THE FUTURE OF MANAGEMENT EDUCATION: Change and New Models

Transcription

1 THE FUTURE OF MANAGEMENT EDUCATION: Change and New Models Keynote Address to EMBA Council Conference INSEAD, Singapore April 23rd 2012 by Professor Howard Thomas LKCSB Chair in Strategic Management Dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business Singapore Management University (SMU) Singapore

2 RE-THINKING THE BUSINESS SCHOOL The Golden Era for Business Schools has past Are we Schools for Business or Management Schools? This is a paradigm shift A potential tipping point to enhance the linkages to practice and create improved levels of multidisciplinary research

3 BACKGROUND Extensive personal research over last decade on business and management education. Previous project on internationalising process for such business schools as IAE, IMD, Insead, LBS and Warwick. Led to a book Strategic Leadership in the Business School by Fernando Fraguiero and Howard Thomas (Cambridge University Press) Current project on the future of Management Education Extensive Fieldwork and Interviews Ongoing Clear re-thinking of Management Education paradigms

4 RETHINKING THE BUSINESS SCHOOL SAMPLE CRITICIMS Is the business school a force for good or a force for evil? The business school fails to provide a sense of purpose, morality and ethics in its societal role The curriculum is too narrow, too analytical, too technical, too academic and too specialised. It largely ignores leadership and managerial skills The business school is a finishing school a socialisation mechanism The Business school research is largely arcane and irrelevant. It is solely motivated by academic rigour not practical value. The business school has sold out to the Tyranny of the Rankings Is it simply a cash cow for universities. It should exist separately from universities

5 EMERGING THEMES AND CHALLENGES Business Model Sustainability Stakeholder v Entrepreneurial Capitalism Business School Identity and Legitimacy Management as a Discipline (Profession)? The Impact of Research Technology Impacts Globalisation of Management Education

6 BUSINESS MODEL SUSTAINABILITY Peters/Thomas, Financial Times, September 2011 Is the Business School Model too Luxurious? Faculty shortages Use of clinical faculty Competitive pressures? (Shake-out?)

7 STAKEHOLDER V ENTREPRENEURIAL CAPITALISM Influence of UN Global Compact, Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) and Global Leadership Responsibility Initiative (GLRI) European Models of Stakeholder Capitalism (e.g. EABIS) US Models : - Caux Roundtable Beyond Grey Pinstripes (ASPEN) group developing a new ME curriculum for The Rio Conference, 2012

8 BUSINESS SCHOOL IDENTITY AND LEGITIMACY How is the Business School viewed within the university? Cash cow v Legitimate Academic Discipline How is the Business School viewed by business and management? Source of thought leadership Source of cutting-edge ideas Source of students Is legitimacy achieved by: A-Journal Publications Strong Financial Times Rankings? Leveraging distinctive competences

9 MANAGEMENT AS A DISCIPLINE (PROFESSION) Do we know what Management is about? Is Management Art or Science? What should be taught and why? Have we abandoned practice? How should a business school position itself?

10 THE IMPACT OF RESEARCH Research values scientific rigour over practical relevance AACSB (Impact of Research Report, 2007) divides research into theoretical, applied and pedagogical. Each category is important. Perception that much academic research is selfserving and practically irrelevant Is reputation / image enhanced by A-Journal research e.g. Rapid growth of Asian Schools in FT Global Rankings and U.T. Dallas Rankings?

11 TECHNOLOGY IMPACTS Has technology really influenced business schools? Still more bricks and mortar than clicks and mortar Technological change (e.g. I-Pads, Social/Digital media) has been rapid Current adoption mainly e-learning and blended learning. But bias for face-to-face learning. What about learning communities? Will there be disruptive innovations?

12 GLOBALISATION OF MANAGEMENT EDUCATION Recent AACSB report on globalisation (2011) reaffirms globalisation s potential impacts. Curricula changes have been more rhetoric than reality How should business schools globalise? Easy to announce globalisation initiatives, far harder to implement them! Student exchanges v Alliances v Networks v Overseas campuses Potential for Global Mimicry Issues of trust and reputation important!

13 SUGGESTED NEW MODELS TWO VARIANTS:- 1) ACADEMIC Social Sciences Model (Booth, Chicago) Humanities Model (Yale?) Knowledge economy (San Diego) Status Quo (Dominant US Model) Design School (Rotman) 2) PROFESSIONAL Embedded in practice, Action-learning, Practice/Real time projects (Cranfield, Ashridge, CCL)

14 RADICAL NEW MODELS LORANGE INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS (ZURICH) No departments No tenure No silos Practice informed Part-time, network model

15 FUTURES/SCENARIOS STATUS QUO / SHAKE OUT MUDDLING THROUGH PRACITCE, PROFESSIONAL ORIENTATION WEST MOVES EAST IMPLIES CULTURAL AND MODEL / PARADIGM DIVERSITY GROWTH OF EUROPEAN AND ASIAN BUSINESS SCHOOLS ASIAN AND EUROPEAN TEACHING MATERIALS AND CASES