By: Sue Ebbers, Ph.D.
A giant in the field of Instruction Design, Change Management and system theory, Dr. Bob Branson, passed away in late July. This loss was particularly difficult for our professional community, because many graduate students in Florida State University’s renowned Instructional Systems (IS) program in the College of Education have credited Dr. Branson with providing the tools needed to really succeed after graduation.
Dr. Branson As a Mentor
Dr. Branson genuinely believed in his students, providing amazing practical opportunities to apply what was learned in the classroom to real world situations. For example, he gave me the opportunity to solve problems in the area of health behavior change. Through his guidance, I developed a concept around avatars facilitating a positive impact in personal health behavior change that was even provisionally patented by Florida State University.
One of Dr. Branson’s key academic achievements was to earn his entire Ph.D. in two years, which is unheard of in this field…well, any field. And while Dr. Walt Dick is credited with the ADDIE model, Branson first developed the underlying Interservice Procedures for Instructional Systems (IPSID) framework, which eventually became ADDIE.
It’s clear that Dr. Branson deeply understood change management. In fact, during the 2000’s, he taught a Change Management elective with an entirely different curriculum each semester, including Personal Change, Social Change, Organizational Change. One of the major benefits of this approach was students graduating ready to effectively facilitate change within any system, from individuals to organizational.
Bransonisms
Dr. Branson was Professor Emeritus from the FSU program, and before his retirement, he also as the head of the Center for Performance Technology within FSU’s Learning Systems Institute. During his involvement with these two organizations, colleagues and students alike grew to appreciate his words of wisdom, appropriately nicknamed “Bransonisms,” which frequently imparted key perspectives on life that could be applied professionally as well as personally. Two near and dear examples include:
“At some point you need to declare it done and consolidate.” That simple statement pushed Ph.D. students to resolve their exploration, and define their path.
“When you have a difficult but essential person on a project, you find a way to minimize their impact on the rest of the team while allowing them to perform necessary work.” That statement helped illustrate a practical method to practice leadership in a diverse workplace strategically and compassionately.
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