Rethinking the MBA in Latin America: Needs to be Met, Opportunities to be Realized ASSOCIATION OF MBAS LATIN AMERICA CONFERENCE FOR DEANS AND DIRECTORS 2013, 4-6 September 2013 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil María Helena Jaén September 5, 2013
Outline Introduction: Rethinking Graduate Management Education in Latin America Datar, Garvin and Cullen 8 needs Key needs Latin America MBAs don t fully meet School s strategic actions Take-Aways 2
RETHINKING GRADUATE MANAGEMENT EDUCATION IN LATIN AMERICA A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROJECT Project Director: Srikant Datar Project Coordinators: Raquel Galindo-Dorado Gustavo Herrero María Helena Jaén F. Asís Martínez-Jerez And the 28 Participating Schools 3
Participating Schools 4 Source: Datar, Galindo, Herrero, Jaén and and Martínez-Jerez, CLADEA and the 28 Participating Schools, Rethinking Graduate Management Education in Latin America, forthcoming 2013
The ebook Copyright Srikant Datar, Raquel Galindo, Gustavo Herrero, María Helena Jaén, F. Asís Martínez-Jerez, the Consejo Latinoamericano de Escuelas de Administración (CLADEA), and the 28 Participating Schools 2013. Rethinking Graduate Management Education in Latin America 5
Key Project Information 28 participating schools: 26 from LATAM 14 countries 225 interviews 104 Deans 121 Recruiters 27 Focus Groups Corporate alumni & Entrepreneur alumni 15 Academic Institutions Source: Datar, et al. s 20136
What are the MBA programs key needs according to Datar, Garvin and Cullen 2010? Source: Datar, Garvin & Cullen (2010), Rethinking the MBA: Business Education at a Crossroads, Harvard Business Press: Boston, MA. 7
Eight Needs (United Stated and Europe) 1. A global perspective 2. Leadership development 3. Integration (holistic thinking) 4. Organizational realities 5. Creative, innovative thinking 6. Oral and written communication (critical thinking) 7. The role, responsibility, and purpose of business 8. Risk, regulation, and restraint Source: Datar, Garvin & Cullen (2010), Rethinking the MBA: Business Education at a Crossroads, Harvard Business Press: 8 Boston, MA.
Rebalancing the focus from knowing to doing and being Source: Datar, Garvin & Cullen (2010), Rethinking the MBA: Business Education at a Crossroads, Harvard Business Press: Boston, MA. 9
Rethinking Graduate Management Education in Latin America What are the key needs Latin America MBAs don t fully meet? Srikant Datar, Raquel Galindo, Gustavo Herrero, María Helena Jaén, F. Asís Martínez-Jerez, the Consejo Latinoamericano de Escuelas de Administración (CLADEA), and the 28 Participating Schools 2013. Rethinking Graduate Management Education in Latin America. Forthcoming 2013. 10
Latin American business schools place a lot of emphasis on knowing, some on doing, and a few, just a little, on being Source: Datar, et al. s 2013 11
Executives highly valued real world experience Source: Datar, et al. s 2013 12
Deans, recruiters, and alumni expressed a need for business education in the region to focus on local and regional issues including local cases and applied research on local companies Source: Datar, et al. s 2013 13
Great interest of alumni and executives to foster personal development: Being Source: Datar, et al. s 2013 14
Educators seemed frustrated because they felt they had been paying a lot of attention to leadership, while employers believed that the issue still needed more attention Source: Datar, et al. s 2013 15
Alumni have the desire to create jobs and start new enterprises, rather than pursue jobs that already exist Source: Datar, et al. s 2013 16
Some alumni perceived a diminishment in the value of the MBA. Some claimed the quality of MBAs had deteriorated, while others stated that The MBA has become so common that there might not be any differentiation 17
Latin American Shared Needs and Challenges Similarities Suggest Directions and Opportunities Source: Datar, et al. s 2013 18
Being Leadership development Personal development and selfawareness Connected to ethics, social and human values Source: Datar, et al. s 201319
What is taught in management programs is not always connected with common sense There is a high level of academic sophistication in leadership material, but the programs have a hard time applying these ideas to more basic human behaviors Source: Datar, et al. s 2013
Doing Implementation and execution skills Decision-making abilities Entrepreneurial skills, creativity and innovations Source: Datar, et al. s 201321
A gap between knowing, thinking, and doing How to apply theories in real-world environments How to work in real-time management: working on projects and teams How to deliver results and getting things done Source: Datar, et al. s 201322
A need to develop implementation skills among Latin American students Similar to what Datar found in India and Africa Source: Datar, et al. s 201323
Knowing and Thinking Skills Integrative thinking Critical thinking Connected with execution and decision-making abilities Source: Datar, et al. s 201324
Employers are concerned about the decision-making ability of graduates: Are our alumni comfortable making decisions? Source: Datar, et al. s 2013 25
LatAm MBA Programs Unmeet Needs: A Proposal for Discussion 1. A local and regional focus 2. Ethical leadership development 3. Implementation skills 4. Decision-making abilities 5. Entrepreneurial skills, creativity and innovations 6. Networking capabilities 7. Integrative thinking skills 8. Critical thinking 26
What actions has your school implemented to face the mentioned needs? 27
Strategic actions taken by schools Portfolio and curricular changes Learning & teaching methods reforms Faculty composition, recruitment, development, and evaluation Students profile Networking, alliances, and external connections Managing ecosystem (regulators, competition, economic context) 28
Opportunities to Address the Needs Insights 29
Curricular and pedagogical innovations What is important is not only the MBA content, but who delivers it and how it is delivered There is need to be more selective in what we teach (what) Pedagogical changes are key for curricular innovations (how) Faculty commitment and participation are vital for any innovation (who) Are we able to impact the being through online education? Source: Datar, et al. s 20130
Make the best of part-time and full-time faculty They bring hands-on and real life experiences Students integrate learning and make decisions in their work A mix of research faculty, teaching faculty, and practitioners as an advantage for the learning process Leverage the experiences of faculty and working students to address the need for teaching execution skills Source: Datar, et al. s 20131
Latin American collaboration An example: The CLADEA-BALAS Latin American Case Clearing House with Harvard Business Publishing Specific actions taken but selected schools in the Region (Virginia Lasio s presentation) 32
Take-Aways Latin American business education must focus on local and regional issues but with an international outlook It is not enough to prepare leaders, it is necessary to prepare ethical leaders Executives ask for real world experienced managers: managers capable to make decisions and execute Alumni ask for preparation to start new enterprises Alumni perceive networking as a key benefit of the MBA experience One of the keys is collaboration 33
Thank you Questions 34