Early life and education
Arthur Langer was born to Eastern European immigrant parents in theCareer
Prior to joining the full-time faculty at Columbia, Langer was Executive Director of Computer Support Services at Coopers and Lybrand, General Manager and Partner of Software Plus, and President and founder of Macco Software. Langer teaches courses in information technology, human development, leadership, management, and higher education at Columbia University. He also consults for corporations and universities on these topics as well as on staff development, management transformation, and curriculum. In his teaching, Langer developed a “theory-to-practice-to-theory” (TPT) approach in order to help adult students engage in transformative learning. TPT underscores that adults learn best when they can relate theory to their experiences, and then revisit theory for its applicability to their personal situations. Students then determine through personal critical reflection whether and how to modify their existing belief systems. By consistently providing students with critical feedback and multiple opportunities to apply new concepts as well as revise their work, TPT helps them gradually examine where their new knowledge can be integrated with their existing ideologies.Notable publications
Books
*Analysis and Design of Next-Generation Software Architectures (2020) Information Technology and Organizational Learning (3rd Edition, 2018), *Guide to Software Development: Designing & Managing the Life Cycle (2nd Edition, 2016), Strategic IT: Best Practices for Managers and Executives (2013 with Lyle Yorks) *Analysis and Design of Information Systems (2008), *Applied Ecommerce (2002), *The Art of Analysis (1997).Articles
*“Designing the digital organization” (with C. Snow and O. Feljstad in Journal of Organizational Design 2017), *“Cyber security: The new business opportunity facing executives” (Cyber Security Review 2016), *"Employing Young Talent from Underserved Populations: Designing a Flexible Organizational Process for Assimilation and Productivity." in the Journal of Organization Design.Workforce Opportunity Services
In 2001, as part of the Workplace Literacy Program, Langer launched The Inner-City Workplace Literacy Study at Columbia University. The study included more than 40 low-income adults from Harlem, and it investigated how to prepare them for roles in information technology given their lack of experience in this field. The project identified challenges they faced as they trained to compete in the job market and showed that in order to successfully integrate underrepresented talent into the workforce, programs must merge technical training with teaching interpersonal and self-esteem building skills. As he carried out the Literacy Study, Langer developed the Langer Workforce Maturity Arc (LWMA), a tool designed to measure the job readiness of adult learners from underserved communities. Inspired by his own coming of age in the Bronx, Langer founded Workforce Opportunity Services (WOS) in 2005 to provide mentoring and workforce training opportunities to people from underserved communities and underrepresented groups. Today Workforce Opportunity Services creates custom training programs – along with mentorship and material as well as social supports - that deliver a pipeline of early-career talent to employers from under-represented populations, including military Veterans and spouses. As of April 2021, WOS has served over 5,300 individuals through partnerships with more than 65 corporations in 60+ locations worldwide.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langer, Arthur 1953 births Columbia University faculty Teachers College, Columbia University alumni 21st-century American non-fiction writers People from the Bronx Queens College, City University of New York alumni Living people