What makes organizations tick? What is organizational culture? How can managers motivate and better communicate with employees? IDC Herzliya’s MA program in Organizational Behavior and Development provides the answers to these and other critical issues of organizational management in an intensive, two-year graduate program that blends organizational theory with practical, hands-on experience.
Dr. Dana Pereg, who has headed the program for the past six years, explains that students in the program will not only learn about organizational behavior but will gain a great deal of understanding about about themselves. “The program is not only about cognitive and academic knowledge,” she explains, “but is about understanding who you are, both personally and professionally. You can’t be a great consultant if your inner story is not clear to you.”
Pereg says that students in the program learn to analyze and understand the core issues and root problems confronting organizations. “If they are coming to observe a group, they will see things that others don’t see. They can go deeper, and they can build a session or a few sessions to navigate a group into a more effective way of working,” she says.
Some companies and organizations reach out for help only in times of difficulty. Other organizations, says Pereg, don’t wait for times of crisis and are in regular contact with experts in organizational behavior to better develop their talent and gain a better understanding of how their company is functioning. Graduates of the IDC MA program are working in HR (human resources) departments of companies, management consulting firms, or operating their own consulting businesses. The field of organizational behavior is gaining popularity worldwide and is useful in the business and non-profit sectors and the public sphere.
The program, a joint academic program of the Arison School of Business and the Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, is offered in English (a separate Hebrew track is also available) and attracts students from around the world. Class sizes are small, which ensures effective communication between students and professors. “The experience is a safe place for students to develop,” says Dr. Pereg. “You can make errors, and you can learn to bring yourself. We demand a lot, but we support you a lot. It is a very safe place to grow, and in order to grow, you need to bring your vulnerability and questions.”
One of the program’s key advantages, she adds, is the close connection between what the students are studying and what is happening in the real world. IDC frequently hosts guest speakers who discuss current trends in the field, and students are required to take a minimum of three guided tours of organizations planned by the school during the two-year program. Students gain even more practical experience in their second year when they work together with other students, conducting a thorough diagnostic process and analysis of actual companies. “They have a real consulting experience within their studies,” says Dr. Pereg. “It is meaningful and memorable. They are integrating all of their skills and knowledge.”
Perri Katz, a 30-year-old Manhattan native, has been living in Israel for the past seven years and graduated from the MA program at IDC in 2017. She had majored in psychology in college and worked for a non-profit organization in the US before moving to Israel. She became interested in the psychology involved within organizations, including team dynamics and organizational culture. Katz was delighted with the personal attention that she received at IDC and the small class size. “I came from a large state university in New York, where there were 600 people in a class, and no one knew me. Here, they get to know you, and if you build relationships, they can last a lifetime.”
“I loved every lesson I went to and every class I had,” she adds. “It set the foundation for theoretical understanding and organizational understanding so that when I stepped foot in another organization, I had a lot of basic knowledge to support me.” The fact that the program was in English made things much easier for her. Today, Katz is the Talent Development Manager for Tel Aviv-based Similarweb, a digital market intelligence company with almost 800 employees, working on programs and processes related to career development, internal mobility, and succession planning. She attributes her success in the field to the program at IDC and says simply, “I wouldn’t be where I am without it.”
Kylie Eisman-Lifschitz was born in Sydney, Australia, and has been living in Israel for 23 years. Married with five children and living in Jerusalem, she worked as a lawyer and later for the Joint Distribution Committee before deciding to embark on a third career in organizational consulting. Today, she heads workwell, a management consulting firm that she founded.
Eisman-Lifschitz says managers need to manage people, and are frequently tripped up by the human element that is required. “I was looking for an institution where I could study and obtain my degree,” says Eisman-Lifschitz. “None were focusing on this aspect of behavioral science and its application in the business world the way that IDC was doing it,” she says. She adds that she learned a tremendous amount in the program, including decision-making, positive psychology, strategic planning, and organizational change theory. “They cover it all,” she says.
The small size of classes, and easy access to professors, she says, “make you feel like you are part of a team. I really enjoyed the entire learning experience.” Eisman-Lifschitz, who had been in the working world, was able to take the skills that she learned in the program and apply them to her professional consulting business. “For me, it was gold. I could take the knowledge and apply it in my workshops and my clients.”
Prospective students interested in a meaningful, practical, and fruitful experience studying organizational behavior and development at IDC Herzliya’s MA program in Organizational Behavior can contact for more information.
This article was written in cooperation with IDC.