Jazz  at  Lincoln  Center’s  

Syncopated  Leadership  &  

the  Rhythm  of  Teams  A  business  workshop,  using  the  lessons  of  jazz

Syncopated Leading and the Rhythm of Teams  A business workshop using the lessons of jazz

Created in collaboration between Professor John Hollwitz and jazz pianist and educator Eli Yamin, the Jazz and Business Workshops explore the inner workings of a jazz ensemble within a business context, and apply the lessons of jazz performance and improvisation toward teaching useful strategies and best practices in managing autonomous business teams.

Jazz offers an unparalleled educational model that illustrates how teams can effectively deliver quality products and services in high-pressure and time-constrained environments while still leaving room for each team member’s voice to weigh in fully. Indeed, by combining an interactive jazz performance with collaborative team exercises and business discussions, the Jazz and Business Workshops offer an unprecedented and tremendously engaging approach to management pedagogy.

The Workshop

The format of the roughly 3-hour workshop is as follows: 1) Welcome and initial remarks by Eli Yamin, who introduces the band.2) Performance by the band. Participants are invited to enjoy the music and to observe how

the band interacts during the performance.3) Post-performance discussion in which participants share their insights, and teachers liken

it to jazz – a brief jazz history lesson is given by Eli Yamin.4) Participants take part in a self-assessment of their skills, and are divided into groups

based on strengths. These groups (e.g., writers, singers, percussionists) receive smallgroup coaching from the artists.

5) Participants re-form into teams that draw on the different groups’ talents, and are asked toprepare a deliverable that combines original lyrics with song, dance, and performance.They in turn present to the group.

6) Following the deliverable, Professor John Hollwitz ties the day’s activities to the notionof building and managing autonomous teams.

Benefits of the Workshop

1) Jazz provides a clear and enjoyable method for explaining the business concept ofautonomous teams. The performance demonstrates the viability of the notion.

2) The workshop lends itself to immediate application of the principle. Rather than anabstract discussion, participants are placed in a high-pressure and time-sensitive situationand asked to apply the concept immediately.

3) Despite the high-pressure deliverable, the workshop establishes itself as a safeenvironment that enables participants to take risks and encourages them to stretch out oftheir comfort zones via performance.

4) The workshop provides an alternative and variation to traditional case study-basedteaching of concepts.

5) The effective teaching of autonomous teams in this safe, yet challenging environmentprepares participants to be managers in some of today’s most innovative and forward-thinking organizations.

Since its inception, more than 500 participants from nearly 30 countries have taken part in the Jazz and Business Workshop. They have included chief executive officers, mid-career managers, MBA participants, and undergraduates.

Booking

Please contact Wendy Rothman at wendy@wenroth.com or at 917-538-0552 to discuss bookings. In addition to the 3-hour workshop described above, customizable packages are also available. About the Instructors

Jazz and blue pianist, producer, and educator Eli Yamin has performed and toured throughout the world as a cultural ambassador on behalf of the United States Department of State. A dedicated educator, Mr. Yamin teaches on a range of topics to diverse groups ranging from elementary school participants to leaders in the business community. As a bandleader, Mr. Yamin has recorded five albums, including I Feel So Glad and You Can’t Buy Swing. A member of the Fordham Consortium and a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts, Mr. Yamin is also the co-founder and Artistic Director of the Jazz Drama Program.

Professor John Hollwitz Since 2000, John Hollwitz has served as Professor of Psychology and Rhetoric at Fordham University’s School of Business where he teaches the course Management Systems. Professor Hollwitz’s research explores management strategies, experimental design, statistical modeling, item response theory, team building, and lifespan career development. Prior to joining Fordham, he was the A.F. Jacobson Professor of Communications at Creighton University, as well as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Loyola College. Professor Hollwitz is a life-long jazz and blues enthusiast who has extensively studied and taught about the application of jazz performance in business practice.