Defence College appoints Honorary Professor

The appointment celebrates Professor Bridgman’s long-running delivery of ‘Management Week’ to students doing the Advanced Command and Staff Course. Over a five-day programme, students receive presentations on management and leadership in the mornings from Professor Bridgman, and spend afternoons visiting organisations to see how they apply management in practice.

Management Week is part of the university’s Master of Strategic Studies for NZDF.

 “Last month was my 16th time delivering Management Week, which began in 2009 as two half-days visiting non-military organisations,” says Professor Bridgman.

“It’s now five days with visits to diverse non-military organisations. Over the years we’ve visited NZ Police, ANZ, PwC New Zealand, NZ Post, Beca, New Zealand Rugby, Vodafone, Department of Corrections, Axa, Aviation Security Service and IBM.”

The students, taking on board their management theory studies, learn about organisations that are different to the NZDF and are prompted to reflect on both theory and practice to develop insights into their own organisations.

Professor Bridgman says this teaching week is one of the highlights of his year and it was a “real honour” to be appointed as honorary professor.

 “The students are keen, motivated, eager to share experiences,” he says.

“What has always struck me is that they are present, interested, engaged and hard working. They really care about the organisations they work for and are really committed to them. That’s always impressed me.”

Lieutenant Colonel Al Mitchell, the Commandant of the NZDF Command and Staff College, says Professor Bridgman is an exemplar of the high quality people Victoria University of Wellington provides to the College.

“In turn that enables us to have a high quality programme,” he says.

“Todd will be the seventh honorary professor appointed in the last 25 years and first in that last 10 years. We hope to appoint more; in some ways we are catching up after an abeyance.”