SPSS for Dummies…My New BFF!

Posted on November 28, 2010 by alexk

I just finished 5.5 hours focused on my Quantitative Techniques Assignment and am thrilled with the outcome because I was able to complete all of the analysis.  With the exception of two areas I feel fairly confident that the analysis is correct.  How was this achieved in such a short time frame?  SPSS for Dummies!  I spent much of the week reading through this book which calmed me down considerably because it has a pervasive “you can do it” tone and simple examples that reinforced what I had learned at school last week.  It was my constant companion today, and I toggled fairly comfortably between the book, the handouts from last week’s workshop and my personal notes.

Tomorrow I am going to DO NOTHING, well at least nothing academic! I will resume this work Monday and generate a comprehensive list of clarifying and confirming concept questions to discuss with the tutor.  It was a lot of back and forth via email over the past week to schedule but we final found a time that works for both of us next week.   My next major step is to write up the analysis in a 2500 word paper.   I have taken both Friday and Monday as vacation days to give me time to focus on creating a solid first draft that I can then tweak and enhance.  In preparation for this stage I am going to read some papers that were handed out during the workshop so I can get very familiar with “appropriate academic writing style” for quantitative analysis. 

The writing stage is going to be heavy lifting but I am feeling increasingly confident that I can meet this challenge if I follow my plan.  I hope that the that the meeting with the tutor has similar ROI as the SPSS for Dummies, but think I can enhance this probability by ensuring that I am really prepared with good questions.  It may be early, but I am beginning to like quantitative techniques and am started to get quite excited about learning Structured Equations Modeling next year.

Posted in Quantitative Methods, Surviving the DBA, Time Management | Leave a comment

Everything Looks Like A Nail!

Posted on November 21, 2010 by alexk

Well I survived my week of quantitative methods and it was definitely tough.  That said, I learned a great deal more about statistics and am excited to learn more, particularly about Structural Equation Modelling which is a strong possibility for my thesis.  The course was difficult because I had a very steep learning curve in 3 key areas: conceptually, usage of notations, and new software.  The software piece for me was not just SPSS and AMOS but also EXCEL because I rely primarily of WORD and PowerPoint at work.  The other thing that makes stats hard is that different words are used for the same things, for example factors and constructs are essentially the same thing (I think!) or understanding that notation for samples and the population are different.  It was critical to ask questions and I was really comfortable doing this as were my classmates.

The above notwithstanding, I regularly toggled between budding confidence and significant insecurity for the first 3 days of the workshop.  I was very fortunate to receive support from my partner this week, who regularly reminded me that I don’t have to learn everything and also provided some quick EXCEL lessons which I was able to put to immediate usage.  I also spent time in the evening redoing some of the group assignments to enhance my understanding of the software and also read the notes that our professor had created.  Needless to say it was 6 days of very heavy lifting and I am thrilled to have survived!  I have already sourced two Statistics Tutors and purchased SPSS For Dummies.  My plan for the next few weeks is to work on my assignment and leverage the tutors to get deeper into the concepts and software. 

After a quick work out at the gym last night I went out for dinner and drinks which was great fun.  Interestingly  I managed to think through 3 life situations that would benefit from quantitative analysis.  For example, what is the probability that an actor (our example was Hugo Weaving who was in both  Lord of the Rings and The Matrix) could be in two overlapping  trilogies.   I am definitely in the “once given a hammer everything looks like a nail” mode, but at least I know how to hold the hammer!!

Posted in Quantitative Methods, Surviving the DBA | Leave a comment

Triangulation to the Rescue

Posted on November 14, 2010 by alexk

Tomorrow is the “big day”.  I start my 6 day workshop on Quantitative Methods which will culminate in an assignment due in mid-December.  Generally I adhered to this week’s plan and have focused on text book reading and reviewing papers in my field of study to see practical application.  The real win for me occurred when I revisited an additional text book, Management Research, by Easterby-Smith, Thorpe and Jackson.  The book has three chapters on quantitative methods that I had read in June.  At that point it was a really tough slog, but now I understood many of the concepts. 

So I think for me the key success factor was a matter of triangulation and time.  The Statistics Without Tears was a great foundation and generated some confidence to tackle the Multivariate and Management Research text books.  I am not as prepared as I would like to be, but feel that I am in a much better “headspace”, both emotionally and technically, to embrace the learning ahead.  Also my partner has reminded me that I don’t have to “fully” understand everything all at once.  I will need to do additional coursework, reading, and practice over the next few months to prepare for my Pilot Study and then a great deal more enroute to my thesis.  I have already created a development plan that highlights this, but I had forgotten about the longer term plan in my anxiety over the immediate tasks ahead.

I did a few additional things to prepare this week.  I downloaded SPSS and spent a short while walking through the tutorial.  It does appear to be very user friendly which is comforting.  Also, I reviewed the workshop agenda which is very practically focused, this created an additional sense of ease.  I plan to optimize the  opportunities to practice and ask questions – technical, theoretical, and practical (based on my field of study).  My other priority is to ensure that I get my workouts in, and stick to healthy snacks throughout.  Sounds trivial, but for me sitting in class all day tends to be highly correlated to increase caffeine and sugar intake.  I will resist!

Posted in Quantitative Methods, Surviving the DBA, Time Management, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Gaining Momentum and Leveraging Mind Mapping

Posted on November 8, 2010 by alexk

I am still not where I want to be, with respect to milestones, but I am feeling better about my progress for a few reasons.  First, I had a very good meeting with my mentor which helped address some of my concerns about statistics.  We agreed that I need to focus more on the concepts, and less on the underlying math that was the foundation of the ALEKS course.  I am going to continue to focus on reading the Multivariate Data Analysis and reread Statistics Without Tears, then create a “cheat sheet”, with key terms and concepts.  Second, I finally received all of my assignment evaluations and am pleased with my progress to date based on the actual grades and the detailed feedback.

Finally, I would be remiss to not highlight the benefit of taking a vacation day to get “back in gear”.  I was finally able to create a Mind Map of my research ideas.  This was an very efficient and meaningful tool to summarize my thinking and goals.  It served as a very useful foundation for my conversation with my mentor.  I downloaded the FREE software from http://freemind.sourceforge.net and found it fairly intuitive to use, with the exception of the ability to print.  Sounds trivial but I had to play with font size to create something that was usable!  I also input a few papers into my “research spreadsheet” and am developing the discipline to do so on an ongoing basis.  Case in point the three papers that I read yesterday have already been input into the spreadsheet and my ENDNOTES. 

The plan for the next week is aggressive, but thankfully both Thursday and Friday are scheduled as vacation days.  I will dedicate a good portion of both days to statistics and take Saturday off to give myself a free day before beginning the Quantitative Methods workshop on Sunday.  The workshop lasts for 6 fun-filled days, followed by an assignment.  In many ways I am eager to begin because I know that the sooner I start, the sooner I am finished.  Really looking forward to submitting the assignment and then enjoying some preparation for Christmas!

Posted in Quantitative Methods, Surviving the DBA, Time Management, Tips and Tools | Leave a comment

Trying to get back on track

Posted on October 31, 2010 by alexk

It has definitely been a transition week.  I am not at all pleased with my progress because I don’t have the level of intensity that I had before my vacation.  Also, I am feeling a bit anxious about my week of quantitative methods which begins in two weeks.  It is not that I haven’t been doing work, but it has been scant from a time perspective, and more focused on maintaining a level of momentum rather than achieving any defined outcomes.  This feeling was reinforced in my review of my milestones for October.  I am way off track!!  To add to the equation, I began the day with a lovely breakfast with a close friend which was much longer than anticipated.  Then, my plan to head straight to the library afterwards was thwarted by some logistical issues so I was not only very late starting to work but I am currently sitting at the Second Cup typing this post.

OK, enough whining!!  I have spent the past 2 hours organizing the many articles that I have printed but have not yet read, and also pulled together an agenda for my meeting with my mentor on Tuesday.  In addition to providing an update on my progress since our last meeting in the summer, I plan to ask him some specific quantitative questions, share my current thinking on my research and preliminary views on my pilot study.  He typically has a very calming effect on me so I am looking forward seeing him.  Also he is great at redirecting my plans so that they are more effective and efficient, so stayed tuned for the take-aways.

 Today I also realized that I continue to procrastinate on updating my research spreadsheet.  This is a spreadsheet that I have created to summarize the papers that I have read.  Fields include, overview, methodology, key findings, quotes, implications etc.  It is this level of detail that is valuable and will help me remember and leverage what I have read.  That said,  I hate populating the spreadsheet because it is very time consuming and I would rather just read.  I have taken Monday as a vacation day and plan to focus on the spreadsheet.  I then have to get back into the habit of not allowing myself to create the backlog, by reading and then updating the spreadsheet immediately.   

Am going to grab some coffee and cake now, and finish up Statistics Without Tears and a chapter of Multivariate Data Analysis, which is slow going but making some sense to me.  Still feeling overwhelmed by the concepts and forgetting much of what I am learning.  That said, I am also increasingly thinking that this methodology is well suited to my research question and my in some ways my personality.  I like the structure, rules and objectivity of these methods although I believe strongly that understanding is most powerful when combined with qualitative approaches because life, and business, is complex and nuanced.   Not sure how to end this post, and cake is calling so I am going to just stop writing!

Posted in Pilot Study, Quantitative Methods, Surviving the DBA, Tips and Tools | Leave a comment

Busy week ends with “mathematical readiness”

Posted on October 22, 2010 by alexk

It has been a “full court press week”.  Lots of post-vacation catching-up at work, networking, dinner with a buddy from B-school and starting winter tennis!!  I have not made any where near as much academic progress as I would have liked.  This will be compounded by my departure tomorrow afternoon for a weekend with my family.  I am looking forward to going home, but  wish I could be simultaneously at the library all day on Saturday.  Fortunately, I am taking the train so should be able to do some focused reading and thinking enroute.

I finally started ALEKS, an on-line business statistics course.  This is the good news.  The disheartening news is that the course begins with an assessment.  My score of 14/56 confirmed that I have a lot to learn.  The assessment summarized that my “mathematical readiness” is high, my understanding of descriptive statistics is low, and my knowledge of all other key business statistical concepts is nil.  Next week I will begin some of the core modules with vigour!!  I have also set up my meeting with my mentor for early November to get extra help.

Upon reflection, I realize that I did benefit from discussing my research at both my networking event and dinner.  This resulted in learning some new new perspectives of my research topic and also offers of access to additional quantitative support.  This is great.  Increasingly I am learning that, as long as you are not boring people, it is highly valuable to discuss your research whenever possible. It helps clarify your thinking as you explain your interests and progress,  and also is a great way to get new ideas.

Posted in Quantitative Methods, Surviving the DBA, Tips and Tools | Leave a comment

Probability

Posted on October 15, 2010 by alexk

My vacation was wonderful.  I had no idea how good it would feel to be away from work and research.  It was full on fun and frolic and I definitely recommend taking a break from commitments, expectations, routines etc.  I was surprised that I didn’t think about my research topic at all, but instead statistics popped up a few times. 

One situation occurred on the third day of my vacation, when I dragged myself to the gym for a short workout.  I used the shuffle on my IPOD while on an elliptical machine, it had a cool attachment that displayed the song titles on a small screen.  After my cardio, I detached my IPOD and went to  do some weights.  I engaged shuffle again.  What amazed me was “Word Up”, a great song by Cameo, which I had heard during my cardio was the third song that I heard while doing weights.  What is the chance of hearing the same song, within 15 minutes, in two separate shuffles of a play-list of 500 songs?  As I though about this question my brain immediately responded that I could actually calculate the probability of this occurring because I had recently read about this in my statistics text.  I couldn’t remember the formula, but was fairly certain that it would be easy to calculate.   So I guess this means that some of the statistics that I am reading is actually “sticking” -woohoo!

Today I spent a few hours reading through thoughts I  have documented over the past few months summarizing the existing literature on my research topic and where I might make contribution.  I then generated some new ideas on potential gaps and methodology and went to the library to do do some preliminary investigation.  I printed  several academic papers and checked-out 8 books.  Lots of reading to do!  It was fun and stimulating getting back into it.  Think the vacation was just what I needed and a good boost to get through the heavy lifting from now until Christmas.

Posted in Quantitative Methods, Surviving the DBA | Leave a comment

On becoming a DBA

Posted on October 8, 2010 by alexk

During the first week of the DBA program a professor spoke to us about how to think about our research.  I don’t remember exactly how she expressed it but the sentiment was not to think of our research as “it”, an object that we pick up and put away, but  it should be part of who we are.  She concluded that you don’t get a DBA, instead you BECOME a DBA.  At the time what she was saying seemed very odd, and overwhelming, especially because she indicated that everyday you should be thinking and working on your research.  I had no idea how I would find the time, or space, for research to play such a large this role in life. 

Interestingly a year later, as I write this post, I am beginning to understand what she was suggesting to us.  I typically spend between 10-15 hours a week on my research.  Reading articles on the subway to work, typically doing 60-90 minutes in the evenings after work, with a break on Friday nights.  Usually I am in the library for about 6 hours on Saturdays and I take Sundays off.  In addition to this scheduled time, research is becoming part of who I am, how I think and approach the world.  I have a much keener interest in understanding the perspectives of others and frequently reflect on ideas, theories and methodology, whether it is related to my field of study or not.

I am musing on this topic because tomorrow I am heading of for a 5 day vacation with my partner.  I am really looking forward to fun and frolic, and I am not taking any papers, text books, or my laptop!!  It will be the longest stretch that I have had without doing scheduled work on my thesis.  That said, I suspect that there will be moments where I be thinking and reflecting on my research nonetheless.  Looking forward to a lovely vacation and posting when I return.

Posted in Surviving the DBA, Time Management | Leave a comment

Struggling with statistics

Posted on October 7, 2010 by alexk

I have been musing about how to sum up and share the details of the first year of the DBA program.  Think the best approach will be to provide an overview of the “path” and then highlight some key learnings/events over a series of posts.  Today I want to focus on the present, which is all about statistics. 

Thankfully saying the word no longer makes me shiver, but I am more than a little anxious about an upcoming  Quantitative Methods workshop and then an assignment.  The issue for me is twofold.  First, I have an arts background and, although I have completed an MBA, my quantitative skills are very rusty because I don’t need to use them at work.  Second, everyone in my program seems to have recently completed an MBA with a focus on statistics and/or uses EXCEL regularly at work.  I am feeling very behind, which is quite stressful.  

To combat my discomfort I have embarked on an aggressive plan to skill up.  I am currently working through two books:  Statistics Without Tears, by Derek Rowntree and also Complete Business Statistics by Aczel and Sounderpandian .   One is an easy read and the other very difficult, so it is good for me to toggle between them.  Additionally, I plan to begin an on-line course called ALEKS in a few weeks.    I am also going to summarize key concepts that I don’t understand and have a meeting with my mentor to get some clarity.  Finally, I am going to review the papers in my field of study to get a clear sense of the quantitative methods in use so that I can relate what I am learning at the workshop to this research and also ask specific clarifying questions from a context that I understand. 

Sooo, if you are thinking this is a rigorous plan, you are correct!  My general approach to things that I am anxious about is to aggressively tackle the issue head on.  Typically I find this diffuses my stress and things tend to be not as daunting once I get “stuck in”.  If anyone has any suggestions or advice  please share!

Posted in Quantitative Methods, Surviving the DBA, Tips and Tools | Leave a comment

Thriving enroute to my doctorate

Posted on October 5, 2010 by alexk

I have been a tad reluctant to start writing.  Since it is my first post, there is a great deal of pressure to get things really right!  That said, the one thing that I have learned since beginning my doctorate a year ago, is that the key to writing is to write.  You can always edit later and the process of writing does two important things.  First, it forces you to clarify your thinking.   Second, it creates momentum which is essential for anyone who is seeking to complete an 80 000 word thesis in a reasonable time frame!

A quick update about me and then some thoughts on my hopes for this blog.  I work full-time in a mid-sized corporation.  About a year ago I decided to pursue a long-standing dream of completing a doctorate.  My goal is to become a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) on, or before, the end of 2013.  It has been a year of very “heavy-lifting”;  a significant intellectual stretch and a challenge to balance, or perhaps integrate work, life and academia.  My research interest is leadership, more on that later.

I am frequently told that pursuing a doctorate is a lonely journey and a highly stressful and time consuming undertaking.  I suspect that what I have been told is true.  That said, my goal is not only to survive this journey but also to thrive.  Ambitious?  Probably, but this first year has been simultaneously challenging and energizing!  I am quietly optimistic that the next 3.5 years will be similar.

I am starting a blog for several reasons, but the most important is that I am a huge believer in the benefits of reflective writing , sharing learnings and dialogue.  People have been very candid, open and generous with me so far and I hope to be the same to others.  

It is late and I have a full day of work tomorrow, so I am signing off for now.  Not sure how frequently I will post but will try and get a few in over the next week or so.

Posted in Surviving the DBA | Leave a comment