Post on 09-Mar-2016
description
transcript
Why are so many MBA programs focused on teaching technical skills like finance, accounting and operations as opposed to courses on staff development?
MBAs in a Post-Recession World
Where MBAs Went WrongAccording to Peter Navarro’s 2008 book on the
subject, current MBA courses and programs are
missing the mark in five key areas:
1. MBA programs should take a multidisciplinary
approach to teaching leadership-development
and problem-solving by including areas such
as sociology, psychology, human relations,
communication, cultural studies and
diversity studies.
2. Business programs should prepare students
for the challenges of the real-world by
combining theory with real-world application
through experiential learning.
3. As new technology develops and business
influences become more global, business
schools should focus on building global
leaders by teaching adaptability,
communication, innovation, collaboration
and organizational-development skills.
4. As the world becomes flatter, MBA programs
should focus on valuing diversity, cultural
competence and international business.
5. In the wake of major corporate scandals and
collapses, ethics, sustainability and
corporate social responsibility
(CSR) should provide a context
that is woven throughout all
courses of an MBA program.
Shifting StrategiesAccording to Warren G.
Bennis and James O’Toole in
their 2005 Harvard Business
Review article, the MBA degree
is no longer useful in today’s market
as the programs lack creativity, design
and innovation in their curriculum and
teachers. Adapting to the strategic leadership
skills necessary for today’s businesses and
practitioners, many MBA degree programs should
instead be driven by real-world case studies and
applied research in university programs like the
In light of the international financial challenges in the auto, banking, insurance, mortgage and real estate
industries, not to mention the international corporate scandals, such as those of Enron, AIG and Bear Stearns, criticism is growing over the value of the MBA for developing effective business leaders who are ethical, professional and respectful of their employees and communities. After all, if the definition of management is getting work done through staff or human resources, why are so many MBA programs focused on teaching technical skills like finance, accounting and operations as opposed to courses on staff development?
A Google search for ‘MBA curriculum’
renders roughly 223,000 results. During the
same period of time, a Peterson’s search for an
MBA program presents approximately 127
possible concentrations for aspiring graduate
business students to choose from. What is
most interesting is that even though most of
the results referenced thousands of individual
graduate business programs, the curricula
appear to be extremely similar in theory
and in pedagogy. Has the graduate business
school become an institution that produces
management executives through an assembly
line process?
Dr Emad Rahim and Dr Darrell N. Burrell
CEO MAGAZINE42
MBAs IN A POST-RECESSION WORLD MBAs IN A POST-RECESSION WORLDMBAs IN A POST-RECESSION WORLD
CEO13_042-043_MBAs in a Post-Recession World.indd 42 19/12/2013 17:07
Biographies
Ø Emad Rahim, D.M., PMP, University Dean of Business and Management is a PMI Certified Project Management Professional®. Dr Rahim has more than 10 years experience in business development, nonprofit administration, management consulting and project management. Connect with him on Twitter @DrEmadRahim.
Ø Dr Darrell Burrell currently serves as an Adjunct Faculty member in the Global and Community Health Department at George Mason University. Prior to his academic appointment he worked for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and was a recipient of the Presidential Management Fellowship.
working executive programs offered by Colorado
Technical University, Green Mountain College
and Norwich University. Students entering these
programs participate in practical, case-study
driven courses that require them to practice
making tough leadership decisions that influence
people, organizational longevity and growth.
When considering the nature of the
global economy, modern managers require
business programs to be more flexible, global,
technologically focused, relevant and compatible
with their particular needs and busy time schedule.
These facets are critical, as MBA candidates are
expected to diagnose problems, analyze data
and make decisions that can have long-term
implications. These new programs use
case studies and simulation exercises in
an attempt to provide students with
real-world application and plenty
of academic practice in crisis and
strategic decision-making. In these new
programs, students learn to apply theory
to management practices in ways that
are analytically rigorous and managerially
decisive, in a manner that is required in times
of corporate uncertainty. In times of global
economic chaos, business education programs that
develop managers who can effectively influence
practice through the use of sound decision-making
are a vital necessity.
From the Front LinesWe studied a focus group consisting of 24
management professionals who used their in-depth
understanding of today’s business world, plus their
own extensive and firsthand experience working
in that environment, to identify a potential
list of course topics that could be beneficially
incorporated into modern MBA programs. Focus
group participants were selected at random and
represented six different business organizations.
Participants were asked to respond to the
following question: Based on your leadership
experience and the challenges facing managers
in 2013, which skill-development courses do
you feel would help MBA students cultivate
the necessary leadership, decision-making and
management skills?
The answers were telling. Here, in order from
most to least important, are their responses:
1. Career Planning and Development: One
participant made the point that having a
career plan and strategic career goals were the
biggest driving forces behind career mobility
and development. The participants also agreed
that a sound grasp of career development and
planning skills on the part of executives would
make them better mentors.
2. Employee Performance Management and
Coaching: Participants said that one of the
hardest things is learning how to effectively
manage and motivate poorly performing
employees. The other essential aspect of
coaching is having the ability to help an
employee who has raw talent develop into a
star performer.
3. Critical Thinking and Decision-making
Skills: Today’s managers must routinely
make difficult decisions and subsequently
develop creative and effective solutions
that account for complex variables
and consequences.
4. Understanding Organizational Politics
and Culture: Making the right kind of
relationships can make or break a career,
just as not knowing the politics of an
organizational culture can damage it.
5. Managing and Valuing Diversity: Effective
leadership requires the kind of skills that can
develop diverse teams and get them to work
successfully together.
The focus group’s results heavily emphasized
the importance of leadership-development
training as well as communication and
relationship building skills.
In conclusion, the purpose of this study
was to explore and understand the nature of
leadership coursework required for young
managers today. Assessment was based on
feedback driven from practical and real-world
experiences. The insights offered provided
an interesting framework for the kind of
leadership training that is needed now, and that
will be required of future business leaders and
frontline managers.
MBAs IN A POST-RECESSION WORLD
43CEO MAGAZINE
MBAs IN A POST-RECESSION WORLDMBAs IN A POST-RECESSION WORLD
CEO13_042-043_MBAs in a Post-Recession World.indd 43 19/12/2013 17:07