically significant study. Good researchers know that few outcomes can be predicted without sufficient statistical validity and enough statistical power to generate robust results and reliable findings. Ask for advice, lots of it. But go along building better predictions about the outcomes that are most relevant and important to you, coupled with the data you collect. Finally, seek out the reasons why you are at BYU. Actively search and you’ll find at least partial, if not full, spiritual explanation and confirmation for why you are enrolled in BYU’s MBA, and not doing something else. The more you seek to understand why you’re here, the more fulfilling (and even less stressful) your experience will be. See you the first week of classes!

-John Bingham, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Department of Organizational Leadership and Strategy