Update Peter Drucker Forum 2011
Ivo Matser over: 'The future of management education'.
"Business Schools (BS) are in the same share holders value system as the banking sector and most listed companies, because of the current rankings, accreditation systems and mba money making machines."
"I know good managers, who really make the difference and their background in educations is history, technology, law, liberal arts etc. What can business educations learn from them? And I see to many mba’s working at consulting companies."
So what do we have to do in management education?
Programmes should be designed from the perspective of the student and his business and societal context, in fact from the integrated context of business and society. And not designed from the mostly specialized perspective of faculty.
So from specialized management disciplines to the complex situations of managers. In that case business science is supporting and not leading.
In designing and executing programmes we need faculty members who do not teach, but listen and cooperate. And they should have a more diverse background and not only focused on business.
What is important to learn?
I think it is important to move from Managing complexity to Embracing complexity.
And to move from targets to aims and designing business models and governance models in which doing good and doing well is integrated in doing well by doing good. To go from the knowledge of management to the ART of management with, managerial skills, education in a broader context, empathy and ambition.
So learning from shared values in business to shared values in a societal context including business.
What does this mean for business schools?
- BS should break their own system and must take the responsibility to be a good example for business and society.
- BS should be independent and not for profit; that’s the new governance.
- BS should be meeting places for sharing value and values and more diversity: it must be the inclusion of other sectors, arts, all kind of people. So away from paradoxes and selection and moving to inclusion.
- BS have to break the rankings systems because these rankings systems assess the increase of salaries of students, they create selection and they support the productivity of specialized knowledge of faculty.
- BS should break accreditation systems and make new ones. Quality management and quality assurance is of course important. But the accreditations systems should more focus on the impact of learning and less on management disciplines. The current systems help to improve disciplines but do not help to create innovation.
- And BS should be more educators and less researchers.
So BS have to innovate their governance/organisations, their faculty and the designs of management programmes.
Is that possible?Yes, I know it is and more important, it is our responsibility. We need brave leadership in breaking the current systems. Business Schools can have an important impact in creating a better future with responsible leaders. Start in your own school
Meer over Drucker Forum
