The Organizational Scientist: Summer Internships Provide Valuable Experience for Students

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Summer Internships Provide Valuable Experience for Students

by Ashley Andrew

A number of Organizational Science students participated in internships during the summer of 2009. Here’s a brief synopsis of their work.

Marisa Adelman, a rising third-year student, interned at Piedmont Natural Gas in the Organizational Effectiveness department. Her main project included researching and developing a job-rotation program, helping to conduct a job analysis and re-validate pre-employment tests, and developing an integrated talent management plan. This plan includes processes designed to standardize performance ratings and systematize talent identification and succession-planning efforts. Adelman will continue her work with the company throughout the school year as part of a graduate assistantship.

Ashley Andrew, a rising fourth-year student, completed her second summer internship with Bank of America. As part of a dual role, Andrew worked with the Center of Excellence Talent Management team as well as Leadership Development for Global Human Resources. Her work included developing a communication and engagement plan for human resources as well as examining various human-resource initiatives within the different areas of the bank.

Daniel Bonilla, a rising second-year student, worked at EQmentor, an online management consulting and networking company that focuses on developing emotional intelligence in leaders. He is working with Eva Rykr, a recent graduate of the Industrial/Organizational Master’s program at UNC Charlotte. In order to gain valuable applied experience, Bonilla contacted Rykr and offered his expertise as an unpaid intern. He also spent his summer working with Dr. Steven Rogelberg on the Shelter Diagnostic System, where he has been on the team for more than a year.

Marla Boughton, a rising fourth-year student, worked as a summer intern in the Leadership and Organizational department at Carolinas Healthcare System. One of her main projects was to help develop, implement, and evaluate a Co-Leadership Institute for Physician Leader and Practice Manager co-leaders in the medical practice environment. Other projects included planning the organization’s physician and management engagement event and the Leadership Development Institute, as well as analyzing patient satisfaction and physician satisfaction data. This is her second internship with Carolinas Healthcare System. where she also participates in project work throughout the school year.

Another rising 4th year, Heather Gordon, also returned to Bank of America for a second time to work in the Organizational Effectiveness Group. As part of the internship, she worked on creating a competency model and assessment for the Leadership Development associates at Bank of America. She also created a forum and webinar for LD associates to learn about best practices and have an opportunity to discuss the topic of Associate Engagement.

Samantha Paustian-Underdahl, a rising second-year student, spent her summer working for Strategic Management Decisions, a new consulting firm started by Scott Mondore and Shane Douthitt. After meeting Scott during a presentation he gave in her Macro Organizational Science I class this spring, she, like Bonilla, offered to volunteer her time in order to gain experience applying her skills. Paustian-Underdahl’s experiences have included developing behaviorally based structured interview guides for a pharmaceutical company, helping to develop an assessment center and analyzing employee surveys.

April Spivack, a rising third-year student, completed a 10-week summer internship with TIAA-CREF in its Learning and Development department. She interpreted results of an organization-wide culture survey and disseminated information to high-level executives in each of the main divisions of the organization, training them as to how to further spread the results and develop action plans based on the findings.