HOW CAN AN MBA CHANGE THE WORLD?

Transcription

1 HOW CAN AN MBA CHANGE THE WORLD? IMD Chemin de Bellerive 23 PO Box 915, CH-1001 Lausanne Switzerland Tel: Fax:

2 2011 By Nisha Chand 1972 By Luigi Dusmet 1972 By Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen How can an MBA change the world? When I started to ponder this question, the first thoughts that came to my mind were about great philanthropists, activists, soldiers and volunteers who devote their lives to great causes. How many of them were MBAs? Surely there were MBAs who had changed the world but not necessarily for the better. I bet that there were a few MBAs at the heart of the Enron scandal and the crisis. But what did changing the world actually mean to me? Could I ever make even an iota of difference to the world around me? One thing I know for sure: the IMD MBA may not have turned me into an outright activist, but it has changed me profoundly has undoubtedly been the most intense year of my life. I have not only been intellectually challenged by the curriculum, super-smart classmates and some of the world s best professors, but I have also embarked on a powerful emotional journey of selfdiscovery. I was Dean of IMEDE (as it then was) when we started the MBA in I m absolutely convinced that an MBA still has value, and that the program here is in a class by itself, as it s incomparable. When I think about the value that an MBA from this institution brings, three main things spring to mind. First is the diversity that makes the MBA program here the only one that is truly international. From the beginning we wanted people from every corner of the world, and that has contributed to the school s success. With faculty, we aimed to select professors with outstanding skills as classroom performers. That didn t mean giving lectures, but rather enabling students to do their own analysis and draw their own conclusions. The quality of the faculty determines the quality of the school, and we were fortunate with the professors we hired during 1971 including Xavier Gilbert and Peter Lorange before we launched the MBA program the following January. Regarding MBA students, we were very strict and selective and took only 30 in our first MBA class. When we looked at the applications, we applied the My MBA here finalized my formal education. At that time I was very happy getting into such an international environment. It was a fantastic year for me. I was the youngest or second youngest on the program, fresh from business school in Denmark, and didn t have a lot of practical experience. So the change of environment was fascinating I enjoyed meeting so many different nationalities and being exposed to new impressions and ideas. We felt a bit like pioneers, because we were very aware that the MBA program was a new experience for the school. There were also some new professors, including Xavier Gilbert and Peter Lorange. For me the most important part of the IMEDE/IMD experience was the teaching. We were very involved and engaged in the classroom, and I was extremely impressed with the professors. The school adopted a holistic approach rather than the more partial and theoretical approach in other educational institutions. It was a significantly different approach to learning, using the case method. There were a lot of case materials and reading, which often led to a good discussion and useful insights. IMD THE GREAT DEBATE Page 2/5

3 There were many times in the year when I questioned the value of the program. Was it necessary to go through the very emotional process of learning more about myself through writing an identity narrative, leadership papers and selfevaluation surveys? I was already fighting so hard to absorb the principles of finance, accounting and strategy. After all, we had only 11 months to master a curriculum that many other MBA schools took two years to complete. Couldn t the quest to know-thyself wait until after I was done understanding the Black-Scholes options pricing model? But looking back on the year, I am beginning to see the value of the struggle that I went through. Do I know myself better? Absolutely. Is there more to find out? Absolutely. Do I know finance? Yes. Will I become an investment banker? Never. The journey that I have embarked upon during the IMD MBA is far from over. I have finally begun to understand the remark of my leadership coach: To continue to grow, you will have to continue to listen closely to yourself. This isn t selfish on the contrary. It has taken a lot of faith, but I strongly believe that listening to myself does not mean that I will be less likely to listen to others. On the contrary, usual rule of 10% sure in and 10% sure out. The goal with the remaining 80% was to ensure the desired geographic distribution worldwide, and the right mix of professional background and experience. That way, students could learn as much from each other as from their teachers. Second is the mix of competition and co-operation. Many MBA students who were used to being among the best might have been only average relative to their IMD classmates when they arrived here. This wasn t easy for them to take at first, but most of them saw the value of being co-operative and working in teams as well as competing with their peers. The other benefit of co-operation is the sharing of skills. The IMEDE (and now IMD) MBA program endeavored to make highly literate students better at dealing with numbers, and to make technically oriented students better at human relations. I remember one marketing executive from a beer company who did the MBA program here. Initially he wasn t so good with numbers, but when he went back to his company he had the full attention of the controller because he could understand and talk about the financials. Third is decision-making and its consequences. At this institution, probably more than in any other traditional MBA program, students were (and still are) made aware that all business decisions have a social impact. The concept of learning by discussing issues in different cases was really positive. And the discussions were very broad because it was a class of people with such diverse backgrounds. The MBA program gave me a lot of personal development. There was an enormous amount of work, which was really a change compared to more typical study programs. The whole IMEDE/IMD program was completed within one calendar year, so it was an intense experience. You did your best to cope with different tasks. What happened was that you did what you could in the time you had. But in the end, of course, there were still other things you felt you could have done. In that respect the program was good preparation for business life afterwards. That s the nature of working in a business environment; you often feel there s a multitude of different tasks to deal with, so you have to prioritize. It was a real-life learning experience. The program really helped me a lot. It gave me a broad exposure and experience with international cultures. And it gave me many tools I benefited from later in my business career. Certainly it made me more confident and helped me decide on my own career path. I have very happy memories of my time at IMEDE/IMD. IMD THE GREAT DEBATE Page 3/5

4 it means I am more likely to be available to them and to understand and work with them in a deeper and more authentic way. I would not have realized this had I separated the process of self-discovery from the intense academic learning and intellectual stimulation in the MBA program. There would have been no context in which to study and understand myself. The impact that this combination has brought about has changed my life. And isn t this how the world changes one individual at a time? Nisha Chand is a member of the IMD MBA Class of That s something the people who got us into all this current financial mess forgot. There are social consequences for the entire community depending on whether a company is hiring or firing, and on the working conditions it provides. If there s any way an MBA can change the world, it s by extending this concept of social impact. Finally, I would like to express my great sense of gratitude to the late Jean-Constant Corthésy, formerly Managing Director of Nestlé and Chairman of IMEDE s board. He staked his personal prestige on the introduction of the MBA and financed the recruitment of professors. His role was critical. If it weren t for his support, we wouldn t have done the MBA. Luigi Dusmet was Dean and Director of IMEDE from and was responsible for introducing the MBA program in Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen was President and CEO of LEGO Group between 1979 and 2004 and is currently Vice-Chairman of the company s Board. He was a member of the 1972 MBA class at IMEDE. He was also a member of the Foundation Board at IMEDE/IMD from 1989 to 2007 and of the Executive Committee from 1992 to IMD THE GREAT DEBATE Page 4/5

5 RELATED PROGRAMS THE IMD MBA - Focus on creative leadership Program Director Martha Maznevski - A world-class MBA offering exceptional learning for exceptional individuals - Develop your future corporate leaders in this selective, cutting-edge, intense, one-year international program focused on leadership and general management - Add to your management talent by hiring experienced IMD MBA graduates ready to contribute to your business IMD THE GREAT DEBATE Page 5/5