Lessons Learned: A Former Student's Musings on the Legacy of J. Bonner Ritchie at UVU and Beyond

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a former student’s musings on the legacy of
j. bonner ritchie at uvu and beyond
VERBATIM
FA L L 2 0 1 2 | V E R B AT I M
LESSONS LEARNED
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y first encounter with my
lifelong teacher was humiliating. In a graduate
class in 1985, Bonner Ritchie read one of “the
better student papers” in class. Without identifying
the author, he described the paper’s
logic and both publically praised and took issue
with the student author. The room of competitive
business students quickly filled with envy.
“Who was he talking about?”
Bonner turned to me, and I had to admit
before my mocking peers that I had written
the paper in a rush weeks ago and then forgotten
about it. My "almost" moment in the
sun collapsed into humiliation.
But that moment has lead to a friendship
and mentorship that has lasted more than
25 years. Bonner hired me to teach at BYU
and at UVU. Later, as department chair, I
hired him out of his second retirement to
teach at UVU. We have traveled, consulted,
written and taught together. My youngest
son’s middle name is Bonner.
As I teach and talk in different venues,
I sometimes hear Bonner’s words in my
voice. These “Bonnerisms” include:
“Be more than a student. Be
a scholar.”
Bonner quickly distinguishes between
a “grade-getting student” and a “learning
scholar” in his class. To Bonner, learning is a
sacred activity. Students, in one definition,
turn the part of the responsibility of learning
over to the teacher. They ask what to
read, what they should know and how they
should do their assignments. Scholars learn
by exploring. They define their own path
and set their own direction.
“make a proposal.”
With the freedom to learn comes the
responsibility to innovate. Many student
scholars have to learn quickly that Bonner
expects them to clearly define a learning
path, create criteria and justify their efforts.
He often floods the room with feedback, as
he did on my first encounter.
“things are managed.
people are led.”
I have heard Bonner, as an advisor to literally
hundreds of business and political leaders,
help them distinguish between leading
people and managing things. “Things need
to be managed,” he would say. “Budgets, inventory,
supply chains need to be managed.
But the work of leaders is with people.”
“every decision is an
ethical decision.”
For Bonner, there is no shade where you
can stand outside of the bright rays of ethical
values. Choices are not easy. They often include
choosing between the needs or rights of
an individual and the long-term health of the
organization. Bonner would often say, “Organizations
do not have ethics. People do.”
“organizations are
corrupting.”
It seems harsh, but organizations blind
us. In preserving organizations, leaders often
are corrupted by power and become
willing to hurt individuals for the sake of order.
This is a persistent force in most organizations,
even churches and universities.
“you see the future
in children.”
Bonner often tells the story of being asked
to consult with the Palestinian leadership
prior to the Oslo Summit in 1992. After long
nights of debate between the various factions
and leaders preparing to meet with
the Israelis, Yasser Arafat turned to Bonner.
Bonner took from his bag a pile of pictures,
taken by his wife, Lois Ritchie, of Palestinian
children. As the group looked at the
pictures of children, the mood shifted and
the future of peace became clear. The Oslo
effort not only won a Nobel Peace Prize for
the leaders involved, but was also the last
serious effort to bring peace to that region.
I have seen Bonner use those same pictures
with business leaders and students to
the same effect. The future is always in children,
and it is always in learning.
SCOTT HAMMOND IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AT UVU AND A NATIONALLY
RENOWNED CONSULTANT AND SPEAKER.
editor’s note:
the following was written by a former student of J. Bonner ritchie's as a tribute to the retiring academic titan. in
a career spanning four decades, ritchie built a reputation as one of the world’s great thinkers on matters of organizational
behavior and conflict resolution. ritchie spent a combined 33 years on the faculty at the university
of michigan and Byu. While at Byu, ritchie worked directly with israelis and palestinians to change long-held
paradigms and effect a lasting compromise between the sparring groups. in 2001, ritchie came out of retirement
to help build uvu’s Woodbury school of Business, which is now the largest business school in the utah system of
higher education. many of uvu’s administrators and faculty, including the author of this article, can trace their academic
history through ritchie’s teachings in leadership, conflict resolution and organizational philosophy. ritchie
gave his symbolic last lecture in the spring of 2012 before retiring again — this time, for good.
BY SCOTT HAMMOND
PHOTO BY JACOB SCOTT